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Ok, there is SOOOO much SU stuff that I want that I am trying to get some of it as cheap as I can-I'm talking $100's and $100's of dollars (I am hosting a workshop NOV20 and am in my demo's marker club, so I hope to get some free stuff there) so I was wondering if I can get some of the 'accessory' stuff at Michaels---do they carry it and is it as good and is it cheaper? here are some of the items in question:
Layering Ease
Envelope Templates
Circle Tags
White Square Aluminum framed tags
Stationery Boxes and tags
notched corner punch
1/16" circle punch
liquid glue
paper snips
zip painty
aqua painter
watercolor brushes
blender pens
watercolor pencils
pencil sharpener
sponge daubers
stylus
glitter (is it as high quality as SU)
Pearl EX
eyelets
brads
26-gauge wire
buttons
hemp twine
linen thread
white grosgain ribbon
double circle punch
some of the stuff I know they carry but don't know how quality compares...also, will eyelets bought at michaels work with the SU crafters tool kit? cuz I plan to get the tool kit for sure...
Okay I am not sure of all of your list-but here is what I would ABSOLUTELY buy from SU and NOT Micheal's:
GLITTER (especially Dazzling Diamonds-not sure about other colors)
Grosgrain Ribbon
Eyelets
Paper Snips
Blender Pens
Sponge Daubers (I've never seen them at M but ???)
Eyelets
26 gauge wire
Hemp
Watercolor Pencils
Buttons (if you want to color match with SU)
Things okay from M's
Aluminum tags
Notched Corner Punch (think it is called Southwest)
othe stuff I donlt know. HTH!
__________________ I want people to be afraid of how much they love me-M. Scott
I'm unfamiliar with the comparison with most on the list, but I just have to tell you....the eyelets that Michael's sells are by Making Memories and they are BAD BAD BAD!! Every single time that I used them (with my SU toolkit) they would break. It didn't matter how little of pressure I hammered with, they were just awful. Avoid them at all costs! I actually threw them away I was so disgusted with them.
Also, I have a 1/2 inch hole punch from them and it's very difficult to punch through paper with it.
There are just some things where you really do get what you pay for! I'd go with SU for most of it after learning the hard way.
Creative Director - My Favorite Things Dirty Dozen Alumni
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anna
Hello Anna,
I for one am all for saving money! Let me help you decide on a few things!
1/16 punch is fiskars brand and you can get it cheaper at michaels
I read that paper snips are the cutter bee scissors, you can get those at walmart for $7.00.
I've been looking for the same zig painty we carry, but can't find it so I would go SU on that!
You can get the aqua painters elsewhere although they will not be the exact same product. It will cost you the same though, so again I would go SU!
You can find blender pens at other places in a pack of 1. They are more expensive in the store!
There are watercolor pencils at Michaels, but I'm not sure of the quailty difference!
The sponge daubers are the same price and maker no matter where you get them! Go with SU so it goes on your party totals!
I would get pearl ex at Michaels using your 40% or 50% off coupon! It is much less expensive.
I found a great source for brads at www.addictedtoscrapbooking.com . They are inexpensive and not as high quality, so the choice is yours on that one!
I think SU 26 gauge wire is better. Wire is expensive at the store and you'd have to buy a ton of the rolls to have a variety!
Our grosgrain ribboni s cheaper than wal mart. Their ribbon is $1.88 for 5 yards and ours in 5 or 6 bucks for 25 yards. Go with SU!
The bottom line is, only where you save a substantial amount of money is it worth it to buy at other stores if you are having a party. All those items will add to your party totals and give you more benefits. Good luck in your party and I hope this info helps you.
The Empressor stylus is the same as SU!'s, the pearlex is obviously the same (you can check out the colors in the catalog), the Zig painty is the same, and if you buy the fiskars 1/16 punch, that'll be the same too. I purchased a couple of the watercolor pencils from Michaels before I became a demo to compare, and immediately ordered the SU ones. I also buy my watercolor brushes there because I like the variety. I also buy my natural hemp there because you can get a nice big ball for around $4. I get everything else from SU!.
The bottom line is, only where you save a substantial amount of money is it worth it to buy at other stores if you are having a party. All those items will add to your party totals and give you more benefits. Good luck in your party and I hope this info helps you.
Here, here! Free is always best when possible. I've also heard that SU aquapainters are superior to any others out there.
