Gab about your Stash #1

So I LOVE crafting supplies as evidenced in the craft storage post, but I'm trying to get better about using what I buy, so starting in the next few weeks, I am going to make a habit of using supplies I already have and scraps of projects from the week. I will make posts here and on my YouTube channel so that people can keep up. I will do a 10 minute Monday, a technique card, a product review, and then a Saturday Scrapternoon where I use up that week's scraps! In really excited about that and I hope it will keep me on task to create more and work through a massive stash of supplies and tools.  I have lots of tools I have never reviewed, but that I use often, so it'll be nice to share long term pros and cons.  In the meantime, here are this week's cards.

Iris folding? I can dig it! 

I started using supplies I have and remembered I have like 30 Gelatos and two kits!  

Gelatos and modeling paste. 

More with the amazing watercolors. 

This was for a challenge and the prompt was "Bright". 

Because I still love yarn! 

The Avery Elle "Made With Love" stamp set and some Copics...and a yarn chain. 

My first 10 minute card...that took 12 minutes! Lol, I'll be posting this video soon! 

I used nothing but supplies I already had. 

Distress ink, Minc foil, and some time. 

That's all for today, check back in the next week or so for the new lineup of paper crafting vids and posts! Happy crafting! 

I love my Minc: A brief review (Heidi Swapp & Anna Griffin)

When I first said I was going to write about the Minc, I said I was going to show a hack, and that would have been using a laminator.  I will say that method works ok, you'll have to put your laminator on the highest setting and you'll probably have to run your object through 2 or 3 times...not really ideal.  A better solution? Buy a Minc, I promise it's worth it! I found mine for a really great price of $95.50 on Amazon (which is $50 less than the big box craft stores) plus shipping is free if you have Prime. Good deal! There are two machines, the Heidi Swapp, pictured below, is 12" and the Anna Griffin, linked to later in the post, is 6".  I opted for the bigger one just because I thought in the long run it would be best for me.

Before the unboxing! 

The Minc comes with 1 foil sheet, 3 tags, 2 carrier folders, and the machine.  There are tons of accessories you can buy at the local craft stores and HSN is offering an amazing bunch of Anna Griffin designs starting October 7, 2015 (some include glitter sheets). I picked up some of the toner sheets, you can punch them, cut them or emboss them prior to foiling.

Toner sheets

This is handy if you don't have a toner printer at home, but you can always get designs printed at your local copier store. In fact, I had the idea to take some of my Stampin' Up coordinating stamps and dies to stamp a sheet in black ink, take it to the copy shop, and have them print it in toner. Then I can cut out the shapes with my dies and foil the stamps! Should be cool, in my mind it is, lol.  So now the important question is, but how does it work...like a dream! 

My included tags. 

The one on the left is done with the included foil

How clean is this? 

and the one on the right is this awesome stuff:​

I used green and not this silver! 

I saw these on sale at Hobby Lobby and decided I would just try them out and they work really well.  I bought a bunch of Heidi Swapp foil too, but this comes in a few more colors and in smaller sizes. It looks like you could even cut out the negatives and use them on a different project.

The negatives! 

I am just so happy with this purchase, I absolutely love it and cannot wait to see the holiday bundles on HSN next month. My advice is to get one if you can and get ready to foil everything!