artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by artbabe on Aug 2, 2025 14:50:56 GMT
I'm not thinking necessarily what is more/less expensive but how much you actually use a supply for what you paid for it. I'm not sure I'm explaining this right.
Like, I know stamps are a better value than die cuts, because you can only use die cuts once. But I'm not going to use a stamp that many times because it is more trouble to get the stamp stuff out than slapping a die cut on a layout. I do stamp, just not that frequently. I think stamps and metal dies are really good for card makers but not as useful for the price if you do primarily layouts. Or you are lazy about doing layouts, like I often am.
Things that have been totally worth the money for me:
Doodlebug die cut packages- They are pricey but a package contains so many die cuts and I can, and do, can get a ton of layouts done with one package.
I like 49 & Market layering die cuts for the same reason- pricey, but a package contains a huge variety and so a single package goes really far for me.
Doodlebug small puffy alphabets- Not the cheapest, either, but there are so many letters and lots of vowels and more common consonants. One package goes a long way.
I think I like those things also because I don't feel like I have to be stingy with them- I can throw them on willy-nilly and know I still have a bunch left in the pack.
What products do you not mind spending money on? What products are ridiculously priced for their value or amount you use?
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Post by justlisa7 on Aug 2, 2025 15:26:06 GMT
Most definitely chipboard for me. I use them on every layout. AE is my favorite along with older Crate Paper, FJ and SC and Freckled fawn. I am so glad I have so much and really love them - especially the words and phrases.
I also love little hearts and stars whether chipboard, enamel, or wood veneer. Use them so much too.
Not stickers too much and never epoxy.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Aug 2, 2025 15:42:58 GMT
I think everyone's answer will be different, because it depends on each persons scrapbooking style and type of product preference. What one person loves or like, another may not. For me personally, the least "user friendly" products are: Small and tiny, less than an inch in size. I prefer bigger sizes (at least an inch or more) stickers, die cut, ephemera, etc.. Laser cuts, stickers, die cuts, ephemera....because the words, frames and bigger icons), are usually surrounded by small and tiny things (flowers, leaves, other icons, etc...). I keep what I like and donate the rest. Thickers or foam words, because some of the words I don't care for or are always included on every sheet (I already have enough of that specific word or don't care for or won't use certain words). I don't think I've ever used more than 1/2 to 2/3 of the words from any given sheet of words. Paper pads. I usually use 1/2 to 2/3 of a paper pad. Depending on the initial cost of the entire pad, the breakdown per piece is not always cost effective or comparable to single sheets. Though, sometimes it's less expensive to purchase the whole pad, even if (for my personal preference) half the sheets are not usable. I still buy the products, even if I know that I not use it all. I always go through my new products, before I put them away....and remove what I know I won't use. I donate the "won't use" product. ![]() |
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,637
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Post by scrapnnana on Aug 2, 2025 16:37:06 GMT
I think everyone's answer will be different, because it depends on each persons scrapbooking style and type of product preference. So true. I have bought products that I realized afterward were not a good value for me. They just seemed like it at the time. There are also products that I bought and used over and over, so I definitely got my money’s worth from those. And then there are some that I thought were a waste but are proving helpful now. Unless you are a minimalist, there will be products you buy but don’t use up. Does that diminish their value? Maybe, but not necessarily. I have papers in my craft room that I bought at Tuesday Morning long ago, and never used. I have been using some of those older papers recently on a Christmas Disney family reunion trip we took in 2018. There aren’t enough Christmas Disney papers for the album, so that older TM stash is turning out to be a good value after all. |
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Post by melanell on Aug 2, 2025 17:06:16 GMT
Honestly, I spend 99% of my money on paper.
Now, granted, these days my vision is changing and that makes it trickier for me to make the same embellishments from paper that I used to, but I haven't changed my buying habits to take into account that difficulty yet.
For me it's always been a lack of space. If I already have out a desk full of photos and papers, then I don't have any other free space to stamp, or stencil, or to use a cutting system, or break out paints, etc.
So for me paper has always been the best value because I use it as the background and layering papers, but I also make journaling cards and embellishments from it as well.
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Post by caspad on Aug 2, 2025 17:16:54 GMT
The supplies that get used shortly after purchase have the highest ROI or bang for their buck.
