Mary Lettau WOW this is what I’ve been wishing for. I have brand new duplicates and really want to delight someone but have wished for something like this! Big hugs!
I take 3 or 4 washi tapes, lay strips of them side edge to edge together on a piece of white cardstock. Smooth them down so they adhere well and then use a punch like a heart, flower or butterfly to punch out a unique patterned shape. 🌸
Yvonne Daniel Hi, I do this with all my paper scraps - cut them into strips and glue them down diagonally. Some have a colour theme and some are just random but either way I love the results. They make good card backgrounds needing only very simple embellishments or words and also useful to cut shapes from eg hearts and chunky words
@@FunLifeOnABudget I am now into cards.. I usually make my own backgrounds as it is cheaper and saves space... I will buy pattern paper again but only project specific for now... No room for stuff I don't uses even though it's so pretty 😍 😍
I left all my furniture and most of my home decoration items and ALL my kitchen things but I brought 15 boxes of craft supplies by train across country. The struggle is real! lol
C.H.A.O.S. Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. There isn't a crafter out there that doesn't get that. Cheers, ✨ Edit: spray adhesive is good for quilters, holds it all together instead of pins. Do you know any quilters?
Omg! 😍🤦🏻♀️ The town "festival" is here. I had to clean the kitchen table off. I'm 😤😭😭😭 Now it's all in a Red Wagon.. organized as possible... I just want to craft today and can't 😭 Then I gotta Reset EVERY thing!
I’m so glad I can across your comment...after a couple of years with health issues my whole house has this C.H.A.O,S, syndrome 😘 but my craft room mainly. I will get to it !!!!!
I agree with you for most things. Washi tape was a momentary weakness and such a waste. Same with all the different planners I got that ended up in paper recycle! Right now, I'm using my washi to hold down dies, reinforce spines, etc. Just because I have it on hand. Might end up donating. Stopped buying dies of all kinds because I have so many I don't use. Patterned paper is useful to me right now, and I'll probably never stop buying paper collections (G45, Prima, etc). This video just makes you think about all the things you bought, and don't use. Thanks!
I am so high up in the air for you washi donations lol. Buy I agree, most of those who uses washitapes are more on their planners or journals, not too much in other crafting activities
I see a lot of wisdom in your words. There are just too many craft options, and being on disability, I really have to be careful what I do buy. I have to be able to use it several ways.
I don’t know why you feel the need to apologise, my dear! It’s your crafting and your choice! If you don’t need those things, or want them, you don’t have to use them. It’s no one else’s business! Go you!!!
I think that’s a really good point that we should all ask ourselves first. Can it be used in more than one way. I’m also disabled and on limited budget. If I can use something in more than one way, like a punch, I’m more apt to buy it.
I agree with most of your choices. In fact the one I don't "agree" is because I don't have the tool. I also purchased a ScanN'Cut machine some time ago and I'm saving my money to buy stamps sets and stand-alone dies. I assume that if it means we purchase stamps sets instead, why should crafting companies be mad at us ? And it's also a question of storage, I don't have a dedicated craft room, so every little bit of space is precious. I think the only time crafting companies could "go mad", and I actually do the same, is when I see some video showing some cheap articles purchased on Amazon or other similar websites when you find good quality goodies on the small crafting companies websites. For exemple, I'm thinking about the blending brushes. Yes, make-up brushes were on the market before Picket Fence started to sell their brushes. But it's Picket Fence people who had the idea to use such brushes for crafting. So the money I save on coordinating dies helped me also purchasing their brushes, which I LOVE by the way ! Thank you for the video. I wish you to have more time for crafting very soon 😉 !
Well, it was Picket Fence that *marketed* those kind of brushes to the crafting community. There were several crafters using those same inexpensive makeup brushes before PF made them a crafting item. Same thing with Tim Holtz’ retractable blending brush. I’d been using my retractable makeup brush for crafting for a couple of years before that was a TH item.
When I got back into paper-crafting, I was inclined not to buy coordinating dies, but for those who might want to sell their cards, using a Scan-n-Cut, Cricut, etc. to cut out stamped images violates many brands’ angel policies. Something to be mindful of.
I agree with you for the most part, but I still think washi tapes are so useful if you do art journaling. It’s such a fun and cute way to tape a photo or a leaf down on the page. I don’t need anymore of course, but I’m very happy with the collection I have. 😍✨
Those are some pretty wise words, and as you stated, may be injurious to yourself. However, you are being real, and gave actual reasons why. I admire your stance. Those of us who must remain frugal appreciate your honesty. I make my own "washi" tape. Shannon Greene, a goddess in this world, as far as I'm concerned, showed how to apply masking tape to the plastic side of freezer paper, then decorate your own designs, colors, styles, and so on. Thanks JD. Your honesty is refreshing to see. You are not a sell out and that integrity is to be appreciated, at least by me.
Your thoughts on washi are exactly how I feel about ribbon. There are a few staples I will keep for tying a bow, and there are some classic twines that are always good. But for the most part, ribbon is a dust collector for me.
I have 5 lengths of rain gutter - each 3 ft long, all filled with ribbon! I am trying to use it up because I find that white ribbon takes alcohol ink well. I can make custom colors with my alcohol markers! If I had only known..
I keep my ribbon in a clear plastic shoebox with a lid. No dust, and I have limited it to two shoeboxes. Yes, it is easy to get carried away. That colorful pack of 18 or 24 rolls from Tuesday Morning made me do it, haha. Thankfully, they are only 2 feet each. I use it on cards, or wrapping small gifts.
It’s all a personal choice and you have a right to get what you will use. I know I have a lot of stuff and never use anymore and I should break p with them too.
As far as the coordinating dies - add to the fact the stamp companies for some reason have raised the prices sooooo much in the last year, I can't even afford them anymore. $15.99 for a stamp set, 15.99 for a die set is reasonable. $20, $30 and up for a stamp or die set alone?? No way!! I personally think they're making it the beginning of the end for this industry. I wonder if their profits have gone up or down since they started with this marketing strategy.. but anyway, that's just my opinion. As for your video, I agree with all of your choices and I'm kinda in a similar predicament with crafty chaos in my bedroom/craft room!!! Good luck with cleaning or purging, whatever you do :)
Agree with your stand on coordinating dies! My biggest issue - after cost - is that I HATE the white border!!! Thanks for your views on some of the craft items I’ve been questioning the need for as well.
I feel your pain about about no craft room. I made all the clothes for my kids when little and had no sewing room. I hope you have a craft room of your own soon. In the meantime I’m impressed by your ability to make choices and not feel you have to follow the latest fad. I think you have substance and probably character as well. Good for you
Such a relief to hear a UA-cam crafter be honest. I have been really annoyed by the whole Stampin Up thing. They have clearly offered women "business opportunities" and trained them in all manner of tricks to get crafters to buy Stampin Up products. The pattern paper, like most of their products are really expensive and in the video they get the women to cram in as many products and use as much paper as humanly possible. One manipulative trick is to tell you that some important information is on their blog...why not put it in the description box? Because they want you on their blog. They also sell all the products. This is just a particularly dark example of what craft companies do to the (largely) women crafters. It is like we are just cash cows to them. The examples of their cunning is legion...producing multiple colours of a popular ink range very, very similar to an existing colour... No one tells the truth because they have their videos sponsored, sell the products or get sent stuff. I have no objection to a person making an honest living. I do object to being ripped off and knowing other women crafters are too.
One thing I've noticed is we have made some of these UA-cam crafting superstars very rich from the products they push. Have you seen their craft room makeover videos. We have made them rich by running to purchase the products they get paid to endorse.
I just like to get crafting ideas on You Tube. J.D., your videos are so informative, and so real, I'm really glad I stumbled onto them.. SO many of the SU videos are just commercials. I understand they have to make house payments and eat. But so do we, and I can't afford to spend $100 before they whisk away a color I really like., or just to get a pack of paper or something. Tuesday Morning's marked down prices and coupons at Hobby Lobby suit my budget sooo much better. But even then, I have left without buying anything, sometimes. If I can't find a specific item I went for, I don't spend. I'm on a 'Using it up, wearing it out, making do, or doing without' spiel right now. Sometimes just looking at items stirs up the creating juices for me.
I was a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for six years. I finally quit because there were so many other products out there I wanted to buy that weren't Stampin' Up!. I wasn't allowed to use any outside products when demonstrating and that bothered me. I also felt that I just financially couldn't keep up with being "current" because sometimes a stamp set would come out and only be in one season's catalog. I felt like the company was making money on their demonstrators. Then there were the color changes, pad changes, etc. So I finally gave up. Still have my wood stamps from them, although I don't use them near as much because I switched over to clear long ago. They still have some lovely stamps and products, but I buy a lot online and from our new Hobby Lobby. Gotta love those 40% coupons and sales there.
Thank you! JD's videos are such a refreshing change from the relentless sales pitches that take up half (or more) of the presentation in so many card-making videos. (I've learned to start most videos at 1.5x normal speed, and skip to the middle if the opening turns into a recitation of products. If products are still being pitched at that point, I quit watching. I'm a lot more interested in learning how to do more with whatever supplies I already have than in yearning after new items I can't afford.
Wow, JD! You're hurting my heart. Most of you list is stuff that I love! That being said, I realize that I don't NEED 300 rolls of washi tape or hundreds of pieces of patterned paper. You know that it is the thrill of the hunt, don't you? Most crafters just like finding and owning cool stuff whether we use it or not. LOL! The contents of my house are insured only because of my massive craft stash. That is no joke. I will, however, need to cut back. I'm getting tired of putting together shelving to hold my stuff.
I never could see the draw of washi tape, I use it to adhere images to my Misti. I purchased spray adhesive, used once and tossed. Dies take up a lot of room so I'm pretty stingy with what I will buy. Do not purchase brad's/stickers. I use my pattern paper for homemade envelopes!
I bought the stamp n cut because I could not afford to buy the dies that go with the stamps. A lot of the dies are so expensive. I figure that about six to seven die sets pay for the machine. I don’t like washi tape or the spray adhesives. I do use patterned paper for scrapbooking. JD I like your honesty on so many levels. You have made my crafting better ty for all your tips I have gotten from your videos.
The can of spray adhesive I bought 10 years ago is still unused. One of those "it's on sale, I'm sure it will be handy to have this" mistakes! And of course I can't bring myself to throw it away since I'm still thinking I might someday need it (as if it would be functional after all this time).
Living in the NYC I too don’t have a craft room but a crafting corner in my living room so what I buy and how I store them plays a huge part in my buying decisions. I stopped buying coordinating dies unless they came together because I had purchased a scan n cut machine for that purpose. Girl crafting is expensive and we all need to pick and chose wisely. Glad to have you back!
I agree with you too... I mean I love using Washi Tape.. do I need a ton of it? Nope! Yet I do... I do use it, on cards, but I certainly don't think I'll ever use all of it! I love pattern paper, so I'll keep it! :) I like 6x6 more and only buy 12 x 12 for wood projects I like to make... I like enamel dots, but I certainly don't need a ton of them either... My biggest thing, that I use to use a lot was ribbon... I never use ribbon anymore... I prefer twine now... I think that's something I for sure need to let go of. I have purged 12 x12 paper in the past.. gave a ton of it away to fellow crafty peeps that didn't have a lot... and I know I can look around my craft room and point out plenty of things I could get rid of because I think I'm not gonna use it again... The problem is, I'm afraid if I get rid of it, I may end up looking for it when I actually do need it... Does that make sense? I've purged on several occasions over the years and even put things away in boxes... I guess it's time to rethink what I really need or not... So I get ya... We all need to do it... Ooh, and I never buy the matching dies to stamp sets... I own the Scan N cut too, have had it for years and it was such a big investment with no regrets! Makes a big difference when cutting out images... But I will continue to buy cover plate dies... I love them and use them all the time! hahaha - Looking forward to you getting back in your craft space and making videos! HUGS! :)
I love using my scan and cut in place of dies too. It just saves me. Plus you can stamp out like 5 of the same image and cut them all at once not have to keep moving the die
OOOKAAY - Pigment inks - you are not really talking about pigment inks, you're talking about these rainbow sets. Purge them. But DO get single pigment ink pads! Washi tape - great for flags and other accents, but you won't need more than you have. I love sparkly washi tape. Patterned paper - digital takes less space. Coordinating dies - they always leave you with a lot of white space. I totally agree, but I buy them sometimes - guilty, but definitely on your side there!
