Just hit 20,000 last night so it is time for blog candy! Next Saturday is World Card Making Day so that is the day I will be doing my drawing. This blog candy contains a huge assortment of eyelets,spirals, frames, buttons, punchouts, tags, corners, clips, embellishments and other little goodies thrown in. I have been avidly collecting for several weeks and went to Seattle on Wednesday where I picked up several additions for this blog candy.
All you need to do to enter is to post your very favorite and most useful OR money saving stamping tip--on THIS post only. I will draw Saturday night. Check back to claim your BLOG CANDY! (US residents only, please)
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60 comments:
Check your fabric department in the craft stores for trims like rick-rack and ribbons. Usually cheaper there than in the paper crafts section.
DeniseB
Yesterday at WalMart I purchased some 3/4" round white stickers. They work perfectly to put a small stamp on and place on your card. They can be used to be the "center" of a flower, a border, etc. They come in all sizes and all colors. I prefer the white at this time - more opportunities! Can be used sort of like your snowflake nugget tin centers. Hope this makes sense to all.
I love to look on the "back" racks at our Target store for stamping items. It seems that these racks contain many of the non-tradional embellishments for a fraction of the price found in crafting areas. Patti H
I save nicely-printed cardboard packaging to make punched or Cuttlebuged embellishments for my cards. Acetate packaging makes nice clear flowers too!
Cobgrats to your hits!! I use a less expensive cardstock on the borders or frames for my card and a more expessive just for the card base itself.
I like to buy silk flower branches to use instead of the more expensive pimas. Just pull of the flowers, I can often get 25-30 flowers for a dollar.
You are one popular blogging stamping gal! Congrats!
To save money, I bring my kids (ages 2 & 3) in to the store. That way, I have to stick to my list (meaning run around before little episodes begin) or bail out before I even get to purchase anything. Life as a Mom right?
-Mary Lou
Thank you for your comment on my blog...I really appreciate it and I feel honored!! I'm a frugal person, so I've got a lot of money saving tips. My best one is to order water every time we go out to a restaurant or fast food place. It is free and the price of soda keeps going up and up. My hubby and I save literally hundreds of dollars a year doing this! Thanks!
Cheryl KVD
My favorite tip is to use old phone books...they are practically an unlimited supply of fresh work sheets. That way I can be messy with my glue or markers or stamp pads and recycle my work sheet and grab another.
Ok, I'm dumb. I didn't read that it had to be a stamping tip!! SO here's my tip for stamping. If I'm doing a card or layout with lots of layers, I will take an exacto knife and cut out the inside of the cardstock that is going to be covered up. Then I will use that piece for other things. It really helps when I don't have enough of a certian color cardstock!!
Thanks!
Cheryl
This probably sounds silly, but my favorite money-saving tip is to save ALL my scraps! My SU! upline throws all scraps away when she's done with a project, and I know some others that don't save many scraps either and that just kills me! I save them all! The SU! scraps get saved in hanging files, my Bazzill scraps have their own container and I have a swatch ring so I can match specific colors if I need to, and the rest get saved in a plastic bin.
The top of my money-saving list would have to be DON'T start the hobby of stamping! It's a great hobby and at the end of the day I DO have something to show for it (as opposed to my husband's golf game scorecard), so that's a plus. I love my ATG (adhesive transfer gun) for saving $$. It always works and it always sticks and it's cheaper than most other adhesives.
I would probably say look around your house for different things you can stamp on or use for multiple purposes.
I would say one of my favorite money saving tips is using punches. While they may cost a bit up front, they can be used in sooo many ways.
Gretchen
My favorite money tip is I use a pink foam packing material for my background stamp. First I cut it up to the size of an A2 card, ink it up and use it. Voila! Saved myself $.
Thanks for all you do in inspiring to be better stampers.
:) Maggie Stockwell
Your candy sounds yummy and FUN to play with. Money savings would be Blog Candy Giveaways. LOL
I go to the clearence section and then what is on sale. Coupons are good also. Stamp companies have sales and SU has promotions that you can buy stamps and get a set free. I have to do this or I would never get to have any new stuff. Thanks for a chance.
cmeyers@hughes.net
Hi Donna!
Congratulations on 20,000!!!
And thank you for offering us candy to help you celebrate :)
My favorite tip is one that it took me a long time to learn...I just kept forgetting to do it...
assembly line. It's so easy to make a few instead of just one, and saves so much time later :)
I turn my blade around and use the other side when the side I am using gets dull. I also buy the BIG desk calendars from the previous year to when they are clearanced to put on my desk to stamp on. Like Tammy I save ALL of my scraps that are big enough to do anything with (punch!!) I have saved LOTS of money over the years using scraps!