The other supplies (most of my stash) that are being "saved" for a specific project that I (still) haven't gotten to, should be paying me rent for the nice organized home I've provided. (rofl)
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Post by susancinpa on Aug 2, 2025 19:34:41 GMT
I get a lot of value out of my ink pads and many of my nested die sets. I make a boatload of cards that I donate, so I use those items on just about every card, along with paper (both patterned and cardstock).
Since I started making so many more cards in the past year and a half, I am using lots of papers that would normally not get used in my scrapbook layouts. They are often great for cards. I now rarely have papers from a paper pad that I won't use. Their are still a few I find unappealing and if they are one-side papers, I will use the back for die-cutting as long as the front doesn't show through in any way.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,637
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Post by scrapnnana on Aug 2, 2025 22:24:22 GMT
I'm not thinking necessarily what is more/less expensive but how much you actually use a supply for what you paid for it. I'm not sure I'm explaining this right. What products do you not mind spending money on? What products are ridiculously priced for their value or amount you use? I didn’t actually answer the OP’s question in my previous post, so here goes: I have a ton of stamps, dies, papers, and ephemera, most of which I thought were a good value when I bought them. Have I gotten my money’s worth out of the majority of these items? Not really. I kept adding the latest and greatest to my stash for years, whether or not I had a layout or project in mind for them. Even if I got the items on sale, most people would say that they weren’t a good value if I never or rarely use the majority of them. However, my DH is partially disabled, and I am his caregiver, so having the equivalent of my own little LSS in my craft room has helped me stay sane, and it was, as they say, cheaper than therapy. The convenience of being able to scrap at any time of the day or night, with as many options as a small LSS, has been of great value to me. I think the actual scrapbook product that has given me the most value has been my Silhouette. I use it for every layout. These days, I mostly use it to print and cut ephemera. Last year I started incorporating more digital designs into my paper crafting. Digital designs are more affordable, and I can print/cut as many as I like of a design. Even with the cost of printer ink, it’s still a far better value to me than buying patterned papers and ephemera from a store, and I love the convenience. If my stash doesn’t have the paper that I need (which does happen now and then), I can download something that will work and print it, no matter what time of day or night. Etsy and Creative Fabrica sell some digital designs that are similar to Mintay, Ciao Bella, etc., but cost far less. Silhouette sells some designs from Echo Park and at least a few other name brand papercraft companies. Since I have Silhouette and Creative Fabrica subscriptions, I get a lot of great designs of my choice for pennies on the dollar from them. Those subs have definitely been worth the cost to me. However, I felt that my Spellbinders subscription was not a good value. I ended up canceling it after only a few months. Apparently, I don’t like someone else choosing what dies I get. I still shop at the LSS as often as I can, but whether or not those items are a good value economically is debatable. Shopping there has some therapy value, however. I used to work at the LSS near where I lived years ago, and there is something about shopping in a scrapbook store that just makes me happy. |
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Post by Linda on Aug 2, 2025 22:38:08 GMT
I think my Cricut Expression has been good value - it's almost 15 years old and I'm still using it regularly.
