Save Money While Scrapbooking: Chipboard Letters

Chipboard letters look amazing on layouts, and I tend to like to include them on a regular basis.  The one thing that holds me back is the price.  Another is the lack of double letters in many of the packages.

There is nothing more frustrating than finding a great font, only to discover that you only get one of each letter…and how many titles only use one of each letter?  Few, unless you are doing one-word titles.  Suddenly that awesome chipboard alphabet is not so awesome, especially since the price tag is often $6 or more!

Good news 1: if you like StampinUP! products, the new chipboard alphabet sets have, in many cases, double alphabets, and often each alphabet even has doubles of those popular letters!  Hooray!  (the new catalogue came out yesterday, in the event you didn’t hear.  It was like Christmas in August!)  Since you get three 12×12 sheets of letters, there are a lot there for the $15 price tag.  The one set has the equivalent of almost 6 alphabet sets (with extras of those popular letters), plus other shapes!  I am in love!

Good news 2: if you have read any other of my posts, you will already know of my love…or, more like obsession…with Dollarama.  You can get some nice alphabet sets from there, and even though some of them only contain one each of the letters, at $1 for the set, picking up several won’t break the bank.

What about getting a good colour, you ask?

The StampinUP! chipboard is plain, so you can ink, paint, etc. to get the right shade for your layout.  As for the Dollarama sets, depending on the one you get, there are some options:

1. They currently have larger sets with some sparkle on them.  For certain layouts, the sparkle works.  I am not a girly girl, so sparkle is really not my thing.  The great thing about these letters is that the base is chipboard, and the sparkle is actually paper that has been adhered to the base letter.  What works great is using a craft knife and gently lifting that sparkle paper, so that you can peel the colour off completely.  From there, you are left with a plain chipboard letter that can be inked, painted, etc.  The coloured paper comes off like an orange peel, making it stress-free!

2. For the smaller sets that are already coloured (they currently have western, heirloom, pinks, purple, etc), peeling them doesn’t work as well.  The chipboard layers are strongly adhered, and I found myself getting frustrated and almost wrecking the letter.  Paint does not adhere well to the shiny surface of the letter, so if wanting to paint, you’ll have to sand them to roughen them up, then put on many layers of dark paint.  Using ink worked much better, although, once again, it had to be a dark colour.  StazOn worked wonders, as it dries quickly and sticks to any surface.  Another option was to emboss them.  This worked like a charm!  Plus, it gives you more colour options.  I don’t really use craft/pigment inks, but I imagine they would work as well, although, again, you’d likely have to use a lot of ink, or else do several coats of the ink and the clear embossing powder.

One last idea: if you can’t find an alphabet or font you like, but still want the thickness of the chipboard, try just stamping the letters onto chipboard shapes.  Sometimes it can not only give you the letters, but also provide an embellishment at the same time!

Actually, one more idea: if you have a current chipboard set, but need more letters, try tracing the letters onto a chipboard sheet and cutting the letters out.  That way, you have the flexibility to make as many letters as you want!

Our motto for the day: “I’m not cheap – I’m fabulous!”

- Tanya

Scrapbooking Tip: Use StazOn Ink for Shrink Art

When creating shrink art, use a Staz-On pad for stamping the image.  Staz-On is designed for stamping on every surface imaginable.  Regular dye-based or pigment stamp pads will not work, as the ink tends to pool into droplets, which breaks up the main lines of your image.  Pastels and markers work great for colouring the image, though.  When the image shrinks, the ink “droplets” will be contained by the Staz-on ink and give you a full-colour finish.

When heating the image to shrink it, place it in an aluminum pie plate and apply heat with a Heat Gun.  The aluminum will keep the heat around the image and help shrink it a bit faster. 

- T

Scrapbooking Tip: Removing StazOn Ink

StazOn ink is an amazing product.  It can be used to stamp on tile, wood, plastic, fabric, almost anything!

