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Fantastic thread, thankyou for starting it. Can't we use the mesh as a base layer and the adhesive on the CS will go through the holes , at least on the larger meshes. I've been searching my recycling box for lined envelopes and cutting out flowers from mailers all afternoon!
I also use the bank envelope paper for backgrounds it is great.
Another idea instead of purchasing one of those repositioners when your stamp did not turn out perfect, use tracing paper and graphite paper. Stamp image on the tracing paper then center it over your not so perfect stamp. Slide graphite paper between bad image and tracing paper and use a sharp pencil and trace over the image. You now have a perfect stamped image.
Last edited by betty2; 02-26-2011 at 05:47 PM..
Reason: printing mistake on my behalf
I didn't get mine to work either so don't feel bad. They didn't dye up as nice either.
The ket is to use a high temp glue gun and work in a cool area, I work in my basement so it is chilly and it seems to help. Also I squeese out the teenist drop and pul the gun up in a spiral motion. I dye them in a small baggie with a couple drops of alcohol ink. I made a video too, perhaps that will help: Crafty Video: Make Pearls and Dew Drops! � Thefrugalcrafter’s Weblog
Lindsay, thanks for the tip on the high temp glue... I was going to try with my low melt stuff because that's the only clear sticks I have right now, but I was really wondering if it would work properly.
I have a very old glue gun which is like brand new since I've used it maybe 5 times in a gazillion years. I think I even remember where it is - lol. I'll have to give this tip a try. Guess while I'm out shopping I'll have to buy a box of Puffs. I usually buy Kleenex but Puffs may be more useful. What a bonus, tissues and a craft item all in one neat little package.
Dew drops...I tried laying down droplets of Glossy Accents on a piece of wax paper. Thanks to MelzStamps...I needed to make bath bubbles and this worked perfectly!
Cathy
__________________ I stand alone without beliefs...the only truth I know is you
Make your own glue dots. Use Aleene's Tack It Over Glue. Dab small dots on wax paper. Let Dry. Cover with another sheet of wax paper.
Where do you find this glue? I looked at Michael's [I'm in Canada] and saw Aleene's Tacky Glue, Jewel It, Clear Glue etc but none of Aleene's 'Tack it Over' glue. Does this particular one, dry differently or could I use her Tacky Glue?
I am on a t-i-g-h-t- budget [ the queen blinks like crazy when I pull a bill out of my wallet because she rarely gets to see the light of day!] and so I haven't bought any glue yet. Please point me in the right direction ;)
__________________ Just keep breathing...that's the key.
I have recycled so many items from so many places my DH never throws anything away without asking first. Even my SIL saves things for me! Many of the things mentioned are on my list of things I regularly do, but I didn't see making use of used baby wipes (oh no, not used from their intended purpose). If you use baby wipes to clean your stamps, save them after a project. Most likely the colors will coordinate and once dry, make a great textured background. I use one piece for two Halloween cards and both recipients commented on the great paper and where did I get it. I am in the process now of making coffee-themed cards and have been using the "java wraps" that I've saved from those places that don't recycle them. If the are plain they can be stamped on, but many have little coffee cups printed on them already. The formica samples that hang in hardware stores get thrown out when the colors are discontinued and they will give you hundreds for free. Use as embellishments (they can be stamped on, embossed, and painted). The same goes for wall paper books. Pages and pages of great background paper, material for gift bags and envies. I have been saving the plastic handles from the bags of birdseed. Think they will make great purse handles for special cards this spring. With some of the suggestions here, I think I will try to color them somehow instead of leaving them all white. Making do is so much fun and gives one a great feeling of accomplishment.
Where do you find this glue? I looked at Michael's [I'm in Canada] and saw Aleene's Tacky Glue, Jewel It, Clear Glue etc but none of Aleene's 'Tack it Over' glue. Does this particular one, dry differently or could I use her Tacky Glue?
I am on a t-i-g-h-t- budget [ the queen blinks like crazy when I pull a bill out of my wallet because she rarely gets to see the light of day!] and so I haven't bought any glue yet. Please point me in the right direction ;)
This is what the Michael's website says about the Tack it Over glue:
Aleene's� Tack-It Over & Over is a repositionable, clear and flexible glue that allows you to reposition appliqu�s and patches from garment to garment without reapplying glue. Ideal for wearable, costumes, home d�cor fabrics and more.