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cbscrapper
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,704
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Post by cbscrapper on Aug 3, 2025 1:20:21 GMT
One of my “best value” items and a favorite is label stamps, especially the set from Elle’s Studio. I love to use labels to tuck in and layer, make clusters, add journaling or the date. With the various sized stamps, I can get any color I want (as long as I have an ink pad) in the size I want, and it’s a great use of scraps and off-cuts, especially from digital printables.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 3, 2025 4:01:19 GMT
Best value for me is my ATG, by a wide margin. I bought it when you had to buy them from framing shops and it still works just as well as the day I got it. My original Fiskars rotary trimmer from 1999. Still have it, still use it. Though it’s a lot less frequently and only for certain things, it has paid for itself many times over. Worst value? I mean, if you figured out a cost per page based on all of the supplies I’ve purchased and pages I’ve made…well, I’m not going to do that. It’ll make me sick to my stomach  . If I were to actually use them with any regularity as I’ve planned, cardstock is way up there for scrapbooking and card making. Stamps are low on the list, I rarely use them as I’d much prefer to diecut. Nesting and alphabet dies would be high on the list. Copics would be low because I’ve purchased the colors for a specific project and then don’t use them much after that. Oh, and my patterned paper! I have a decent amount of loose paper and collections kits, and I seem to always use basic stripes/dots/small geometric prints but not much of the themed paper I just had to have. And I use them I small quanties, not huge areas for patterned papers. I am much more likely to use a themed/decorative paper if it is subtle or has a small print, but still not nearly often enough for the amount I purchase. Most ephemera packages are the same. I just am not able to use them the way my favorites do, they take over the page and the photos lose their impact. But gimme some small round things or icons and I’m all over them. incorporating the larger embellishments is not in my wheelhouse as they tend to be distracting. But I really like my husband’s thoughts on the matter; a large part of my enjoyment comes from figuring out what I want and what I want to do with it, whittling down my order, getting it, incorporating it into my room, and planning more. Then I piddle around a little bit. I get a lot of enjoyment out of what I do, so to him it’s the same as paying for any other entertainment no matter how much I don’t get done. |
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pocketaddict
Full Member
Posts: 143
Dec 14, 2023 3:50:23 GMT
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Post by pocketaddict on Aug 3, 2025 6:39:27 GMT
still waiting to get the value from my minc + foiling supplies (LOL). at least I only bought 7 foil colors and not them all... I have foiled maybe 4 times. don't let me go deeper in by also buying the laser printer to go with it (!) #mustresist
speaking of. proud of myself for narrowly resisting the cinch machine all these years (so cute)
beyond specialty stuff like that (looking at you, vintage typewriter and MISTI), I agree with other answers. stamps are pricey for how much I use them (tend to avoid buying). same for metal dies. punches. washi tape. crop o dile. scor board. mixed media sprays + paints. stencils. blank notebooks that go unused..
totally worth it (to me): all my trimmers. most of my paper + embellishments. LR + PS subscription. most stickers. multi-size hole punch. date stamps. silhouette machine. gemini jr. michaels organization cubes. persnickety prints. most digital files.
interesting topic to think about!
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PaperAngel
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,843
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Aug 3, 2025 7:23:51 GMT
Like melanell, my favorite & most used/purchased supply is paper - cardstock & classic patterns in usable color palettes. I also frequently use non-themed embellishments & tools (e.g. label stickers/ephemera/stamps/dies, QK alphanumeric dies, star/sparkles stencils). I simply don't use/buy products that are not consistent with my style/preferences &, therefore, not a "good value" for me (e.g. collection or paper pads/packs, heavily-themed embellishments/stamps/stencils/etc., letter stickers, etc.). |
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Post by teacherlisa on Aug 3, 2025 13:57:27 GMT
I think cardstock is a great value for me. I also love my chipboard. I do spend money/use stamps and dies, although dies less so since getting my cricut maker. I am not a huge patterned paper user, and really don't like a lot of die cuts, although I do like labels. I also still use some punches. I agree with scrapnnana that digitals are usually a good value for me too. Not a good value for me would be die cut packs, patterned paper packs and anything glitter. |
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Post by hoopsfn on Aug 3, 2025 15:57:53 GMT
Good question and great answers.
For me I think some of my worst purchases in the past have been paper pads (with the exception of the old OA 8x8 pads). A lot of those ended up being donated after I used just a few sheets out of each one. Learned my lesson there.
Years ago there was a company called "Magic Scraps" - they had some of the prettiest stuff! I took a couple of their classes at conventions and had to buy just gobs of glitter,sparkly flakes, & those tiny little beads that dance around everywhere when you try to use them. It was fun playing with most of it, but in the end it didn't end up on my sb pages so I guess it wasn't a good value.
And I do like the few 49 & Market products that I've purchased but for me I think they might be over-priced for my use.
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Post by pantsonfire on Aug 3, 2025 17:29:12 GMT
What products do you not mind spending money on?
All of them. I don't mind spending money on items that bring me joy and reduce my stress. That could be specialty paper that is $3 or a pack of embellishments for $9.
I am picky with what I buy because I know what I like. So if it gets used, to me it is a good value.
What products are ridiculously priced for their value or amount you use?