Magpie/hoarder in me screaming “nooooooo!” in its tiny little voice... And still, I’m right there with ya. I am having a very serious problem as well deciding right now what to purge and what to keep. I’ve got so many great supplies and I seem to use all of them because I make journals and mini albums along with cards and other paper crafts. Oddly, it seems that the craft pile just seems to get bigger, as much as I make with it. I don’t buy anymore, except for pattern paper, but that has taken up a LOT of space in itself. I do use Color My Life, an app designed by an IT professional/crafter and assisted by her husband. It’s user friendly, you can scan the barcodes of products of any companies who have partnered with them and it’ll automatically populate almost all fields in your product database (aside from tags), and it’s easy to organize and search. It was designed by a paper crafter for paper crafters. Downside? You MUST subscribe in order to add any info to the database. It’s not expensive at all, but even a buck or two a month can add up for some folks. It’s still a paid product, and there’s no free version (because they don’t have ads popping up every 5 seconds. It’s all subscriber funded). Still. I need to destash in a major way (Hush, little magpie. You’ll still have some shiny toys to play with).😊😉
I think some valid points were made. As a crafter, you don't necessarily have to use everything available in the crafting world. It's great that we have so many options to choose from to help us expand on our arts but within our crafting comfort.
I use washi tape to tape my card envelopes closed! People absolutely love it...it really adds a cute touch to the back of a plain envelope! Patterned paper makes really cute envelopes (I still use plain washi to close). 😁 I agree with everything else you said! 😍
I totally agree on the washi tapes and pattern paper especially 12/12 they are adorable and gorgeous but they are just not used very often and end up taking a lot of space,and about stamp press i actually forgot i have it since I haven't used it after i got Misti.. Don't stress too much and i do miss watching your videos,they are so helpful and fun to watch
When you said that you weren't going to be buying any more corresponding dies, I said YES! (Quite loudly, and probably scared my poor dog). I have often "NEEDED" them because I want to have a perfect image and I want that certain measurement. It's not happening for me any longer. I don't make multiples of cards, so in the length of time it would take me to get everything situated perfectly, and run it through my machine, I could have fussy cut the image out. Live and learn. And it frees up some of my cash for other crafty stuff, because who am I kidding? I'm not going to stop buying all the fun stuff.
I have my dies with coordinating stamps stored together. I have a shoe box that I put clear ridged plastic sleves in. The sleves have a magnetic sheet in them. I glued the cereal box cards to the magnetic sheet. The magnetic side holds the dies and the Other side of it holds the stamps that go with it.
I no longer buy crafting items when Im out without checking my Evernote app on my phone (tablet & laptop too) to check whether or not I already own it!Evernote is my crafting inventory. I have no idea what I did before getting that app! I no longer buy printed paper either. I HATE Washi tape, it never sticks! I use what rolls I have now for taping down dies that refuse to cooperate. The only time I've ever used spray glue was Super 77 to mount photos to mats for mounting in a frame. In the Souths humid weather, spray glue (and Washi tape) doesn't stand a chance of sticking. I no longer buy Bigz dies. I recently got 2 that I've been wanting, but no more. I have 32 Bigz dies, mostly Tim Holtz, but Hubby built a special holder for them & they don't get in my way anymore. I only buy the thin dies. When I buy the stamp set I'll buy the matching die, but it has to be really special. I no longer feel any devotion to certain companies. It's been really freeing... OK, I got one company. That is The Hero MMK, although I no longer buy every single month as I did before, I wait until the 1st when the kits are released and decide then if I want it. It has been really freeing changing my ways with my supplies. No more hoarding. If I buy a stack and it hasn't been touched in 3 months, out to the local daycare it goes! Lots more room and money!
I agree with most of your list and I’m lucky to have a business nearby that’s like a Goodwill for craft supplies.They take almost anything so I donate regularly. I thought I’d use my envelope maker more, but I never seem to get the measurements right. I don’t use colored twine much anymore, and I need to get rid of my paper flowers and brads. I used to scrapbook, and I told myself that if I don’t start again this year, then I need to donate the 12 x 12 paper. Also, you can take your spray adhesive to your local hazardous waste center. I had to do that years ago when I worked at a marketing firm. We had garbage bags full of empty cans.
Don't forget Salvation Army! Love them. Their CEO is paid the least of all charities. Years ago, United Way and Red Cross were paid over 1/4 million per year. Salvation Army paid their CEO $70,000 a year. Don't know today's rates but I will never agree that a non-profit organization 's leader should be paid the same as a for-profit company like a car company or computer company, energy comapny, etc. Also, Good Will is a business and Salvation Army isn't. Finally, SA is a Christian organization and they do so much for peolpe. :)
Linda Dinwiddie, it’s in Oakland and it’s called The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse. creativereuse.org/. The other day I made a donation then bought three unopened packs of Paper Source purple envelopes that retail for $7.95 each, and a one inch stack of new letter-pressed cards for $3.00. I took the cards to Kinko’s and had them cut in half for $1.99. The cardstock is very heavy, so I’ll use the blank side and make new cards out of them. I can also use them as inserts for when I mail dimensional cards.
I hear ya on pretty much everything. I only use the spray adhesive for my Cricut mat when it gets unsticky. I add glue to all my enamel dots. It’s a pain in the ...but I like them cuz I’m impatient and can’t wait for nuvo to dry. 🥴 I make all my gift bags so that’s where the patterned paper comes in handy. I threw out all my pigment inks cuz we had a horrible relationship. Never used that stamp thing, I bought a tonic one. Meh.. I think I’ll get a misty too. So badly want either a scan n cut or a new Cricut. 🤷🏻♀️. Glad your cleaning up and donating! One mans trash is another mans treasure! TFS!
Thanks for your honest video. I love my washi and designed paper, but that's mainly because I wasn't sure I will get into them and only bought a few. I don't think I will buy more, but ended up loving the few I have, after a long period of getting ideas on how to use them in my own style. The stuff I regret buying most are larger sets of different kinds of coloring medium when I was new to paper crafting and didn't know what my working style will be (mica, perfect pearls, luminate, paint stick, embossing paste in different colors, m.s. colored glitter set, fabric pigment inks, big craft inkpads in too many colors, and vinyl rolls in too many colors). So the general tip is to buy way less in any category until I am sure I love that category and it becomes a part of my style. But I can't blame my earlier self too much because I was new and exploring, and could not have known what I will like until much later. I was able to pare down slowly the supplies in any category I ended up not liking over many years. I teach newbies all the tIme, and give a set of stamps and supplies as moving presents when they leave the area. This way, I was able to get rid of a lot of things I just never liked. But I keep any category that I think I may yet like in the future. Otherwise, I may regret giving them away and buy those same supplies again using good money! LOL. Also when my budget is low, it's nice having those supplies I have not used before. I can "shop" from my own inventory, and try something new. I check UA-cam on ideas for using those "new" supplies and stampsets or diecut designs. This gives me a fresh, shiny new thing feeling without spending any new money! JD, please keep making your lovely videos.
I agree with all 7! I don't have the Scan n Cut, but I do have the small Silhouette Portrait and use the print and cut feature to cut multiple stamped images, otherwise just fussy cut. Hang in there JD. Life is crazy and we (at least I) go through spans of time where uncontrollable sh_t just happens, so I don't get to craft, and other spans where things are going great, all good, but so busy I don't get to craft, and I too go bonkers if it's too long between crafting binges. The discipline or knack of crafting every day has eluded me, and sounds like it has you too. Decluttering our stuff and our lives is definitely the way to go. We all have way to much stuff. So keep on keeping on and you'll find your way.
Well I personally feel that you may be crazy. But most artsy people are. No shame in that. I so agree with your list as well. Another thought or idea that I give people (not that I'm an expert...but i work in a thrift store and I see a lot of older stamps come through) on some of the projects that we color, why buy a stamp? Just go to Bing or the se of your choice and search for say a girl on a pony... Filter by using line drawing and transparent. Copy and paste. Enlarge or shrink print it out and voila! Your own images to color. Just be careful near the edges making sure they're super dry. Works for me. Whaddya think?
Have you checked out AliExpress, I get alot of my stamps and coordinating dies from there, I use the AlanDIY store on there the most. Very cheap prices and the quality is very good. I am in a gotta use what I have now for pattern paper, I am a sucker for paper, it seems like I buy a pack every time I go to craft store, so no more til I get my stash down. Making Travelers for family members for Christmas and using up my old Christmas paper pads that I have to make totes to put the travelers in. Gotta do something with all the hot buy pads I keep buying at Michael's. I got spray adhesive in closet, it's been there for years, I use Dollar store washi to hold dies on cutting plate. Currently Saving for a Cricut Maker. It seems like as soon as I get something though, something better comes out making things obsolete.
Last year I purged my craft room amd donated tons of stuff. Half of what I had is gone and Im perfectly happy with it. After many years of crafting I know what I like, need and will use. Felt a sense of relief getting rid of it all.
I have been wondering where you’ve been, and hoping all is well! Please don’t apologize for evolving as a crafter!! Although, sometimes, I stop using a supply, only to “rediscover “ it months (or years) later!! I do agree with you on matching dies, though. But then, I *love* to fussy cut!!❤️
I've missed you. Thank you for taking the time out of your crazy busy life to share your list with us. I hope you get to have crafty time for yourself soon.
I agree with not buying coordinating dies. Stamps plus dies set you back $30, I have to make a lot of cards from the one set to justify them, then I learned I could cut my stamp shapes out with my old Silhouette using Pixscan and it works beautifully.
I know the feeling, I must throw out my adhesive spray, I could wallpaper my whole unit with the amount of 12''x12'' and 6''x6'' paper I've got. I'm 79 so I don't need to buy any more but am weak. Ruth down under,
@@lauraann7816 My son gave me 4 pads of 12x12 at Christmas plus 2 containers for them. He lives not far from Janesville WI where there is a Michaels store, One year he brought me loads of stuff and the lot cost him $22 as they had a sale plus he had coupons. At the moment I have a really bad pain in my knee so I haven't done any crafting for about 3 weeks. It takes me all my time to get to the kitchen.
Ruth James, so sorry you are not feeling like crafting these days. I know about that, with asthma. And sometimes it is all I can do but to just look at it all. Hope you can get on top of your knee troubles soon. Love this video that JD did, it really opens my eyes about my own stuff. Do I use it? Do I even like it anymore?
@@wendywilson1736 Asthma is another nasty thing. My son had it but thankfully grew out of it. I was crying with the pain last night, it's in my left groin and coming from my hip apparently. I am taking double the dosage of painkillers (doctor's advice) but no relief. I have to go to the dentist today as I have a voucher then I'm gong straight to the doctor, appointment or not. I think we all have far too much craft. I'm having a garage sale with my friend on Saturday so am getting rid of some craft stuff including a Cricut which I have used once.
Stamp presses are really good for mixed media and stamping in notebooks and planners, I keep mine just for that reason, if you don't do mixed media and planners then yeah toss it. Washi has had it's hey day, again though can still use it for masking tape. Patterned paper is just nice to look at 😍
I'd love some of you dies or pattern paper if you choose to get rid of them. I teach a card class for senior citizens and only charge $1 per card ( so I can buy more supplies). It doesn't cover all my expenses, but I'm having fun. Any inexpensive supplies are really appreciated.
Hi! I’m so glad to see you’re not permanently gone!! I was worried we’d lost you for some reason! I’m a firm believer that all of you lovely UA-cam crafting people need to take a break every so often, without apology. All of you are so creative and talented, and there is no better guarantee to a burn-out than NOT giving yourself a break with your families, to just take a deep breath and enjoy several no-pressure days in a row. So no apologies! Just delighted we haven’t lost you! Take the time you need to unstress and find your mojo again, and schedule yourself recurring time off as you plan ahead. As for your supplies, I can see why you don’t like those particular pigment inks. What a pain that would be, with them all in a row like that. I personally like the 1” cubes and those particular types of ink are so good for stamping sentiments, especially on top of alcohol based colored backgrounds. I, too, have a stamp press like you show and found it awkward to use, especially after getting my Tonic one - however, it is a nice size and weight to stick in an art case to take along on an extended trip where you might want to take time to play with your art. That’s why I’m holding on to mine, at least for now. Like you, I also have that spray adhesive, and also like you, I find I don’t use it for all the same reasons you cited. For any items you don’t use or enjoy anymore, you might consider donating them to your favorite 2nd hand store. There are several that give their earnings to shelters for women and children in crisis and others like Habitat for Humanity that support a great cause. I have a particular favorite where I live called Serenity House that is all volunteer and all their proceeds go to provide temporary shelter, warm bedding and clothing to the homeless in our fairly small community, people who are of our community and fallen on hard times for various reasons. I also buy from them for fabric scraps, patterns, etc., and recycle old CD/DVD’s from them, using the cases to store and catalog my clear cling stamps (another idea I got from a crafty UA-cam artist - maybe it was even you!). I’ve found washi tape to have at least one redeeming quality - it helps me create a break between sections when I’ve had to cover a serious mistake with a fresh layer to start over. Makes it appear “on purpose” rather than a desperate cover-up.