While this is very helpful, it can also make it very hard to remove.  If you are doing anything messy with either the stamp pads or reinkers, please ensure that you protect any surfaces, clothes, carpets, or items that you don’t want to get stained, as it will not come out.

That being said, it can be cleaned off stamps with the special StazOn cleaner that is designed to remove the ink.  I find that it works well, but, being the frugal person I am, I prefer more affordable supplies.  So, what works well?

Baby wipes.

That’s right – baby wipes!  I use the Huggies Supreme Care non-scented aloe vera kind, which does not cause allergy attacks in those around me, is soft on my skin, and still works to clean the unsightly ink blemishes from the rubber…and all at a very affordable price!  Besides, they are great to have around to clean up other spills from paint, adhesive on tables, etc.

- T

Interesting Embellishments for Father’s Day Projects

Go into any store or look in any popular scrapbooking or cardmaking magazine, and you’ll see a plethora of flowers, glitter, pinks, and purples.  Great for springtime and summer, but not so helpful when it comes to creating gifts and cards for the men in your life.  Sometimes you can find a few lines that will carry some unisex or heritage items that can be adapted.  Basic Grey is one such line, and StampinUP! has a lot of great darker tones in buttons, ribbon, and more.

Let’s think outside the box a bit, for something new and interesting.

Card and page embellishments that work well for any masculine project can be found anywhere, if you know what you can or cannot use.  One place to start: your local hardware store.  That’s right!

Since metal is not acidic, it will work for all of your projects.  Nuts, bolts, screws, wiring, etc. all add that extra masculine touch, and are very economical.  I have found some places that sell such items under scrapbooking branding and packaging for over ten times the cost!  Ridiculous!  Anyone who knows me, knows that I am all about saving money…I should do some further posts on how to save money and STILL be able to do the scrapbooking you want!  Next time!

Often us scrapbookers have an item that would be perfect for the project, but it is the wrong colour.  Try distressing it with paint or ink!  It will give it that masculine edge it needs, while also changing the colour of the item.  Distressing gives that rustic look, which is great for pictures or cards relating to camping, fishing, or hunting.  As well, the brown or black tones complement a lot of the clothing colour palettes in men’s fashion.  If the men in your life wear brighter colours, then it is even easier to match them, as summer colours complement them nicely.  Chipboard items can be easily distressed, covered with paper, or further embellished to make them more masculine.

Wooden items are also functional and can easily be coloured to match.  Many craft and dollar stores carry a variety of shapes, and the wooden aspect of the embellishment makes it work well with masculine themes.  Even a flamingo doesn’t seem to be as “girly” when it is cut out of wood!

Fabric swatches can also be a great resource.  Heavier-weighted materials like corduroy, leather, tweed, or denim work well for masculine projects, and can also be distressed with paint or ink.  To attach, try using a heavy-duty glue like the Tombo adhesive.  Ordinary snails and double-sided tape likely won’t hold it for long.  If covering an album, a hot glue-gun would work well, but ensure that it doesn’t touch photos, as the glue sticks likely aren’t acid-free.

Another material I used in the past for a fishing page about my Dad was an actual chunk from a fish net.  It gave it that extra touch it needed (see photo).  Wire meshing will also work, and can, again, be distressed!  There is a product called “magic mesh” in stores now that is interesting, and comes in a variety of colours.  Again, for a cheaper alternative, try drywaller’s mesh tape that can be found at any hardware store.  It looks the same, comes in a few neutral colours, and…you guessed it!…can be distressed with ink or paint.  The adhesive on it won’t be acid-free, so you’ll likely want to avoid using it with photos, but is great for cards. 

Try some different products for your Father’s Day scrapbooking projects, and you’ll soon find yourself using them for your regular projects.  I use metal washers a lot, and the StazOn ink works great to stamp images onto them.  The larger washers make some funky embellishments, and ribbon compliments it nicely.

Have fun – and have a happy Father’s Day!

- T