Hello and welcome to a new feature this year ... “Things we LOVE 2015” with Ellen Hutson LLC! I am so happy to be here sharing some of my favorite papercrafting supplies! Over the next few weeks the Ellen Hutson CLASSroom designers are all sharing the things we love most and just for my readers, I have compiled a list of loves AND I have a special discount code to Ellen Hutson LLC for you to use!
DISCOUNT CODE:
I am thrilled to share my exclusive discount code for you to enter in the coupon code area of your shopping cart at check-out: “thinkgswelovesharon” will save you 10% on EVERY in-stock product through December 14 over at Ellen Hutson LLC! The discount is NOT limited to just the things I love, but ANYTHING you love, too, as long as it is in stock! (So shop early for the best selection)!
HEADS UP: If you have any of the Essentials by Ellen stamps and dies on your wish list, they are currently on SALE, so apply my additional 10% discount code on top of the sale price, for an even bigger savings . . . Happy Holidays to YOU!! :)
I tried to narrow this list of the things I love to the 4-5 supplies I use daily or reach for regularly. It was really hard for me to keep the lists short! If you have any questions about any of these items, please email me using the link under my photo.
Stay tuned to the end of this post for a huge GIVEAWAY just for my blog readers!
- X-Press It Foam Tape: I use this foam tape on EVERY paper project I make ... It always amazes me what a huge difference popping something up on foam tape makes in creating depth and interest to a project! It comes in 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch widths, to fit any size you may need. It is on one continuous roll, so you can cut it to the size you need. The foam is more dense than any other I have found, which means it won't get as squished when going thru the mail. EXTREMELY good adhesive stays PUT! Check out the price per foot, too -- You probably won't find another foam tape at a better cost!
- Tombow Stamp Runner: This is my favorite tape runner for adhering paper together. It is the dotty kind, so you won't see bits of it hanging off the edge of the paper if you get it too close to the edge. Holds extremely well, even in the high humidity where I live.
- X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tapes: Come in 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2" rolls. These are great for holding heavier cardstock or cardstock that has been dry embossed and has an uneven surface. They are also fun to make accent strips with -- apply glitter to them or pour embossing powder on them and heat emboss!
- X-Press It Glue Markers & Pens: I usually use these to adhere smaller/thin die cuts. The smaller tips make getting glue into/onto small items a lot easier!
- Glue Dots: Great for adhering any three dimensional embellishment, heavier paper, or photographs to paper and works well on altered projects, too. Roll them up for just a little added dimension, when foam tape gives too much height.
- Inchie Arts Art Squares: High quality sturdy matboard pieces that stand up to any kind of medium you can think of -- embossing pastes, watercolor, heat embossing, dry embossing, inking, airbrushing, Copic coloring, etc., without warping! Comes in sizes: 1", 1-1/2", 2", 3", 4", 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" (ATC), and 2" x 4", white and different colors.
- Essentials by Ellen Craft-a-Board: Thinner than Inchie Art Squares but thicker than usual chipboard. Can usually be die cut with simple large shapes. Great for making your own art journals or other types of books/photo albums. Soft white color can be customized with inks, watercolor, or airbrushing.
- Crinkle Ribbon: Pretty dyeable (or just color it with your Copics!) 1/2" soft silky ribbon that can be crinkled, for a vintage or distressed look.
- Ranger Inkssentials Manila Tags: Nice smooth surface that takes ink and dry embossing well, without cracking.
- Copic Markers: My favorite marker of choice (if you didn't know that by now!). Alcohol-based, which means they are permanent on most surfaces, blend superbly without streaking, can be airbrushed, refills can be used for fun alcohol ink-based techniques. 358 colors!
- Peerless Watercolors: Extremely and beautifully vibrant, easy-to-use, great color range, portable watercolors that flow onto paper effortlessly, with wonderful results! No colors are repeated in their different packs, so you can build up your collection.
- Ranger Watercolor Cardstock: High quality, smooth surface on one side (good for stamped images), typical pebbled watercolor surface on the other side. Sturdy and holds up well to lots of water.
- Waterbrush: These are paint brushes with water reservoirs built into the "handle" so you don't have to continually dip the brush into water. They make it very easy to take your watercolor projects anywhere!
- Ranger Super Fine Detail Embossing Powders: Detail powder that keeps even the smallest, thinnest lines and details crisp; always performs well.
- Sizzix Big Shot: The Big Shot machine has always performed perfectly and effortlessly for me -- This is why I have not been able to justify getting the larger 9-inch PLUS machine that has been on my wish list for a year (takes 8-1/2" x 11" paper)! Maybe someday soon . . .
- Sizzix Magnetic Platform: Holds your dies in place and keeps them from shifting in your Big Shot.
- Metal Adaptor Plate: A metal shim for your die cutting sandwich which helps apply more pressure, to get good clean cuts from intricate dies or larger dies with more cutting surface.
- Taylored Expressions Dies: I love that this company is a small family-owned business which has continually puts out new, innovative die concepts that are high quality and made in the USA! My favorites are the Cutting Plates -- they make quick and impressive looking backgrounds for cards or scrap pages.