I think it's kind of like a super version of Post-It note adhesive??? Some of the 2-way glues MAY work at least temporarily... the Tombow Multi liquid glue that SU sells is permanent when stuck down while it's wet, but it dries tacky and can be used as repositionable adhesive too. Maybe something like that would also work? I haven't used the Aleene's, so I'm really not sure....
Where do you find this glue? I looked at Michael's [I'm in Canada] and saw Aleene's Tacky Glue, Jewel It, Clear Glue etc but none of Aleene's 'Tack it Over' glue. Does this particular one, dry differently or could I use her Tacky Glue?
I am on a t-i-g-h-t- budget [ the queen blinks like crazy when I pull a bill out of my wallet because she rarely gets to see the light of day!] and so I haven't bought any glue yet. Please point me in the right direction ;)
That's where I got mine too. In my Michael's it's a glue section and on the other side of the isle are beads etc. If you can't find the glue ask one of the employees where it is. Every store may have it in a different location but I know most Michael's do carry it.
Where do you find this glue? I looked at Michael's [I'm in Canada] and saw Aleene's Tacky Glue, Jewel It, Clear Glue etc but none of Aleene's 'Tack it Over' glue. Does this particular one, dry differently or could I use her Tacky Glue?
In Red Deer, I got it at Walmart South about 6 months ago and now that they have upped their craft dept. it might be back in there
I, too, had been searching for Aleene's TIO&O. I live in southern New Mexico (not by choice). The Walmart in town doesn't have it. They might've had it, before they down sized the sewing/craft section to two aisles. I've searched every aisle at Hobby Lobby and Joann's (both a 1 hour drive away), and they don't have it. Nearest Michaels is over 2 hours away, so I don't go unless I have another reason to be in El Paso. So, I've ordered it on-line. It should be arriving today or tomorrow. yay!
I love repurposing/recycling! There's quite a lot of good info on here! I haven't been able to read it all, so I don't know if someone's mentioned it or not...but I like making faux snow by rubbing two cut pieces of styrofoam together. I like using it for shaker box cards at Christmas time. You could also use re-inker to color the styrofoam grit for some faux flower soft. Here's a link to the card I made with the faux snow if you're interested. It was too big a file to upload apparently. I have a lot more ideas on my blog--I also found that there are small mini misters in the protectant skin you get for your cell phones. Just rinse out the bottles, peel the labels, and use for all your misting needs. LOL (I included a link to that too). I also love to use paper lunch bags for mini albums.
;)I LOVE digi images. You can resize to use on any size card or larger for scrap booking. Go to freedigistmaps. They list new freebies every single day.
Other money savers (that look great) are flowers punched out of newspaper, glossy magaizne ads, etc. Magazine ads from fashion mags make wonderful multi colored flowers. It doesn't matter if you are punching clothing, skyscrapers or whatnot. You can't really see what the item is after you punch the flower - all you get is the great color!
I haven't seen anyone talk about kitchen items being repurposed. I've super thin sliced corks for texture, I've used the pop top portion of cans for a belt buckle on santa hershey bar wraps, and I've even pulled the wire top out of an old calendar to repurpose as flower stems & leaves on a card.
My husband has gotten to the point of not throwing scraps of any packing material, magazines or junk mail out without asking me, "Can you use this in your craft room?" LOL
I've done this too, and while we are on the subject, besides the wine corks, I use the top of the foil seal on the wine bottles. If you use a foil cutter carefully (or in some cases, you can twist off the entire foil and then cut the round top with a scissors), you will end up with an embellishment that can have an eagle, monogram, designs, a bunch of grapes, etc. to use as a very lightweight but dimensional embellishment. I use them for all sorts of themes.
I use the top of the foil seal on the wine bottles. If you use a foil cutter carefully (or in some cases, you can twist off the entire foil and then cut the round top with a scissors), you will end up with an embellishment that can have an eagle, monogram, designs, a bunch of grapes, etc. to use as a very lightweight but dimensional embellishment. I use them for all sorts of themes.
Hmmm. this idea is worth celebrating! Maybe I'll get my dh to break out a bottle of wine this evening. LOL
__________________ Louise Bergmann DuMontAuthor, Speaker, Serious About Her Coffee, Lover of all that is Chocolate...Worshiper of El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One)
I've done this too, and while we are on the subject, besides the wine corks, I use the top of the foil seal on the wine bottles. If you use a foil cutter carefully (or in some cases, you can twist off the entire foil and then cut the round top with a scissors), you will end up with an embellishment that can have an eagle, monogram, designs, a bunch of grapes, etc. to use as a very lightweight but dimensional embellishment. I use them for all sorts of themes.
