Which tool or product . . .

[melissa59]

I'm curious . . .

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise?

2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love?

My #1 is Stickles.
It takes so blasted long to dry! I almost always mess up a project when I use it. And even if I don't mess it up, the coloring I get from it looks childish.

I also have way too many eyelets, brads and similar little goodies that I rarely remember to pull out and use.

#2 is probably paper stacks. I rarely buy them, but when I do it's because they have papers that I love. The few sheets that I don't like or won't use are either trashed or given away.

My punches might also qualify as a #2. I find them so much easier to use than dies. And seeing them on the wall makes it easy to remember to use them. That said, I do hope to replace my circles, ovals and scalloped circles and ovals with dies so that I can rescue some space on my punch rails for future punch purchases.

[poppydarling]

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise?

Agree with the Stickles. I guess I can't see a use for blobs of glitter, which is how it usually comes out for me! Ditto the loose glitter as I mentioned in another thread I also have a hard time with layers and layers of matting, but I think it looks a little old fashioned for my taste anyway.

2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love?

I also have no problem with paper stacks! I love most the papers in the ones that I buy. I also like the distressed, eclectic, slightly grungy look which doesn't seem to be super popular, at least here. I also adore my Cinch! Bought it from a member here. Seems like a lot of people have it but have barely used it or even tried it!

[uncbballfan]

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise?

Colored pencils. Not so much in themselves, but what you have to use with them: blending stumps! It makes me shiver just to think about using one. I cannot tolerate the feel of them in my hand. Nails screeching across a blackboard? Piece of cake compared to the way I feel about blending stumps. "Despise" is exactly the right word!

2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love?

Glitter - love using glitter! And Stickles! Have you tried painting with it? It's gorgeous on stylistic flowers - where you can be loose and free and imperfect.

[gregzgurl]

Linda - I don't like blending stumps, either, so I use Swisspers cosmetic applicators. They have a pointy end and a wide, flat end, so you can do tiny spaces or larger ones. I don't know if it will be better than the stumps for you, but it might be worth a try (and you can toss them instead of using an emery board to clean 'em up)...

[gregzgurl]

In response to OP's question:

1) I can't, can't, can't love sequins! They still look like "sticker sneeze" to me a good deal of the time (especially when I try to put them on anything).

2) I know that a lot of people are "over" brads and eyelets, but I am currently re-discovering mine, and pretty happy about it...

[southgirl]

I really like this post. I make get tarred and feathered but here goes.

1. Stamps, copics or spectrum noir. I never can get a good impression and they look so amateurish when I color them. Now, before you get the tar out let me explain that I am good at coloring. I have been coloring since 1st grade. Even have done acrylics and oils. I know how to shade.

2.Glitter. My craft area shines no matter how often I vacuum.

[Scrapjanny]

1. That would have to be the Perfect Layers tool. I could never, ever get a straight cut from that thing - no matter what tips/suggestions I tried. I ruined many projects with that horrible tool. I ended up selling it.

2. Glitter. I love glitter! I don't care where it flies or what animal it ends up decorating. I have jars and jars of it, and I use it whenever and wherever I can.

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by southgirl

1. Stamps, copics or spectrum noir. I never can get a good impression and they look so amateurish when I color them. Now, before you get the tar out let me explain that I am good at coloring. I have been coloring since 1st grade. Even have done acrylics and oils. I know how to shade.

I find your Copic comment fascinating. You are definitely not the only person who does not like them. Perhaps the reason you don't is because you've already found your artistic niche and using Copics feels like you've reverted back to Crayons?

I was one of those kids who could never figure out how to correctly color with a Crayon. In fact, I remember that day when I was in second grade and I came home in tears because some girl made fun of my coloring ability. As an adult, I tried coloring with Marvy markers, Zig markers, watercolor pencils ... fail, Fail, FAIL each time. And then I discovered Copics and fell in love. For the first time in my life, I feel like I can color. Of course, it was a pretty big investment and it took about five years to get my 80+ markers. I have never, not once, regretted my purchase--though now and then I do curse Copic for making some shades too similar and others too different.

