The Stampin' Grounds

Woo Hoo! (5 stars) on the L&B Racks!!

Ok -so yes, technically I didn't exactly give a favourable review to L&B's pine boxes.  And, perhaps I haven't been terribly favourable on most of the products I have reviewed.  BUT, I have one for sure that I KNOW you are going to love!!  Lisa and Becky's Rack system is *awesome*.  I finally managed to get mine installed, and not only was it easy, but they are so well designed and have a great 'feel' to them (and are even somehow feminine, in their metallic gleam!). 

First off - the IKEA racks are the only ones to get for storing your punches - they are far enough out from the wall that they are more effective in that regard.  But the IKEA baskets are too narrow on the bottom I find, for storing stamping equipment effectively, and the holes are too big, so things are constantly falling out.  Depends on what you are storing of course, but they aren't a slam dunk over all. 

Lisa and Becky's rail system IS a slam dunk for the following reasons:

• closely set rails to walls minimizes the ugly-factor
• attractive metal does not look office-y - achieves a touch of feminine organization
• racks and holders and SO perfectly suited for their tasks - they have everything from dauber holders to white boards and even a fiskars cutter holder!
• Easy to 'reorganize' and move racks around, as they just slide onto the holders - I even have them going exactly around my printer, so they leave a space!
• SO much organization in a little space - these puppies allow you to organize even the smallest nook with beauty and simplicity.

Take a look at them on the right frame of my blog, under "Lisa and Becky" stuff..

My rating: 5 stars out of 5! :) 

Review of the Cricut vs the Cuttlebug

Apparently this week is my week for product reviews!  Today's topic: the Ultra-expensive Cricut Expressions machine vs the Cuttlebug/Sizzix BigShot. 

The Cricut Expressions: Before you ask, yep, I mean the BIG DADDY - the 12" model that just was released this fall.  This baby WHOLESALES (as opposed to retails) for $419.  Let's just get that on the table now.  If you are wondering why Michael's charged some ridic' $650-699 regular price for this puppy, that's why!  It's also why they are constantly putting it on sale for some $499+tax - because they know that we aren't likely to buy it at that price!  So at that price, I'm looking for it to really make its money back for me!  I have high expectations (let's just put that out there right now!)

There is no doubt that this machine does it all - you can do the cutest little diecuts to stamp on, and decorate to your heart's desire.  My 5 year old son and I have had LOADS of fun having it cut shapes out for us.  You can make signs (very good for those of us with terrible handwriting), make embellishments, layered stuff, and MOST cool of all are all the alpha sets you can get and use for scrapbooking (lots of different fonts, sizes, etc). 

But, it is <ahem> at the BEST of times, $500+!  YUCK!  Here are the things I am not fond of: the mat is only 'good' for some 30 cuts or something.  It's plastic, and you are supposed to dispose of it and get another one.  At $25 a pop (Michaels for 2 possibly?), that's an expensive proposition!  Not to mention more plastic going into our landfills.  The reason mostly is that the surface is sticky to hold the paper, and after a while, the stickiness fades, and it doesn't hold the paper anymore (disastrous results for your project).  Being the economist that I am, I actually found a work-around - if you use scrappers spray, you can get the life extended quite a bit on them.  Did I mention that the blades also need replacing, just about as frequently?  Again, a price tag is associated with that..

Ok, and now let's talk about the cartridge price - um, hello?!  $119 for a cartridge at Michaels???  Holy smokes, that's like almost half a week of groceries in Vancouver!  Um, no thank you! 

In a nutshell - the cool factor is good, as is the ability to make diecuts the size of a 12" square of paper!  But, I believe this machine is MORE than double the price it should be - honestly, I think it should be retailing for more like $129, and the cartridges for MAYBE $60 for the alpha sets, and even that seems double too much.  So, value for the money?  Poor.  Cool factor?  High.  Would I buy it again, if it was just for myself?  NO.  My advice?  Save your cash, and use what I'm reviewing next..

The Cuttlebug/BigShot: Ok, where the Cricut is a big waste of money, the Cuttlebug and Bigshot actually maybe fits the bill a bit better!  I'm LIKING this option!  Sure, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of the Cricut, and can't therefore cut big letters, or decorate a big scrap-page.  BUT, it sure does do a great job at little diecuts, and it won't break the bank.  Plus, the diecuts are WAY cheaper, so you can get going at a much lower cost.  My kids and I LOVE to play with it, and with relatively little skill, we can make some pretty darn cool stuff!  This one is worth considering in a SERIOUS way! :)

Now, to compare the cuttlebug to the bigshot?  That's dead easy - in a nutshell, the bigshot is bigger, has more dies to choose from, matches my beloved SU! stuff, AND all the Cuttlebug cartridges work inside it (but not vice versa) - um, no contest, Bigshot takes it in a landslide! :) 

Ok - back to organizing  my office with my new cubes, AND thinking about Paris <insert terrible French accent here...>.. oo la la! 