I never thought of using that part - I often use the side (when it really is foil and not plastic) for embossing and punching, but I think I've always just tossed the top part.
Make you own copy cat SU stamp cleaner:
2 cups distilled water
1 T baby wash ( I use generic)
2 T Rose Water. Store in jar and when you use it, dilute it 5:1
Don't use Simple green on clear stamps, from them.
Also from Simple green when you use on your stamps dilute 33 parts water to 1 part SG.
I have done a lot of research on alternatives for certain tools and supplies. I have made my own stamp cleaner (but different recipe than Betty) and a stamp scrubber pad. I looked at several cleaner recipes, and decided on 2 TBSP Glycerin, 1 TSP Baby Wash, fill remaining 8oz bottle with distilled water. Was so easy. I got little 2 oz spray bottles, and the glycerin from Walmart (in the first aid section). Found 8oz bottle to mix it in at HL. And for the stamp scrubber, I found a large foam paint pad at Home Depot (my local Lowes only had the smaller ones). I cut it in half so it will have one side for wet and one side for dry just like the SU stamp scrubber. I was looking for options on what to put it in, preferably something that had equal depth on both sides, and completely lucked out. My DH had this small case that one of his gadgets came in, that he didn't need, and the paints pads fit in it perfectly! Before I found it, I'd looked through several craft stores and WM, Target, etc. Couldn't find anything that was perfect, so I started to think of something I could make. I figured I could cut three rectangles of heavy acetate plastic just a bit larger than the paint pads, put velcro on two, bind two along the long side in such a way that it flips open to lay flat for use, and closes for storage. The third piece of acetate would be tethered to the short side of one of the first two pieces of acetate in such a way that it flips and stores underneath that side while the scrubber is in use, and then flips back to rest between the two paint pads when it is closed for storage to keep the wet side from transferring any residue to the dry side. I might still do this using two of the full large paint pads (instead of cutting one in half), for use with larger stamps, like background stamps. The cool thing about these foam paint pads is they don't have any plastic backing on them list the SU ones do, so you can run them through the dishwasher without having to worry about that backing getting warped. And these paint pads don't shed.
Make you own copy cat SU stamp cleaner:
2 cups distilled water
1 T baby wash ( I use generic)
2 T Rose Water. Store in jar and when you use it, dilute it 5:1
Don't use Simple green on clear stamps, from them.
Also from Simple green when you use on your stamps dilute 33 parts water to 1 part SG.
I use 1 part simple green to 10 parts water on all my stamps, why shouldn't I use them on my clear stamps? I haven't has any problems, what did they say?
Has anyone noticed the fabulous tags hanging on new kids clothes now-a-days? They are fun colors, textures, materials and I've been saving them for use on cards and scrapbook pages. Haven't used them yet, but I'm saving them just the same. LOL!
I use 1 part simple green to 10 parts water on all my stamps, why shouldn't I use them on my clear stamps? I haven't has any problems, what did they say?
Not sure, they didn't say but when I asked they said they'd check and get back to me on safety of it for rubber, they said safe at 33:1. I didn't ask about the acrylic but read it on some manufacturers website about not using it on clear stamps. So I don't, to be safe. I have SG and my mix and use both.
One way I am making due instead of buying new, is storing my unmounted and photopolymer stamps in CD cases. My workplace was purging a CD library that they no longer need. They were going to throw all the cases in the dumpster! Thankfully, I was in time to stop them. I've gone through and removed the cd tray from all of them. Over 2,000 cases. Quite the task. But, not too bad for a bordline OCD person like me.
I actually have more than I could ever use, so I've been selling them via SCS. I've sold over 1,000, but still have plenty to share. Here is a link, if you are interested:
One way I am making due instead of buying new, is storing my unmounted and photopolymer stamps in CD cases. My workplace was purging a CD library that they no longer need. They were going to throw all the cases in the dumpster! Thankfully, I was in time to stop them. I've gone through and removed the cd tray from all of them. Over 2,000 cases. Quite the task. But, not too bad for a bordline OCD person like me.
I actually have more than I could ever use, so I've been selling them via SCS. I've sold over 1,000, but still have plenty to share. Here is a link, if you are interested:
I used empty CD cases for Christmas gifts this year. I printed off 2011 calendars for each month, stamped images on each and put them in the cases with the two parts put together in reverse manner. Everyone loved them.
