My Top 10 Favorite Craft Products of 2011

As crafters we buy a lot of stuff...well at least I do (zip it hubby)! Stuff that we either love and can't live without. Stuff that we like, look at, and think we will use someday (zip). Stuff we don't like (in some cases "yet") and horde or give away (ZIP IT PLEASE!). And, sometimes we buy stuff we already had...just did that a few weeks ago...oops! I don't know why I don't use up every single bit of everything before I buy more, or at least stick with a certain genre of art for awhile before moving on with another.  I think I have a craft product sickness...or as some (hubby) would call it crap product sickness, i.e. "crap-booking". I probably need a 12 step program, but it would have to involve inking, painting, gluing, and cutting homework before I would even sign up. I have brilliantly managed to fit most of it in a 7 x 7 foot space...until somebody (hubby) builds me an awesome studio. Anyway, here is my list of all my favorite products from this year, and even though some have been around longer, I only started using them this year. 

 In No Particular Order:

1.  Core'dinations Paper - TH Kraft-Core; Core Impressions for Graphic 45, Jenni Bowlin, and Cosmo Cricket; Color Core Cardstock for TH and Ranger, and Black Magic (Yummo...I love paper! I totally understand why goats eat it!)

2. More Paper (Sorry!) - Graphic 45's Communique Collection; TH Idea-ology Kraft Resist

3. TH Idea-ology Tissue Wrap (Both designs...need more please Tim!)

4. Cosmo Crickett Glubbers...those really large glue dots great for flowers and rosette dies (I'm told you can make your own. Someone give me the tutorial.)

5. Dies & Fades - All TH Alterations Mini's (Hello!..The big ones are grand and now little ones...love them!); TH Alterations Texture Fades in the Jack, Queen, King (How cool are those? I need stamps too please Tim!); and you guessed it...TH Alterations...duh!...Mini Rosettes and Vintage Lace (Just got the latter, and have already been playing.)

6. Prima's Shabby Chic Treasure Pieces - Chandelier, Candelabra, Bicycle, and Birdcages (I love everything metal! These rock!)

7. TH Distress Stain - Every single color, but especially White Picket Fence and Black Soot. (This is probably the most genius of all projects this year!)

8. Stamps - (Oh no...get ready!) Hero Arts (All the vintage lady ones.); Graphic 45 for Hampton Art Vintage Ladies (Who knew they even made stamps?); Pink Persimmon Antiquated Collection by Lisa M. Pace (All of them are fantastic!); Artistic Outpost (The Paris and SteamPunk ones.)

9. TH Distress Ink in Festive Berries, Iced Spruce, and Gathered Twigs (The latter is my new favorite. Vintage Photo is now gathering dust.)

10. Wendy Vecchi Studion 490 Art Parts "Clearly for Art Blackout" Modeling Film (Phew...that is a mouthful!) (This stuff is amazing when heated. The possibilities are endless!)

I really do have issues! Please tell me I'm not the only one! Leave a comment and let me know your favs for this year as well! And, before anyone asks, no, I did not get paid to advertise for any of this. They are just my favorites and my opinion. Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!


 

Debby's NYC Christmas Project Completed!

Our whole little group in Rockefeller Center!

The roomies...Heather, Susan, Karen, and me, in front of How To Succeed In Business (I highly recommend it)!

 I decided to take the whole day today and finally finish up my project from Debby Schuh's New York City tour and Tinsel Trading Company class back in November (have I mentioned I had a blast?). True to my form, I did not follow her sample, but made it my own. She gave us SO MUCH ephemera, embellishments, paper, etc., that my mind went into overdrive at several different points along the way. WOW!!! The whole paper line and all the journal cards and ephemera were from October Afternoon's new Holiday Style line. They had not even put this on the market yet at that point. How cool was that? Debby even mentioned that if she did design a Christmas line, it would look just like this. It was hard to choose which to use and which to horde away, as is my usual nature, because every single item was fab.  I have been working on this project here and there since November, just tinkering and trying out new techniques I have learned on bits and pieces of it. I loved Tim's wrinkled up Tissue Wrap background technique so much I tried it here on this background and as you already know on a few tags. So, I found it ironic when I read the Grungy Monday challenge this week to use "Tissue Tape and/or Tissue Wrap". I have already used both on this project, so I will enter it on GM 30, as well as the Sunday Stamper, where there is an "anything you want" challenge. These two challenges did spur me on to finish this up, so I hope this project qualifies for both even though technically it is a Debby kitted project. In any case, I had the best time of my late autumn, made a gorgeous project I am proud of, and met the most wonderful people (several who are now close friends) on that trip. Thank you so much Debby...for every single bit of all of it!!!

The pictures are so not doing this project justice...sorry.

Tissue Wrap background...I love how you can see through it.

 

This is Debby's sample picture.

Supplies:
Paper Used- Holiday Style by October Afternoon; TH Idea-ology Tissue Wrap in Composer and Tissue Tape in Tidings (snowflake)
Stamps Used- TH Collection for Stampers Anonymous in Reindeer Flight (snowflakes)
Coloration Used- TH Distress Inks in Gathered Twigs, Tumbled Glass, and Peeled Paint; TH Distress Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy; TH Distress Stickles in Clear Rock Candy, Brushed Pewter, and Peeled Paint; Ranger Stickles in Black Diamonds, Diamond, Green, and Christmas Red; Ranger Inkssentials Crackle Accents
Embellishments Used- Amy Tangerine Thickers in Goodness by American Crafts (Noel); Thickers Eclair by Amercian Crafts (Joy); The Girls Paperie Tinsel & Twig Chipboard Alphabet (Merry Christmas); The Girls Paperie Tinsel & Twig Flower Market Crepe Paper (snowflake flowers); TH Idea-ology Mini Paper Clips; October Afternoon Holiday Style Tin Pins; candy canes, vintage tinsel, holly, and red polka dot ribbon are from my stash
*The rhinestones, all other ribbon, die cuts, glitter, and clothes pins, were given to me by Debby, as well as the 14 3/4 in. x 14 3/4 in. wooden frame.

I really wish these pictures were better. I really need a better camera. It is hard to pick up all the glitter and shine of this project. It doesn't help either that I typically photograph in the late evening after I finish up, when all natural light is gone. Any-who...I hope you get your hands creatively dirty soon!