How I Decide What To Buy & Why!
When Catalogue Launch Day comes around, both me and the rest of my Craft Community are super, super excited to get our hands on everything on our wishlists. We did get to preorder from a small selection of products last month so that we could get going and making some samples all ready for the Launch. We have been eagerly anticipating the time when we could finally get what we had been drooling over since we saw the Catalogue back at the end of March. The reality however is that the majority of us are not in the realms of the rich and frivilous and so we tend to have a budget (even if we slightly blow that budget for times like catty launch!)
With this in mind after penning my list of everything I want, I start to look at the list and think about what on my list fits into gaps in my current stash. I use this method to decide what to order first. I also think of what products on my list might compliment and work with my existing items and then that bumps them up the list. It’s about being a little strategic in my purchases, after all the Annual is around for a year, so I try to set myself a budget, I will be honest here I use the word TRY loosely, but I do benefit from having a discount of 25% on the product I buy and that helps be immensely. In addition I sometimes earn product cradits for promotions that Stampin’ Up! offers and I try to take advantage of those to earn free stuff.
Didn’t I mention that I’m a frugal crafter?
So here’s what I decided to buy and why……
I was basically a numpty with these and during the preorder period I purchased the beautiful coordinating stamps but ommited the dies as I felt that the holes in the leaves ‘bothered’ me. Big mistake! I should have trusted Stampin’ Up! more the open look of the leaves actually make it more stunning in real life. I got to see these in real life in my Team training pack and totally changed my mind. It just goes to show we all get it wrong sometimes! And I missed out on my extra 10% saving which really miffed me! Ughhhhhh! But now they are on their way…..
This is the fabulous ‘Watercolour Shapes’ stamp set and I am really looking forward to trying this one out with different techniques and creating some interesting backgrounds. I’m expecting it to be great for making masculine cards and I really tend to find those trickier. This was purchased with a credit so it makes it even more fabulous.
The ‘Biggest Wish’ stamp set was on the top of my list and stayed there, it’s such a fantastic set for those simple but fun graphic style cards where the message becomes the focal point . It met my brief by fitting well into what i already have. I am seeing the options with some of the more plain smaller sentiments in other sets mixing and matching with this set too. Tone on tone the large words would look fabulous creating a subtle background too so this is such a fantastic set to be used in so many ways.
I absolutely adore using embossing folders to create interest and texture to a card. I think that they are highly under used generally, perhaps because people find them a little intimidating, or don’t know how to use them within an everyday card layout. These two new offerings are real stunners and I had seen the Bark version up close and personal after receiving some swaps from fellow demos using it and fell in love. It can be used with all styles of card, forget just trees this is an all-rounder.
The new In-colours won my heart instantly and I managed during our demo preorder to get the Inkpads and the Stampin Write Water Based Markers but there was a delay on our Stampin Blends Alcohol Markers so I ordered those when they arrived in Frankfurt so those should be with me in the next couple of days along with the delayed Ombre Gift Bags that again were a must have. The Open Weave Ribbon comes in all the new In-colours but again with the budget in mind I went for my favourite the Soft Succulent. I’ve heard from others that it ties beautifully and I can’t wait to use it.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing what I have chosen and my reasons behind my choices. Being a Demonstrator does mean that I get early ordering, a great discount and I choose to exclusively use these great products, they are my only craft purchases as why would I need to look elsewhere. I love the products, the company and what they stand for. 9 years and counting I’m always looking forward to a Brown Box delivery!
Thanks so much for dropping by
Love Bel
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