Steals and Squeals

Have no fear! There ARE bargains to be had on crafting supplies! Not only are there coupons (see prior blog) there are also some excellent items at excellent prices as well. As with anything though, a low price does not equal a bargain. Sometimes it is worth the extra money to buy something else! Here are some of the items I consider to be steals and those I’ve learned my lesson and now I know are squeals!

STEAL…Acrylic stamps are a must have for today’s stamper, card maker and scrapbooker. They are super easy, take up very little room and there is so much variety, you’d be hard pressed to “need” something and be unable to find it! Acrylic stamps can vary in price and size, and can go from $1 up to $24.99 and higher! Obviously, the $1 acrylic stamps are a big STEAL! They are sized perfect for small scrapbooks, occasion books, cards and journaling on scrapbook pages. These $1 sets are typically found at Michaels in the rotating bins near the front of the store, but can also be found at your local scrapbooking store!

PLEASE, as always, rely on your LSS first; they need all of the business they can get to battle the national big stores! One place that I do NOT recommend getting your $1 Acrylics from: Archivers! Their “hot spot” is full of them, however, they charge $2 for the same sets available at Michaels and your LSS.

Another great steal are sales on cardstock and patterned paper. Hobby Lobby and Michaels are great for putting their paper on sale for 4 or 5 sheets for $1. Most LSS will charge .55-2.00 per sheet depending on brand and fanciness of the paper. The only downside to this cheaper paper is it is typically not heavy weight (as it would be at your LSS) and is non-textured, especially the cardstock. A sheet of textured Bazzill cardstock is worth every penny it costs. If you need or want the non-textured cardstocks though, choose the steal and wait for the big sales to stock up!

A good quality Trimmer is also worth its weight in gold. The cheaper trimmers are cheaper for good reason. They are much more flimsy, the cutters will need replacing much more often and they are just not well thought out. Again, save a 40% coupon and get the good one. THIS is my trimmer.




SQUEAL….Some items that I absolutely will NOT bargain shop or change brands on are EK Success 3d-Dots and Dotto adhesive. I will always be loyal to Dotto for their removable adhesive runner dots! I’ve tried many other brands, but they are just NOT the same. They do not go on the same, hold up the same, and they do not last the same as the Dotto brand! 3D-Dots are the same. I’ve tried many cheaper versions, even some with more pop-dots for less money, but the fact remains that I love Pop-dots for a reason. They are reliable and they are easy to use. I’ve used some fake off brand pop-dots that were IMPOSSIBLE to remove the paper backing from, and you end up ruining your piece because of having to chisel the things back off! Some brands are too squishy, or way too firm. 3D Dots are just right! I am always sure to stock up on both of these while using 40% off coupons!