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Reuse cello bags or rather notice them more in products you buy. For example you buy a bag of partyhorns - they come in a gusseted cello type bag. Once you put a topper and a present in them it doesn't matter where it came from
You would be surprised how many products come in the bags when you start paying attention. I just cut off the top so I have a nice edge and save for my next last minute gift idea etc.
One of my favorite things about spending money on SU paper but saving money using it is you can stamp on the other side if you screw up!! (not that that EVER happens to me!!! :oops: *)
* Don't ever take apart the cards I send you...LOL You would not believe how many have mistakes on the back!! LOL!!!!
Oh Keri - you gave me a chuckle on your last comment. I can say the same thing! I agree about SU paper - the mistakes don't show through.
Sue
Reuse cello bags or rather notice them more in products you buy. For example you buy a bag of partyhorns - they come in a gusseted cello type bag. Once you put a topper and a present in them it doesn't matter where it came from
You would be surprised how many products come in the bags when you start paying attention. I just cut off the top so I have a nice edge and save for my next last minute gift idea etc.
I've always been a cheapskate crafter. That doesn't change the amount of money I spend on SU product. There are some things I won't skimp on.
When I first got started, I didn't want to spend the money for a light box so my dad made me one with scrap wood and a piece of plexiglass. I was never really happy with the amount of light I got from that little nightlight bulb and was about to finally break down and get a "real" light box. I read the tip about a string of Christmas lights under a Pyrex dish and dug out a string to put in my homemade light box. What a difference! Thanks for that tip!
__________________ The only thing better than a good friend is a good friend with a bag of M&Ms.
I save old calendar pages and use them to'test' stamp to determine look/placement etc. Also use them to 'stamp off' my stamp, it saves the cleaner pad from having to be washed as frequently if you use a lot of dark colors to stamp. Baby wipes is another plus in cleanup but like the SU cleaner pads does leave fibers on the stamp now and then so I use my SOFT toothbrush to get rid of these.
I have trained my husband to look for cool colors or patterns inside envelopes from bills/junk mail (same thing right?) and use them for bits of background paper on cards and other projects.
Would anyone out there know of a Canadian company that sells the Perfect Ink Refresher product???? Shipping & customs costs make it a very pricey item. Newbie to stamping but am finding some ink pads a little on the dry side. Thanks everyone! :shock:
[Just curious which tools are the same... Is the crimper or the paper trimmer? Are the hand hole punches Fiskars? To be honest I am afraid to even ask.... I swear I am loyal to SU! It's just that I have a 50% coupon for joanne's and I would love to use it on an SU! applicable item. It was hard to tell from the catalog pics, and I have been afraid to ask my upline.... I don't want to be turned in for being a trator!
The paper trimmer is nearly the same, with one exception, it doesn't have the measurements all the way down the grid (which I find very handy), otherwise, same cutter. Crimper is exact same. Hand held punches are Fiskars, but hard to find if you are looking for a particular punch.
Probably the best use of your 50% coupon would be the crimper.
You know, your upline would be probably be very understanding if you ask her, and would probably feel kinda bad if she knew that you weren't comfortable enough to (at least I know I would)
__________________
Milette
The dreamers of the day are dangerous people,For they dream their dreams with open eyes,And make them come true.- D.H. Lawrence
Here's one more (you'll probably laugh at me for this). I had to take DMIL to the emergency room and while there they opened a packaged kit to dress a wound and it had a small pair of scissors. They were metal with a small and very sharp, pointed tip (perfect for detailed cutting). After they dressed her wound I asked what they did with the scissors and they said they would be thrown away. I asked if I could have them and they said "yes". So for me they were free. I know, I know you can call me strange if you want.
Here's one more (you'll probably laugh at me for this). I had to take DMIL to the emergency room and while there they opened a packaged kit to dress a wound and it had a small pair of scissors. They were metal with a small and very sharp, pointed tip (perfect for detailed cutting). After they dressed her wound I asked what they did with the scissors and they said they would be thrown away. I asked if I could have them and they said "yes". So for me they were free. I know, I know you can call me strange if you want.
