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Post by refugeepea on Mar 17, 2017 21:53:56 GMT
I over analyze every purchase, so I can't think of anything big. I owned the Sizzix when there wasn't electronic machines. I owned the Cricut when there wasn't the Silhouette. They were a good investment at the time because they were used. I do regret a lot of embellishment purchases. I try to stick to buying paper only and embellishments I can actually see being used on a page.
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Post by hockeyfan06 on Mar 17, 2017 22:18:12 GMT
My biggest regret was the Making Memories Slice and those stupid tiny cartridges. That thing was the biggest PITA to use.
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Post by mamakoala on Mar 17, 2017 23:03:01 GMT
well, i got rid of 90% of my stuff 4 years ago when i swore i was done with scrapbooking for good. I kept my cardstock and fave pp in case my kids got into it. But got rid of SO. MUCH. STUFF. So thinking back to what I did have then, I would say embellies and freakin' Prima flowers in those cute little bottles. I just had to have every single color and I NEVER. USED. THEM. Two boys, disliked frou frou pages...and didn't make cards at the time. What a waste of money.
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leeny
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,752
Location: Northern California
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 1:55:53 GMT
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Post by leeny on Mar 18, 2017 0:51:36 GMT
Cricut and I bought it used but then invested in a boatload of cartridges and never used it. I am going to donate it to dgs's school.
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Post by joblackford on Mar 18, 2017 1:13:40 GMT
I've definitely bought a bunch of things over the years that I didn't really need or use more than once or twice... alcohol inks come to mind (had to have some, used them once, meh). But I gave away all of my stuff years ago when I stopped crafting for a long while. Once I pass something along I find that the bad/regretful feelings go with it. So I'm hard pressed to think of anything specific besides those inks, and I don't really have strong feelings about the inks.
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Post by iheartpaper on Mar 18, 2017 1:43:07 GMT
Mine is probably the volume of stuff I have purchased. I enjoy having a large stash, so I can scrapbook whenever I have time. But, I purchased things because they were on sale, they were the latest trend, or I had a coupon. I am much more intentional in my spending now. Yeah, it's the piles and tubs of "little things" that add up to a lot of $$$$. I keep seeing possibilities in things that I never work with. I have several of Tim Holtz's divided cb trays with little boxes that fit into them; 7 gypsies stands and wooden printer trays. I even saved all those little wooden boxes from the Prima wood veneer pieces: sometimes I think I bought the sets because I coveted the boxes. I DID use a few of them dressed up as Mothers' Day gifts one year, but kept collecting even though there was no more altering on my part. I loved my first Wishblade. It cut any true text font and there were some discs with other images on them. The original one did not weld or adjust letters independently, but I got the software that would upgrade it and that worked really well for me. I downloaded tons of fonts that included images and I was happy. But then my computer crashed and I have never been able to get that old Wishblade to talk to any other computer. It still sits on a shelf in my scraproom, and occasionally I look at it teary eyed. I LOVED it! I've never used the cute divided boxes for what they are meant for. Instead I sort embellishments in them. Sometimes I'll leave them in after they are sorted, other times I bag up different sets for kits. I find that I really use random items a lot more when I can sort them into cute sets that go great together, but before they were sorted you might not SEE it.
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Post by carolynhasacat on Mar 18, 2017 2:02:20 GMT
Ali story kit + stamp sub. Too much similar product and so much of it so uninspiring to me. It's just not how I tell stories. WITL and DD stuff, on the other hand, I've used right up, so it's not Ali, but rather the idea of a story 'theme' each month.
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Post by destined2bmom on Mar 18, 2017 2:32:34 GMT
I go through periods of regretting a purchase and then I use it and get over it. To be honest when Quick Kutz came out, it sounded better than stickers. But after the Cricut came out, I regretted the amount of money I spent on QK. I haven't used my Cropodile, as much as I thought I would. I bought a Fuse last summer and I have yet to open it. Don't regret buying it; just not using it yet.