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzgurl

1) I can't, can't, can't love sequins! They still look like "sticker sneeze" to me a good deal of the time (especially when I try to put them on anything).

Sticker sneeze! ROTFL!! I've never heard that expression, but it's such a visual one!

I must be the only person who has not purchased sequins for my papercrafts. Perhaps it's because they are a little too Liberace for me. Or maybe it's because I'm always late jumping on a band wagon. I'll probably develop an interest in sequins in about four years.

[Buried Treasures]

What do lots of people love but I dislike?

My Fiskars paper trimmer. Unless I'm using large sheets, I always head to the old guillotine cutter.

What do people dislike but I love?

Distress inks. I use them for stamping, embossing, watercoloring and blending. Love the colors!

[Scrapjanny]

Oh, can I add another tool that I love but others hate?

My purple Fiskars trimmer! Almost everyone else says that it cuts crookedly, but mine is perfect every time. I used to work in a scrapbook store, and the owner let me have 6 of these trimmers that had been returned by customers. Every single one of them cut perfectly - and they all still do after 11 years!

[TeeGeeDee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapjanny

Oh, can I add another tool that I love but others hate?

My purple Fiskars trimmer! Almost everyone else says that it cuts crookedly, but mine is perfect every time. I used to work in a scrapbook store, and the owner let me have 6 of these trimmers that had been returned by customers. Every single one of them cut perfectly - and they all still do after 11 years!

So does mine!


I need to think about my answer to the OP (dinner time!)

[QueenOfInkland]

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise? the quikstick to pick up gems, etc

2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love? the large carl rotary paper cutter

Fun thread !!

[TeeGeeDee]

I dislike the ATG gun. It is unwieldy, imo. I do, however, love my Xyron Mega Runner!

I like the Perfect Layers tools (in fact the mini size is on my wish list so it can stay packed in my "visiting" bag)

[Scrapjanny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QueenOfInkland

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise? the quikstick to pick up gems, etc

Oh, I hate that thing too!

[ailhelen]

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise? Sequins and washi tape. No matter what I do with them it never ever looks right and ends up pulled off or project trashed. Wasted too much money on the washi.

2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love? I love my glossy accents. Since I learnt to leave the lid off and just push in the plastic strip from a shop tag I have never, never had a blockage again. I love using it to glue things, for adding glitter, to make things look 3D to give a glossy oomph to things I have coloured in or making embellishments.

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeGeeDee

I dislike the ATG gun. It is unwieldy, imo. I do, however, love my Xyron Mega Runner!

I like the Perfect Layers tools (in fact the mini size is on my wish list so it can stay packed in my "visiting" bag)

I love reading all these answers! I especially love that we all have similar interests yet very different experiences. For instance, I absolutely love my ATG gun. I cannot imagine papercrafting without it.

And I really like the idea of having a "visiting bag" filled with craft goodies!

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buried Treasures

What do lots of people love but I dislike?

My Fiskars paper trimmer. Unless I'm using large sheets, I always head to the old guillotine cutter.

Which Fiskars trimmer do you own?

I have been using an old Fiskars trimmer for years.
Old style Fiskars rotary

I really like the rotary blade. It makes such nice clean cuts. I've used it for DSP, heavy cardstock and even heavy chipboard. (I do have to run the blade over the chipboard several times until it cuts clean through.) What I don't like is using the swing arm for measuring longer cuts. I suppose I could measure, mark with a pencil and then cut, but instead I invested in a Cutterpillar with a wide base. I had bad luck with my first one, but my replacement cuts beautifully.

[Buried Treasures]

I have the rotary blade Fiskars. It cuts fine, but I think the ruler is off by 1/16" inch, causing a 12" sheet of paper to be two sheets of 6-1/8 and the other 5-7/8. I also find it difficult to see the actual cutting line on the Fiskars. Maybe it's just a personal problem.

[toodme]

#1- The Misti- I don't "despise" it because I don't own one, but I absolutely do not get the fuss about that tool. IMHO, there are other tools that have done exactly the same function for years and, it is overpriced.

