The Economics of Crafting
hello, crafty peoples!!!
this one is going to be long, with no pictures. I hope you read it anyway. There are two points. The first is about using our brains. The second is about picking your battles. . .which is also using your brains.
So here we are, in the beginning of "Stamptember" as one of our basic supply stores calls it, and I am sitting here thinking about the economics of crafting. That store is offering codes for "free with $100 purchase" things. And "limited edition stamp sets" that seem to start around $20-35. And one of our gurus recently published a vlog talking about her favorite ink and liquid glue, both by Gina K; that liquid glue is just under $10 an ounce.
TEN DOLLARS AN OUNCE FOR GLUE.
It's glue, people. I don't care about the "I know it's a bit pricey but you won't use as much" argument; I make approximately 50-60 cards/boxes/papercrafts a week. I run through a bottle of Aleene's (which, by the way, is EXCELLENT for bookbinding) about every 10 days. That's 40 cents an ounce. Big difference. Now, I know that there is some real truth in the saying "you get what you pay for." There is also some real truth in "we are getting gouged here." Not everything that is the Latest and Greatest is either necessary or capable of making your crafting amazing. $10 glue is not gonna make a card amazing if it's not amazing. I mean, if you're doing it right, I shouldn't even SEE your glue!
The problem is, as a community, it's easy to be led like sheep. Oh!! This is The Best Glue??? I Musts Have It!! Every craftroom should be organized from Ikea???? I MUSTS Have It!! Copics are the Most Expensive and are used by the professionals??? I MUSTS Have It!!! Neenah Classic Crest Solar White is the only cardstock that any professional talks about??? I MUSTS Have IT!!!! The ONLY watercolor paper worth having was cold pressed by a mountain stream by gypsy fairies at midnight in the Alps????? I MUSTS HAVE IT, MY PRECIOUSSSSS!!!!!
Really, people?? Brains. We have them to use them. Let's remember that those professionals get PAID to be just that - professionals - and to ADVERTISE for the companies that they represent. This is an industry run by fads and run on the hard sell. This season we need laminators. Now we need sealing tools. Now we need shaker beads.Now we need ink drawer organizers and $12 plastic bins to hold stamps. No we don't.
There isn't a single thrift store in America or around the world that is going to hire a crafting professional to tell you that an antique highboy (old-fashioned tall bureau) will fit DOUBLE the number of craft supplies as any Alex drawer set and cost you half as much. Plus, when you spray paint that sucker your favorite color so you actually color coordinate your craft space (thus making it a pleasant and fun place for YOU to be), you won't feel bad about "ruining" the finish on $150's worth of brand new furniture. NO ONE is paid to tell you that the right file cabinet fits 12" paper pads and costs less used (also spray paintable) than a cabinet half its size. Plus, it's magnetic. Stick some magnetic strips to it, and VOILA!! all your most used dies are handy and available!
As far as coloring mediums and papers: I don't know about you, but I am NOT a professional colorist. Supplies are only as good as the person using them. I don't need professional level; I need beginner level. Is it easier to blend with a brush tip? yes. Is it just as easy to blend with a $3 brush tip (Dick Blick/ Spectrum Noir/ Ohuhu) as a $7-8 brush tip? Also yes. With watercolor, do you need basically good paper? YES. Canson XL is sold all over; let the gypsy fairies provide paper to actual watercolor artists. Do you need some basically good watercolor? YES. This means buying that cheap shlock from BigBoxStore is only good for children under the age of 5. Get some good solid middle-of-the-road stuff to practice with, until you are better at it. Frankly, I got some Arteza brush markers - BECAUSE they were recommended for beginners. Not gonna buy a sportscar to learn how to drive!! As for ink - it's ink. I like Tsukineko inks. I have used them a long, long time and I'm used to the colors. Distress inks add a variety to that. HINT: most of the inks are made by the same 3 companies, with different labels (yes, really. There are a couple of exceptions,but yea). And lastly, cardstock: if you spend any time in this hobby at all, 65 lb cardstock ( the colored packs sold 4/$10) is going to start to frustrate you. It doesn't score well, it doesn't cut well, and it sure as shitake mushrooms does NOT emboss well. So, unless you enjoy making 3-5 attempts to emboss something and having your exquisite art rip at the last minute, just buy the heavier weight stuff. Cardstock Warehouse (online store) usually has some great papers in 80 and 100 lb weights at decent prices. (or, go buy more expensive stuff from our supply stores. It is your money).