I use a pair of circumcision scissors ;) in my stamp area. My sister used to work in post-partum at the hospital, and she got them all the time when they were throwing them out
Demos don't have to be dishonest about this. My local demo is where many, many of these tips came from. She has repeatedly told us, as she demos, that the company requires that she use their products to demo, but that when she is not demoing she substitutes with other things. For example the other night, when we were using the Magic Mesh she explained which drywall tape and where to buy and how to use. I go to her workshops because I will come home with so many tips. People buy even more from her because of this. We generally know how much we can spend and if it is not in consumables you can bet we will spend it on stamps!!!
I am not suggesting anyone be dishonest, but it is nice that she is so human and that she is so much like her customers and understands that we work hard for our money. She is realistic and her main goal is for us to love stamping so much that we are total addicts
I love the quality of SU products. Ususally I am only satisfied with them. Even if I buy a random stamp somewhere else I find that I don't use it and it was a waste of money. Recenly I bought great stamp cubes at a dollar store called The Dollar Wave. They were identical to SUs although in the wrapper they looked not quite as bright.
My upline, when I was her customer, always told us the best place to get certain items. Because of that, I trusted her opinion. She told us to get the crimper at the PX, if we know someone with priveleges, and the paper trimmer, among other things. But, she always said that pretty much anything else was best from SU. Since becoming a demo myself, I have found that with my discount along with my extra check at the beginning of the month, I can't really get a better deal elsewhere.
I really appreciate that Dot2Dot started this thread and shared so many wonderful ideas with us
I think we would all agree that SU has the best products by far, but those of us that are not Demo's want to save where we can (especially initially) so we have more money to spend on our favorite SU products like stamps, pads and paper. I love that my Demo has never pushed me to buy only all SU products. I do provide comic relief for her quite often with my thriftiness. Hey I've got to stretch my $ where I can. She knows it's just a phase and that I will eventually break down and buy the better SU products. My wish list is so long that I substitute where I can so that I can afford this hobby. I'm sure that's what the thread is mainly about here and not meant to offend those of you who are SU Demonstrators. I think it's just a phase most of us go through as we build our inventory. Please don't take offense to our ideas. I have a few ideas to share:
1.I bought the fun foam pre-cut letters and I temporarily mounted them to a wood block with double sided tape to use as alphabet stamps for my scrapbook pages. They stamp beautifully. I gave the stamp a slight twist to ink it evenly then tapped on the pad for an even texture of ink.
2. This is the on that really cracked up me Demo: I have the 2001-2002 hostess stamp set "Country Charm". I liked 5 of the 6 stamps, but I thought the doll that was on a shelf stamp was ugly and I knew it was something I would never use. Using small curved cuticle scissors, I cut the parts of the stamp I liked and mounted separate stamps from the original image. Now I have jar w/ flowers, a small basket arrangement, a small heart and stockings for a chimney. I have a couple of favorite tips too:
1.I use a small clipboard for embossing. It's great because you can clip the paper to hold it and you won't ruin the surface of your table or burn you fingers.
2. Empty tic tac cases are great for storing eyelets.
3. I just made a recent discovery. Use the grid on your Creative Memories personal cutter to emboss with a stylus. I just made some adorable ice cream cones using creamy caramel card stock on a card. I’ll try to post the card I made soon.
Hope you found something useful here. Happy to help, Nan
1.I use a small clipboard for embossing. It's great because you can clip the paper to hold it and you won't ruin the surface of your table or burn you fingers.
That is a really good idea - I am constantly burning my fingers....
I think some demos feel that they are afraid to let their customers go to Michael's or other stores, because they are afraid they'll get all their stuff there.
But - I think if you demo with quality and treat everyone with respect, they will be able to decide what's a bargain or not. I never personally went out and got different paper to compare, but one of my thrifty friends did, and she ended up saying SU!'s quality was the best.
Seems like SU!'s attraction is with good stamps, great coordination of colors, great paper, and coordinating embellishments. Beyond that, the whole world is wide open. I do love it when we find household items that we can use - esp. on cards - I realize the archival nature of scrapbooking eliminates some items.
I think being able to see uses for tools in new ways simply shows our creativity!
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
Well, this is insane. I tried to submit a message, it said the server wasn't found or some such nonsense.
So I did NOT resubmit it, but opened a new web page and tried to see if my post was there. Well it was NOT. So I resent it.