- Glitter Ritz Microfine Glitter: There is always room for glitter on just about any project, in my opinion! This glitter is super fine and soft, which means it covers extremely well and opaquely, and is very soft to the touch so it won't scratch skin. Comes in a huge range of gorgeous colors.
- Lawn Fawn Hemp Cord: Nice, thick cord in traditional "baker's twine" with a stripe of color or silver/gold metallic thread through it, and solids.
- String by the Spool: A pretty thick metallic cord (silver or gold) which ties and lays nicely, adding a touch of elegance to any kind of project!
- Sequins: They come in fabulous colors, different sizes, and add pretty sparkle to any project. I always have clear and white on hand, so I can custom color them to match any project, with Copic markers.
- Wink of Stella Glitter Marker: Easily adds a beautiful, soft shimmer to stamped images that won't rub off and is undetectable to the touch. My favorites are clear, silver, and gold, that will go with most anything.
- Memento Ink Pads: They are Copic-friendly, permanent dye ink which stamps cleanly and smoothly ... 'nuff said!
- Distress Ink: I love these for their blendability and any kind of inky technique. They double as my FAVORITE watercolor medium!
- Versamark: Always a great dependable ink to use with heat embossing, or to leave a tone-on-tone watermark stamped image on colored cardstock.
- Delicata Ink Pads: Rich, thick beautifully opaque metallic colors that stamp very cleanly/nicely and dry FAST! My very favorite gold ink, EVER! The silver is gorgeous as well.
- Archival Ink: Waterproof and permanent, the deepest richest black ink I've ever found! Stamps very crisply.
- X-Press It Blending Card: Copic-friendly, with a very smooth surface. Great for Copic coloring or airbrushing.
- Neenah Solar White: The 80 lb. is my go-to cardstock for stamping. It is very smooth and yields great results for just about any technique you might throw at it! I LOVE the 110 lb. for card bases or larger die cuts -- it is so substantial, you will think you have two pieces of it stuck together!
- Neenah Desert Storm: My favorite kraft colored cardstock! Very smooth and not too heavy (80 lb).
- Crafter's Companion Shimmering Cardstock: Very pretty soft shimmery metallic colors.
- Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock: Beautiful 100 lb. heavy weight dyed cardstock in a wide array of wonderful colors. <3
- Core'dinations Cardstsock-Distress Collection: White core (or kraft) cardstock great to use with embossing folders, then sand away the top of the embossed image to reveal the white or kraft colored core, for a distressed/vintage effect.
- Essentials by Ellen: I love Julie's fresh and funky/humorous style, with beautiful and trendy fonts! Made in the USA.
- Taylored Expressions: Same reasons as for their dies listed above: small, family-owned, made in the USA, with several different illustrator styles that range from faith-based to elegant to cute. Wide arrange of scrapbooking related stamps, too. Red rubber cling mounted.
- Pink Ink: This is the company that purchased Lockhart Stamp Company and still produces and distributes Lockhart stamps. The owner is a renowned children's book illustrator and has a very similar whimsical style to Karen Lockhart and adds to her collection quarterly. Images are great for coloring enthusiasts and stamps are red rubber on wood blocks, made in the USA! Ellen is one of only two online retailers that carry these stamps.
- Hero Arts: I love their sentiment stamp sets -- they are packed full of different style options for any occasion you may need.
- Paper Trimmer: This trimmer is the updated version of the same brand I've loved and used since I started papercrafting (about 20 years ago?!!). I finally broke down and updated to this version (even though my old one is still going strong and serves as a secondary/backup on my die cutting table!). It cuts very precisely and straight -- I love the positioning wire on this updated version, which shows you to see exactly where your cut will be. I also love that for basic A2 cardmaking sizes you don't have to open the extension arm in order to make those common cuts (timesaver)!
- Ink Blending Tool: I love these newer 1" rounds -- they don't leave the straight lines on your ink blending that the rectangle ones sometimes can. They are high quality, hold up extremely well, and I don't think I have ever thrown one out because it fell apart!
- Teflon Bone Folder: Another tool I didn't think I needed (because I already had a different type), but is now a must-have! I like that it has a square angled end in addition to the pointed end. Doesn't leave shiny marks on your cardstock that other types of bone folders can.
- Sparmax Airbrush Compressor: Expands the use of your Copic markers, making them usable on just about any surface!
GIVEAWAY:
Ellen Hutson LLC is giving away some of my favorite Essentials by Ellen items to one lucky reader from my blog:
- Essentials by Ellen Fancy Thanks stamp set
- Essentials by Ellen Wild Garden die set
- Essentials by Ellen Magnetic Die Storage Panels
- Essentials by Ellen clear Stamp Storage Envelopes
- And a BONUS exclusive "totally fabulous" die set!
How fantastic is that?!! All you need to do to be entered into my giveaway is leave a comment on this blog post (ONE comment per person, please) telling me your favorite product on your wish list by Friday, December 11 at midnight Central and I'll let Random.org choose the winner! Please be sure to leave your email address, so we have a way to contact you.
Thank you all so much for stopping by . . . I appreciate each and every one of you!!