A lot of stamp and die sets. Sometimes I think it is highway robbery with the costs. It has limited my sets because I could get a bunch of scrapbook supplies for the $50-80 I would spend on a stamp and die set.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,844
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Post by artbabe on Aug 4, 2025 15:07:36 GMT
I just thought of another product: Bella Besties. I love those packages of papers and use every last scrap of the paper in them. So useful on any layout. I have way too much patterned paper than I don't use so those packages are awesome.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 4, 2025 21:53:32 GMT
I just thought of another product: Bella Besties. I love those packages of papers and use every last scrap of the paper in them. So useful on any layout. I have way too much patterned paper than I don't use so those packages are awesome. What a great idea! |
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Post by grammadee on Aug 5, 2025 14:27:05 GMT
I love many things about this hobby (well two hobbies if you separate scrapbooking from card making), and that includes shopping for supplies. I love to search for--and find--those perfect supplies to say what I want to say on the page or card (as in words, but also colour & theme & mood). Best value: collections with coordinating letter and image stickers, fun diecuts. I especially appreciate the collections that have two of each design and those that have B sides I can use if I don't need to A side. Doodlebug does a bang up job on the brights, and 49& Market has the soft colours sown up. Wish they had letter stickers, but I like their word diecuts and even use them to create words they don't include. I would miss Basic Grey if I hadn't already collected all the papers and sticker sheets when they were doing monthly kits.
Higher priced, but still fun: I like texture, so embossing folders bring me alot of fun. And I know wet media like pastes dry out if you don't use them so I try to play with them soon after I buy them. So much fun with stencils and I love the results! I have been collecting--and using--layered stencils lately. Love the look of the results, and they are so much easier to work with than stamps even with inks. Going to add into this list my makeup style brushes from TE. They are a godsend for blending inks. And I would lump TH oxide inks into this category--so much fun to play with whether dry with TE brushes or wet with water brushes or smooshed onto a mat then onto paper. Least value for ME: stamps. I love them when I see them. Collected a whole cupboardful when I was regularly attending CTMH and SU! workshops and gatherings. But to be honest I seldom use them--even the greetings. Seems like so much work to take out the stamps and the platform when I can grab a diecut or some stickers. And my stamped images never look as good as others' do. Also, I am terrible at colouring in the images. |
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Post by nightnurse on Aug 6, 2025 17:54:41 GMT
My Cricut has been worth every penny i spent. I started with the baby bug just to cut letters for titles, so I wouldn’t have to worry about running out of e’s. I quickly replaced my stickers with die cuts. Once they added the print and cut feature, I could make my own stickers. I love personalizing die cuts and making each scrapbook page or card look exactly how I want it to. My big expenditures are paper/cardstock, refills for my ATG (also well worth the money spent) and pens for journaling. I will occasionally purchase a premade embellishment if I really love it or it matches a paper pack, but I don’t think those one and done purchases represent a good value. Still totally worth it if it brings me joy and pulls my page together.
My money wastes: stickles. They dry out before I can use the whole bottle, and I like having lots of colors. Haven’t bought any in a long time, just use glue and glitter now
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Post by infochick on Aug 6, 2025 19:41:36 GMT
Some things that are a good value for me:
Paper in general, but especially tone on tone and small prints. I can really stretch a sheet of paper. I especially like open stock when I can pick and choose what and how many I want of each pattern.
My Silhouette. This was a pricey purchase but I still have the original and use it to make titles, large cut files for backing, etc. It's allowed for a lot of creative flexibility, and I love that I can resize things to be exactly what I want.
Scor-Tape/Sookwang. More expensive but it is so sticky I can use less of it.
Dies - My basic nesting dies, and my alphabet dies have gotten a lot of use.
Circle Punches - I use these all the time.
Sequins - Really cheap and I have used them multiple times in place of more expensive enamel dots.
Not a great value for me:
Minc - I used it once and have not had success. I am going to see if I can get it to work as a laminator.
Mixed Media Supplies - The often dry out before I use them or use them up.
Working on getting my value:
Stamps and inks - I am trying to stamp more on my layouts. I have so many cute stamps and they are such a nice touch on a layout. They are a more expensive item, but I am trying to make a point of using them regularly.
