A Few of My Favorites for 2019
Didn't you just love Sara's post about a few of HER favorite things from 2019? I sure did and agree with her just about 100%! It motivated me to think about my favorite things for 2019 so I thought I'd share them with you here. Actually my papercrafting toys are like my babies....I love them all equally....no way could I pick actual favorites!
Maybe I should rename this "No Way Can I Pick Just a Few Favorites of 2019"!
But my challenge was to pick a few "go tos" so that's what I will do here.
1. A stamp positioner. Whether you use a Tonic tool like this one:

or the MISTI which looks like this:

a good stamp positioner is a must have to get good crisp and well inked images. I don't know how many card fronts or scrapbook pages I've ruined when I didn't get a complete image. A lot. Both the Tonic and the Misti allow you to ink your stamp multiple times, if needed, and then stamp in precisely the same place on your paper. Brilliant!
2. Neenah Cardstock
This is an absolutely wonderful cardstock. If you use alcohol markers like Copics the ink won't bleed through. It is perfect for blending with Distress Inks. For stamping you don't get fine lines and the ink stays put. I've tried other cardstocks....and even the heavy weight through our local craft store but it just doesn't compare to Neenah. I use 80 lb, in generally, for card fronts and 110 lb for card bases.

3. Versafine Onyx Ink
This is my favorite black ink EVER! It is a very deep black ink...dries quickly but is a pigment ink. One of the fun things I like to do is emboss over it with clear embossing powder. And those who know me well know I LOVE to emboss! This ink has been around quite a long time...I've tried other black inks but this gives me the crispest images in the deepest black.

4. Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy and Case
So now that you have gotten a good image with your inked up stamp and your beloved stamp is dirty you need to clean that stamp. Sure, baby wipes work and special stamp cleaners work but the BEST...and I mean BEST thing I've found is the Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy. You get it wet, wring it out and when you need to clean your stamp you rub it on the Shammy. It gets into the curves and crevices and cleans the stamps well...with just some simple, environmentally friendly H2O! No chemicals, no paper towels or baby wipes to fill our our land fills! Another brilliant product!
The Shammy looks like this:

and you can also purchase a little case for it that keeps the wetness away from your project or papers. Another brilliant product!

5. Nuvo Shimmer Powders
Oooooh La La! How wonderful these are! What are they, you ask? Little bottles of lucious shimmery powders that are water soluble. They make the easiest and prettiest backgrounds for cards or scrapbooks. You spray your watercolor paper with some water...sprinkle the shimmery goodness and watch the magic happen. They come in many different shades and in the cutest little bottles!
See?