One way I am making due instead of buying new, is storing my unmounted and photopolymer stamps in CD cases. My workplace was purging a CD library that they no longer need. They were going to throw all the cases in the dumpster! Thankfully, I was in time to stop them. I've gone through and removed the cd tray from all of them. Over 2,000 cases. Quite the task. But, not too bad for a bordline OCD person like me.
I actually have more than I could ever use, so I've been selling them via SCS. I've sold over 1,000, but still have plenty to share. Here is a link, if you are interested:
That reminds me, if you work at an office, watch what they throw. I've got a box of overhead projector sheets that they were throwing out, a box of file folders they didn't like, brand new, a BAG of light bulbs, they replace all in a big fixture, a bunch of folders with their logo & date on that were made of some awesome green cardstock etc. SO many things they throw that we can use.
That reminds me, if you work at an office, watch what they throw. I've got a box of overhead projector sheets that they were throwing out, a box of file folders they didn't like, brand new, a BAG of light bulbs, they replace all in a big fixture, a bunch of folders with their logo & date on that were made of some awesome green cardstock etc. SO many things they throw that we can use.
You are so right Betty! I've taken apart 3 ring binders they were chucking, and got really heavy tag board from them, along with some panels of Pleather. I also take apart computer harddrives that have been degaussed (completely wiped clean of data) and were being chucked. I get all sorts of neat pieces from them. The best is the aluminum rings that are used as spacers on the spindle to separate the disk platters. I used them to make a garland for our Christmas tree, by linking them with jump rings.
You are so right Betty! I've taken apart 3 ring binders they were chucking, and got really heavy tag board from them, along with some panels of Pleather. I also take apart computer harddrives that have been degaussed (completely wiped clean of data) and were being chucked. I get all sorts of neat pieces from them. The best is the aluminum rings that are used as spacers on the spindle to separate the disk platters. I used them to make a garland for our Christmas tree, by linking them with jump rings.
Wow! I'm so computer illiterate that I wouldn't have even thought of looking for things inside the throw-away's. We did this with a bunch of old Apples before I retired. Wish I could go back in time.
I tried this yesterday but I couldn't keep my thread to stay twisted. I used one strand #10 crochet thread and I split emb floss and used 2 of the threads. It looked great but did not stay twisted and it wanted to kink up. any ideas?
I have got a tutorial on my blog on how to make your own braided cords using embroidery thread- it may be of help?This is the linkThis came about as I have so much embroidery yarn from when I used to cross stitch- I now feel less guilty about my thread stash, lol.
Someone earlier mentioned nail polish for colouring brads, which reminded me about eyeshadow- most of it is pearly/sparkly, which makes it a great substitute for the glimmery chalk type powders.Tumble drier sheets(used) are good antistatic wipes too.
I have got a tutorial on my blog on how to make your own braided cords using embroidery thread- it may be of help?This is the linkThis came about as I have so much embroidery yarn from when I used to cross stitch- I now feel less guilty about my thread stash, lol.
This is so awesome! I've been wanting a little hand drill for some time, but was gifted with a small, but heavy duty electric one by (who else) DH. He now has it in his shop and I'm on the prowl for one like yours. TFS
Wow - where to start? Nothing gets thrown away in our house without someone saying "do you want this for your card-making?" - and usually I do!
I've made those scrumpled flowers before, but have used my Cuttlebug to cut scalloped circles from different papers - including magazine ones!
I love Card Candy - those little bags of card circles that look like brads without the legs - you can buy them in loads of scrumptious colours. Last time I was in the shop I was advised to buy white and colour them with my Copics - that way you can match them exactly to your card. Works brilliantly. Ok, each bag costs the same - but you don't need to buy so many different colours thus saving your pennies (or cents)!.
Instead of buying expensive brads have you tried making your own? Buy a bag of ordinary brass office brads. Holding the legs with tweezers, press them into a Versafine pad, then into embossing powder, and heat with a heat gun. Voila - super shiny coloured brads for a fraction of the cost.
Looking forward to reading loads more tips - great thread!
I make the FAKE brads using my very old office 1/4" hole punch, stack a few with glue and cover with Glossy accents. OR...take a 1/4" circle and circle your smallest stylist (or the handle end of a small paint brush, or a crochet hook) in it...it will make a teeny tiny cup for the center of your flowers, or turn it over and you have a one layer curved brad that you can use. It's great to match up your papers and use up the scraps!
using CD cases for unmounted stamp storage