Now I STILL can't see my post but if I hit Post Reply it shows up TWICE in the listing below. If it ever shows up on the page I CAN GET TO, I will edit it to say "Double Post."
This MAKES ME CRAZY.
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
Yes, as a fellow stamper said, we each get to draw the line between frugality and insanity. . . I don't usually see that line until the fad has passed, I'm looking backward and asking myself, "What was I thinking?!?"
I have three heat guns, a little guy ($10), a big guy ($15 on sale), and SU! ($30), purchased in that order as I gradually learned better embossing skills. I always reach for the SU! one--it heats faster, more evenly, is easier to grab, switch on and hold. For me, the first two represent a waste of money, and I regret not giving myself permission at the beginning to purchase the tool that would most allow me to enjoy my hobby. Maybe others perfectly happy with their Marvy's, but I had all three guns out and plugged in not long ago for "girls night" and rather than use a Marvy, my friends waited to take turns with the SU!
I don't take it personally if others are happy with their non SU! products--I shop carefully and would probably resent someone else telling me how I should be spending my "hobby money." Even more so, I value the quality of my hobby time (if its not fun, I won't do it), and the quality of the cards I give to people I care about.
When I break down the cost of the materials for my son's next birthday card, which is pretty elaborate, I see no more than .75 in it. If I used non SU! ribbon, I would have saved .04, non SU! cord, .0125, non SU! paper, .09, non SU! ink, too small of a fraction to calculate. Maybe 15 cents total. Saving that much on his 19th birthday card would not make me feel good. By the time I send it off, I may have two or three hours of time in it, all the while thinking about him and what he might enjoy. That's where I want my head to be.
If I'm enjoying a healthy, relationship-affirming hobby that also lets me be around caring, respectful, creative women, I'm way ahead of the game, and that's why I love SCS (and SU!). I don't want to waste money, time, materials, effort, etc., but other than that, it's just not about money for me, its about value and values. Incidentally, there are plenty of "skinflint" type magazine articles and online sources for saving money on crafts (just Google).
I do appreciate hearing cool tips if someone has tried them (sometimes things that sound good end up being kinda crappy and I appreciate hearing about those too because it saves me the trouble of making a mess myself). SCS is pretty good for finding people who share their actual experiences, people who really create instead of just talk about it. . .
. . . well, I've gone on and on, but now I think the sealer is dry on the wood blocks I'm prepping for mounting (Fresh Fruit and Filigree!!!) so I can CASE a few fantastic cards (thanks again SCS!)
__________________ "I like work. . . I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart." J.K.Jerome
one that I don't think has been mentioned: white paper. I know the US white is great, but being a demo I cannot justify buying it as my primary white stock!!! So I buy a ream of good-quality white at Paper Zone (I usually spend about $17 on a ream). Then to save TIME, I take it to Kinkos' and for a $1.50 a cut (yes, a cut) they will cut it! and they will cut the entire ream! So for about $20 I end up with 500 card backs (not scored though). And it is good quality paper (not that off-white crap that you find at Staples). I usually reserve a small stack and don't have it cut.
oh my gawd, I just tried to get in from another route and now PAGE NINE is gone!
Okay, I give up, I'm taking my kid to the orthodontist and will try again late at night when I usually get on because this site makes me CRAZY during the day.
Sorry for venting, but I just wanted to edit the post that STILL doesn't appear unless I go to "post a reply".... sigh
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
Reuse cello bags or rather notice them more in products you buy. For example you buy a bag of partyhorns - they come in a gusseted cello type bag. Once you put a topper and a present in them it doesn't matter where it came from
You would be surprised how many products come in the bags when you start paying attention. I just cut off the top so I have a nice edge and save for my next last minute gift idea etc.
ROTFLM BOOTY OFF !!!!
Pop Corn bags !!!!
been there done that and now im back for more !!!
__________________
Stephanie
mom to Meaghan 4 Dakotta 3 and Sean 29
"you took the shackles of my feet so i can dance I just wanna praise ya you broke the chains now I can lift my hand and I'm gonna parise ya "
Using small curved cuticle scissors, I cut the parts of the stamp I liked and mounted separate stamps from the original image. Now I have jar w/ flowers, a small basket arrangement, a small heart and stockings for a chimney.