LOVE IT!

OMG - I LOVE these products - I have been playing with them for the last little while, so I thought I would let you guys in on them.  I have an extra one of some of these - check out my 'oops' photo gallery to the right to see which ones.  Otherwise, I can order them for cheaper than most anywhere else. :)

First off - The Xyron Sticker maker.  This is SO great!! You can send through scads of stuff - embellishments, diecuts, paper pieces, etc.  It makes an awesome, permanent sticker - I actually made sticker labels for all of my paper holders to show which colours were inside!  LOVE IT!   (I have ONE extra - see sidebar for details)

Second: the Pebbles Ribbon Iron - LOVE IT!  It's SO convenient to have a little iron you can keep in your scrap area - it heats up really quickly, and you just slide a ribbon through it and voila, your ribbon is wrinkle free and beautiful for your project!  Much better than taking out the ironing board and iron, for one 6" ribbon piece! (no more extra, but I can get more..)

Risin' Up!

Woo hoo!  I'm over the hump!  Watch out for LOTS of new projects I'll be posting over the next few days.  I'm on fire! 

My most exciting discovery are the Crafter's Cubes I found - OMG what a GREAT, space-effective way to organize all things stamping/paper!  They fit 12" vertical paper both vertically and horizontally, and they have panels on the side for displaying scrapbook pages and more!  AND, they come with a rack system too, that actually surpasses my IKEA system, and is almost as cheap!  I'm going to add them all to my discount section, so keep your eyes out there!  I may be re-arranging that section, as it is really starting to flesh out, so keep an eye on it!

Other news - Tyler (my 2 year old) has his MRI a week from today.  I KNOW it will all be fine, and it's routine, but uugghghh <insert unpleasant sigh here> - the idea of him going under again just makes me feel sad.  Poor little guy.  I'm not yet sure when his EEG will be, but probably soon following this.

Ok - much more soon - off to craft!

The Pretties

  Product Review - Pretties

One of my colleagues and I spent an evening last month 'playing' with the new pretties from the new catalogue - they are SO fun!  After a lot of trial and error, I can honestly say this is a great product to have for scrapping/stamping.  Here are some of the things we found while working with them:

• We liked using either an inkpad or reinker to dye them, or water colour crayons. 
  
• We tried pastels to colour them, but didn't get great results with that - I'd stick with reinkers and water colours
  
• It was best when we used the aquapainter to die them (lots of water).
  
• They dry a lot faster than we thought they would. 
  
• The pins, pearls, sparklies and other stuff in the box are SO cute!
  
• We made probably a dozen cards using several flowers each, and did not make a noticeable dent in the box (in terms of supply).  There are a LOT in there!  Good value. 
  
• It's really pretty when you rub the tips on an inkpad after dying them, in a coordinated colour. 

Over all - go for it - loved these, and they make such a great addition to cards.   Have fun with them - I love them!!

Crop-a-dile

Holy Smokes - you aren't going to believe how awesome this tool is!  To start, it is an eyelet setter that punches through chipboard, tin, and several paper layers with ease. It has built-in 1/8" and 3/16" circle punches that silently and easily set eyelets of both sizes. And, you won't believe how easy it it.  (small voice asks: where is the anger management fun in that though?) :)  This is a must have tool!

Irridescent Ice

                                                   

In honour of the Holidays and all the cards you are sure to be preparing, the product of the month is Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder.  I LOVE this powder - it is great for both embossing detailed images, as well as providing a glittery coat over a large surface.  It provides you with a clear, glittery coat.  Try it using a versamarker pen to pick out details you want to sparkle, stamp your image with craft ink or versamark for a full image sparkle, or use a brayer to coat an entire surface with versamark ink, and emboss the entire area with Irridescence.  Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder #101930

Featured Product - RUB-ONS!

                                                                                                                           

I am SO excited that Stampin' Up! has started carrying coordinated rub-ons!  Check them out on page 182 of the catalog - I have been playing with them already and they are SO incredible!  Each package contains both a black and white rub-on sheet, and they adhere easily to glass, paper, chipboard, photos, candles, metal, you name it!  I'll be demo-ing them at the open house, and also plan to hold a class on using them in the next couple of months. Tip: It's tempting, but don't use your bone folder to rub them on - it's a little too efficient and can tear them - best bet is the cheap popsicle stick it comes with. :)