I was just thinking last night, "I hope JD is okay. I hope she's coming back, I haven't seen her in a while' and here you are! I feel you on summer exploding your life. It kind of did the same thing for me. I'm going through a cull myself right now too, and I also am donating about half my washi tape and almost all of my coloured/patterned duct tape. I also have a can of spray adhesive I've only used maybe once or twice /winces/ but when I need it I REALLY need it so even though it's hard to use in an apartment I'm hanging on to it. For now... I have also put a moratorium on patterned paper. I'm allowed to buy more when I use this stuff up. Also for me, watercolour sets. I have three. That's enough. I don't need any more. I'm lucky here because I have a great Art Junk shop here in town that I can donate all my art/craft supplies too. So I donate everything there. That way I know they'll at least have a chance to get used by someone who really appreciates them.
I bought plastic pocketed sheets. I also bought sheets of magnets cut the 🧲. I then double sided taped then into the plastic pockets put my does on them. My dies don’t just fall out anymore. I put the sheets in a binder. My dies and matching stamps are so organized! I like washi tape and my ribbon. I don’t use it like i used to but it’s there if I need it.
I found out about vent covers that you cover heat vents with. Sold at Lowes, Menards and Home Depot. Three 8" x 15" sheets for around $5! Much less than the craft store.magnet sheets! I backed mine with an 8 x 10" piece of cereal box cardboard, using strong double stick tape. Sometimes you need to piece the magnet sheet, to get to 8 x 10, but I put those in the clear sleeves in.my binder, so I can slide them out, and reach them easier.. The Art Bin just wasn't working for me.
Oh my goodness JD, I felt like this a few months ago then I watched a wonderful video on how to de-clutter so I thought that's what I need to do. I could hardly get into my craft room so many papers, tools, dies and stamps etc. I decided something had to give I followed the video on how to de clutter and haven't looked back. My craft room looks fantastic and my motivation has been given a new lease of life. I gave some to charities and sold some on Ebay. I enjoy your video's but make sure you spend time with the family we will be waiting for your return.
@@sandijames6409 Hi Sandi James the UA-cam video I watched was called: I tried "Swedish Death Cleaning" (and it worked!). Don't be put off by the title just watched the video right through. I applied the principals to my Craft room and it worked. I worked on a section at a time till I worked right round the craft room. I made 3 piles of crafting items and went through them all again until I ended up with items I really wanted. Hope its helps
Welcome back. I think that chaos drives us to see things around us clearer sometimes. Puts what we actually need/or benefits us, and what doesn't and is in the way, in perspective. Comparatively, I have a very limited amount of supplies. Its a hobby and that is all it will ever be. I have about 5 rolls of washi tape (picked up in the clearance basket at check out) for holding dies to paper and have very few patterned papers that are mostly holiday themed for specific projects. I don't own any spray adhesive. I do like my coordinating dies as I don't have a ScanNCut. Just haven't committed the funds to purchase yet.
Crafting is about what makes you happy and not what other people think so if these items are not suiting your personal needs then you have every right to make your crafty experience enjoyable by eliminating things that are not useful in your creative world 💛😘 good for you maybe this will help someone who has been debating this exact issue in their crafty space👏🏼💛
Have missed your videos. I know life gets hectic and in the way. No Crafting time does not make for a happy mama for me anyways. I agree with most of your items. Just went through my patterned paper last night and cleaned it out. got rid of everything but the ones I totally love. Thanks for the fun video! Hope your back soon.
My main thing I hoarded and never seemed to use was the Prima flowers in the jars and buckets. Finally after 10 yrs of not using them, I'm taking a huge load to donation this week. Prima just had that marketing ploy with the packaging. I saw cute examples of using the flowers but it just never looked the same. I'm pretty much echoing your items. The patterned paper in pads. I can't have too many options or I overthink my design and my brain shuts down. Lol I don't know why. I tried to get excited about washi tape. I end up using it on all my various charging cables and plugs so my hubs can't say it's his. 😁
Craft Chaos!!! Oh girl I get you so much with this. What I've been doing in my room purge (20 years worth of supplies) is to put them in boxes for some local group homes. These kids don't get a lot of craft supplies to play with and I have way too many. Maybe you could think of donating them that way?
I am sure that every single crafter has purchased SOMETHING that they have used once (or maybe never!!), that they regret. Our LSS has spring and fall garage sales where customers are able to sell their "gently used" treasures. You drop off your priced items, at the end of the week-end you pick up your unsold items. My favorite store gives a store credit for the value of your sales. I don't know if this is available to others but I absolutely love it.
I think a key to using what you have is making sure you organize. I have been making cards for about 3 years. I purchased a Cuttlebug, a paper trimmer, a scoreboard, and my sister gave me a heat gun. That is still all I have. I have about 5 punchboards that I do use a lot. I love paper, so I will always buy paper. Recently, however, I have made it my goal to use an entire pad before switching to another one. That is going so-so, but I am using more of one pad before going to another. My dies fit into one refrigerator try (single size, not the large one), and all of my embossing folders fit into a box designed to organize cards. I have some washi tape, and use it on flip books more than anything else. I have 3 refrigerator trays of ribbon, stickers stored in 3 binders. Doesn't seem like much, but it takes up an entire wall in my living room, which has become my craft room. Hopefully I will hold things down to where they are now. Happy crafting everyone.
I feel you, JD!. I went through a crafting slump not too long ago. Overwhelmed!! I dropped some hobbies first, that helped. I even left a local craft club, due to having to buy supplies for each evening. Many of their crafts weren't even of my taste. Also left two FB groups, due to people buying so much craft stuff, and bragging about it. Or, their arguing about how to do things. Latest step, was my re-organizing my craft room. I dropped off a few bags of usable supplies, fabric, and yarn, and tossed tools that I can't remember why I bought them! Most of your list matches mine. But, I will hang on to my WRMK stamp press, which saved my sanity at Christmas. (I have enough of a tremor that I can't count on getting good stamps each time.) I also have a ScanNCut, so I can save my $$, and leave those dies at the store.😏 I do have a few, but, I doubt I will buy anymore. Pigment ink, is also on that wagon. I really don't care, or use my few colors much at all. I love my versa mark, for the few times I've done heat embossing. But, frankly, I think I could have passed up on that whole idea. Not the game changer my sister in law claimed it would be. Heat tool does come in handy for softening scor tape, if I make a drastic mistake, though (like putting my card front on upside down!). Keep on being you! I know life seems like it is getting in the way, sometimes. But, I wonder if it is a way to tell us that we need to take a break, from whatever. We will be here, when you decide to make more show-how videos. Now, for my take on your list: Patterned paper calls my name, everytime, loud and clear! So, it follows me home.😏 I like making paper quilts with the pattens on the SnC, as well as Iris folding, and some teabag folding. Plus, it saves me time and sanity. I have one small crate of 6x6 tablets and 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" collections, and a few larger tablets on a shelf, along with one small glitter paper tablet, just enough for bling for all the.young girls I send cards to.☺ I have to agree with a LOT on your list of Never Buy Again: Spray adhesive? Same as your reasons. Enamel dots? Or even gemstones? Always falling off, if I don't remember to add glitter glue to them! I use brads to add bling, even adding color with sharpie markers. Never lost one yet, so many colors and finishes. Washi tape is too expensive! I just use strips of my patterned paper, and scor tape, to add pattern.
You are in such good company JD! I had to read all the comments, so many of us experiencing the same things... I have 8 year old twins and have been setting up my craft room for 3 years now with very little actual crafting to show for it 😖. We'll be here however infrequent the videos. Take care and thanks for sharing yourself with us 🧡.
I do agree with the spongy legs stamper I'll never use since I purchase the Misty & three blocks that is great - washi tape can be use to for back grounds I don't have many but the tutorials I've seen they were great for cutting alpha or numbers. I do think it's too much out there but buy what you love to use. It's like makeup every company is trying g to sell you something. Then you look back you have a lot of makeup you'll never use just like crafting something s you'll never use. Donate the things you will never use I did the children's class at church. I do use the adhesive spray lol. What's good for one may not be good for another some Crafters use it all and it woorks. Be wise in spending.
Nobody should feel bad for buying supplies and then realizing they don’t use them much. Part of the journey of creating and crafting is experimentation, seeing what works for you, and you can only do this by having access to different mediums and products. I was lucky and went to a high school which appreciated arts and crafts, and I was able to play with lots of different tools and art mediums. There is no way I would have been able to afford to buy all those different things to try them out myself! As long as you are not getting into debt, and your bills are being paid, it’s ok to spend on supplies, and it’s ok to end up with supplies you don’t use. Just be aware of what works and what doesn’t and adjust your spending accordingly. Happy crafting!
I understand your thought, but I do use washi tape for my planner, and I use patterned paper for making albums and cards. Everything else is very pricey and I have to watch my budget.tfs
The only thing from your list I still use is patterned paper. And I don't think you have to worry about stamp companies getting upset with you. Even Jennifer McGuire says she'd rather use her money on stamps or other dies than to buy the coordinating. She does have some cool techniques for using them that you can't do (or as easily) with an electronic die cutter, but with a million techniques out there, no big deal if you can't do a couple. I did a big purge but it was mostly stuff I bought when I first started and couldn't find variety, or tools that I've since upgraded. I either need to stop buying stamps or start purging. It would be nice if companies would stop releasing so much stuff and so often! They're going to make us so broke we stop buying altogether!
truths!!!! this will help viewers decide if they really want to purchase a product. i don't own any item on the list except patterned and textured paper. which i buy because it sparks joy.
I found when I was lacking space I cleaned out an got rid of so much stuff only to find later on when I needed something than remembered I'd given it away, as I do lots of different crafts I have loads of crafts so think carefully before getting rid of it can be an expensive thing to have to replace 🤔
My husband my my son's room (he is married and moved to NC) with shelves. I always think that I need the newest craft item out there. My husband is always organized but when I am working in my craft room, I do not put things away all the time. So when a new craft item comes out, I really have to think if will be useful to me. I am making heat vinyl onsies, etc. for my great niece. So I shop on line at times for what I need. When I watch HSN craft shows, the only items that I have bought is the Cricut easy press 2 and some vinyl heat vinyl. I haven't been in a craft store in over 2 years. That is why I love your videos, they are real and honest.
I'm sorry to hear that you are stressed JD, hoping this phase will pass soon. I'm with you, I'm clearing out my stash and have been doing that slowly lol. I agree with your washi tape, I don't understand the hype on that and I have about 15 rolls of generic and 12 of Xmas. Card kits are being donated left and right too ;) missing your videos xx
Tina Gray I have 38 and I feel as if I lay a few down say diagonally on white paper; then cut the image of say a big butterfly punch. Then use the same colored tape in the bottom right or left corner. Add s few other elements that makes. Super sweet card. Don’t toss your washi play with them if all else fails . Use them to hold your dies in place like on a quilt pattern die.
Hi, JD! I’m right there with you... 6 out of your 7. The only one I still use is flat back dots. I love these for embellishing. When I adhere these to the card, I add a dot of glue to them. This keeps them on the card, because I never know how sticky they are. They could be old or have been stored in a hot warehouse and adhesive not great. I have lots of patterned paper from so long ago! I have even culled through it and given a lot away. Like you, I love to make backgrounds. I never think of using patterned paper. If I’m looking through my paper, it is a last resort because I don’t have something to use fir a theme card. LOL! 😂 The Stamp Press. Oh, my! I bought one not long after it came out and I never used it! It seemed awkward to me. I got rid of it last year and the foam pieces were falling out. I have a few pigment ink pads from VersaFine. I also can’t seem to part with my Brilliance ink pads. I have the complete set with reinkers. Years ago I used Brilliance for almost everything and some really cool techniques. I think I’ll keep these a while longer. Others, like your ColorBoxInk, chalk ink, Fabrico... good-bye. I’m agree about coordinating dies for stamp sets. I don’t have a scan and cut...YET. 😉. I am refraining from purchasing many dies so I can save up for a S&C. The only ones I’m interested in are those with faux stitching or something else vs just a straight cut. I think the S&C will cut any shape, but don’t think it can add the embossing it faux stitching. Washi tape... I’m like you. I have purchased more than several rolls and I’ve yet to use it. Well, I’ve used 3 pieces on my stamp positioner lid and magnets! 😂. It’s just not my thing. LOL! Fortunately I don’t have a lot of stickers. I occasionally want to use a sticker for a certain theme. But I don’t keep a stash on hand. So glad to see you again. Take your time, get rest and maybe sit down with a box of your stuff and just look at it or sort it. When I feel overwhelmed the only goal I have is to look through my supplies. It sure is fun and gets me motivated. Thanks for the video and tips! Take care! 😁🤗❤️
Very good job, it takes a lot of strength to look at things with a clear eye for keeping or not keeping! I have a terrible time trying to de-stash, I see something I forgot I had and get sucked into starting projects using it! Trouble is, I do this in the middle of de-stashing!!!😉😅
I use washi tape not as an embellishment, but as the background for some of my cards. Just put coordinating tapes in a row or with a space between to create a background for a card. I agree with the coordinating dies and stamps. I prefer to get shapes that I will use over and over such as tags or geometric shapes. I have a hint though for keeping those coordinating dies accessible. Go to your local home improvement store and buy "Vent Covers" usually in the air conditioning or heating aisle. They are used to cover vents during the off season. They come in a pack of 3 for about $5.00 each piece can be cut into 5x8 magnetic sheets for your dies. I put one of these with the dies in with my coordinating stamps. Keeps dies with their stamps and in order.