Congratulations on reaching 20,000! My recent most useful tip is . . . . when you have put a card together and a layer is crooked, you can use dental floss to separate the layers and reattach them. This works very well with adhesive tapes.
I would say the computer helps me save with stamping. Many times instead of buying another stamp for a saying I won't use a lot, I just print it on cardstock and add it to the card. It helps to carry a notebook to jot them down.
save money by participating in swaps and having theme stamp sharing. Lori K
I would have to say that lately my biggest way to save money is to start using what I alreay have! :)Shellie
Since I am trying to save money and can't by new stamps I have been swapping stamped images with people. It's fun to get new images in the mail and share images. Plus you don't have to buy all the new stamps that are out there.
Thanks for sharing blog candy with us ! :-)
I love reading all these money-saving tips! I have my SU! cardstock in hanging files. At the front of each color is a file folder with scraps of that color. Sure saves cutting a new sheet when I can find a scrap quickly. I also have 3 small decorative buckets on top of my desk that hold white scraps, black scraps & multi-color. It's amazing how many of these I use for matting an image or making tags, etc.
My money saving tip is to use 50% water 50% stampin mist stamp cleaner. Thanks. Love your blog
My money saving tip is instead of buying primas I go and buy Lei's, lots of them. Since they come in different colors and sizes I can cut the string it comes on and i plenty of flowers for my cards and layouts.
Hi Donna!!! I wish I would have known you were going to be here in Seattle! I would have taken you out for a coffee! There are some fabulous places in Olympia that I want to share with you - email me if you have some time! :)
Best money saving tip - SHARE things with friends - it's way more fun to share anyway!!!
find out when your local stamp and scrap stores have their garage sales and buy used that are other people's castoffs
I'm not exactly a frugal stamper, since I have to have all the new stuff! But I do like to use what's at hand...I will keep interesting packaging and clothing tags to punch, stamp, or simply use as layers. Often the colors and patterns are very current with the craft products I'm buying.
Thanks for the chance to win your awesome blog goodies! You have a great blog, congratulations on the numbers!
rholschen@air-pipe.com
Hi Donna...two tips for you....
1. be organized so you don't end up buying things you already own
2. share stamps/supplies with friends...especially if it is a stamp you won't use lots, see if a friend has it (or one like it) before you buy.
Congrats on your blog! :)
Congrats on reaching 20k hits and thanx for the opp to win the candy!
I generally use the cards and envelopes from JoAnn's and glue the front half of the card I create to the front of that.
One day while I was moaning to a buddy about the lack of plain white flowers I could then chalk to match cards, she pointed me to picking up flowers from a craft shop and using those rather than searching the LSSs (thanx, Pat!).
later, alligator!
- SueB of sueblondin.blogspot.com
I LOVE the link to the cheap nugget tins! Those silly tins and bottles are so expensive and this was a hit with my friends, too! I hope this qualifies as a money saving stamping tip!
Congratulations on your HITS and thanks for sharing your excitement with us with some BLOG CANDY! nicole
I love to pick up end of the season grab bags from the craft stores... You just never know what you might find in them...
You have a wonderful blog. Before ordering anything on line I always look for a coupon code to save on the order or shipping.
Claudia
I recycle scenic calendars, magazine pages, etc. by using the photos as backgrounds for my stamping.
When the craft stores clearance their expensive yarns and fibers to $1-$2, I buy a bunch of different ones. The I swap with friends, or wrap up several yards of each one and give as part of a goodie bag to stampin' friends at Christmas. They are thrilled- and saves me a ton of money.
I also punch any scrap smaller than 1/4 sheet, and keep the punchies organized in an embroidery floss box. That way, the scraps are not laying around, but they still get used. Some I will cut to ATC size, and keep a box of those handy as well.
Okay, so this is 3 tips, but I also use saran wrap and rubber bands for stamping backgrounds. Saran- just wad up, ink, and pounce over your paper. Rubberbands- wrap around a brayer or large stamp-ink and stamp. Cheap, easy backgrounds!
When ordering on-line with a friend, we split the shipping cost.
Also use coupons and shop the sale section of LSS or craft stores.
NancyS(momsnack)
Love your blog...
When I wrap a gift, I like to use a piece of the wrapping paper which I adhere to card stock to make the card. It's quick, easy and adds a special touch.
Empty velvetta cheese boxes are the perfect size to store Sizzlet or Cuttlebug dies. Use sticky contact paper or glue designer paper on them to decorate.
Thanks for the chance to win some awesome candy!
I guess my money saving tip would be having friends who let me borrow their stamps. I've had a lot of stamps that a friend let me borrow and thank goodness she's been busy and hasn't asked for them back! I'm getting more money saving tips by reading all of these comments! Thanks!
