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I would like to hear what the rest of you do to save money on supplies. Here are some of my ideas:
I save the left over bits of rubber/foam after I cut stamps and use instead of pop dots and for shaker frames.
I make my own ink pads by buying the old SU style blank pads and filling with SU reinkers. (ATRS has pads in their dollar store called Comotion that are identical to the old SU pads for $1 each).
I mix SU mist cleaner 1 part to 5 parts water in my spray bottle (50 cents at Wal-mart in the travel cosmetic area) and it cleans just as good.
I buy paint trimmer pads to use as stamp scrubbers. Added bonus: They don't shed.
I also buy photo foam mounting tape instead of pop dots.
I buy dry wall tape at Walmart instead of Magic Mesh. You can emboss it, brayer it and it runs about $2.50 for enough to last a lifetime.
I buy cosmetic sponges and cut them up for sponging.
I use Walmart red glue roller tape and Walmart Crystal 3-D effects ($1.50 a bottle).
I made my own wheel guide by using pop dots under a ruler.
I use Walmart Georgia Pacific cardstock. It is fantastic, thick and very white.
I buy Perfect Ink Refresher all the time instead of reinking pads and pens. It will extend the life of your inkpad about 4 times longer instead of reinking all the time.
wow - those are some really good ideas! I especially like the idea of using the left over rubber for popdot replacements. I would have never thought of that! I have heard about the dry wall tape and have been wanting to go to home depot - now you got me really wanting to go! I found a recipe for stamp cleaner - I think it was on this site - much cheaper than the stampn mist!
Thanks for sharing that great list !
I have been wanting to try using Magic Mesh, and with doing home renovations right now I have LOTS of drywall tape. I never would have thought of that.
I buy Perfect Ink Refresher all the time instead of reinking pads and pens. It will extend the life of your inkpad about 4 times longer instead of reinking all the time.
This tip intrigued me. Where do you get Perfect Ink Refresher and how much does it run?
My favorite penny-pinching tip of all time is the drywall tape instead of Magic Mesh. In fact, I just made 4 cards today using a drywall tape. I love that stuff!
I have a very dear friend who stamps and we share. We try to buy different sets and then borrow each others and when we buy items that come in large quantities (example would be paper) we buy different colors and then split so that we have more variety for less $$. Same with reinkers, we try to buy different colors and we mark our catalogs designating what the other has that way we order something different.
For the Stampin Around wheel I bought an embossing ink cartridge (don't know if they still make it) and that allowed me to have a lot of different colors by using the embossing powder I already had.
Don't mean to sound out-of-the-loop, but I guess I am . . . what is "ATRS"? Just wondering if I have one in my town. I have lots of the old style stamp pads, and would love to have any new ones that I add be the "same" style so they would store more neatly.
LOVE these money saving ideas! I will be using them! I have never used magic mesh - I will have to check out this stuff at Walmart and get creative.
I am also curious about ATRS and the Ink Refresher.
Thanks again for the great tips. This will give us all more $$ to spend on stamps!!!!!
I cannot wait to go to Walmart for that cardstock.
Addicted to Rubber Stamps is a great source for many stamping things and they are very fast with shipping. That is why they are addicting. It is also nice to be able to order things from the comfort of my home during cold weather and have it delivered right to my door in usually 2 days.
I must say the length of time it takes for SU goodies to come really has me looking for alternatives.
When that newspaper article says the SU orders go out in 3 hours, I thought - I wish.
One little word of warning...all is fair in stamping cards, but you need to be a little more cautious when you're stamping for scrapbooks. If it's not ph neutral it will eat your paper and pictures over time. (It being glue, paper, or any other part of the product.)
I got some tags at an office supply store picturing how cute they'd be on a scrapbook page and they tested very acidic
Saving money is good, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay a little extra for the quality.
Use a spoon instead of a bone folder.
Use Walmart ribbon (still made by Offray!).
I'll think of more later! I also HAVE to know where you get the ink refresher. My daughter is famous for leaving my ink open and it's just dry not used up! Someone told me to put your ink pad in the freezer to refresh it but I haven't tried it yet.
Perfect Ink Refresher is made by Ranger Industries www.rangerink.com and runs about $5 per bottle. One bottle lasts me 3-4 years and I use it frequently. It rehydrates pads and water base markers. It is also a reconditioner and is really good for your stamps and pads. It is acid free. Your ink pads hold the color, it is the basic fluid (which this is) that makes your pads go dry. This is why if you reink all the time your pads get really dense with color. If you google Perfect Ink Refresher you can find places to buy it. My favorite place is an internet company called Jade.
I found the link!! It is www.jadestamps.com They are fast and really good to work with. I usually get my order within 3 days of ordering. I order 4-5 bottles at a time and use them for gifts for my stamping friends. One warning: they are not meant for metallic pads. They work fantastically with all the SU pads though. I have never tried them on the Craft but the make the Classic pads last so long before reinking and keep the pads nicer!
My friend taught me to use those little pan scrapers from Pampered Chef in place of the bone folder. Works like a charm and most households have several of them :lol:
You can also buy the Perfect Ink Refresher at Makeanimpression.com I do not know what their shipping is. It has been several years since I bought it from Jade Stamps so I don't think I paid that kind of price in shipping. All 3 of my LSSs carry the PIR too. Any place that carries Ranger Inks can order it. The bottle says it is suitable for all dye and all pigment pads except the metallic. Just tried it on my Colorbox cat eye pigment pad and it worked great. The cat eye was so dry that it was completely unusable.
-Eyeshadow makes a pretty good substitute for Pearl-Ex
-Emboss with lipstick!
-Dollar Stores are generally a great source of embellishments - I know I just bought some great bead kits, and also have picked up mini clothespins, buttons, metallic papers...
-Check out the hardware store for great organizational items. All those bins and boxes designed for nuts & bolts are great for sorting the aforementioned tchotchkes (sp?)
To customize your brads and eyelets, hold them with tweezers and heat with your heat gun for several seconds until they are really hot. Dip it in embossing powder and heat again to melt in place. Let it cool completely before touching it - it gets very hot. Because of the heat of the brad/eyelet, the EP will cling to it - you won't need clear nail polish or anything else to make it stick. (Now you can save money on clear nail polish
I am SSSSSSSSOOOOOOOO glad I read this! I'm heading to WalMart today! My list just got a little longer. You guys are awesome! Thanks for the great tips!
I am all for saving money but for me personally, I found that I "get what I pay for". I have tried substitutions but found when I compare them with the SU products, they're just not the same quality. For those of you who have had success: Good for you. More money to spend on a nice stamp set.
buy only white gross grain ribbon, and change the color by running a piece over your ink pad to match your card- oila! all 48 colors! more than what su even sells!
use a template to make your own envies with copy paper.
viking codes for mono! just bought 27 for 1.25 each after discounts
liquid glycerin for versamark refills
have a su workshop and earn lots free- my last one i got like 12 free sets! :shock:
Tips to save $$$$ when stamping