Last but not least is my pet peeve: stamps and dies. Now, this is where brains are important. This is what led to this post (well, that and the glue issue). Our Stamptember company is coming out with a set of sentiment strip dies. Nice set, really, and looks really useful. I was thinking yes. Went to look them up. It's a set of 6 (SIX) rectangles. Price? FORTY DOLLARS. What the fig??? Forty dollars for 6 rectangles?? I can buy a set of stamps and dies for that much. Seriously? And there's another stamp company that has basically the same set, with little fishtails, for $15. Hmm - and which can a person on disability afford? and which will all the stamp gurus talk up? yea, that.
I know there's a big argument in the craft world about supporting American companies vs That App From Overseas. I know part of that argument is that TAFO steals American designs and reproduces them. OK. Then tell me why every stamp company has a hedgehog set, a piggy set, a raccoon set, a "wonky circle/square/rectangle stack" die set, shadow word dies, cloud/hill/raindrop/snowflake stencils, cloud/hill/grass/tree dies that all look basically the same and have the same sentiments?? There are a couple of standouts, and I DO support my local stamp company (just about every Wednesday Blitzday) and if I'm on a budget, where do I draw the line?
I know: I use my brain. Not all of us have inventor husbands. It's phenomenal if you do - AND COMPLETELY OK IF YOU DON'T. You do you.
Peace, Joy, Creativity,
Cindyellen
this one is going to be long, with no pictures. I hope you read it anyway. There are two points. The first is about using our brains. The second is about picking your battles. . .which is also using your brains.
So here we are, in the beginning of "Stamptember" as one of our basic supply stores calls it, and I am sitting here thinking about the economics of crafting. That store is offering codes for "free with $100 purchase" things. And "limited edition stamp sets" that seem to start around $20-35. And one of our gurus recently published a vlog talking about her favorite ink and liquid glue, both by Gina K; that liquid glue is just under $10 an ounce.
TEN DOLLARS AN OUNCE FOR GLUE.
It's glue, people. I don't care about the "I know it's a bit pricey but you won't use as much" argument; I make approximately 50-60 cards/boxes/papercrafts a week. I run through a bottle of Aleene's (which, by the way, is EXCELLENT for bookbinding) about every 10 days. That's 40 cents an ounce. Big difference. Now, I know that there is some real truth in the saying "you get what you pay for." There is also some real truth in "we are getting gouged here." Not everything that is the Latest and Greatest is either necessary or capable of making your crafting amazing. $10 glue is not gonna make a card amazing if it's not amazing. I mean, if you're doing it right, I shouldn't even SEE your glue!
The problem is, as a community, it's easy to be led like sheep. Oh!! This is The Best Glue??? I Musts Have It!! Every craftroom should be organized from Ikea???? I MUSTS Have It!! Copics are the Most Expensive and are used by the professionals??? I MUSTS Have It!!! Neenah Classic Crest Solar White is the only cardstock that any professional talks about??? I MUSTS Have IT!!!! The ONLY watercolor paper worth having was cold pressed by a mountain stream by gypsy fairies at midnight in the Alps????? I MUSTS HAVE IT, MY PRECIOUSSSSS!!!!!
Really, people?? Brains. We have them to use them. Let's remember that those professionals get PAID to be just that - professionals - and to ADVERTISE for the companies that they represent. This is an industry run by fads and run on the hard sell. This season we need laminators. Now we need sealing tools. Now we need shaker beads.Now we need ink drawer organizers and $12 plastic bins to hold stamps. No we don't.