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Post by katieanna on Mar 19, 2017 3:39:38 GMT
I have read that you can use the Silhouette software with the Wishblade. There are tons of tutorials for Silhouette software. Maybe you can stop regretting that purchase and put it to work. You can use Silhouette blades in the Wishblade. I tried it. You can use the Portrait mats in the Wishblade, too. The Portrait is basically the same machine. The Wishblade was a good machine. I had the older, blue one. It had a learning curve, but I was able to do so much with it, even though I was limited to cardstock. To get a chipboard look, I cut multiple layers and glued them together. My biggest purchase regret? I bought the Wishblade a few weeks too early. I loved the Wishblade, but it dropped in price from $700 to about $400 a short time after I bought mine, and I missed the deadline for a refund by 6 days. I got a "free" Xyron sticker machine (the large one) as a token recompense, but I have never used it. I used my Wishblade to create unique projects for classes I taught at the LSS, and I made enough money with it that I offset the difference in price, but it took awhile. One item I bought that I regretted was a small Xyron cutter. It only cut a 4x4 size, and it did a crappy job. I bought it on sale, but it still wasn't worth it. I thought it would be useful for taking to crops, but compared to my Wishblade, it was horrible. I hated it. Until I read your post, I had no idea that the Wishblade was originally $700! I had purchased mine on eBay from someone who had received it as a gift but never used it. If I remember correctly, it cost about $400..still a huge chunk of change. I appreciate the info about using the Silhouette replacement blades and the tip on cutting several pieces of cardstock and gluing them together to make them like chipboard. Thanks! I enjoyed reading everyone's posts. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one.
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Post by chaosisapony on Mar 19, 2017 3:51:39 GMT
All of my Stampin Up woodblock sets. They were not cheap and I'm just not a stamper. Most of the sets have never been used or used only once. Total waste of money.
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 19, 2017 3:59:26 GMT
Stamps mainly.. I just don't use them that much. But my biggest regret is the Pink Chatterbox leather suitcase. Remember that? They came mostly in brown in different sizes, but the store owners got a pink set to sell. I HAD to have that pink suitcase thing. It was over $100 I think. I never did use it much. I did use it to store stuff in, now it's in the back of my closet. I can't decorate with it (DH isn't fond of pink..lol)... so until I get my own office I guess it just sits in the closet. I do love it though.. it is totally cute. But really? lol
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Post by wendifful on Mar 19, 2017 4:07:04 GMT
Yikes...I would have to say all the Studio Calico scrapbook kits I bought. I was a subscriber on and off, but I bought a LOT of kits at Last Calls and sales and also add ons. Thing is, I don't really do 12x12 scrapbooking, I'm more of a pocket page person...but there would be a few elements that I "had" to have. I still like a lot of those kits but I have duplicates of a LOT of them (I think I have at least 6 Cirques) and there's no way I'll ever use them all up.
My other regret is my Zink Happy printer. It's a cool concept but I've never used it much and now Polaroid and other companies have Zink printers out that are sooooo much more compact. That thing is super chunky and I would much rather have the tiny printer.
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,769
Location: So. Calif.
Jun 25, 2014 23:22:29 GMT
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 19, 2017 4:08:53 GMT
In the late 90s, I bought an early version of a xyron. I could run an 8 x 10 piece of paper (which it turns out, was very wasteful). It also came with laminating rolls. I think it was close to $200 when I first bought it. I refused to throw it out until I used all the rolls. A few years later, those mini xyrons came out. I really wanted one, but couldn't justify the expense when I still had this terrible big one. I think I finally threw it out like 4 years ago.
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Post by gigi333 on Mar 19, 2017 6:17:46 GMT
Yikes...I would have to say all the Studio Calico scrapbook kits I bought. I was a subscriber on and off, but I bought a LOT of kits at Last Calls and sales and also add ons. Thing is, I don't really do 12x12 scrapbooking, I'm more of a pocket page person...but there would be a few elements that I "had" to have. I still like a lot of those kits but I have duplicates of a LOT of them (I think I have at least 6 Cirques) and there's no way I'll ever use them all up. My other regret is my Zink Happy printer. It's a cool concept but I've never used it much and now Polaroid and other companies have Zink printers out that are sooooo much more compact. That thing is super chunky and I would much rather have the tiny printer. Cirque was my first kit and my favourite!! i too bought too many sc kits at last call etc
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Post by dasmith2 on Mar 19, 2017 13:16:00 GMT
My biggest SB purchases were my Portrait and my Selphy and I don't regret those at all. I do regret how much money I have put into this hobby overall, I try not to think about it... I am wiser about my spending now. Most things I have bought were things I loved at the time. The only thing I feel like I have wasted money on over the years, are some kit club subscriptions and mystery boxes that had so many things that I didn't like.
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kitbop
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,576
Jun 28, 2014 21:14:36 GMT
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Post by kitbop on Mar 19, 2017 13:50:17 GMT
I do regret how much money I have put into this hobby overall, I try not to think about it... I am wiser about my spending now. Most things I have bought were things I loved at the time. This, oh my this! I was unselective in purchases during the "heyday" of the craft. Gave 2 feet of pp to the elementary school, and if you figure 100 sheets/inch, that's 2400 sheets of paper... ugh...goodbye money. I also bought a lot of raw chipboard and expensive alphas back then. Recently, I have purchased watercolours...which I use occasionally...but think I could do without and they were spendy. Other mixed media elements too. Like stencils...loved but not used. Current dangers, but I'm holding strong: A MISTI (how often do I stamp? Would I bother getting it out?) The current STAMPS AND DIES trend - oh so cute - could spend THOUSANDS easily because they are so expensive MARKERS: I want zig clean colour brush markers, I want a full set of Tombow dual-tip markers! So easy to buy on amazon!