I have really come to the conclusion that I have more than I could ever use when it comes to patterned paper. I have recently been giving items to those I know who are just starting out in cardmaking or paper crafts. They are happy and I am happy to get rid of some of it. Thanks JD.
Lolly Cunningham did a really cool video about storing crafts. She used 2in metal rings and plastic zipper pockets. It really did make a difference for me. I agree with everything you said except I'm a sucker for floral paper. Hope life calms down for ya but that you're at least having fun now😊
Hi JD (same initials as me!)...I literally just gave away a mound of stuff an hour ago to a teacher for her summer camp and classrooms. It feels so good to destash and pass along these products I’m no longer using to people who will enjoy them. I feel the same way you do regarding pigment inks, stamp press and adhesive spray. But I love my patterned papers and dies. Learning to use my washi tape on hand,are embellishments.
I agree with everything you said. I, like you, have a few exceptions (Pixie Spray for stencils is a must-have for me, but is the only spray adhesive I own) and Altenew dies that are used to make flowers (cut the flowers out with different colored papers vs stamping them). I have a Scan n Cut as well, but haven't learned how to use it yet (derp!). I love that you can stamp out a load of stamps, color them all at once and then shoot them through the SNC and have it done without having to line up dies, run it through the cutter, rinse and repeat. The other thing I think I'm going to stop buying is 12x12 paper. I don't use it, it takes up skads of room and it just sits there collecting dust. I can get what I need from an 8.5" x 11" which is easier to store and easier to cut for me. TYSM for sharing JD!
Ha ha... wish I’d seen this years ago! DSP is my problem too, now that I make my own! I haven’t bought much washi tape, but I don’t use what I have! You are not crazy at all! I do like my co-ordinating dies but if I ever get a scan n cut, I’m sure they’ll be going. Glad to see you back! Hope you get some time to craft again soon.
I so agree with all that. So glad you're back. I find " I have to clean this up" doesn't work as well as " I want to sort this out". Think I must be naturally contrary. Keep up the great videos
I am fairly new at cardmaking so this was very helpful to me. I have already made mistakes buying supplies that turned out to be useless to me, at this time. I love you on UA-cam. Thank you for becoming one of my favorite instructors.
You are so right. My washi tape is going. It never seems to stick anyway. I have tons of craft projects I use to do. I haven't use them in years. It's time to donate them. Quite a bit of them too. Now I'll have more space for my card making crafts. Thank you for the inspiration.
Washi tape is the watercolor painters blessing. When putting painters tape on watercolor paper it often removes layers of the paper as it is removed and washi comes off clean. I do feel I have many craft supplies that I will never purchase again and even some that I have no idea what I was thinking. Keep putting out the videos.
I think most of the craft supplies you mentioned, I love and don't plan on departing. I do like some of your economical options. I want a scan and cut. Yes, you may feel better if your craft room is clean. I need to clean mine too.
It Does make one feel better! I just re-organized mine, and discovered I was storing my dies, paper scraps, stamps, and a few other items wrong, for me. Nobody told me I was, I just figured it out on my own. What a relief to purge unwanted items, and organize better, so I could feel like crafting again!!
I never understood the purpose of washi tape. I have some only because I got it for a super price. I'm also have decided no more pattern paper. Watching you make your own backgrounds did it for me. You are so funny. Sorry die and stamp companies. Lol I have alot of time sorting my dies with matching stamps in their envelopes with magnetics to hold them in place. One, it's expensive Two, It has taken me so much time to get them all organized that I have even made any cards this past year. Heck I'm still getting them organized. I have at least 50-75 more to finish up. I can't blame you one bit.
It depends on which crafts you like to do on what supplies you use. If you make cards, you will probably use different materials than if you make quilts...I personally, switch hobbies pretty often so I have many materials that may be heading to the graveyard. I noticed that the craft stores are slowly moving away from scrapbooking and paper crafts. Too bad, because today i am doing collage and am trying out lots of stuff.
I totally agree with coordinating dies... I don’t understand why you want a die that leaves white space around the image. If the industry is going to make coordinating dies then they should fit the image not leave a border. 🤪
So fun to hear what you don’t use. Some of yours were totally different than mine (patterned paper), but it’s because you make such pretty technique cards I think. You just don’t need it. 😁💙💙💙
I agree on most of the items that you mentioned in the video like : spray adhesive in which I’m about to go buy it and try it, but I changed my mind 😂 thanks for your advice, I don’t agree on patterned papers and coordinating dies, those are the two that it doesn’t hurt for me to get more of even though it took all the spaces in my garage. I’ll pass on washi tapes, enamel dots, sequins, buttons, ribbons, strings, pigment markers, and many more.
It's good to hear from you. Life does get in the way sometimes. I agree with some of your choices. Maybe this video will get us to really start thinking about things we shouldn't buy anymore, whether they are the same items you choose or different items. I hope you get to have some crafty time soon.
Hey, I’ve got an entire room that looks like your desk. We must be kindred spirits, or secretly hoarders. I’ve got other things in that room that I need for put in the basement or my future crafting building. I am also a Girl Scout leader and have a butt ton of their crap. Thank you for the advice as what isn’t worth the money or space.
Hi JD. I want to thank you for sincere comments about yourself which many of us can relate to as well as talking about the products in a sincere way. Earlier today, I watched one of your videos where you reviewed some products and you got stuck on Haberdashery scissor's name. That was hysterical as I did the same at first glance when I came across them. Also laughed when you opened another product and at first couldn't find the English translation of the insert. Who has not had that happen to them?!! Hysterical. What about when you're using an item for the first time and even with directions, you go..what?..and re-read! Again, your relatability to viewers that follow you is very needed. Your videos exemplify that it's okay to not be okay, that we do not do things perfectly, with perfect outcomes, every time; and that it's ok to be silly at times. I laugh every time you say hot mess because it's honest. People and the things we do or say are quirky and many take themselves too seriously. You embrace who you are with honesty and I thank you for that.
I agree with all! I have that Fishers stamp press too, and doubt I ever used it, but it is stowed sideways in one of my roller carts; I too have decided NO MORE patterned papers... I love them, but they have become a collection and until I use them, no more... I also got into mixed media techniques and thought, I could make my own darn papers! Washi tape - ridiculously expensive and have just a small supply - pretty much to use to hold down die cuts. And, yeah, no coordinating dies with stamps (also expensive) - just scissors; and really no more need for dies, have plenty, have a decent amount of basic shapes,, nested ones, enough fun shapes; same with stamps; they fit in my roller cart (not the wood mounted ones, oh well) but enough!!! Need to just get crafty! Enjoyed your video! AND I have a craft room, closet lined with two book shelves holding paper stock, cubbies, etc, and stuff spilling out into spare room! Oh well... Enjoy your videos!
I think I must be a hoarder...NOT. I just love playing with all my crafty supplies. I agree with patterned paper and washi tape and enamel dots and the Color box ink pads and the squishy stamp thingy. Instead of the Spray adhesive you showed, I use Pixie Spray for a great hold of my stencils. I also don't like all those wooden embellishments for my cards and stickers. I do love my stamp and die sets and prefer to buy them together and a few come with the matching stencil/mask. Anyway, girl, love all your videos and your sense of humor. Keep us all sane! Thanks
Don’t we all have the same chaos through this hobby? I can’t count how many times I have had to stop crafting for weeks till I had the time to reorganize. I sure agree with you on Stamp tool and pigment inks and Washi tape. Patterned paper doesn’t make sense to me in card making but it does in scrapbooking. YES, COORDINATING DIES ARE USELESS! Finally! Someone is saying what I’ve been saying forever! With Scan n Cut who needs them. I can do all my stamping on one page of cardstock and cut them all out at once which is awesome. BUT! Here is the exception: Sometimes you are not using coordinating dies, but you need the die itself because there is some special feature that the die has, like it embosses at the same time it cuts. Great video!!
I think we all know that buying craft supplies can become an addiction! 😂 It’s also not unusual to have buyer’s regret on something that seemed really cool initially but we find we hardly ever use or maybe even forget we have! It’s such a learning process, especially for beginners, because we don’t just naturally know which way our creative juices are going to flow. As we find our own styles and preferences, there’s no doubt we’ll find ourselves with items we don’t really need or likely won’t use. No shame in that! Sites like CraigsList and eBay can be sources for buying or selling, or perhaps even giving away if you’re using CraigsList. One person’s “trash” is another’s treasure! Nothing is truer than in craft supplies!!
Well... every year I go through my stuff and just weed out what I've never gotten around to using (impulse buys), or what I have too much of (patterned paper). I call them my "out with the old so I can get the new" sales. I use to do "direct to paper" demos and used Color Box products in my classes. When one of the distributors found that out, he hooked me up with Clearsnap and they gave me the entire line of Color Box pads and refills. I used them a LOT because it's what I created backgrounds with. I ended up passing my Colorbox stuff on and just kept the one color palette I loved the most, Provence. You bringing it up reminded me of that and I think I'll pull it out and use it, and I know exactly where it is. I also got rid of massive printed papers.. When I moved 4 years ago from a 6 bedroom, 2 story house, with a an 18x18 foot craft room...to a 1 story, 3 bedroom manufactured home and a 12x 12 craftroom. I shrunk wrapped 4 packets of 500 count sheets of printed papers... I went through every piece and jettisoned any design I couldn't think of something that I would use that paper for. I now have 1 box of printed in a plastic box that is a little smaller than a bankers box and one that are plain colors. I still buy paper... but if it doesn't fit in that box... I go through it and pull out stuff I'm happy to pass on to make room for it. The exception.. I have just about all of the Graphic 45 papers, and I'm determined to take that with me, I told my family to make a paper mached coffin with it. LOL But seriously and honestly, it's really all about organization. If it's well organized you are more likely to use your stuff. And to get to that point, you may need to unload a lot of stuff. Sometimes I do the sales, sometimes I pass on to my daughter-in-law, I've donated it to a not for profit thrift store, or give it to my stamp club members. It will help if you store your stamps w/matching dies together. When you grab the stamps for a project the dies will be with it and you're more likely to use them. I don't actually have a lot of dies, just a few plastic, smaller than shoe box containers. And I think I only own about 3 sets of stamps that have matching dies, and they were sold together. I'm an obsessive organier... I can't work in a crowded space. Anyway... I hope you are able to get back on track and follow through with what will make for a happier crafter.
Stick to your guns! You raise some valid points. You are the best person to decide what to toss based on how you craft. I used the original Scan N Cut that sucked. The new ones are better so not buying every die will really free up my craft budget as well. ❤️❤️❤️ TFS
No hate here! Everyone has their preferences and what works and doesn't for them. No shame in that. That's why there's so much variety available. Leaves more time, space and money for the things you use and love! 💞
I tried a spray adhesive a few months back and I ended up sitting in an open doorway to do my project. Every time I sprayed it left this white sticky residue behind and it also kept getting in my nose too. It did it's job, but I definitely won't rush out to buy any of that again.
we need a website where all of the crafters can swap or sell or trade products.
@@marylettau Awesome thanks for the link.
Mary Lettau WOW this is what I’ve been wishing for. I have brand new duplicates and really want to delight someone but have wished for something like this! Big hugs!
beach girl that would be GREAT. 👍👍👍👍
@@marylettau THANK you for the link Mary! Cool !
@@marylettau I was just thinking this very same thing. THANK YOU
I have decided that crafters really have two hobbies. Crafting and organizing.
Haha, I don't know about organizing, but definitely collecting! 😂🤣😂
Absolutely agree!
Correction; 3 hobbies... Crafting, shopping and organizing 😉😂🤣
Definitely hoarding 😁
And collecting
I take 3 or 4 washi tapes, lay strips of them side edge to edge together on a piece of white cardstock. Smooth them down so they adhere well and then use a punch like a heart, flower or butterfly to punch out a unique patterned shape. 🌸
Nice idea!
Yvonne Daniel Hi, I do this with all my paper scraps - cut them into strips and glue them down diagonally. Some have a colour theme and some are just random but either way I love the results. They make good card backgrounds needing only very simple embellishments or words and also useful to cut shapes from eg hearts and chunky words
Lol, I use my stamp press and washi al the time. I love seeing what other crafters love and hate. Great video!
" I will never buy patterned paper again" ...I died right there!! I love patterned paper...I don't use it either but I love to hoard it 🤣🤣🤣👍❤
I just threw all mine out. 😢
@@kitzymelodie oh no!!! You should have given it to me. I'd hoard it for you 🤣🤣🤣
@@FunLifeOnABudget hahha I no longer scrap and all my stuff is under the bed so I had to do something.
