Tuesday, October 29, 2013

My Favorite Supplies


Note: I wrote this entire post in 2013 but never published it. I am going to share it in its unedited state now, and then hopefully post an updated version soon. I still like a lot of these supplies, but I have a lot of new things to add now, and a few comments on the below as well.

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Since I am no longer on any creative teams, I have had some time to play around, just for me, and I also have some time to create some blog posts with more content than just my project shares.

I always think it is interesting to see what supplies other people like/dislike, and why, so I thought I would share my thoughts (I don't know if anyone cares though!)

My favorite mists:
1) Heidi Swapp Color Shine: I love the sheen they have--they are the most vibrant, shiny mists I have.
2) Perfect Pearls: These are great for when I need just a bit of color. I use Heirloom Gold all the time on projects to add just a bit of gold sparkle. I have had no clogging issues at all.
3) Dylusions?: These get a question mark because I honestly had a bad first experience with one of mine (brown). I don't know if it is defective or what, but it often leaves a weird blue cast when on my mixed media pages. I don't seem to have had problems with any other shades. I love the vibrant colors.
4) SEI Tumble Dye: I discovered these from the very talented Roben-Marie. The biggest pro: They are permanent and will not react with water after drying.

My favorite stencils:
1) Harlequin (Crafters workshop)
2) Punchinella (Gauche Alchemey)
My "alternative" textures:
1) Joint tape: I discovered this through Donna Downey. I bought a big roll at Lowe's-
definitely worth the "investment" since I use it all the time now. It's a cheaper alternative to using punchinella (I save the punchinella to use as a stencil/mask)
2) LACE: Any kind will do! Cotton crocheted lace picks up color really well though. If you can find a good deal on a roll or two, pick some up!
My favorite "brand name" embellishments:
1) Heidi Swapp hearts, arrows, etc
2) Vintage Vanity collection
My favorite stamps:
1) Kaisercraft notepad/ledger
2) Stampin' Up texture roller
3) a silicone hexagon pot holder I found at Walmart that works great as a stamp
4) Tim Holtz tiny text
5) Hero Arts script
If I had to pick just 5 stamps to use for the rest of my life, I think I could make do with just these, honestly (maybe an alpha set of some sort too, though :P )

My favorite media:
1) Super Heavy Gel Medium: good for adhering stuff and also for using through a stencil to create texture
2) Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glaze - these things are amazing. They are vibrant but also translucent, they add shimmer, and they come in lots of shades. They are expensive, but worth it! You only need to use a little at a time, too. If you mix them with water or gel medium, you can make them last longer. I have even mixed them with some of the mists from above, and they seem to work fine.
Other tools:
1) Scarlet lime pen: permanent. Just be sure to not run it through too wet of mod podge or medium..and then let it dry...when you go to scrape off the dried bits, the ball part might come out and you will have messy hands and a dead pen :( not that I know from personal experience or anything....
2) Glue gun: I resisted buying one for awhile, thinking I had all sorts of other glue I could use instead...but nothing beats how fast it adheres with relatively little mess to clean up. It can also be used to create texture!

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