PL cards - I have so many and I am trying to use them on layouts outside of pocket pages.
Paper pads - Trying to get through the unloved sheets by using them when I will just be covering up the design or when I can use a part of the sheet, saving my more loved sheets for other uses.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,317
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Aug 6, 2025 19:56:31 GMT
Good value:
paper and cardstock. It's amazing I still have scraps of paper I bought in 2012. Or maybe that's just a sign I need to use my scraps more often...
my Silhouette, although I had to buy a new one when my old on stopped working with my computer. Even DH the computer geek, couldn't get it work anymore. Being able to resize a shape, or cut multiple e's is almost priceless though.
paper trimmer
ATG
not good value:
The Cinch. I either need to start using that thing or get rid of it. The last time I used it was probably 2012...
die cut packs. Can't resize, items always facing the wrong direction for my layout, weird phrases I'll never use, strange icons...
albums and page protectors, a necessary evil. I'd rather buy more paper...
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Post by wordfish on Aug 7, 2025 9:43:52 GMT
What products do you not mind spending money on? As a general category, alphabets of any kind. What products are ridiculously priced for their value or amount you use? For me, I don't understand buying a separate die set to cut out a stamp set that I may or may not use more than a couple of times. That's just nonsensical to me. If it's something super versatile, like a birthday greeting, or I plan to make many multiples of the same card, like with Christmas cards, then it does make sense to me. But acquiring a die set that costs as much or more than the stamp set when there's a better than even chance that I will use it once, if at all, is not logical to me. I can just cut out the image, or not cut it out at all, or cut a square around it, etc. That's my number one "nope" when it comes to value for the amount of use. |
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Aug 7, 2025 12:40:34 GMT
I just thought of another product: Bella Besties. I love those packages of papers and use every last scrap of the paper in them. So useful on any layout. I have way too much patterned paper than I don't use so those packages are awesome. I’ve never heard of this product. What is it exactly? |
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,844
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Post by artbabe on Aug 7, 2025 14:13:36 GMT
My money wastes: stickles. They dry out before I can use the whole bottle, and I like having lots of colors. Haven’t bought any in a long time, just use glue and glitter now That is interesting because my stickles work fine for me and some of them are 10 years old. I used to see them in discount stores where they looked like they were drying out, so I know it happens. Evidently I'm just lucky so far. I’ve never heard of this product. What is it exactly? It isn't a product. It is a package of paper. Bella Blvd always releases a package of tone on tone paper designs with each collection. Kind of a whole collection of b-sides on both sides. I love them and buy multiple packs. I use those papers on a lot of my layouts, not just with Bella Blvd products. It takes the place of plain cardstock on layouts because I like the subtle pattern it adds. They are a good value for me because I reach for them constantly when I don't have a color of patterned paper I need for a layout. |
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Post by breakfastattiffanys on Aug 7, 2025 15:42:02 GMT
Oh I see the packs now on SB.com. Those are great, I’ll have to remember them when I need to stock up. Thanks!
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Post by refugeepea on Aug 11, 2025 17:28:21 GMT
Good value: Stamp sets with words, metal alphas and stamp alphas. All different colors of cardstock. I have one bin and when it gets full, I throw some away. Basic metal nesting dies.
Bad value: Messy products. I don't have the patience. It has to be something very specific I know I'll use. Word die cuts.
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. If I were to actually use them with any regularity as I’ve planned, cardstock is way up there for scrapbooking and card making. Stamps are low on the list, I rarely use them as I’d much prefer to diecut. Nesting and alphabet dies would be high on the list. Copics would be low because I’ve purchased the colors for a specific project and then don’t use them much after that. Oh, and my patterned paper! I have a decent amount of loose paper and collections kits, and I seem to always use basic stripes/dots/small geometric prints but not much of the themed paper I just had to have. And I use them I small quanties, not huge areas for patterned papers. I am much more likely to use a themed/decorative paper if it is subtle or has a small print, but still not nearly often enough for the amount I purchase. Most ephemera packages are the same. I just am not able to use them the way my favorites do, they take over the page and the photos lose their impact. But gimme some small round things or icons and I’m all over them. incorporating the larger embellishments is not in my wheelhouse as they tend to be distracting. 