@@kitzymelodie maybe try a different craft? I'm into mixed media right now. With mixed media you can use up anything 👍👍👍
@@FunLifeOnABudget I am now into cards.. I usually make my own backgrounds as it is cheaper and saves space... I will buy pattern paper again but only project specific for now... No room for stuff I don't uses even though it's so pretty 😍 😍
When I moved across the country, I let the mover's pack my good china but I packed all my scrapbooking, crafting stuff myself. lol
😂 that's me too 😂🤣😂
Now that's funny. Thanks for making me feel normal. No one touches my stuff. Lol
I left all my furniture and most of my home decoration items and ALL my kitchen things but I brought 15 boxes of craft supplies by train across country. The struggle is real! lol
C.H.A.O.S.
Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.
There isn't a crafter out there that doesn't get that.
Cheers, ✨
Edit: spray adhesive is good for quilters, holds it all together instead of pins. Do you know any quilters?
LOVE THAT COMMENT I WILL STEAL THAT ONE .THANK YOU!!
Omg! 😍🤦🏻♀️ The town "festival" is here. I had to clean the kitchen table off. I'm 😤😭😭😭 Now it's all in a Red Wagon.. organized as possible... I just want to craft today and can't 😭 Then I gotta Reset EVERY thing!
I quilt! I also have pets that love to 'help'. So, using 'spray anything' is not happening here.
@@wendywilson1736
I get that, I don't like the overspray (gets everything sticky) or the smell...
I've been using the fusible batting, it's not bad.
I’m so glad I can across your comment...after a couple of years with health issues my whole house has this C.H.A.O,S, syndrome 😘 but my craft room mainly. I will get to it !!!!!
I think covering a good size of paper with washi tape then die cutting words is really pretty.
That's a good idea. Thanks!
Yeah I do this a lot too!!
I agree with you for most things. Washi tape was a momentary weakness and such a waste. Same with all the different planners I got that ended up in paper recycle! Right now, I'm using my washi to hold down dies, reinforce spines, etc. Just because I have it on hand. Might end up donating. Stopped buying dies of all kinds because I have so many I don't use. Patterned paper is useful to me right now, and I'll probably never stop buying paper collections (G45, Prima, etc). This video just makes you think about all the things you bought, and don't use. Thanks!
I am so high up in the air for you washi donations lol. Buy I agree, most of those who uses washitapes are more on their planners or journals, not too much in other crafting activities
I see a lot of wisdom in your words. There are just too many craft options, and being on disability, I really have to be careful what I do buy. I have to be able to use it several ways.
I don’t know why you feel the need to apologise, my dear! It’s your crafting and your choice! If you don’t need those things, or want them, you don’t have to use them. It’s no one else’s business! Go you!!!
I think that’s a really good point that we should all ask ourselves first. Can it be used in more than one way. I’m also disabled and on limited budget. If I can use something in more than one way, like a punch, I’m more apt to buy it.
I agree with most of your choices. In fact the one I don't "agree" is because I don't have the tool.
I also purchased a ScanN'Cut machine some time ago and I'm saving my money to buy stamps sets and stand-alone dies. I assume that if it means we purchase stamps sets instead, why should crafting companies be mad at us ? And it's also a question of storage, I don't have a dedicated craft room, so every little bit of space is precious.
I think the only time crafting companies could "go mad", and I actually do the same, is when I see some video showing some cheap articles purchased on Amazon or other similar websites when you find good quality goodies on the small crafting companies websites. For exemple, I'm thinking about the blending brushes. Yes, make-up brushes were on the market before Picket Fence started to sell their brushes. But it's Picket Fence people who had the idea to use such brushes for crafting. So the money I save on coordinating dies helped me also purchasing their brushes, which I LOVE by the way !
Thank you for the video. I wish you to have more time for crafting very soon 😉 !
If stuff in "rainbow order" is important to you might check out Taylord expressions brushes,
Well, it was Picket Fence that *marketed* those kind of brushes to the crafting community. There were several crafters using those same inexpensive makeup brushes before PF made them a crafting item. Same thing with Tim Holtz’ retractable blending brush. I’d been using my retractable makeup brush for crafting for a couple of years before that was a TH item.
When I got back into paper-crafting, I was inclined not to buy coordinating dies, but for those who might want to sell their cards, using a Scan-n-Cut, Cricut, etc. to cut out stamped images violates many brands’ angel policies. Something to be mindful of.
I agree with you for the most part, but I still think washi tapes are so useful if you do art journaling. It’s such a fun and cute way to tape a photo or a leaf down on the page. I don’t need anymore of course, but I’m very happy with the collection I have. 😍✨
Those are some pretty wise words, and as you stated, may be injurious to yourself. However, you are being real, and gave actual reasons why. I admire your stance. Those of us who must remain frugal appreciate your honesty. I make my own "washi" tape. Shannon Greene, a goddess in this world, as far as I'm concerned, showed how to apply masking tape to the plastic side of freezer paper, then decorate your own designs, colors, styles, and so on. Thanks JD. Your honesty is refreshing to see. You are not a sell out and that integrity is to be appreciated, at least by me.
Your thoughts on washi are exactly how I feel about ribbon. There are a few staples I will keep for tying a bow, and there are some classic twines that are always good. But for the most part, ribbon is a dust collector for me.
Yes, ribbon! I have a wall of it and hardly use it anymore.
I have 5 lengths of rain gutter - each 3 ft long, all filled with ribbon! I am trying to use it up because I find that white ribbon takes alcohol ink well. I can make custom colors with my alcohol markers! If I had only known..
Susan Dickson Exactly! I have a few staples I love, like white that can be dyed any color, but most of it just takes up space.
I keep my ribbon in a clear plastic shoebox with a lid. No dust, and I have limited it to two shoeboxes. Yes, it is easy to get carried away. That colorful pack of 18 or 24 rolls from Tuesday Morning made me do it, haha. Thankfully, they are only 2 feet each. I use it on cards, or wrapping small gifts.
It’s all a personal choice and you have a right to get what you will use. I know I have a lot of stuff and never use anymore and I should break p with them too.
As far as the coordinating dies - add to the fact the stamp companies for some reason have raised the prices sooooo much in the last year, I can't even afford them anymore. $15.99 for a stamp set, 15.99 for a die set is reasonable. $20, $30 and up for a stamp or die set alone?? No way!! I personally think they're making it the beginning of the end for this industry. I wonder if their profits have gone up or down since they started with this marketing strategy.. but anyway, that's just my opinion. As for your video, I agree with all of your choices and I'm kinda in a similar predicament with crafty chaos in my bedroom/craft room!!! Good luck with cleaning or purging, whatever you do :)
Agree with your stand on coordinating dies! My biggest issue - after cost - is that I HATE the white border!!! Thanks for your views on some of the craft items I’ve been questioning the need for as well.
I feel your pain about about no craft room. I made all the clothes for my kids when little and had no sewing room. I hope you have a craft room of your own soon. In the meantime I’m impressed by your ability to make choices and not feel you have to follow the latest fad. I think you have substance and probably character as well. Good for you
Such a relief to hear a UA-cam crafter be honest. I have been really annoyed by the whole Stampin Up thing. They have clearly offered women "business opportunities" and trained them in all manner of tricks to get crafters to buy Stampin Up products. The pattern paper, like most of their products are really expensive and in the video they get the women to cram in as many products and use as much paper as humanly possible. One manipulative trick is to tell you that some important information is on their blog...why not put it in the description box? Because they want you on their blog. They also sell all the products.
This is just a particularly dark example of what craft companies do to the (largely) women crafters. It is like we are just cash cows to them. The examples of their cunning is legion...producing multiple colours of a popular ink range very, very similar to an existing colour... No one tells the truth because they have their videos sponsored, sell the products or get sent stuff.
I have no objection to a person making an honest living. I do object to being ripped off and knowing other women crafters are too.
One thing I've noticed is we have made some of these UA-cam crafting superstars very rich from the products they push. Have you seen their craft room makeover videos. We have made them rich by running to purchase the products they get paid to endorse.
I just like to get crafting ideas on You Tube. J.D., your videos are so informative, and so real, I'm really glad I stumbled onto them..
SO many of the SU videos are just commercials. I understand they have to make house payments and eat. But so do we, and I can't afford to spend $100 before they whisk away a color I really like., or just to get a pack of paper or something.
Tuesday Morning's marked down prices and coupons at Hobby Lobby suit my budget sooo much better. But even then, I have left without buying anything, sometimes. If I can't find a specific item I went for, I don't spend.
I'm on a 'Using it up, wearing it out, making do, or doing without' spiel right now. Sometimes just looking at items stirs up the creating juices for me.
I was a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for six years. I finally quit because there were so many other products out there I wanted to buy that weren't Stampin' Up!. I wasn't allowed to use any outside products when demonstrating and that bothered me. I also felt that I just financially couldn't keep up with being "current" because sometimes a stamp set would come out and only be in one season's catalog. I felt like the company was making money on their demonstrators. Then there were the color changes, pad changes, etc. So I finally gave up. Still have my wood stamps from them, although I don't use them near as much because I switched over to clear long ago. They still have some lovely stamps and products, but I buy a lot online and from our new Hobby Lobby. Gotta love those 40% coupons and sales there.
Thank you! JD's videos are such a refreshing change from the relentless sales pitches that take up half (or more) of the presentation in so many card-making videos. (I've learned to start most videos at 1.5x normal speed, and skip to the middle if the opening turns into a recitation of products. If products are still being pitched at that point, I quit watching. I'm a lot more interested in learning how to do more with whatever supplies I already have than in yearning after new items I can't afford.
Wow, JD! You're hurting my heart. Most of you list is stuff that I love! That being said, I realize that I don't NEED 300 rolls of washi tape or hundreds of pieces of patterned paper. You know that it is the thrill of the hunt, don't you? Most crafters just like finding and owning cool stuff whether we use it or not. LOL! The contents of my house are insured only because of my massive craft stash. That is no joke. I will, however, need to cut back. I'm getting tired of putting together shelving to hold my stuff.
I never could see the draw of washi tape, I use it to adhere images to my Misti. I purchased spray adhesive, used once and tossed. Dies take up a lot of room so I'm pretty stingy with what I will buy. Do not purchase brad's/stickers. I use my pattern paper for homemade envelopes!
I bought the stamp n cut because I could not afford to buy the dies that go with the stamps. A lot of the dies are so expensive. I figure that about six to seven die sets pay for the machine. I don’t like washi tape or the spray adhesives. I do use patterned paper for scrapbooking.
JD I like your honesty on so many levels. You have made my crafting better ty for all your tips I have gotten from your videos.
The can of spray adhesive I bought 10 years ago is still unused. One of those "it's on sale, I'm sure it will be handy to have this" mistakes! And of course I can't bring myself to throw it away since I'm still thinking I might someday need it (as if it would be functional after all this time).
Living in the NYC I too don’t have a craft room but a crafting corner in my living room so what I buy and how I store them plays a huge part in my buying decisions. I stopped buying coordinating dies unless they came together because I had purchased a scan n cut machine for that purpose. Girl crafting is expensive and we all need to pick and chose wisely. Glad to have you back!
I agree with you too... I mean I love using Washi Tape.. do I need a ton of it? Nope! Yet I do... I do use it, on cards, but I certainly don't think I'll ever use all of it! I love pattern paper, so I'll keep it! :) I like 6x6 more and only buy 12 x 12 for wood projects I like to make... I like enamel dots, but I certainly don't need a ton of them either... My biggest thing, that I use to use a lot was ribbon... I never use ribbon anymore... I prefer twine now... I think that's something I for sure need to let go of. I have purged 12 x12 paper in the past.. gave a ton of it away to fellow crafty peeps that didn't have a lot... and I know I can look around my craft room and point out plenty of things I could get rid of because I think I'm not gonna use it again... The problem is, I'm afraid if I get rid of it, I may end up looking for it when I actually do need it... Does that make sense? I've purged on several occasions over the years and even put things away in boxes... I guess it's time to rethink what I really need or not... So I get ya... We all need to do it... Ooh, and I never buy the matching dies to stamp sets... I own the Scan N cut too, have had it for years and it was such a big investment with no regrets! Makes a big difference when cutting out images... But I will continue to buy cover plate dies... I love them and use them all the time! hahaha - Looking forward to you getting back in your craft space and making videos! HUGS! :)
I love using my scan and cut in place of dies too. It just saves me. Plus you can stamp out like 5 of the same image and cut them all at once not have to keep moving the die
OOOKAAY - Pigment inks - you are not really talking about pigment inks, you're talking about these rainbow sets. Purge them. But DO get single pigment ink pads!
Washi tape - great for flags and other accents, but you won't need more than you have. I love sparkly washi tape.
Patterned paper - digital takes less space.
Coordinating dies - they always leave you with a lot of white space. I totally agree, but I buy them sometimes - guilty, but definitely on your side there!
Magpie/hoarder in me screaming “nooooooo!” in its tiny little voice...
