What's in Your Five: Part Deux

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about my top five craft supplies. Check it out here. However, I looked at my finished list and realized I forgot one thing: the FUN STUFF, the CRAFTY GOODNESS, the SCRAP CANDY!! The stuff all of us papercrafters pine over! Yea, I've seen ya, stalking the stores, going down the aisles with a fine-toothed comb, 'bout to jump the associates stocking all the new stuff on the shelves...wait, that's ME doing all that, lol...Anyway, I wanted to come back and share a list of those fun scrap goodies that I love working with.

• Quickutz...Now I know a lot of crafters out there have evolved to the Cricut, the Slice, and all those other die cutting systems on the market. They are all fabulous! I have the small Cricut and I'm still going back and forth on whether to take the plunge on the Slice. However, Quickutz was my first love! I loved all of the cute shapes, but I was (and still am) crazy about the fonts, especially Eliza and Blossom. I think the company was sold a couple of years ago, and I haven't seen anything TDF lately, but I'm trying to keep hope alive that they will return to their former cuteness!!
• I couldn't have this list without my punches! They really make it easier for a papercrafter, don't they? Because of the cost of most punches, I don't purchase too many "unique" or one time use punches. I pretty much stick to basic shapes and sizes I know I'll get the maximum use from. I was able to make this card from a few weeks ago in minutes with a basic square punch. And as for border punches...wow, they make it hard for a chick to resist!! Martha should be banned for bringing it with her crafty punches--My craft budget is taking a beating from her fabulousness! Marvy U and EK Success too! I still want this one, but Santa didn't bring it this year...*sigh* And to make matters worse, the new Spring punches are hitting the stores now!! They just aren't (or as we say sometimes in the South), they just ain't right, y'all!
• Stamps definitely make it into this crafters top five! I use them to make cards and even to make patterned paper in my scrapbooking. I love how you can change the look completely by switching inks, chalks, or embossing powders. I must admit, I was strictly a rubber stamper girl for awhile, even after the acrylics became popular. However, once I realized how you can see exactly where you're stamping and how easy they were to store, it was a wrap! I haven't tried the whole digi stamp thing yet--that would open a whole new thing for me--copics!! But lets not go there just yet, okay?

• My heat gun is next on my list for one reason: The whole heat embossing thing hasn't gotten old for me yet! Don't let a newbie come around me wanting to know how to use it--it's over! I'm "lighting" it up to show 'em how it works before they know it, lol
• Okay, with all this talk about my stamps and my heat gun, I'm actually giving this last slot to a TECHNIQUE--Embossing!! Heat embossing, dry embossing, paste embossing...(kinda sound like Forrest Gump's friend Bubba, lol) Now you've all probably have heard about dry and heat embossing, but just in case you've never heard of paste embossing, here's a little video. I love this technique just as much as the heat embossing because you can stretch even more use out of those brass templates! And by switching out the colors of your paste (like stamping and heat embossing), you can achieve several different looks! I use it mostly on my Christmas cards, but it may work on some pretty spring flower cards...Hmm, I might have to try that, ;D

Okay, so that my fabulous five! Lord knows I could've given you more, but I've put you through enough for today, lol. I told ya, if I start talking about craft goodies, that's all she wrote (hence the name of this blog) =D So I've heard from you on your basics, your "vanilla ice cream." Now tell me about your "sprinkles," or the "icing on the cake" in your craft corner of the world. What's in your fab five?? I'd love to hear your comments!