Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper
By Tracy EDistressing Tool
By Tracy E
I like the look of a rough edge sometimes on my pages. It adds texture and interest to a page or photograph. I bought this handy little tool a
Cricut Review
By Tracy E
and the Cricut
Expression. I personally prefer the larger
Cricut Expression
. I've
used this machine at a crop and was very satisfied with the
results.With the Cricut you can cut out many different fonts and shapes in many different sizes as well as shadow the shape in a different color paper for a matted effect. It's fast and easy and sure beats hand cutting by a long shot.
My Favorite Adhesive
By Tracy ELove my Crop-A-Dile!
By Tracy E
by We R
Memory Keepers as a gift this year but hadn't used it until
recently. I wish I had used it sooner - I love it! This
thing makes eyelet setting and hole punching a breeze. I
love that...
Smart Shopping, Smart Scrapbooking
By Tammy MWhen it comes to shopping for scrapbooking tools and supplies, options and variety are not an issue. In fact, there is so much cool stuff out on the market, that choosing what to buy can be as wonderful, and painful, as choosing what to eat at a buffet on a cruise ship!
The key to having your shopping experience be a good one, though, is to shop with purpose, and to shop with information. Below are several ways you can approach your scrapbook shopping so that each purchase you make results in true satisfaction:
Scrapbooking using a Sewing Machine
By Tracy EI used to have my sewing machine set up in my kitchen closet in my former house. I had my father install an outlet in the closet and I removed a couple of shelves to make more room. This worked well for the situation I was in at the time - very small house; scrapbooked at the kitchen table. Now that I have a larger house and a dedicated scrap space, I feel lucky to have the luxury of my sewing machine right beside me. I have space to leave it set up on my table, but sometimes I have it stored on the floor and just pick it up when I want to use it. I find I use it a lot more now and love it! I hope you can find a way to use your sewing machine more often. Accessiblity is the key!
A Scrapbooker's Dream Tool - A Drink And Garbage Holder
By Tracy ECheers,
Create An Equipment Co-operative
By Tammy MAs scrappers become more sophisticated in their tastes and techniques, their need for more expensive tools increases. As an example, die-cutting machines are becoming ever popular, most especially because of the variety of dies that are available either for fonts or graphics.
And then of course there are the machines that are computerized such as the Cricuits, which are so versatile and functional that, once experienced, a user doesn’t want to ever live without it. Cost, however, can be very prohibitive, and that’s why it might be to your advantage to chip in with some friends and share a certain coveted tool or piece of equipment.
The positive reasons for forming a co-operative for a piece of expensive equipment are as follows:
- Each person only has to come up with a portion of the ticket price, thereby saving money.
- The equipment actually gets used! So often we buy something, and we’re enthusiastic about it at first, but then only end up using it once in awhile.
- Everyone has a strength to contribute. One person might be really good at reading the directions and can provide technical support, while another person might not be afraid to play around and can discover all the creative options.
- Accessories can be shared. Who needs to own every font available? With a co-operative, each person can buy a different font, or accessory, that they are particularly in love with, but can also make use of the items that the others in the group have purchased. Everybody wins!
There can be drawbacks, of course, which you should definitely be aware of before you enter into a cooperative-type agreement. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you really like the people you’re going to share with? Make sure to not involve too many people. Two is great, and four is probably the maximum.
- What are the arrangements for getting the item to and from each other. Is there a rotation schedule that can be written up so that everyone gets equal time?
- What parts are actually shared, and which are not? As an example, for the Cricuit, will everyone have their own cutting mats, but share the tool kit for peeling the die-cuts off the mat?
- Should the cooperative disband for any reason, what will the procedure be for buy-out? Hopefully, there will never be a need for this, but it could happen, nonetheless.
If you’ve got a couple of friends, whom you trust and love scrapbooking with, then a co-operative could be a wonderful answer to your equipment woes. Not only will you all get to enjoy the scrapbooking benefits of your new gizmo, but it will also be a common thread that adds fun and excitement to your friendships.