And still, I’m right there with ya. I am having a very serious problem as well deciding right now what to purge and what to keep. I’ve got so many great supplies and I seem to use all of them because I make journals and mini albums along with cards and other paper crafts. Oddly, it seems that the craft pile just seems to get bigger, as much as I make with it. I don’t buy anymore, except for pattern paper, but that has taken up a LOT of space in itself. I do use Color My Life, an app designed by an IT professional/crafter and assisted by her husband. It’s user friendly, you can scan the barcodes of products of any companies who have partnered with them and it’ll automatically populate almost all fields in your product database (aside from tags), and it’s easy to organize and search. It was designed by a paper crafter for paper crafters. Downside? You MUST subscribe in order to add any info to the database. It’s not expensive at all, but even a buck or two a month can add up for some folks. It’s still a paid product, and there’s no free version (because they don’t have ads popping up every 5 seconds. It’s all subscriber funded).
Still. I need to destash in a major way (Hush, little magpie. You’ll still have some shiny toys to play with).😊😉
Lil magpie whispers "send to me, send to me" lol
😂🤣😅
I think some valid points were made. As a crafter, you don't necessarily have to use everything available in the crafting world. It's great that we have so many options to choose from to help us expand on our arts but within our crafting comfort.
You have to do what you need to do to make your crafting easier and more fun for you. Miss watching you. Don't stay away too long
I use washi tape to tape my card envelopes closed! People absolutely love it...it really adds a cute touch to the back of a plain envelope! Patterned paper makes really cute envelopes (I still use plain washi to close). 😁 I agree with everything else you said! 😍
Good tip for Washi. Thanks.
I totally agree on the washi tapes and pattern paper especially 12/12 they are adorable and gorgeous but they are just not used very often and end up taking a lot of space,and about stamp press i actually forgot i have it since I haven't used it after i got Misti..
Don't stress too much and i do miss watching your videos,they are so helpful and fun to watch
When you said that you weren't going to be buying any more corresponding dies, I said YES! (Quite loudly, and probably scared my poor dog). I have often "NEEDED" them because I want to have a perfect image and I want that certain measurement. It's not happening for me any longer. I don't make multiples of cards, so in the length of time it would take me to get everything situated perfectly, and run it through my machine, I could have fussy cut the image out. Live and learn. And it frees up some of my cash for other crafty stuff, because who am I kidding? I'm not going to stop buying all the fun stuff.
I have my dies with coordinating stamps stored together. I have a shoe box that I put clear ridged plastic sleves in. The sleves have a magnetic sheet in them. I glued the cereal box cards to the magnetic sheet. The magnetic side holds the dies and the Other side of it holds the stamps that go with it.
I no longer buy crafting items when Im out without checking my Evernote app on my phone (tablet & laptop too) to check whether or not I already own it!Evernote is my crafting inventory. I have no idea what I did before getting that app! I no longer buy printed paper either. I HATE Washi tape, it never sticks! I use what rolls I have now for taping down dies that refuse to cooperate. The only time I've ever used spray glue was Super 77 to mount photos to mats for mounting in a frame. In the Souths humid weather, spray glue (and Washi tape) doesn't stand a chance of sticking. I no longer buy Bigz dies. I recently got 2 that I've been wanting, but no more. I have 32 Bigz dies, mostly Tim Holtz, but Hubby built a special holder for them & they don't get in my way anymore. I only buy the thin dies. When I buy the stamp set I'll buy the matching die, but it has to be really special. I no longer feel any devotion to certain companies. It's been really freeing... OK, I got one company. That is The Hero MMK, although I no longer buy every single month as I did before, I wait until the 1st when the kits are released and decide then if I want it. It has been really freeing changing my ways with my supplies. No more hoarding. If I buy a stack and it hasn't been touched in 3 months, out to the local daycare it goes! Lots more room and money!
I agree with most of your list and I’m lucky to have a business nearby that’s like a Goodwill for craft supplies.They take almost anything so I donate regularly.
I thought I’d use my envelope maker more, but I never seem to get the measurements right. I don’t use colored twine much anymore, and I need to get rid of my paper flowers and brads. I used to scrapbook, and I told myself that if I don’t start again this year, then I need to donate the 12 x 12 paper.
Also, you can take your spray adhesive to your local hazardous waste center. I had to do that years ago when I worked at a marketing firm. We had garbage bags full of empty cans.
get n2thegroove where is this Goodwill for craft supplies? I might send some stuff. Thanks!
Don't forget Salvation Army! Love them. Their CEO is paid the least of all charities. Years ago, United Way and Red Cross were paid over 1/4 million per year. Salvation Army paid their CEO $70,000 a year. Don't know today's rates but I will never agree that a non-profit organization 's leader should be paid the same as a for-profit company like a car company or computer company, energy comapny, etc. Also, Good Will is a business and Salvation Army isn't. Finally, SA is a Christian organization and they do so much for peolpe. :)
Linda Dinwiddie, it’s in Oakland and it’s called The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse.
creativereuse.org/. The other day I made a donation then bought three unopened packs of Paper Source purple envelopes that retail for $7.95 each, and a one inch stack of new letter-pressed cards for $3.00. I took the cards to Kinko’s and had them cut in half for $1.99. The cardstock is very heavy, so I’ll use the blank side and make new cards out of them. I can also use them as inserts for when I mail dimensional cards.
get n2thegroov
I hear ya on pretty much everything. I only use the spray adhesive for my Cricut mat when it gets unsticky. I add glue to all my enamel dots. It’s a pain in the ...but I like them cuz I’m impatient and can’t wait for nuvo to dry. 🥴
I make all my gift bags so that’s where the patterned paper comes in handy. I threw out all my pigment inks cuz we had a horrible relationship. Never used that stamp thing, I bought a tonic one. Meh.. I think I’ll get a misty too. So badly want either a scan n cut or a new Cricut. 🤷🏻♀️. Glad your cleaning up and donating! One mans trash is another mans treasure! TFS!
Thanks for your honest video. I love my washi and designed paper, but that's mainly because I wasn't sure I will get into them and only bought a few. I don't think I will buy more, but ended up loving the few I have, after a long period of getting ideas on how to use them in my own style. The stuff I regret buying most are larger sets of different kinds of coloring medium when I was new to paper crafting and didn't know what my working style will be (mica, perfect pearls, luminate, paint stick, embossing paste in different colors, m.s. colored glitter set, fabric pigment inks, big craft inkpads in too many colors, and vinyl rolls in too many colors). So the general tip is to buy way less in any category until I am sure I love that category and it becomes a part of my style. But I can't blame my earlier self too much because I was new and exploring, and could not have known what I will like until much later. I was able to pare down slowly the supplies in any category I ended up not liking over many years. I teach newbies all the tIme, and give a set of stamps and supplies as moving presents when they leave the area. This way, I was able to get rid of a lot of things I just never liked. But I keep any category that I think I may yet like in the future. Otherwise, I may regret giving them away and buy those same supplies again using good money! LOL. Also when my budget is low, it's nice having those supplies I have not used before. I can "shop" from my own inventory, and try something new. I check UA-cam on ideas for using those "new" supplies and stampsets or diecut designs. This gives me a fresh, shiny new thing feeling without spending any new money! JD, please keep making your lovely videos.
I agree with all 7!
I don't have the Scan n Cut, but I do have the small Silhouette Portrait and use the print and cut feature to cut multiple stamped images, otherwise just fussy cut.
Hang in there JD. Life is crazy and we (at least I) go through spans of time where uncontrollable sh_t just happens, so I don't get to craft, and other spans where things are going great, all good, but so busy I don't get to craft, and I too go bonkers if it's too long between crafting binges. The discipline or knack of crafting every day has eluded me, and sounds like it has you too. Decluttering our stuff and our lives is definitely the way to go. We all have way to much stuff. So keep on keeping on and you'll find your way.
Well I personally feel that you may be crazy. But most artsy people are. No shame in that. I so agree with your list as well. Another thought or idea that I give people (not that I'm an expert...but i work in a thrift store and I see a lot of older stamps come through) on some of the projects that we color, why buy a stamp? Just go to Bing or the se of your choice and search for say a girl on a pony... Filter by using line drawing and transparent. Copy and paste. Enlarge or shrink print it out and voila! Your own images to color. Just be careful near the edges making sure they're super dry. Works for me. Whaddya think?
Have you checked out AliExpress, I get alot of my stamps and coordinating dies from there, I use the AlanDIY store on there the most. Very cheap prices and the quality is very good. I am in a gotta use what I have now for pattern paper, I am a sucker for paper, it seems like I buy a pack every time I go to craft store, so no more til I get my stash down. Making Travelers for family members for Christmas and using up my old Christmas paper pads that I have to make totes to put the travelers in. Gotta do something with all the hot buy pads I keep buying at Michael's. I got spray adhesive in closet, it's been there for years, I use Dollar store washi to hold dies on cutting plate. Currently Saving for a Cricut Maker. It seems like as soon as I get something though, something better comes out making things obsolete.
Last year I purged my craft room amd donated tons of stuff. Half of what I had is gone and Im perfectly happy with it. After many years of crafting I know what I like, need and will use. Felt a sense of relief getting rid of it all.
I have been wondering where you’ve been, and hoping all is well! Please don’t apologize for evolving as a crafter!! Although, sometimes, I stop using a supply, only to “rediscover “ it months (or years) later!! I do agree with you on matching dies, though. But then, I *love* to fussy cut!!❤️
I've missed you. Thank you for taking the time out of your crazy busy life to share your list with us. I hope you get to have crafty time for yourself soon.
I agree with not buying coordinating dies. Stamps plus dies set you back $30, I have to make a lot of cards from the one set to justify them, then I learned I could cut my stamp shapes out with my old Silhouette using Pixscan and it works beautifully.
I know the feeling, I must throw out my adhesive spray, I could wallpaper my whole unit with the amount of 12''x12'' and 6''x6'' paper I've got. I'm 79 so I don't need to buy any more but am weak. Ruth down under,
I feel what you are saying 100%! If I stacked my paper pads on top of each other the pile would be taller than me I think. Yikes 🤔
@@lauraann7816 My son gave me 4 pads of 12x12 at Christmas plus 2 containers for them. He lives not far from Janesville WI where there is a Michaels store, One year he brought me loads of stuff and the lot cost him $22 as they had a sale plus he had coupons. At the moment I have a really bad pain in my knee so I haven't done any crafting for about 3 weeks. It takes me all my time to get to the kitchen.
Ruth James, so sorry you are not feeling like crafting these days. I know about that, with asthma. And sometimes it is all I can do but to just look at it all. Hope you can get on top of your knee troubles soon.
Love this video that JD did, it really opens my eyes about my own stuff. Do I use it? Do I even like it anymore?
@@wendywilson1736 Asthma is another nasty thing. My son had it but thankfully grew out of it. I was crying with the pain last night, it's in my left groin and coming from my hip apparently. I am taking double the dosage of painkillers (doctor's advice) but no relief. I have to go to the dentist today as I have a voucher then I'm gong straight to the doctor, appointment or not. I think we all have far too much craft. I'm having a garage sale with my friend on Saturday so am getting rid of some craft stuff including a Cricut which I have used once.
Stamp presses are really good for mixed media and stamping in notebooks and planners, I keep mine just for that reason, if you don't do mixed media and planners then yeah toss it. Washi has had it's hey day, again though can still use it for masking tape. Patterned paper is just nice to look at 😍
I'd love some of you dies or pattern paper if you choose to get rid of them. I teach a card class for senior citizens and only charge $1 per card ( so I can buy more supplies). It doesn't cover all my expenses, but I'm having fun. Any inexpensive supplies are really appreciated.
Roxanne, contact me and let me know what you need for your seniors. gerseyvicki@gmail.com
I am also purging supplies. What do you need and where are you located? Email me. Lam100@earthlink.net
Same
Hi! I’m so glad to see you’re not permanently gone!! I was worried we’d lost you for some reason! I’m a firm believer that all of you lovely UA-cam crafting people need to take a break every so often, without apology. All of you are so creative and talented, and there is no better guarantee to a burn-out than NOT giving yourself a break with your families, to just take a deep breath and enjoy several no-pressure days in a row. So no apologies! Just delighted we haven’t lost you! Take the time you need to unstress and find your mojo again, and schedule yourself recurring time off as you plan ahead. As for your supplies, I can see why you don’t like those particular pigment inks. What a pain that would be, with them all in a row like that. I personally like the 1” cubes and those particular types of ink are so good for stamping sentiments, especially on top of alcohol based colored backgrounds. I, too, have a stamp press like you show and found it awkward to use, especially after getting my Tonic one - however, it is a nice size and weight to stick in an art case to take along on an extended trip where you might want to take time to play with your art. That’s why I’m holding on to mine, at least for now. Like you, I also have that spray adhesive, and also like you, I find I don’t use it for all the same reasons you cited. For any items you don’t use or enjoy anymore, you might consider donating them to your favorite 2nd hand store. There are several that give their earnings to shelters for women and children in crisis and others like Habitat for Humanity that support a great cause. I have a particular favorite where I live called Serenity House that is all volunteer and all their proceeds go to provide temporary shelter, warm bedding and clothing to the homeless in our fairly small community, people who are of our community and fallen on hard times for various reasons. I also buy from them for fabric scraps, patterns, etc., and recycle old CD/DVD’s from them, using the cases to store and catalog my clear cling stamps (another idea I got from a crafty UA-cam artist - maybe it was even you!). I’ve found washi tape to have at least one redeeming quality - it helps me create a break between sections when I’ve had to cover a serious mistake with a fresh layer to start over. Makes it appear “on purpose” rather than a desperate cover-up.