Nancy
I am a current SU! demo and used to work at Michaels too. And I am all for getting the same stuff cheaper BUT without compromising quality.
it is all a matter of preference for somethings...but I'll give you my opinion on your list.
Layering Ease---I haven't seen this at Micheals
Envelope Templates---can get at michaels,not sure if it is the same
Circle Tags--not sure
White Square Aluminum framed tags-- DEFIANTELY not as good quality as SU!
Stationery Boxes and tags --not at Micheals
notched corner punch --not at Michaels
1/16" circle punch --same at Michaels
liquid glue-- not as good as SU!
paper snips--can purchase cutter bee's but same price
zip painty --?
aqua painter --not same quality
watercolor brushes--?
blender pens--not same
watercolor pencils--definately less expensive through SU!
pencil sharpener--?
sponge daubers--SU! is a better deal
stylus --anywhere
glitter (is it as high quality as SU) --not as nice as SU!
Pearl EX --can get at Michels
eyelets--not as nice as SU! and NOT colored coordinated with our inks and paper.
brads-Making Memories brand is fine
26-gauge wire--MIchaels
buttons--again not colored coordinated with our colors
hemp twine--not as good as quality as SU's
linen thread--?
white grosgain ribbon--better deal through SU!
double circle punch--you can get a double "ribbon" punch. very similiar
One thing to keep in mind is that coordinating the colors of embellishments, inks and cardstock is what brings a card together. Even as a customer I believed that. So coorsinating your eyelets, buttons, inks and cardstock all with SU! will be a good investment, because I guarantee you will be more happy with your finished product if you do.
HTH
I've used only Making Memories eyelets and have not had any problems with them. BUT where I would be careful is in the colours. Not all colours match very well. As I said, I haven't used SU eyelets, but I would think they would match better.
Um, I hope I don't sound too much like someone parroting the party line - but... have you considered becoming a demo? If you have 100's and 100's of dollars of stuff that you want, become a demo for the discount - a hobby demo. On your own orders you can get the demo discount and all of the hostess benefits. Then, should you decide to hold a workshop or two for friends, you can get the discount off of your friend's purchases as well. That's how you can really save money from the purchases that you intend to make. The demo kit is a great discount in and of itself and there is nothing bad that will happen if you don't make the quarterly minimums - just no more demo discount.
Holy smokes!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
When I read this post there were no replies....it took me so long to type my reply that then there were several! LOL! You girls are so quick!
Kerry, you're reply was much more elegant... and I just took way to long to get mine posted... and then to realize that you had already said the same thing :oops:
hi there!
i was going to say the same...........you should consider becoming a demo! if you have a wish list that is that long the benefits will far outweigh the risks (and there really aren't any risks!)
talk to your demo before you spend hundreds of dollars.
I use both of these eyelets. Some of the colors are very close to SU eyelet colors and I have never had any problem with MM Eyelets cracking.
Elizabeth
I, too, used to work at Michaels and am now a demonstrator. I hardly buy anything there. I did buy my trimmer, the tripple track with a 50% off coupon.
I have a michaels blender pen and it is cheap, definately not as good as the SU one. The SU markers are better, the cardstock is better. SU ribbon is better too.
If you want a Versamark, use a coupon at Michaels but for just about everything, get it from SU. Definately get most of it free with a workshop or sign up to be a demo. I spend less now that I am a demo because my income pays for my stamps.
Kelli
I don't know about Michaels, but Hobby Lobby's AquaPainters are just as good as SU. The size they carry is in-between SU's. They are, obviously, not the exact same item.
I just have to mention that I became a demo for the discount on my own products. I just did my first stamp camp and it paid for all of the "things" that I wanted. Not only that...I get to buy from the mini-catalogs long before my friends do...how fun is that? Give it some consideration!
I agree that as a demo, my sales pay for my SU! purchases. And I only consider myself a "hobby demo". I host 1-2 mystery hostess workshops a month. Mostly made up of my friends. (ok-2 customers I "obtained" while working at MIchaels! I enjoy sharing my stamping knowledge with them and they enjoy buying SU! stuff. I have about 7-9 regulars. I would look into it if I were you. I know as a customer I spent no less than $50+ a month. My best friend also did. Then my sister got into it. So the 3 of us alone could easily maintain my minimum sales quotas! LOL! So I figured I might as well get a discount on stuff I buying anyhow! Not to mention getting to pre order stuff and seeing the mini ASAP. And some great incentives that I get from SU!
I would consider it if I were you!!