I am an SU demo - and I have cut the words away from an image - mounted the image on the bootomm of the block and the words on the side - getting two separate stamps....I explian to my customers how to do this, too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bergstamper
I use a small clipboard for embossing. It's great because you can clip the paper to hold it and you won't ruin the surface of your table or burn you fingers.
This is really a good idea. I've had people say they used various metal tools to hold the card but a clipboard sounds even better! I might have to dig through my print shop and see if we have one!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bergstamper
Empty tic tac cases are great for storing eyelets.
I like that - but all those tic tacs! I save a lot of small containers to use for various supplies. The plastic "jar" that Crystal Light comes in is handy for things.
I use a clipboard and cover it with aluminum foil. This helps in 2 ways. The foil helps it to heat faster and protects the clipboard from little specks of getting stuck to it and then possibly transferring to another project. If I were to get some powder on it I could just replace the foil. But the main reason is the heat reflection.
Here's another that might not be news to anyone, but I use q-tips or cotton balls for chalking large areas (use a blender pen for small areas), so no need to buy those special applicators that are like eyeshadow applicators. Also you can use make a stencil template from using the outside part of a punched image. This is good both for sponging with ink or chalking inside. Extra and different use for your punches.
Although many of these tips sound good, they're too time consuming for me. I can't see myself doing things like cutting up glue sticks and making a mess (and having to clean the scissors repeatedly) just to make glue dots...when I can buy them!! Sounds too labor intensive when there's a product already available...drywall tape.....it's just garbage, in my experience. Nothing sticks to it and it doesn't stick to paper well either. Certainly not like "real" magic mesh anyhow. And it stinks!!
I do, however, not buy EVERYTHING through SU. Products they have, such as Versamark, I buy through a craft wholesaler and save $5. But I don't really save much because of shipping. I am in a very remote location and do a LOT of mail order/internet shopping.
To me it's like this........I can spend a whole Sunday baking bread......or I can go to a local bakery every day and buy it fresh. It's cheaper, faster, and just as good......if you have a good bakery!! When I have a limited amount of time to stamp, to me it's all about the quality of products and the time. I can see frugality, if it actually saves you either time or money (and I mean more than .12¢ too). My time is way more valuable than saving a few pennies. IMHO, SU products are far superior to many others I've tried. So to me, it's worth it. Being a demo gets me a discount......so I've saved money there also. So what if it gets delivered......so what if it takes 2 weeks? I'll have the best quality stuff and if there's a problem, they'll fix it. Too easy.
There are certainly ways to save money or make your dollar go farther. I just don't see myself "cheaping out" on the important stuff like inks, papers, and ribbon. Just not worth it.
__________________ ~Debbi~
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. ~Author Unknown
For example the other night, when we were using the Magic Mesh she explained which drywall tape and where to buy and how to use. I go to her workshops because I will come home with so many tips. People buy even more from her because of this. We generally know how much we can spend and if it is not in consumables you can bet we will spend it on stamps!!!
As a demo, I've found this to be true. You might find that you can get more sales in the short term if you demo Stampin Up! window sheets without telling customers about transparencies, but in the end, if they learn about transparencies, they won't trust you. I demo stampin up stuff, but I tell customers all the digs. I tell them this is quality and if you want quality for a good price, this is where to get it. But if you just want cheap, and sometimes we do, then go to here and do this, etc. My customers are the kind of ladies who won't go to anyone else because they want the truth. They have told me this in no uncertain terms. I've had them turn around and buy stampin up for the quality just because I told them the up and up about the cheap ones.
I don't have much to add except glue sticks from Costco. I don't much care for mono and I'm a bit old fashioned. Glue stick is messy, but cheap and effective. I want to save my money for MORE STAMPS. MUST HAVE MORE STAMPS....
I say that being frugal is sometimes a necessity. Quality is great, but if it prices you out of crafting and having fun, then it isn't a virtue. The very reason I got into stampin up is that their stamps are cheaper than going to the stamp store. And nicer quality also.
One last cost savings. The doing of the craft iself is a cost saver: it saves on therapy.
A good friend recently told me that when she was raising her younguns, she & another friend came to the conclusion that, "You can either save time or money, but rarely can you do both at the same time." I thought that was really deep! And in most cases, true!