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Post by dasmith2 on Mar 19, 2017 13:51:50 GMT
I want those new Tim Holtz inks that everyone is raving about.... I love the colors. Not that I don't have a bucket full of inks already.....
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Post by freeatlast on Mar 19, 2017 14:36:56 GMT
I bought a Silhouette. It never made it out of the box. I don't like using a computer when crafting. It was donated to a animal rescue rummage sale. I hope they got a lot of money for it.
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Post by lilacgal on Mar 19, 2017 14:38:23 GMT
Ohhh....I have too many regrets right now. I'm trying to resist some things until I'm sure I want to make that investment. Like dasmith2, Tim's new Distress Oxide inks are calling my name big time. I really only consistently ink edges of paper so I'm telling myself I don't need them. I regret buying from those deal a day sites that used to be so prolific. Anyone remember CropChocolate? I got some great things from them - they introduced me to Echo Park. I also bought a ton of stuff I still haven't used - albums that aren't my style, paint that's long since dried up, and a gorgeous Teresa Collins set of papers, embellishments, and album that really isn't my style. I pull out of the bag every now and again and regret fills me back up. I need to start selling some of this stuff on the For Sale board but I don't even know how to price it. My biggest regret is my Pazzels Inspiration. I bought it before the Cameo came out. It's a great machine but I didn't want to have to learn another software. I owned a Silhouette SD and wanted to cut 12x12 and thin chipboard so badly. None of my Silhouette files worked for it though. Eventually, I bought a Cameo for less than half of what I paid for the Inspiration. While I don't use my Cameo as often as I'd like, I don't regret that. I know how to use it and it just needs me to bring my laptop into my scrapbook room. It's all ready to use. I think it's time for me to use that For Sale board. I want to stop regretting some of these purchases, free up space in my room, and move on!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 5:26:05 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2017 15:11:35 GMT
I am probably justifying this for myself, but I don't regret a lot of my spending right now. My husband and I have an early semi-retirement plan so I am relying on my stash to keep me in supplies in the future. I am careful with purchases that have a shelf life, but paper and stickers should be fine. Not that I will ever stop spending, just will be working with a different budget.
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Post by justjac on Mar 19, 2017 16:02:18 GMT
My Michaels storage. I had 2 file cubes and 2 drawer cubes. The drawers did not slide nicely. They weren't very stable when stacked. I got rid of them and bought IKEA. also my Spectrum Noir markers. I even took a class. I'm just not that into colouring. I don't like the adult colouring books either
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Post by jstblondie on Mar 19, 2017 17:46:50 GMT
Cricut imagine. It never worked properly.
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Post by mamakoala on Mar 19, 2017 18:38:28 GMT
My Michaels storage. I had 2 file cubes and 2 drawer cubes. The drawers did not slide nicely. They weren't very stable when stacked. I got rid of them and bought IKEA. also my Spectrum Noir markers. I even took a class. I'm just not that into colouring. I don't like the adult colouring books either if you're ever looking for someone to take those spectrum noirs off your hands... i love coloring. i have some copic ciaos (well, they are my son's but he lets me borrow them) and some other alcohol ink ones i got off ebay..and just bought some distress markers to try out kristina werner's watercolor technique..but coloring is my new thing, so...
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Post by jstblondie on Mar 19, 2017 18:44:56 GMT
I hated that atg. It was way too big and clunky. I donated it to a silent auction. It was snapped up right away.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Mar 19, 2017 19:47:22 GMT
Anything I ever bought at Big Lots, pretty much.
It was so cheap! And so cute! And oh, I think that would go on a layout about ___ someday, so I should buy it while it's only 59 cents! What a bargain!
The only BL purchases I am happy about now are the paper packs of 25 identical sheets that I was able to use in my classroom to make bulletin board decorations or for class projects. I still have a few of those packs that get used for 4H every once in a while.
And the Dollar Tree? In my early scrapbooking days, I couldn't resist a $1 sticker sheet, because I was totally guilty of sticker sneeze back then. I'm not proud of it. And when you combined matching stickers with theme paper, 6 sheets for a dollar, well . . . .