#2- Wood mount stamps- I understand that people unmount for space but to me it feels like desecration of a sacred object The space gains are not worth sacrificing the feel of and the pleasure I get from using a well made wood mounted stamp.

[toodme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyBlueSky

Despise: Clear stamps because I hate disposable stamps. They will rip, tear, stain, stop sticking, and get lost. Worse the vendors know this. And, most of them have bad art. Clear stamps are 100% trend driven for maximum profit. Pisses me off.

This! This! This!

When clear stamps were first introduced the buzz was that they were significantly lower priced than traditional wood stamps. Over the years, the prices have increased significantly, yet they are less durable and just like SkyBlue said, subject to ripping, staining and loss of stickiness. Stamp by stamp, a "set" of clear stamps may cost less than a "set" of wood stamps, but the "clear" set is bound to filled with "filler" images that you are not really interested in and only one or two good images.

[Copperkids]

Despise - washi tape. Can never find the right color / design for what I need and I have a LARGE DRAWERFUL of them. Wasted a lot of money on them.
Also not a glitter fan


Love - stickles

[Copperkids]

Also can I ask a question. What is the trend with all these wood veneer embellishments???
They are more expensive -very tiny---etc. I just don't get it

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copperkids

Also can I ask a question. What is the trend with all these wood veneer embellishments???
They are more expensive -very tiny---etc. I just don't get it

I think the wood veneer is an upscale version of the chipboard embellishments that have been all the rage in scrapbooking for years. I have a few sets of the chipboard (thick cardboard) alphabets and shapes but I never could get them painted where they looked nice enough for my scrapbook pages.

[poppydarling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa59

I think the wood veneer is an upscale version of the chipboard embellishments that have been all the rage in scrapbooking for years. I have a few sets of the chipboard (thick cardboard) alphabets and shapes but I never could get them painted where they looked nice enough for my scrapbook pages.

Try inking them � that was a happy discovery for me. The chipboard ends up looking like suede!

[Cwmwcw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toodme

#1- The Misti- I don't "despise" it because I don't own one, but I absolutely do not get the fuss about that tool. IMHO, there are other tools that have done exactly the same function for years and, it is overpriced.

#2- Wood mount stamps- I understand that people unmount for space but to me it feels like desecration of a sacred object The space gains are not worth sacrificing the feel of and the pleasure I get from using a well made wood mounted stamp.

This is me for #1. Don't "despise" it but certainly don't use it. I won one at an event in July. Hasn't been used once. Trying to decide if I should re-gift it or try to love it. Maybe I should at least get acquainted with it .... "Hi Misti, my name is Cathy"

#2. Aqua painters and blender pens. My customers hate these, especially the blender pens but I love them!

[cheermom]

What do I love that everyone hates? Stickles. I love stickles glitter even though it does take a long time to dry. Love all watercolor markers/pens. I love sequins.

What do I hate that everyone loves? I don't hate copics but I also don't love them either. I sure invested in a ton of them (with the reinkers) so I am trying to make myself use them. I just prefer watercoloring now. I hate the ATG gun. Sold it a long time ago. I could not refill it no matter how many you tube videos I watched. I hate making shaker cards. I have tried and tried and just don't get it.

I have not gotten the misti. I just don't think I "need" it.

[Copperkids]

That's so funny cuz I love my ATG and I even have a backup!

[Janet1000]

1 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do lots of people love but you despise?

Agree with the Stickles. I never got the hang of it. I tried using it in different ways – painting with it, creating dots with it, writing with it… Yea, I don’t like the hazy color of it either.

Buttons on cards. I don’t mind the look of it if the card is folksy or country. They are the devil to mail also.

I have a ton of brads that I need to use up. I bought these in every color about 10 years ago and still have them. Tons of them. I remind myself that I need to pull those out and lay them where I will see them all the time. They don’t jump on my cards by themselves.

Glue. Any kind. It usually warps my card, no matter how thick the card stock or what is glued to it. I quit using it. I warping from Glossy Accents also.


2 -- Which tool(s) or product(s) do some people dislike but you love?