Depending on life & what the circumstance is, sometimes I can afford to sacrifice time to save money & at other times, I can afford to sacrifice money to save time. Rarely do I get the bonus of doing both! :?
That being said, some of the things I do to save money are:
-use Georgia Pacific white cardstock for stamping not-so-important stuff & layering and using SU! US white for important stamping
-use Target's dollar spot for dimensionals, double-sided tape, etc.
-order mono & envelopes from Viking using the sale codes. A friend ordered an identical cutter to the SU! one from them & since we went in on an order together, we had over $50 & got to use the "$20 off $50" code. SU envelopes are awesome, and I do use them when I want it to be classy, but most of the time I don't worry about using an off brand of envelopes since they'll probably get torn up when the person opens them anyway!
-use DTP (direct-to-page) around an image instead of layering another color behind it
-Use a piece of screen if you can't afford (or waited too long to order) the canvas stamp. Just ink it with a brayer & lay the CS on top of it with a plain piece of scratch paper over it & smooth it out. I've also inked a piece of denim (though you need a different piece of denim for each color you want to use...and with 3 boys, there are often worn out jeans around here!). It's not the exact same as the background stamps, but they're still cute.
-Buy word stamps when my local craft store puts stamps on sale. I can use lots of my sets for many different kinds of cards just by changing the sentiment.
That's all I can think of right now. Great topic, though!!
ok, I don't think this is money saving, but it was a great tip i found in a craft magazine.
Take an old magazine, and use it for your work area, stamping off, embossing, whatever, and when that page gets dirty, just turn the page and you have a clean fresh one.
I know I hate it when I have been stamping off or usiong a craft pad, and I accidentally set my card down on my paper to protect my table and it gets ink on it, that annoys the snot out of me.
Anyway, just my little suggestion, and no I actually haven't tried this yet, I have tons of old magazines though, but keep forgetting to take them out. Maybe today will be different.
BTW, I can't wait to try the embossing with lipstick. Thanks for that great idea!
That gives the kissing technique a whole new meaning :lol:
__________________ I'm a loser ~ 19.2 pounds gone...lots more to go!
My hubby would beg to differ that I have any money saving tips, LOL but here goes:
The paper that flower bunches come in -- I save that!!! Hubby came home with flowers the other day with little bunnies on a clear wrap, and I have cut a few out -- so cute! Sometimes the paper is more ornate, save that too! He also knows I do this so if I am sleeping when he gets home he puts them in a vase and keeps the paper all nice and puts it on the kitchen table, LOL (yeah, he is pretty romantic, every once in a while when he goes grocery shopping after a particularly hairraising week for me, he gets a bunch -- he even takes some of the flowers and puts in a bud vase for my DD! In fact she EXPECTS it now, I feel for the men she dates she is so used to having flowers on her table, LOL!)
I took my DD's goldfish sandwich cracker box and saved it as a template (it looked like a little house and was all one piece).
I am saving my niece a bunch of money by making her invites -- I look online for ideas and then make them myself-- I found some that would have cost over $300 for her to order and the materials will probably cost me a quarter of that --
I also was saving baby food containers, the plastic ones that Gerber comes in. I was going to do something crafty with them, but I got overwhelmed and (gasp) threw them out one day in a decluttering moment! I know, the thought of it makes me physically ill. However, I think I can regain that this week!
I save the plastic ties that toys come with (you know them, you have nightmares about them Christmas Eve becuase you spent hours uraveling them trying to get the toys out of the boxes, LOL) -- they are great for all sorts of stuff and they are free.
I keep a drawer of "stampable" stuff for whenever the mood strikes - I buy stuff on clearance, such as calendars when they go down to 10 cents at Michaels (throw out the calendar and keep the plastic cover) - I buy white lunch bags in bulk at Walmart -
Might have more but have to go get DD ready for school!
I save the plastic ties that toys come with (you know them, you have nightmares about them Christmas Eve becuase you spent hours uraveling them trying to get the toys out of the boxes, LOL) -- they are great for all sorts of stuff and they are free.
You mean these are actually good for something, besides driving you bonkers? :shock: :shock: :shock:
__________________ I'm a loser ~ 19.2 pounds gone...lots more to go!
My one little money saving tip to add
