The Very Best of 2012

Welcome... I'm glad that you have stopped by! As an end of the year treat, I'm going to share my very favorite things about 2012. Some of them are cards, some are not! But all of them have to do with my love of paper crafting. Enjoy the list... and let me know what were your favorite things of the year too! :)

The Best Of 2012!

10 - Shaped Cards - At number ten, this is my favorite style of card of the year. I really need to make more of them next year because I love the shapes and the surprising ease of assembly. The pieces are all cut (except for the lacy edge border punch) from the Cricut Cartridge "Art Philosphy" by Close To My Heart, as well as the flowers and leaves. The purple one in particular was my favorite card also because of the use of my favorite "Sonoma" paper. I made a just a few of these for some very great friends. Next year, more!

9 - Sentiments - Being primarily a card maker, I've always been on the search for more sentiments for my cards. The right ones are always hard to come by and it's very good to have a variety to work with. This year, I invested in several CTMH sets called "Card Chatter" - available in different themes like love, sympathy and birthday. Each set has several sentiments and now I've got tons to work with. These sets are definitely worth the buy which is just one of the things I love about My Acrylix stamps!

8 - Moneysavers -  Earlier in the year I was on a roll with Moneysaver Monday in which I shared some fun tips on how to save money on scrapping supplies. One tip that I did use a lot was making my own striped twine. On several occasions I found myself in need of just a few inches of striped twine for tying a button or adding to a card. Many of these times, I wanted a specific color to match my card. I can't imagine how much I would have spent investing in each color of twine. This tip worked for me many times over, and as for that 400 yard roll of crochet thread? I'm pretty sure I still have 390 yards of it left. :) Maybe I need to learn to crochet?

7 - Best Bang For Your Buck - Another smart investment of the year - Titanium blades by Friskars. Maybe this is not a new thing to you where you live, but here in the back woods of Idaho, they were new to me. I found them on a spontaneous trip to the craft store one day and I've never looked back. They are a little more expensive than the original blades, but so worth the money. I hate the boogered edges of paper cut with a dulling blade and these blades seem to last a very long time. Four blades lasted me all year long - and I cut A LOT OF PAPER. No really, A LOT.

6 - Best Tool, Ever Ever Ever - The ATG- I'm finishing out my first full year of use with this adhesive applicator and I am still singing that lame Taylor Swift song about my old glue runners. (Weee-eee are never, ever, ever getting back.. together...) the ATG inspired my favorite tutorial of the year as well and I think that I love this tutorial because it is such an awesome conglomeration of helpful hints from lots of people. The money I have saved on adhesive alone makes the ATG so worth it... but it's not just that. My ATG and I have bonded. Without it, I would be sitting here, staring at these piles of paper with nothing to do. :)

5 - Authentique - In the past, I have had favorite paper packs or product lines such as Imaginisce or DCWV  or Echo Park. This years' favorite was Authentique... sorry guys, please don't squabble amongst yourselves and don't take it personally. I just loved the texture and colors of the papers that I got from Authentique this year and my very favorite of all was the Glory line. Thanks Kim, for surprising me with this paper my July Express The Moment kit... it was the best surprise treasure of all!

4 - Embossing Folders - Every year I also tend to have one product or another that I just have to collect because... well... I NEED THEM ALL. I know that some of this is the thrill of the hunt. I can't possibly ever own or even see every embossing folder that is out there on the market, but I can have a danged good time trying. :) I added several folders to my collection this year and I know that these are tools that I will use over, over, over and over again. They are definitely one of my favorite things. And hey, isn't this a cool Pinteresty way to keep track of the ones that you own? I need to do that next year.

3 - Border Punches - See #4 above, lol! My border punches are another tool that I moved to be strategically closer to hand because I tend to use them on nearly every card. I even discovered a way to store them in the paper organizer next to my desk so that the ones I use the most are easy to grab. IMHO these EK Punches are the very best quality. My first one was purchased on a trip to Seattle two years ago and I haven't been the same ever since. :)

2 - Lawn Fawn - I have so much to say about Lawn Fawn - this is definitely my new very favorite website. I love their stamps - they have such a cute little doodle look to them with bold lines and cute little smiley happy faces! They are fast and easy to use and they come with lots of sentiments. I used Lawn Fawn stamps to create lots of cards this year for Operation Write Home (and kept a few for myself... hehe). I haven't tried their paper or twine yet but with the great customer service I got from my other orders this year I know that I will be ordering again soon. WATCH THEIR VIDEOS when you have time. I love watching them while enjoying my crafting time because you always learn something and they all make me smile. Especially the ones with Kelly Marie - she just cracks me up and I feel like I want to play some kind of drinking game every time she says "cute." This is why I do this kind of stuff folks, to make other people smile... and if Lawn Fawn always brings a smile to my face, I know that the cards I make with their stamps will make other people smile too. :)

1 - None of this would be possible without... the iPad - I've always been somewhat of a techno-geek. I do love new beepy, electrical, computery type things and gadgets, but when I broke down and purchased an iPad at the end of 2011 I had no idea that I could use it so much in paper crafting. It's amazing - and I'd love to share some of these things this year if there is enough interest. (Interested? Leave me a comment!) 

In the past year I have used my iPad to:

• Surf my favorite websites and blogs to keep in touch with others - I have favorite blogs and websites just a touch away by storing them on my desktop.
• I used Skype with some of my favorite people while working together on projects.
• I used it to organize and keep track of special dates like card making parties and blog posts.
• I can easily organize files like photos .pdf files and more.
• I can sketch a card or jot down an idea fast and easily without scrambling for paper/pen.
• I can always read up on my favorite paper crafting magazines and publications on the go. So much easier than subscriptions and magazines that will just pile up after I read them once! I can download just the ones I want. And there are some great prices for this.
• I can listen to music, watch YouTube or Netflix while crafting.
• I made my own iBook for a tutorial on creating Card Holders.
• and so much more!

Did you know that you can keep a digital copy of all of your Cricut cartridge books on your iPad for fast and easy reference?

Did you know that anything that comes in a .pdf file can also be stored on your iPad for fast and easy browsing? I keep all of my OWH and deconstructed sketches... without having to print them out any more! Hooray for saving printer ink!

As you can tell from above, I'm a pretty frugal spender when it comes to my supplies. The iPad was something that I really had to save for and plan carefully to purchase but it was so worth it.

More resolutions for 2013? I'd like to post more... quality posts and I'd like to improve on my photos. I did learn a lesson about blogging using my iPad this year. (Don't do it.) Without a doubt I will be continuing to work hard for Operation Write Home and make as many cards as possible for our deployed heroes. 

Thanks all of you, who stopped by to see my list of Top Ten and I wish you all the very best of everything in 2013, I hope that you will stop by again soon. :)