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Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my ink blending tool, and I have both the felts for alcohol ink, and the foams for distress inks. But am I the only one who thinks it is slightly crazy to buy a new tool for each color of distress ink you have?
I only have one tool, and I have never wished I had more than one. My craft room is so crowded as it is, without a large turntable filled with ink blending tools. I do have tons of the foams, so when I use a new color, I just rip off one foam, and apply another. Takes like 2 seconds. At the end of the day, I wash out the foams in the sink and squish them in a paper towel to dry them. I do not mind doing that.
Plus, I would think the foams would get dry and crusted after a while if you are not rinsing them out. Anyone else happy with just one tool?
One is plenty for most of us! Tim can have one handle for each color, 'cause he needs 'em and doesn't have to pay for them .
I actually have two handles because they were gifts. So one is for foam and one for felt, but if I were doing a lot with different colors on a project, I could use them both for either.
But don't the photos of the full storage spinner look pretty!
__________________ ValliWhen I'm not near the stamp I love, I love the stamp I'm near.My tiny little gallery
I only have one handle, but I've often thought it would be nice to have another so I could switch between two colors without having to remove the pads in the middle of a project. If shabby-chic were my style, I would probably want a couple more dedicated to my go-to distressing shades. And if I were creating with them every time I went into my studio, I would most likely want one for every shade and a big spinning rack to store them close at hand.
I think it comes down to how important something is to your creative process. Some folks need every color of Copic marker or SU ink, while others need only a handful.
I have a few handles plus a couple I made with small blocks of wood & velcro. I don't like having to switch out pads during projects. FYI - The Distress Ink doesn't dry out the pads.
I only have one tool, too. But there are times that I think having 2 or 3 might not be a bad idea... I almost always use it every time I make a card and usually with 2-3 colors. I really don't see the need for having one for every color though...
I have one for every color. :oops: I also have three of the spinning racks that you can attach the handles to to hold them.
I labelled them and now I just grab the one that I need for the color I'm using. I hated switching out the foam ones because I'd get ink all over my fingers which WOULD end up on my project, ruining it.
I bought them at joann's during a 50% off sale, so it was well worth it to me. To each their own, I guess.
I have one Ranger's one and one homemade one and I think that's enough for me. If space weren't an issue just one more would be nice - I often use two colours and sometimes three for sponging edges. But I can always get by with cut and dry foam , I have a box on the desk with small pieces in various colours. I used to wash them, but haven't noticed any difference since I gave up.
I have more than one but fewer than one for every color, and am very happy to have the extras.
Gina K has a distressed stripes technique on Stamp TV that alternates sponging in two different colors, and it won't work to sponge all the stripes of one color and then switch - you have to do one stripe of the first color, then a stripe of the 2nd, then back to the first . . . trying to do that with only one tool would have made me quit.
Like a previous poster, I got my handles when Joann's had 40% off all papercrafting, so they really weren't that expensive. And they're totally worth it.
I have one tool for felt and one for the foam. I prefer to use a separate tool for each. The products you're using with them are very different so I want to keep them separate. But I suppose no one is wrong if they use the same tool for both. There is no one who is going to arrest you for doing that.
I have three....only because there are times I use multiple colors at once, and it gets to be a pain to keep swapping the foam. Can't imagine one for every color!
__________________ ~ Lisa - Fix your computer and your dog mingler - She who runs with 'lil grey dogs!
What you are afraid to do is a clear indicator of what you need to do. - Zig Ziglar
I used 2 for the longest time..But after acquiring all the colors of distress I got 8 of them and the spinner. I like to use 3 or 4 colors at a time sometimes and I put off 3 or 4 handles and load them up with the foam and ink choices. It allows me to switch between them often. Sometimes I start with Broken China and think I am done with it but then go back to it a few more times while I am working. Saves me time and it is easier on the pads not to keep ripping them off. I also have people over to stamp and it is nice to give them their own tool. I keep the foam attached to the ink pad so they don't get mixed up. Do what is best for you.... Create and enjoy the process.. I have so many scissors and people ask why (hubby) and then the other day he wanted to do something for his show and he used 3 pair of mine..it was funny.
I had only one for the longest time and then I realized that I was using the alcohol ink one and so bought the one for the distressed inks. I do like having the two because you do get ink all over your fingers when changing out the pads. I am not sure about having a handle for every color though...I guess if you use them awhole lot...
I have three handle things and quite a few foam pads. And to be honest, I only seem to rotate between about two handles and I think that is really all I need. I use only half of a foam pad for closely related family colors. For example, one half of the pad for Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy and the other side for color families such as old paper, pumice stone. Then the other pads are for the darkies like Walnut Stain, Black Soot, etc. on one half and the oranges onthe other pad. Then after about a week of use, I wash them and they are ready to rock and roll again. So the half/half works a charm for me. Oh, I also have stapled the velco pad onto the handle as it is only glued and all that swapping of pads can sometimes lift off the velcro (especially when my cheeky 2 year old does it!).
So my suggestion is two handles and a few pads. The pads really do wash up well with warm soapy water. I have worn them out, but not for many many months of constant use. I use them on nearly every card I make too. HTH
Honestly, I've tried the TH blending tool/foam, and I much prefer the large foam daubers. Not the small ones, although I use those for distressing, but the large grey daubers. The foam on those blends more smoothly than the blending foam, and I have one for each color "family." They don't break down the way the smaller daubers do. Works for me, but I understand why people like to have more than one tool while they're working. It is a pain to switch out those foam pads.
TH ink-blending tools-- why the need for so many?