There isn't a single thrift store in America or around the world that is going to hire a crafting professional to tell you that an antique highboy (old-fashioned tall bureau) will fit DOUBLE the number of craft supplies as any Alex drawer set and cost you half as much. Plus, when you spray paint that sucker your favorite color so you actually color coordinate your craft space (thus making it a pleasant and fun place for YOU to be), you won't feel bad about "ruining" the finish on $150's worth of brand new furniture. NO ONE is paid to tell you that the right file cabinet fits 12" paper pads and costs less used (also spray paintable) than a cabinet half its size. Plus, it's magnetic. Stick some magnetic strips to it, and VOILA!! all your most used dies are handy and available!
As far as coloring mediums and papers: I don't know about you, but I am NOT a professional colorist. Supplies are only as good as the person using them. I don't need professional level; I need beginner level. Is it easier to blend with a brush tip? yes. Is it just as easy to blend with a $3 brush tip (Dick Blick/ Spectrum Noir/ Ohuhu) as a $7-8 brush tip? Also yes. With watercolor, do you need basically good paper? YES. Canson XL is sold all over; let the gypsy fairies provide paper to actual watercolor artists. Do you need some basically good watercolor? YES. This means buying that cheap shlock from BigBoxStore is only good for children under the age of 5. Get some good solid middle-of-the-road stuff to practice with, until you are better at it. Frankly, I got some Arteza brush markers - BECAUSE they were recommended for beginners. Not gonna buy a sportscar to learn how to drive!! As for ink - it's ink. I like Tsukineko inks. I have used them a long, long time and I'm used to the colors. Distress inks add a variety to that. HINT: most of the inks are made by the same 3 companies, with different labels (yes, really. There are a couple of exceptions,but yea). And lastly, cardstock: if you spend any time in this hobby at all, 65 lb cardstock ( the colored packs sold 4/$10) is going to start to frustrate you. It doesn't score well, it doesn't cut well, and it sure as shitake mushrooms does NOT emboss well. So, unless you enjoy making 3-5 attempts to emboss something and having your exquisite art rip at the last minute, just buy the heavier weight stuff. Cardstock Warehouse (online store) usually has some great papers in 80 and 100 lb weights at decent prices. (or, go buy more expensive stuff from our supply stores. It is your money).
Last but not least is my pet peeve: stamps and dies. Now, this is where brains are important. This is what led to this post (well, that and the glue issue). Our Stamptember company is coming out with a set of sentiment strip dies. Nice set, really, and looks really useful. I was thinking yes. Went to look them up. It's a set of 6 (SIX) rectangles. Price? FORTY DOLLARS. What the fig??? Forty dollars for 6 rectangles?? I can buy a set of stamps and dies for that much. Seriously? And there's another stamp company that has basically the same set, with little fishtails, for $15. Hmm - and which can a person on disability afford? and which will all the stamp gurus talk up? yea, that.
I know there's a big argument in the craft world about supporting American companies vs That App From Overseas. I know part of that argument is that TAFO steals American designs and reproduces them. OK. Then tell me why every stamp company has a hedgehog set, a piggy set, a raccoon set, a "wonky circle/square/rectangle stack" die set, shadow word dies, cloud/hill/raindrop/snowflake stencils, cloud/hill/grass/tree dies that all look basically the same and have the same sentiments?? There are a couple of standouts, and I DO support my local stamp company (just about every Wednesday Blitzday) and if I'm on a budget, where do I draw the line?
I know: I use my brain. Not all of us have inventor husbands. It's phenomenal if you do - AND COMPLETELY OK IF YOU DON'T. You do you.
Peace, Joy, Creativity,
Cindyellen
This is so good and sooo true. I know people who have spent THOUSANDS on tools and supplies that they MUSTS HAVES, only to have them sit unused and gathering dust. I'll put out a little more money for true quality, but most of the time it's just not there. You're spot on about dies and stamps...unbelievable! Thanks for a great read and the reminder to use my brain. :)
ReplyDeletethank you!!! i'm so glad there's someone else out there thinking!!
ReplyDelete