Sunday Savings: Get Advice and Follow Directions

 

Cringe when I think about how much I've wasted because I didn't know how to use something properly and didn't take the time to find out.  This card provides two examples -- Ranger Glossy Accents and the Cameo/Silhouette.

Ranger's Glossy Accents  How many bottles have I tossed?  Love this stuff, but the tip clogged every single time.  I'd stick pins in the top, trim the top, run the bottle under warm water, etc.  Nothing worked and I'd ruin the bottle.  I would buy more thinking that somehow a new bottle would be better.

No, I was the problem, not the product.

Finally, asked on Facebook for advice and someone pointed out that Jennifer McGuire has posted that the way to avoid a clogged tip, is to use it, and then tap the bottle until the glossy accents recede out of the tip into the bottle.  If any remain in the tip, push out, tap and repeat until the tip is clear.   

See that glossy joy above?  Sometimes it takes a little patience, but so far I've used my one bottle repeatedly and have had no reason to toss it off the terrace. 

Cameo/Silhouette -- So frustrated over the years with jagged cuts.  Finally slowed down, got out a new blade, followed the prompts on the screen, and got a clean cut on this fairly intricate design (the "o" in joy is tiny).  This cardstock is 100# -- this was the first time I got a clean cut using cardstock this thick.  I've wasted a lot of paper just moving too fast...

Although this tip is obvious, we can save money slowing down, reading directions, and getting (and following) advice!  

And the card --

Supplies:

Stamps:  Essentials by Ellen Bokeh Dots 
Ink:  3 varieties of green (two Hero Arts and One Versamagic) -- just use three shades for depth
Paper:  Michaels Recollections White, SU vellum, Simon Says Stamp Cotton Candy, Cosmo Cricket Self Adhesive Glitter Sheets
Other:  Simon Says Stamp star dies, dimensionals, Glossy Accents, Silhouette (to cut out the word Joy)


MOOD WHEN DONE:  Happy!
HUSBAND'S COMMENT:  Oh, pink.  For Christmas. That's different.

Edited to add:  At Taheera's suggestion, I'm entering this into the Cure for the Monday Blues challenge that she hosts every week.  You can find it here.  

Sunday Savings: Mind Games

New stamp companies and designs are everywhere, and they are more fun, more clever, more everything, than 10 years ago. And stampers are using these new designs in amazing, fun, beautiful ways.

And dies!!   If I got every die I want my craft room would look like this:

No sooner does one amazing thing hit the street that the next amazing thing comes along.  It's not a once a year catalogue, or even a once a month release anymore.  Every day, every single day, there's something fabulous.

And the something fabulous becomes a line of something fabulous.  Love Ranger Distress inks? I do. But now there's Distress paints, stains, reinkers, crackle paint, stickles, watercolor paper, card stock, and markers. And mini distress inks. And a blender. And a mini blender. And a tin to hold the mini inks.

It's just a question of time before Tim Holtz markets Distress Tears. Color away your sadness....

(photo from Deviant Art by Count-L)

And, despite being committed to spending small and spending smart, sometimes I make choices I regret.

The fact is that, deep down, no matter the downsizing, there are moments when I sort of still want it all.  So, to avoid this:

and this:

I play a little mind game. It goes something like this.

If there were 3 new stamp sets a year, and I could only have 2 I'd feel deprived, like I was missing out.  But there are 30,000 and I like at least half of them.  Since even I don't want 15,000 new stamp sets, I concede that I must do without a lot of stuff I love. If I can do without that cute new Mama Elephant set today, I can do without it tomorrow. 

It works.

Most of the time.