I bought a small fortune worth of stuff there, and it is amazing how $1 here and $3 there adds up! I finally purged it all when we moved, but every once in a while I'll find a sheet that was overlooked in the great get-rid-of-cheap-crap-purge of 2012.
Ugh! I wish I had just purchased what I needed, as I needed it. I had a great LSS, and I would have been dollars ahead to just go in once every couple of weeks after I had planned what I wanted to scrap. Unfortunately, I never seemed to have time to do the planning when the kids were small and I was teaching. So I felt I "needed" my own stash so I could scrap whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.
Oh well, lesson learned.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
Jun 26, 2014 13:42:47 GMT
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Mar 19, 2017 19:55:05 GMT
In the late 90s, I bought an early version of a xyron. I could run an 8 x 10 piece of paper (which it turns out, was very wasteful). It also came with laminating rolls. I think it was close to $200 when I first bought it. I refused to throw it out until I used all the rolls. A few years later, those mini xyrons came out. I really wanted one, but couldn't justify the expense when I still had this terrible big one. I think I finally threw it out like 4 years ago. I bought mine for far less than that (I waited until the price came down and might have even bought it with a Black Friday coupon. I used the heck out of that thing as a teacher LOL! But I don't think I ever used it once for scrapbooking, and that was when I was doing a lot of scrapping. I lucked into a stash of adhesive refills on clearance for 90% off, and it took me a long time to use all those. By then, you could only get refills online, so I tossed it and replaced it with the new version (again, I'm sure it was a Black Friday deal) that had refills available at Michaels with a coupon. By then, I had a heat-seal laminator and no longer used any laminating film in the Xyron. It was a great tool for a teacher, but not so much for a scrapbooker.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 19, 2017 23:17:10 GMT
mine isn't one BIG expense, but a lot of smaller expenses... I am addicted to scrapbooking tools! I coveted, absolutely COVETED, border punches. Any / all of them, especially the large 'scallop / half-circle' one that Shimelle used a lot, and the 'apron lace' scallop with a hole in that was extremely popular for a while. BUT-- I can NOT get them to line up properly when I use them. I didn't buy a lot of them, thankfully-- somewhere between 5 - 8 total, maybe-- but I donated most of them. The only one that I kept is the postage stamp edge.
For any other borders that I want to actually USE on my pages, I use my Silhouette Cameo.
(I am also a sucker for dollar-spot / clearance / hot buy items, and own waaay too many paper pads that I will never be able to use.)
eta: also not a BIG expense, but I do remember when the whole Prima flowers craze was going on, I went for the 'budget' option-- I bought a bunch of different fake flowers bunches from the craft store and dismantled them to only save the flowers themselves. I then sorted them by color, stored them in zipper bags, etc. and displayed them in a glass jar on one of my shelves-- and then NEVER used ANY of them. I finally just threw then away.
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Post by artisticscrapper on Mar 19, 2017 23:46:35 GMT
Cricut Expression and cartridges. I love tech stuff had the best intentions but it was just a hassle to use it. If I didn't use it often enough I'd forget how and have to get the instructions out again. It's just so much easier to run a die through my Big Shot. I ended up giving the Cricut machine and carts to a friend who'd use it. Lesson learned--only easy to use items for me. A hobby should be relaxing and uncomplicated.
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Post by wendifful on Mar 20, 2017 3:33:58 GMT
Yikes...I would have to say all the Studio Calico scrapbook kits I bought. I was a subscriber on and off, but I bought a LOT of kits at Last Calls and sales and also add ons. Thing is, I don't really do 12x12 scrapbooking, I'm more of a pocket page person...but there would be a few elements that I "had" to have. I still like a lot of those kits but I have duplicates of a LOT of them (I think I have at least 6 Cirques) and there's no way I'll ever use them all up. My other regret is my Zink Happy printer. It's a cool concept but I've never used it much and now Polaroid and other companies have Zink printers out that are sooooo much more compact. That thing is super chunky and I would much rather have the tiny printer. Cirque was my first kit and my favourite!! i too bought too many sc kits at last call etc I love Cirque too! (As evidenced by how many times I bought it, lol!) For three years in a row, the February kits were my favorite: Sugar Rush, Cirque and Savannah. I thought for sure SC couldn't go wrong with a February kit. And then came Confidant.
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Post by gigi333 on Mar 20, 2017 13:21:53 GMT
Cirque was my first kit and my favourite!! i too bought too many sc kits at last call etc I love Cirque too! (As evidenced by how many times I bought it, lol!) For three years in a row, the February kits were my favorite: Sugar Rush, Cirque and Savannah. I thought for sure SC couldn't go wrong with a February kit. And then came Confidant. I loved savannah too. It's a Shame the kits have not stayed at that kind of level
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