I think you should become a demo....just BEWARE!!! You think you like all these products now, WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! I've been a demo for two years and I still have a wish list in the $1,000s. It just keeps getting better and better and better! It's an incredible company, huge heart, the other demos are fantastic. I LOVE my job, showing other women how they too can become addicted to stamping lol. Talk to your demo......it is so much fun!
Leanne in WA
I have to agree about being a demo. I used to love to go into Michaels and check out the stamp section. Now I look and I just think - why get it here when I can order this stuff myself.
I would have to say that if you are going to have a party, spend the money on SU. Everything you buy goes toward your party as well and you will get more hostess benefits.
And yes....there is more....I have been a demo for almost 2 years and I too have a huge wish list still. I don't think my husband realizes all the stuff that I DON'T have. He thinks I've got about all you can get. Boy is he sooooo wrong!
I have to agree with everyone on sticking with SU products unless you can get an identical product at Michael's for much less money (ie the Versamark pad with a 40% off coupon). I needed some detail white embossing powder ASAP and didn't have time to order it from SU, so off I went to Michael's. It was less than half the cost of the SU EP, even without a coupon, but boy was I disappointed with it. I will be ordering the SU EP tomorrow for sure and throwing out the stuff from Michael's. The old saying is true - you get what you pay for. HTH.
__________________ It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not. ~Author Unknown
I think you asked a really good question. I feel the blender pen at SU is a better deal and better pen. Mine last for at least a year or two (I use them about 10 times a month). My friends' store bought seem to run out or not 'self clean' like SU does.
I buy my eyelets at the store most of the time, i either need them in a hurry or I use a lot of the "snaps" so I buy them at the store. I will say that the SU eyelets have a much nicer look, they are much "fuller" on the top and show off the color more. But I still buy a lot of mine elsewhere. I think the brads would be the same at both places. I have SU up ones now, and they seem the same. The tool kit would work fine. I've had NO problems with the Making Memories eyelets and snaps. i really like them.
The buttons I bought at the store are nice, they are just fine, but remember the SU ones match all the SU colors now!! How cool is that! So it just depends how "Matchy" you are!
The grosgrain ribbon I have is all from SU. I did, at one time, buy a roll at a store, but the price at SU is MUCH better. 25 yards is A LOT of ribbon. Try buying some with friends and split it. Then you will have even more colors!
If you mean the two sizes of large circle punches.. I just got mine today!! And they are sooo nice. I love the way you can just push the lever to punch it, no more hurting your wrist pushing it through. They seem really heavy duty and long lasting.
Here's my opinion:
I am a hobby demo and I do still shop at the "other" stores for:
*coupon items or items not offered by SU*
-I like Making Memories brads and some of their tags just fine
-Fiskars hand punches and crimpers
-vellum tape
-a smaller light box and stylus for dry embossing
-stipple brush, sponge daubers
-special kinds of vellum
-mulberry paper seems to be mulberry paper to me
-I like K&_ scrapbooks, nice quality IF you want something different
-Versamark, tombow mono, fiskars replacement blades are the same to me
-I buy a stamp or background paper once in a while if I love it
-I have a smaller powder tray that's generic
SU can't be beat on:
grossgrain and organdy for quality/price, glitter, cardstock, ink, markers, albums hold more pages and don't "wear", page protectors, eyelets, cord (lasts and lasts), I prefer their large punches, blender pens, watercolor pencils, love SU 2-way glue and stampin' dimensionals
Anything that gets lots of use as the quality is at least equal to what else is out there and usually better!
I just saw a tearing tool today. Is the SU one better, anybody?
What about the stamp-a-majig???
You can use your hole punch to set SU eyelets, very helpful trick (You can avoiding the banging noise at midnight). This trick only works on SU eyelets, not the Michael's (Making Memeories) brand. Go SU when it comes to these!
The Stampin Up watercolor pencils are a much better deal and value for the money. In the SU set, you get more pencils for the price than Michaels, the colors of the pencils and quality are both much better than the Michael's watercolor sets of pencils in my opinion. I did compare before I bought the stampin up set.
I will tell you this: waited a number of months before becomming a demonstrator, but I knew I would do it. In the meantime, I went ahead and bought certain items at Michaels and am now very upset that I did. Watercolor pencils were one of those items, and I'm going to find a way to get rid of them and then by the SU ones. Trust me honey... become a demo and get the 20% off +, it'll be so worth it... especially if you're this into it!!!