I was just thinking last night, "I hope JD is okay. I hope she's coming back, I haven't seen her in a while' and here you are! I feel you on summer exploding your life. It kind of did the same thing for me.
I'm going through a cull myself right now too, and I also am donating about half my washi tape and almost all of my coloured/patterned duct tape. I also have a can of spray adhesive I've only used maybe once or twice /winces/ but when I need it I REALLY need it so even though it's hard to use in an apartment I'm hanging on to it. For now... I have also put a moratorium on patterned paper. I'm allowed to buy more when I use this stuff up. Also for me, watercolour sets. I have three. That's enough. I don't need any more.
I'm lucky here because I have a great Art Junk shop here in town that I can donate all my art/craft supplies too. So I donate everything there. That way I know they'll at least have a chance to get used by someone who really appreciates them.
I bought plastic pocketed sheets. I also bought sheets of magnets cut the 🧲. I then double sided taped then into the plastic pockets put my does on them. My dies don’t just fall out anymore. I put the sheets in a binder. My dies and matching stamps are so organized! I like washi tape and my ribbon. I don’t use it like i used to but it’s there if I need it.
I found out about vent covers that you cover heat vents with. Sold at Lowes, Menards and Home Depot. Three 8" x 15" sheets for around $5! Much less than the craft store.magnet sheets! I backed mine with an 8 x 10" piece of cereal box cardboard, using strong double stick tape. Sometimes you need to piece the magnet sheet, to get to 8 x 10, but I put those in the clear sleeves in.my binder, so I can slide them out, and reach them easier.. The Art Bin just wasn't working for me.
Oh my goodness JD, I felt like this a few months ago then I watched a wonderful video on how to de-clutter so I thought that's what I need to do. I could hardly get into my craft room so many papers, tools, dies and stamps etc. I decided something had to give I followed the video on how to de clutter and haven't looked back. My craft room looks fantastic and my motivation has been given a new lease of life. I gave some to charities and sold some on Ebay. I enjoy your video's but make sure you spend time with the family we will be waiting for your return.
What video was it?
@@sandijames6409 Hi Sandi James the UA-cam video I watched was called: I tried "Swedish Death Cleaning" (and it worked!).
Don't be put off by the title just watched the video right through. I applied the principals to my Craft room and it worked. I worked on a section at a time till I worked right round the craft room. I made 3 piles of crafting items and went through them all again until I ended up with items I really wanted.
Hope its helps
@@jennywren4693 thank you!
Welcome back. I think that chaos drives us to see things around us clearer sometimes. Puts what we actually need/or benefits us, and what doesn't and is in the way, in perspective. Comparatively, I have a very limited amount of supplies. Its a hobby and that is all it will ever be. I have about 5 rolls of washi tape (picked up in the clearance basket at check out) for holding dies to paper and have very few patterned papers that are mostly holiday themed for specific projects. I don't own any spray adhesive. I do like my coordinating dies as I don't have a ScanNCut. Just haven't committed the funds to purchase yet.
Crafting is about what makes you happy and not what other people think so if these items are not suiting your personal needs then you have every right to make your crafty experience enjoyable by eliminating things that are not useful in your creative world 💛😘 good for you maybe this will help someone who has been debating this exact issue in their crafty space👏🏼💛
Have missed your videos. I know life gets hectic and in the way. No Crafting time does not make for a happy mama for me anyways. I agree with most of your items. Just went through my patterned paper last night and cleaned it out. got rid of everything but the ones I totally love. Thanks for the fun video! Hope your back soon.
Missed you and your crafty brain lol I have been de- stashing for 3 years and not sure I have made any progress lol
My main thing I hoarded and never seemed to use was the Prima flowers in the jars and buckets. Finally after 10 yrs of not using them, I'm taking a huge load to donation this week. Prima just had that marketing ploy with the packaging. I saw cute examples of using the flowers but it just never looked the same. I'm pretty much echoing your items. The patterned paper in pads. I can't have too many options or I overthink my design and my brain shuts down. Lol I don't know why. I tried to get excited about washi tape. I end up using it on all my various charging cables and plugs so my hubs can't say it's his. 😁
Andrea Rivers I’m starting my collection of Prima embellishments!! Would you consider selling yours? 😁😁😁
Great idea with the charging cables! Thanks!
Craft Chaos!!! Oh girl I get you so much with this. What I've been doing in my room purge (20 years worth of supplies) is to put them in boxes for some local group homes. These kids don't get a lot of craft supplies to play with and I have way too many. Maybe you could think of donating them that way?
I am sure that every single crafter has purchased SOMETHING that they have used once (or maybe never!!), that they regret. Our LSS has spring and fall garage sales where customers are able to sell their "gently used" treasures. You drop off your priced items, at the end of the week-end you pick up your unsold items. My favorite store gives a store credit for the value of your sales. I don't know if this is available to others but I absolutely love it.
I think a key to using what you have is making sure you organize. I have been making cards for about 3 years. I purchased a Cuttlebug, a paper trimmer, a scoreboard, and my sister gave me a heat gun. That is still all I have. I have about 5 punchboards that I do use a lot. I love paper, so I will always buy paper. Recently, however, I have made it my goal to use an entire pad before switching to another one. That is going so-so, but I am using more of one pad before going to another. My dies fit into one refrigerator try (single size, not the large one), and all of my embossing folders fit into a box designed to organize cards. I have some washi tape, and use it on flip books more than anything else. I have 3 refrigerator trays of ribbon, stickers stored in 3 binders. Doesn't seem like much, but it takes up an entire wall in my living room, which has become my craft room. Hopefully I will hold things down to where they are now. Happy crafting everyone.
I feel you, JD!. I went through a crafting slump not too long ago. Overwhelmed!! I dropped some hobbies first, that helped. I even left a local craft club, due to having to buy supplies for each evening. Many of their crafts weren't even of my taste. Also left two FB groups, due to people buying so much craft stuff, and bragging about it. Or, their arguing about how to do things.
Latest step, was my re-organizing my craft room. I dropped off a few bags of usable supplies, fabric, and yarn, and tossed tools that I can't remember why I bought them!
Most of your list matches mine. But, I will hang on to my WRMK stamp press, which saved my sanity at Christmas. (I have enough of a tremor that I can't count on getting good stamps each time.)
I also have a ScanNCut, so I can save my $$, and leave those dies at the store.😏 I do have a few, but, I doubt I will buy anymore.
Pigment ink, is also on that wagon. I really don't care, or use my few colors much at all. I love my versa mark, for the few times I've done heat embossing. But, frankly, I think I could have passed up on that whole idea. Not the game changer my sister in law claimed it would be. Heat tool does come in handy for softening scor tape, if I make a drastic mistake, though (like putting my card front on upside down!).
Keep on being you! I know life seems like it is getting in the way, sometimes. But, I wonder if it is a way to tell us that we need to take a break, from whatever.
We will be here, when you decide to make more show-how videos.
Now, for my take on your list:
Patterned paper calls my name, everytime, loud and clear! So, it follows me home.😏 I like making paper quilts with the pattens on the SnC, as well as Iris folding, and some teabag folding. Plus, it saves me time and sanity. I have one small crate of 6x6 tablets and 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" collections, and a few larger tablets on a shelf, along with one small glitter paper tablet, just enough for bling for all the.young girls I send cards to.☺
I have to agree with a LOT on your list of Never Buy Again:
Spray adhesive? Same as your reasons.
Enamel dots? Or even gemstones? Always falling off, if I don't remember to add glitter glue to them! I use brads to add bling, even adding color with sharpie markers. Never lost one yet, so many colors and finishes.
Washi tape is too expensive! I just use strips of my patterned paper, and scor tape, to add pattern.
You are in such good company JD! I had to read all the comments, so many of us experiencing the same things... I have 8 year old twins and have been setting up my craft room for 3 years now with very little actual crafting to show for it 😖. We'll be here however infrequent the videos. Take care and thanks for sharing yourself with us 🧡.
I do agree with the spongy legs stamper I'll never use since I purchase the Misty & three blocks that is great - washi tape can be use to for back grounds I don't have many but the tutorials I've seen they were great for cutting alpha or numbers. I do think it's too much out there but buy what you love to use. It's like makeup every company is trying g to sell you something. Then you look back you have a lot of makeup you'll never use just like crafting something s you'll never use. Donate the things you will never use I did the children's class at church. I do use the adhesive spray lol. What's good for one may not be good for another some Crafters use it all and it woorks. Be wise in spending.
Nobody should feel bad for buying supplies and then realizing they don’t use them much. Part of the journey of creating and crafting is experimentation, seeing what works for you, and you can only do this by having access to different mediums and products. I was lucky and went to a high school which appreciated arts and crafts, and I was able to play with lots of different tools and art mediums. There is no way I would have been able to afford to buy all those different things to try them out myself! As long as you are not getting into debt, and your bills are being paid, it’s ok to spend on supplies, and it’s ok to end up with supplies you don’t use. Just be aware of what works and what doesn’t and adjust your spending accordingly. Happy crafting!
I understand your thought, but I do use washi tape for my planner, and I use patterned paper for making albums and cards. Everything else is very pricey and I have to watch my budget.tfs
The only thing from your list I still use is patterned paper. And I don't think you have to worry about stamp companies getting upset with you. Even Jennifer McGuire says she'd rather use her money on stamps or other dies than to buy the coordinating. She does have some cool techniques for using them that you can't do (or as easily) with an electronic die cutter, but with a million techniques out there, no big deal if you can't do a couple. I did a big purge but it was mostly stuff I bought when I first started and couldn't find variety, or tools that I've since upgraded. I either need to stop buying stamps or start purging. It would be nice if companies would stop releasing so much stuff and so often! They're going to make us so broke we stop buying altogether!
truths!!!! this will help viewers decide if they really want to purchase a product.
i don't own any item on the list except patterned and textured paper. which i buy because it sparks joy.
I found when I was lacking space I cleaned out an got rid of so much stuff only to find later on when I needed something than remembered I'd given it away, as I do lots of different crafts I have loads of crafts so think carefully before getting rid of it can be an expensive thing to have to replace 🤔
Maybe an Inventory list can work. Think of it like a Pantry List; so we don't buy doubles at the grocery store.
I agree with most, but I couldn't craft without patterned paper and I like making my own too :)
My husband my my son's room (he is married and moved to NC) with shelves. I always think that I need the newest craft item out there. My husband is always organized but when I am working in my craft room, I do not put things away all the time. So when a new craft item comes out, I really have to think if will be useful to me. I am making heat vinyl onsies, etc. for my great niece. So I shop on line at times for what I need. When I watch HSN craft shows, the only items that I have bought is the Cricut easy press 2 and some vinyl heat vinyl. I haven't been in a craft store in over 2 years.
That is why I love your videos, they are real and honest.
I'm sorry to hear that you are stressed JD, hoping this phase will pass soon. I'm with you, I'm clearing out my stash and have been doing that slowly lol. I agree with your washi tape, I don't understand the hype on that and I have about 15 rolls of generic and 12 of Xmas. Card kits are being donated left and right too ;) missing your videos xx
Tina Gray I have 38 and I feel as if I lay a few down say diagonally on white paper; then cut the image of say a big butterfly punch. Then use the same colored tape in the bottom right or left corner. Add s few other elements that makes. Super sweet card. Don’t toss your washi play with them if all else fails . Use them to hold your dies in place like on a quilt pattern die.
Hi, JD! I’m right there with you... 6 out of your 7. The only one I still use is flat back dots. I love these for embellishing. When I adhere these to the card, I add a dot of glue to them. This keeps them on the card, because I never know how sticky they are. They could be old or have been stored in a hot warehouse and adhesive not great.
I have lots of patterned paper from so long ago! I have even culled through it and given a lot away. Like you, I love to make backgrounds. I never think of using patterned paper. If I’m looking through my paper, it is a last resort because I don’t have something to use fir a theme card. LOL! 😂
The Stamp Press. Oh, my! I bought one not long after it came out and I never used it! It seemed awkward to me. I got rid of it last year and the foam pieces were falling out.
I have a few pigment ink pads from VersaFine. I also can’t seem to part with my Brilliance ink pads. I have the complete set with reinkers. Years ago I used Brilliance for almost everything and some really cool techniques. I think I’ll keep these a while longer. Others, like your ColorBoxInk, chalk ink, Fabrico... good-bye.