I really drift back to pads of DSP. I love to watch Kristie Marcotte create cards from a 6x6 pad. To me, it’s a great idea. The papers match each other, and she pulls out card sketches and makes X number of cards plus 3-5 cards at the end from scraps left over. She finishes the whole pad before moving onto to a new pad.

Quickstick picker upper.

[melissa59]

I love reading all these comments. I especially love how what works for some does not work for others -- like the ATG gun (LOVE MINE!) and Copic markers (Can't color without them).

I boxed up and shipped my Stickles and some glitter to the first sucker (I mean poster) who said she loved them. It is so freeing to let things go that don't work for us, especially if they go to someone we know will use them.

Anyone need a few plain colored brads? Next week I'm going in to thin out the herd and would love to share with the first three or four people who PM me saying they can use them.

[stamphappy1650]

Great thread!

Love, love my MISTI - IMHO there is nothing on the market that allows for precision re-stamping and it has saved me a ton of money

Love my ATG

Despise the Perfect Layers tool

For me sometimes I find that I don't like a tool because I can never get it to work easily every time. If I have to futz around to make it work I'll just get rid of it. With products (stickles, inks, etc.) I'll practice and learn techniques that make it easier.

For those that hate stickles, have you tried using a paint brush or micro brush to apply them? You squeeze out a little onto a pallet or scratch paper and use the brush to pick up the glitter. You won't have blobs and you can apply a thin coat that dries faster.

[Buried Treasures]

Love/hate relationship with ATG. You all know what I mean.

[melissa59]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buried Treasures

Love/hate relationship with ATG. You all know what I mean.

The trick is to learn how to properly install a new roll of tape -- at least that was the trick for me. Now, I look at the photos molded onto the wheel to refresh my memory before adding the roll. For some reason, I kept wanting to put the roll on the wrong way, again and again. LOL

[Allistamps123]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissa59

The trick is to learn how to properly install a new roll of tape -- at least that was the trick for me. Now, I look at the photos molded onto the wheel to refresh my memory before adding the roll. For some reason, I kept wanting to put the roll on the wrong way, again and again. LOL

I make my husband do it. Every time he says, "I showed you how." I just tell him to do it. I have NO desire to approach the insides of that beast!

[Allistamps123]

Never had a love for the perfect layer tool.



I love my punches and stickles!

[allee's]

1. I hate my perfect layers! What a waste of money.

2. I love and will never again in my lifetime be without a MISTI. What a money saving, time saving, beauty producing tool.

[Copperkids]

Can I Add a second thing to my dislike list? I don't like stickers especially the alpha stickers..
Maybe I don't know what I would do with the rest of the package if I use some of alpha letters from a pack. Or that would bring in a LOT (seriously - A LOT) of packages into my craft room. Sure they are cute but I go "visit" my local craft stores about once a week or every 2 weeks so that would bring in a ton of little packages.

[sprtchick]

I love BRADS

I am not in love with ( I think) the MISTI I got for my birthday in Feb and I keep saying I will get it out and use it but I havent yet...maybe I dont like it....not sure what the problem there is.

[buggainok]

I'm like a crow, and can't resist shiny things. I love Stickles, gems, and yes, even sequins! You will find sparkle on most of my cards.

I see lots of complaints about the ATG, but I'm in the "can't live without it and have a back-up in the box" club.

I don't understand the appeal of the Misti. I got one when they were on sale and I don't hate it, but usually just use my acrylic blocks.

[lylacfey]

Tools I love- The Coluzzle. Marvy Uchida Giga Punch. I would be lost without my scalloped punch. I just named the retro tools, lol. I love glitter, sequins & bling. I love cupcakes, owls & foxes. I love anything Parisian (Kisses & Love to Paris) Love washi tape. I love stickers. I love my glue stick.

Tools I despise- Not really anything. I know there are things I won't buy. I can't get into my ATG either. I don't hate it. I don't think it's for cat owners. My cat loved to sleep on it. When I would use it there would be this long strip of fur adhesive. If I hide it she can find it. She has ATG Radar.