When I first learned how to do eyelets, long before I did much with SU!, I was taught that eyelets are *supposed* to split on the back to make them grip the paper. The setter I bought to use with them (I believe it was MM brand, but not sure.) was designed to cause the eyelets to "petal" out. I was so confused to see SU! eyelets not split. That being said, I much prefer SU! eyelets, not only for the color matching, but because they are about 1000 times easier to set... Just a gentle tap is all it takes, whereas the MM eyelets require some serious pounding.
Hey I love my aquapainter from Michael's. It works great and much cheaper with a coupon.
Maybe waiting over 2 months dampered my spirit when my SU ones finally recently arrived... I found they were too "watery" when it came to using them with twinkling H2Os. I liked the narrower barrel on the one from Michael's and the indentation where it's held.
I was going to say the same thing everyone else said - I became a demo because my wishlist looked a lot like yours! The first hostess order you place gets a better discount then you get later - so I hosted my first party, got the discount *plus* hostess benefits, and it was a huge savings!
I did buy Fiskers punches at JoAnn's, and I got 26 gauge wire there too. Silver brads from Michael's - but almost everything direct from SU - once you factor in the discount and avoiding the risk of impulse shopping in the store it is a better deal when you're a demo!
I don't know about Michaels, but Hobby Lobby's AquaPainters are just as good as SU. The size they carry is in-between SU's. They are, obviously, not the exact same item.
I have the 'Aqua Painter' from Hobby Lobby and won't even use because I dislike it so much. I haven't tried SU, but I know that I don't like the one I have from HL. I like to use good old watercolor brushes instead.
Just thought I would throw in that I use an Aqua Painter, filled with blender fluid as a blender pen...I find the paint brush lets me do more...also looks more like watercoloring.
stampcrazygirl:
Obviously, you are a purist, so I can tell you'd like a brush better. I do, too, but the aquapainters are so much more convenient as I keep them loaded with water ready to use. QVC showed something like that for kids this weekend with bigger, fatter pens, color coordinated to the paint pots.
Just thought I would throw in that I use an Aqua Painter, filled with blender fluid as a blender pen...I find the paint brush lets me do more...also looks more like watercoloring.
wow! you guys are great! it always pays to do your homework=) I just don't like getting into something like this and then discovering down the road that I have bought the wrong 'stuff' so you guys really helped me out!
About becoming a demo...I have looked into this just a bit. but I am not at all interested in doing 'workshops' and with out them, I just don't know how I would be able to 'do' $100 a month! I don't think I could convince my hubby to let me spend that much in stamp stuff=)
I am also an Usborne Children's books consultant, and I do a few shows with that, AND I have 3 girls under the age of 4, so adding anything addtional to my plate is pretty shaky. I would have done it in a HEARTBEAT if there were no monthly/quarterly minimums (like Usborne) but since there are and the start up kit is a bit costly, I just don't think I can do it at this time. In the future maybe!
You can Dove Blender fluid or you can make you own...
BLENDER REFILL
make your own by following this recipe:
In a one ounce dropper bottle add:
1/3 part Glycerin
2/3 part distilled water
1/4 tsp Alcohol
Carefully remove either end of your marker with pliers and a light
twisting motion. Add a few drops of the liquid to the marker. (More
is not better here. Too much liquid will result in a runny mess)
Replace the tip. Lay marker on its side overnight. Marker should be
reinked the following day.
with the Aqua Painter and Blender fluid (or your regular blender pens)... when you go to clean the brush tip have small amout of the fluid in a palatte or dish and swish your tip in the fluid...it will clean easier and not dry out your tip.
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Anna,
I wasn't thrilled with the workshop idea, either. I've recently found some friends that decided they liked what I was doing, so just the 3 friends got together, I showed them how I did what they liked, and they bought $260 worth of stuff. I added the extra $40 ('cause there is always more to want!) and there is my quota for the entire quarter. They've already agreed to do another one during Sellabration, so I have next quarter covered again. These are just friends, so I'm not having to go talk to the random strangers that came to some other stranger's house. I'm not really doing a 'workshop', it's more of a 'show and tell'. It's a comfortable situation and means I get my wish list items a lot cheaper. Do you know other people that are even remotely interested in stamping or scrapping? You probably wouldn't really need to do more than 1 in a quarter, and that really isn't much. Especially with a wish list as long as you have... you really should consider it again.
__________________ --Sandi desperately trying to eliminate some of the clutter in my house!
Stampin' Up vs Michaels