I’m agree about coordinating dies for stamp sets. I don’t have a scan and cut...YET. 😉. I am refraining from purchasing many dies so I can save up for a S&C. The only ones I’m interested in are those with faux stitching or something else vs just a straight cut. I think the S&C will cut any shape, but don’t think it can add the embossing it faux stitching.
Washi tape... I’m like you. I have purchased more than several rolls and I’ve yet to use it. Well, I’ve used 3 pieces on my stamp positioner lid and magnets! 😂. It’s just not my thing. LOL!
Fortunately I don’t have a lot of stickers. I occasionally want to use a sticker for a certain theme. But I don’t keep a stash on hand.
So glad to see you again. Take your time, get rest and maybe sit down with a box of your stuff and just look at it or sort it. When I feel overwhelmed the only goal I have is to look through my supplies. It sure is fun and gets me motivated. Thanks for the video and tips! Take care! 😁🤗❤️
Very good job, it takes a lot of strength to look at things with a clear eye for keeping or not keeping! I have a terrible time trying to de-stash, I see something I forgot I had and get sucked into starting projects using it! Trouble is, I do this in the middle of de-stashing!!!😉😅
I use washi tape not as an embellishment, but as the background for some of my cards. Just put coordinating tapes in a row or with a space between to create a background for a card. I agree with the coordinating dies and stamps. I prefer to get shapes that I will use over and over such as tags or geometric shapes. I have a hint though for keeping those coordinating dies accessible. Go to your local home improvement store and buy "Vent Covers" usually in the air conditioning or heating aisle. They are used to cover vents during the off season. They come in a pack of 3 for about $5.00 each piece can be cut into 5x8 magnetic sheets for your dies. I put one of these with the dies in with my coordinating stamps. Keeps dies with their stamps and in order.
It makes me wonder how my crafting will evolve over the years, super inspiring to be honest JD! Thank you 😊
I have really come to the conclusion that I have more than I could ever use when it comes to patterned paper. I have recently been giving items to those I know who are just starting out in cardmaking or paper crafts. They are happy and I am happy to get rid of some of it. Thanks JD.
Lolly Cunningham did a really cool video about storing crafts. She used 2in metal rings and plastic zipper pockets. It really did make a difference for me. I agree with everything you said except I'm a sucker for floral paper. Hope life calms down for ya but that you're at least having fun now😊
Hi JD (same initials as me!)...I literally just gave away a mound of stuff an hour ago to a teacher for her summer camp and classrooms. It feels so good to destash and pass along these products I’m no longer using to people who will enjoy them. I feel the same way you do regarding pigment inks, stamp press and adhesive spray. But I love my patterned papers and dies. Learning to use my washi tape on hand,are embellishments.
I agree with everything you said. I, like you, have a few exceptions (Pixie Spray for stencils is a must-have for me, but is the only spray adhesive I own) and Altenew dies that are used to make flowers (cut the flowers out with different colored papers vs stamping them). I have a Scan n Cut as well, but haven't learned how to use it yet (derp!). I love that you can stamp out a load of stamps, color them all at once and then shoot them through the SNC and have it done without having to line up dies, run it through the cutter, rinse and repeat.
The other thing I think I'm going to stop buying is 12x12 paper. I don't use it, it takes up skads of room and it just sits there collecting dust. I can get what I need from an 8.5" x 11" which is easier to store and easier to cut for me.
TYSM for sharing JD!
Ha ha... wish I’d seen this years ago! DSP is my problem too, now that I make my own! I haven’t bought much washi tape, but I don’t use what I have! You are not crazy at all! I do like my co-ordinating dies but if I ever get a scan n cut, I’m sure they’ll be going. Glad to see you back! Hope you get some time to craft again soon.
I so agree with all that. So glad you're back. I find " I have to clean this up" doesn't work as well as " I want to sort this out". Think I must be naturally contrary. Keep up the great videos
I am fairly new at cardmaking so this was very helpful to me. I have already made mistakes buying supplies that turned out to be useless to me, at this time. I love you on UA-cam. Thank you for becoming one of my favorite instructors.
You are so right. My washi tape is going. It never seems to stick anyway. I have tons of craft projects I use to do. I haven't use them in years. It's time to donate them. Quite a bit of them too. Now I'll have more space for my card making crafts. Thank you for the inspiration.
Washi tape is the watercolor painters blessing. When putting painters tape on watercolor paper it often removes layers of the paper as it is removed and washi comes off clean. I do feel I have many craft supplies that I will never purchase again and even some that I have no idea what I was thinking. Keep putting out the videos.
I think most of the craft supplies you mentioned, I love and don't plan on departing. I do like some of your economical options. I want a scan and cut. Yes, you may feel better if your craft room is clean. I need to clean mine too.
It Does make one feel better! I just re-organized mine, and discovered I was storing my dies, paper scraps, stamps, and a few other items wrong, for me. Nobody told me I was, I just figured it out on my own. What a relief to purge unwanted items, and organize better, so I could feel like crafting again!!
I never understood the purpose of washi tape. I have some only because I got it for a super price.
I'm also have decided no more pattern paper. Watching you make your own backgrounds did it for me.
You are so funny. Sorry die and stamp companies. Lol I have alot of time sorting my dies with matching stamps in their envelopes with magnetics to hold them in place. One, it's expensive Two, It has taken me so much time to get them all organized that I have even made any cards this past year. Heck I'm still getting them organized. I have at least 50-75 more to finish up. I can't blame you one bit.
It depends on which crafts you like to do on what supplies you use. If you make cards, you will probably use different materials than if you make quilts...I personally, switch hobbies pretty often so I have many materials that may be heading to the graveyard. I noticed that the craft stores are slowly moving away from scrapbooking and paper crafts. Too bad, because today i am doing collage and am trying out lots of stuff.
I totally agree with coordinating dies... I don’t understand why you want a die that leaves white space around the image. If the industry is going to make coordinating dies then they should fit the image not leave a border. 🤪
I agree
So fun to hear what you don’t use. Some of yours were totally different than mine (patterned paper), but it’s because you make such pretty technique cards I think. You just don’t need it. 😁💙💙💙
I agree on most of the items that you mentioned in the video like : spray adhesive in which I’m about to go buy it and try it, but I changed my mind 😂 thanks for your advice, I don’t agree on patterned papers and coordinating dies, those are the two that it doesn’t hurt for me to get more of even though it took all the spaces in my garage. I’ll pass on washi tapes, enamel dots, sequins, buttons, ribbons, strings, pigment markers, and many more.
It's good to hear from you. Life does get in the way sometimes. I agree with some of your choices. Maybe this video will get us to really start thinking about things we shouldn't buy anymore, whether they are the same items you choose or different items. I hope you get to have some crafty time soon.
Hey, I’ve got an entire room that looks like your desk. We must be kindred spirits, or secretly hoarders. I’ve got other things in that room that I need for put in the basement or my future crafting building. I am also a Girl Scout leader and have a butt ton of their crap. Thank you for the advice as what isn’t worth the money or space.
Hi JD. I want to thank you for sincere comments about yourself which many of us can relate to as well as talking about the products in a sincere way. Earlier today, I watched one of your videos where you reviewed some products and you got stuck on Haberdashery scissor's name. That was hysterical as I did the same at first glance when I came across them. Also laughed when you opened another product and at first couldn't find the English translation of the insert. Who has not had that happen to them?!! Hysterical. What about when you're using an item for the first time and even with directions, you go..what?..and re-read! Again, your relatability to viewers that follow you is very needed. Your videos exemplify that it's okay to not be okay, that we do not do things perfectly, with perfect outcomes, every time; and that it's ok to be silly at times. I laugh every time you say hot mess because it's honest. People and the things we do or say are quirky and many take themselves too seriously. You embrace who you are with honesty and I thank you for that.
I agree with all! I have that Fishers stamp press too, and doubt I ever used it, but it is stowed sideways in one of my roller carts; I too have decided NO MORE patterned papers... I love them, but they have become a collection and until I use them, no more... I also got into mixed media techniques and thought, I could make my own darn papers! Washi tape - ridiculously expensive and have just a small supply - pretty much to use to hold down die cuts. And, yeah, no coordinating dies with stamps (also expensive) - just scissors; and really no more need for dies, have plenty, have a decent amount of basic shapes,, nested ones, enough fun shapes; same with stamps; they fit in my roller cart (not the wood mounted ones, oh well) but enough!!! Need to just get crafty! Enjoyed your video! AND I have a craft room, closet lined with two book shelves holding paper stock, cubbies, etc, and stuff spilling out into spare room! Oh well... Enjoy your videos!
I think I must be a hoarder...NOT. I just love playing with all my crafty supplies. I agree with patterned paper and washi tape and enamel dots and the Color box ink pads and the squishy stamp thingy. Instead of the Spray adhesive you showed, I use Pixie Spray for a great hold of my stencils. I also don't like all those wooden embellishments for my cards and stickers. I do love my stamp and die sets and prefer to buy them together and a few come with the matching stencil/mask. Anyway, girl, love all your videos and your sense of humor. Keep us all sane! Thanks
Don’t we all have the same chaos through this hobby? I can’t count how many times I have had to stop crafting for weeks till I had the time to reorganize. I sure agree with you on Stamp tool and pigment inks and Washi tape. Patterned paper doesn’t make sense to me in card making but it does in scrapbooking. YES, COORDINATING DIES ARE USELESS! Finally! Someone is saying what I’ve been saying forever! With Scan n Cut who needs them. I can do all my stamping on one page of cardstock and cut them all out at once which is awesome. BUT! Here is the exception: Sometimes you are not using coordinating dies, but you need the die itself because there is some special feature that the die has, like it embosses at the same time it cuts. Great video!!
I think we all know that buying craft supplies can become an addiction! 😂 It’s also not unusual to have buyer’s regret on something that seemed really cool initially but we find we hardly ever use or maybe even forget we have! It’s such a learning process, especially for beginners, because we don’t just naturally know which way our creative juices are going to flow. As we find our own styles and preferences, there’s no doubt we’ll find ourselves with items we don’t really need or likely won’t use. No shame in that! Sites like CraigsList and eBay can be sources for buying or selling, or perhaps even giving away if you’re using CraigsList. One person’s “trash” is another’s treasure! Nothing is truer than in craft supplies!!
Well... every year I go through my stuff and just weed out what I've never gotten around to using (impulse buys), or what I have too much of (patterned paper). I call them my "out with the old so I can get the new" sales. I use to do "direct to paper" demos and used Color Box products in my classes. When one of the distributors found that out, he hooked me up with Clearsnap and they gave me the entire line of Color Box pads and refills. I used them a LOT because it's what I created backgrounds with. I ended up passing my Colorbox stuff on and just kept the one color palette I loved the most, Provence. You bringing it up reminded me of that and I think I'll pull it out and use it, and I know exactly where it is. I also got rid of massive printed papers.. When I moved 4 years ago from a 6 bedroom, 2 story house, with a an 18x18 foot craft room...to a 1 story, 3 bedroom manufactured home and a 12x 12 craftroom. I shrunk wrapped 4 packets of 500 count sheets of printed papers... I went through every piece and jettisoned any design I couldn't think of something that I would use that paper for. I now have 1 box of printed in a plastic box that is a little smaller than a bankers box and one that are plain colors. I still buy paper... but if it doesn't fit in that box... I go through it and pull out stuff I'm happy to pass on to make room for it. The exception.. I have just about all of the Graphic 45 papers, and I'm determined to take that with me, I told my family to make a paper mached coffin with it. LOL But seriously and honestly, it's really all about organization. If it's well organized you are more likely to use your stuff. And to get to that point, you may need to unload a lot of stuff. Sometimes I do the sales, sometimes I pass on to my daughter-in-law, I've donated it to a not for profit thrift store, or give it to my stamp club members. It will help if you store your stamps w/matching dies together. When you grab the stamps for a project the dies will be with it and you're more likely to use them. I don't actually have a lot of dies, just a few plastic, smaller than shoe box containers. And I think I only own about 3 sets of stamps that have matching dies, and they were sold together. I'm an obsessive organier... I can't work in a crowded space. Anyway... I hope you are able to get back on track and follow through with what will make for a happier crafter.
Stick to your guns! You raise some valid points. You are the best person to decide what to toss based on how you craft. I used the original Scan N Cut that sucked. The new ones are better so not buying every die will really free up my craft budget as well. ❤️❤️❤️ TFS
No hate here! Everyone has their preferences and what works and doesn't for them. No shame in that. That's why there's so much variety available. Leaves more time, space and money for the things you use and love! 💞
I tried a spray adhesive a few months back and I ended up sitting in an open doorway to do my project. Every time I sprayed it left this white sticky residue behind and it also kept getting in my nose too. It did it's job, but I definitely won't rush out to buy any of that again.