Congratulations on all the hits and thanks for sharing all your great creations with us!
I think I save a lot of money buy not buying ink pads!! I have ordered quite a few of the mini cube applicators for only around !1.50 each. Instead of ordering or purchasing an ink pad AND the refill bottle I get just the refill bottle and make my own mini ink pad. If I get the ink pad then I use ink refresher spray or glycerin to re-ink the pad. Works like a charm -- after all - the pigment is still there - it's just a little too dry. I also don't buy markers. I use the refill ink with a blender pen. When using a dot of ink directly from the bottle, it is almost as dark as using a regular marker.
Thanks and I hope you continue your blog for a long time!! :)
20,000 is wonderfully impressive-- but good heavens! It's almost up to 21,000 already!
As a stamper/crafter, I alternate between being wildly extravagant and almost ridiculously frugal-- I guess by saving a few pennies here, I feel I deserve to be outrageous there....
A favorite frugality, though, is for me to save any used manila folders I come across at home or at work. Trim them to 8.5x11" and keep a stack near your printer. Any time I download/print a template, I used a saved sheet of manila "cardstock" rather than plain paper. Good to recycle and it saves the step of transferring the pattern from plain paper to cardstock.
Best Wishes,
Mary
i get great coupons for 40% and 50% off one item from some of our craft stores. i just signed up for their mailing list, and they come in the mail every so often.
thanks for a chance at great blog candy and congrats on all the hits!!!!!
I am a big fan of pearlized paper and it is quite expensive -- but a bottle of Glimmer Mist gives any paper that sparkle. Much cheaper.
Someone else mentioned an ATG gun, you will have to pry mine from my cold, dead hands -- sooooooo much cheaper than those measly mono tape dispensers! (too bad it is so hard to travel with ;^)*
Two tips, but both fun. Thanks for the chance!
This tip really plays off a few of those already mentioned, but . . . I love the stamping magazines. Love to sit in a comfy chair with a little reading material at the end of the day. I use those 40-50% coupons to purchase my magazines. Then as I peruse the pages, I mark the pages that have ideas I want to try along with the name of the stamps that I already own that I want to use. I've avoided a few "Ohhhhh, I have GOT to get that stamp!" moments this way - and been tickled to find new ways to use what I already own!
I take lots of film pictures and almost always get duplicate prints (plus occasionally get one that's either blurry or very similar to another picture). I like to punch circles and squares out of the duplicates that I'm not using and then collage them into a card. You can either pick out identifiable sections or just interesting color schemes, etc.
I really enjoy your blog and am not surprised it's so popular!
Faith in Tennessee
Tip: I love using an old battery powered toothbrush for cleaning my stamps.
one tip i always use is that instead of using a sponge to sponge the edges of cardstock, i run it directly on to the stampin ink pad. works just as well and u don't have to purchase the sponges. :)
recycle, recycle, recycle. I try to give a second life to the "fancy" packaging that so many items are sold in. Whether it be for a gift or just using it for organization. One tip I "should" follow, is to not surf the internet...since that is where I do most of my stamp shopping. Yikes!
Congrats.
Well, all of my awesome tips were already mentioned by all these other awesome stampers! I've come up with one that I don't think was mentioned though.. And I'm sure everyone does this anyway..
I highlight everything in all of my various catalogs that I already have. I also keep an index of all my stamps and punches and primas... etc. so that when I am out shopping, I am less likely to buy duplicates.
I love the frugal suggestions you've received so far. They've given me some great ideas to try. I always try to take advantage of sales, coupons and free shipping. I also use the internet for ideas, rather than investing in magazine subscriptions.
Love your blog. Wonder ideas!
Jane
My tip...
You can use a rolling pin for your cuttlebug embossing folders. Just insert your paper and roll awayÜ
I like to get together with my stamping friends and bring a bag of our favorite stamps. We stamp images of each others stamps so we don't have to invest in so many stamps ourselves.
I always wait to use my 40% off coupons at AcMoore or Michaels on an item that is expensive or relatively so. Even a stamp that you wouldn't perhaps buy because it is a little bigger or mare expensive.
I mostly use white or cream cardstock as my base card because I like the inside to be light colored. So I just use a marker to color the outside edges whatever color coordinates with the upper layer of the card. It looks like I'm using duplex cardstock. Love your blog. Thanks for your generosity.
I use tacks for all my piercing...plus, I get a hundred of these for a dollar!
take 15 minutes a week to straighten up stamping area...it really helps. Thanks for your offer.
Jan W.
One of favorite tips sis to use a dental floss threader for fibers, ribbons, yarns. I found them at Kmart but I've also seen them in Walmart. The package will last forever unless I keep losing them.
Thanks for all the tips!
iluvpaper2
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