Welcome back! Only 2 days left for me as hostess of this blog, funny how time flies! When I signed up to host, I really wondered what I could talk about to fill out an entire week. As I discovered while writing my posts, it seems I do have a lot to talk about after all :)
Today's post is about my favourite products. It's a bit of a self-indulgent post because really...who cares about what my favourite products are, right? Well, it's my hosting week and I'll write about my favourite products if I want to, nener nener nener!!! In all seriousness, products have really influenced my scrapping style and perhaps you'll discover some new products to love too! Let's start shall we?
First off...patterned paper. Of course. I couldn't scrap without patterned paper and even if I could I probably wouldn't want to! My favourite kind of paper is what might be called "background patterned paper" or in Basic Grey-speak, "designer cardstock". I reach for these before I even look at cardstock because I love the subtle texture that they add to a layout. Another reason I love them is that they are easy to journal on. I have a heck of a time journaling on Bazzill cardstock because of the texture so using patterned paper is a lot easier for me! Here are some of my favourite "background" patterned papers:
Basic Grey Urban Prairie background papers: oh how I love every shade of the background papers in this collection. I bought the paper pack that comes with 2 of each paper and I've already used almost all of the background sheets. The colours are so perfect. Incidentally, BG is coming out with Designer Cardstock packs. Guess who's gonna rush out to buy some when they are available in stores? I only wish my budget were unlimited so I could buy one of each because right now I can't decide which ones I like best!
Another company that makes awesome background paper is Pink Paislee (yes, I design for them, no they didn't ask me to talk about their products). Their background papers are usually a bit more intrically textured than the BG ones and sometimes that's exactly what a layout needs! My Memories on Paper layout uses this awesome paper called Tender:
Another favourite is Full Moon, which I used in this layout:
Another favourite paper is the Scenic Route Grid paper. I find it perfect to journal on:
Finally, my last pick is the Bo-Bunny Double Dot paper. I love dots and the B side of the paper is very subtly distressed, just perfect for journaling on. I could seriously buy every single colour of this paper but by far my favourite is the Chiffon Dot. I bought an entire 25-pack of this and I have no doubt that I will use every bit of it! The picture below really does not do this paper justice...it's an awesome cream colour that goes with EVERYTHING. Cream is the new white ;)
Next, let's talk chipboard. You've already heard all about my love for American Crafts Playhouse chipboard stars. Unfortunately, I can't even link you because I can't find them anywhere! If you know where to find them, please email me because I only have a few left and it's causing me no small amount of distress LOL.
Another chipboard staple: the Heidi Swapp chipboard hearts. I've just ordered some more because I got tired of tracing the one heart I had saved for that purpose:
Moving on to tools! As I mentioned before, I don't mind spending money on tools. My favourite are border punches and these are the ones I have and love: Fiskars Threading Water, Fiskars Effervescence, Stampin' Up scallop. The SU one gets used most right now but I go through phases with my punches:
Next up, stamps! My favourite stamp is a grid stamp that I use for journaling. I love the Scenic Route grid paper but sometimes I want grids on a different colour of paper. I use this one A LOT:
Here's a layout that uses the stamp:
Hum...what else? Oh yeah, how could I forget about bling??? My favourite jewels are from Doodlebug. Each pack includes 4 different sizes and they come in all kinds of yummy colours. I really wish I had every single colour! I love these because they serve the same purpose as brads design-wise but they are much much easier to use. I'm all about peel and stick, baby!
Finally...my staple, the ONE tool I couldn't live with...the ATG gun. I did a lot of research before buying it and I just love how easy it is to use and how CHEAP the refills are! An unexpected bonus is that I never lose my adhesive anymore. My old tape runners used to get lost in my supplies all the time and you can imagine how frustrating it could be! I resorted to using glue sticks a lot LOL. Thankfully, those days are over because there is no way I could lose this beast:
Sorry this post was so long but as you can tell, I have a lot of favourite products! They are all staples in my scrapping stash and I really couldn't scrap the way I do without them. They make scrapping easier and more enjoyable!
If you have some favourite products, please link them up! I love discovering new items :) Also, please come back tomorrow for my farewell post. It's going to be a sort of random post with tips, thoughts, and a challenge :)
