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free company mousepads and broken exercise balls make great cuttable material for stamps if you want a custom shape or shadow for detail images and there is not enough rubber on the off-cuts of the SU! sets.
(although, I have made a really cool skull and crossbones, an asterisky mod bg stamp, a zipper and even an Adirondack chair from off-cuts of SU! sets rubber. Also: the cream for the top of hot chocolate, the shape of the bandanna of the pirate and the center of the wings of a detailed butterfly stamp I have.)
mousefoam and ball rubber are also great for making large borders and swirls for wall embellishments or for t-shirts/aprons/textiles.
I'm going to try yoga mats too, when my free supply runs out.
next "cool" one...
cool whip lids,
( margarine container/yoghurt/sour cream lids...)
If you cut off the rim, most are flexible and soft enough to put in a punch ...
I have made clear squares in my SU! jumbo punches to use as permanent stamp-a-ma-jig image sheets for the accessories in two step stampin' sets. I can just keep in the case with the set!
also clear page tabs and tags can be stamped with stazon for washable stuff...like tags on kid toys
use white or clear & punch or cut little doors or the flip up component of an image: flower petals hide a bee, lid opens whatever...
also a white lid can be used in view master card for a stronger insert.
also a scrap of plastic makes good disposable scraper,spreader
lids are great palettes for marker or spot ink for water coloring or mixing custom colors.
or for glue, ce or puff paint.
I love "free"!
__________________ if your path is boobytrapped you are probably on the right track to treasure BUT if everything is inordinately hard you probably are rushing to the final exam in the wrong place a day early.
I have two that I reach for all the time - one is my kneaded rubber eraser. I have seriously had the same one for 20 years because I bought it for my high school art class!
The other thing would be a Swiffer sheet. I cut them up into smaller pieces and use them for glitter (sanity saver!) and getting dog hair off of paper and such (he's a loyal companion!).
A swiffer is a dry disposable dusting cloth that picks up dust bunnies and cobwebs. I've heard some people even use them for housecleaning! GASP!!
Seriously, they are super handy to have around. They also have a broom like thing you can buy for it so you can "swiffer" your floors and get up in the corners of the ceiling. The ones I buy have a pleasant citrus scent that I like.
My indispensable tool is my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. I could not stamp without it.
For small stamps, I cut the imaging sheets in quarters, and store the sheet with the stamped image in the stamp set box.
I use a Mirado Black Warrior #2... I really like this pencil, use it for quilting too...
:cool: Faith
I love the Black Warrior pencils. Actually, I am somewhat obsessed with them, will not use any other kind of pencil. My husband, father and daughter get a stern talking to if I find out they have been in my stash! Thses pencils sharpen well, erase well and just feel good when writing. Just my humble opinion. :cool:
One of my favorite things is when you buy a new shirt that has buttons they generally give you an extra button (or thread for a sweater) and they place it in a very teeny tiny ziplock. I put my buttons altogether (one day I would love a tin for them) and then use the ziplocks to put brads or small scrap ribbon, or extra cuttlebug letters or beads or anything like that. So not neccessarily a tool but you can keep your push pins in it.
__________________ Kelli ~ "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Proverbs 16:24 My blog ~ My Gallery 2018 Scrap Goal 8/12
empty mister bottles that I can mix all sorts of stuff in to spray. from stamp cleaner to making my own glitter mist and radiant alcohol spray!
Just a word of caution - - - The Ranger Company informed me that Adirondack Alcohol Blending Solutions should not be used in the Ranger mini misters or any other spray bottles because the mist would be harmful if inhaled. So be careful of what you are spraying into the air around your work surface. Please be safe.
Oh I didn't use the blending solution for my stuff. It was a technique out of TJ and they had it in there not to use the blending solution for it!
OK, that's good. I love using the alcohol inks and the blending solution. When I bought the Ranger mini misters I thought it would be the greatest thing to spray the blending solution onto my paper instead of dabbing it. Someone warned me that spraying it was dangerous and I contacted Ranger and they confirmed it. So I am glad to share that information here on SCS so others don't make the same mistake.
I am a teacher. I have found that USED scrap pieces of lamination film--the film after it has been run through the laminator--works just as well as acetate. I have used it for the tops of nugget boxes and it works perfectly. Best of all--it doesn't need to be scored because it is softer than acetate but still sturdy, and it's FREE (well, sorta). Sometimes there are air bubbles or other imperfections that you have to cut around...but it's working great for me.
i actually use a pampered chef scrapper as a 'bone folder'
reduce, reuse and recycle...
re purpose
Thank you for this!!! I am a Pampered Chef consultant, and now new SU demonstrater. I am sooo looking forward to havimg cooking clubs where we make treats, then start our stamping club where we'd decorate a box to put our treats in. I was thinking I'd have to buy several bones for them to use..... but I do already have a million stone scrapers! Thank you!
I have been using baby wipes to clean my stamps. After wiping the stamps for a year and being frustrated with the lint left on the stamp, I discovered that if I simply stamp on the wipe a few times and then on a paper towel, there is no lint left on the stamp and the paper towel not only dries the stamp, but also ensures that all the ink has been removed. Biggest draw back: it works great for dye inks, but not so well on pigment inks.
I have two that are in use all the time. First is credit cards and hotel key cards. I use these in the same way that you'd use a bone folder...to score, to flatten, to fold...but also to spread (glue, paint, lacquer, etc), to cut (clay). The other item is a pad of newsprint. It's about 24" x 36" and is my desk 'mat'. It cushions my work, I stamp off on it, try techniques on it, draw on it, write notes and lists to myself on it, etc. When the top page is so grungy that it offends even me, I tear it off, and start messing up the next page. The current pad is over 3 years old, and is less than half used up. These pads are often on sale at art stores.
ps...great thread!! I've enjoyed reading all the responses!!
ty!
