I admit, I can hardly point to a specific product that I love the most, mainly because I simply love all of them! But I have a few brands that I (re)discovered this year that brought me a lot of joy and I want to share those with you.
My Favorite Things
Most of you will know this brand well, and I was delirious with joy when Tara added them to the store since they are hard to get here in good ol' Europe. MFT have a huge variety of stamps and dies, and I fell in love especially with the little Witch of one of the Halloween sets:
I used both the dies and the stamps on this set, and it's one of my favorite cards I made all year. I am happy that I got to send it to one of my best crafty friends and delighted her. If you want to see how I created this card, step by step, please hop over to my blog (link in the sidebar to your right) and then on to my Youtube channel.
Both of these cards feature the same stamp and die set! You can see just how versatile it is, and how you can use single elements from such a set to create very different cards.
Stamping Bella
To me, this brand was completely new. I had heard of them, but associated them mainly with super thin, stylish girlies. Being on the opposite end of super thin and stylish myself, I never really got into Stamping Bella – until I saw the other stamps that are also part of this brand. And then I lost my heart completely. I don't have a favorite, I love all of the images!The Christmas Soldiers are perfect for your health! Why, you might ask? Well, tell me which other image will make you laugh as long and hard as this one! This is the perfect workout for your abs and belly muscles, and it will also give the recipient the same workout. Who says that stamping and cardmaking can't count as sport?
Last, but not least, these cute penguins are featured in many SB stamps. I love them. Love, love, love! If you are into coloring, these images are the best to have some creative fun or just practice. No matter what you do with them, you will certainly have great time.
Miscellaneous
I could go on and on and on, but I know that you only have a few hours left before the shop closes and maybe your wallet can't be stretched much further. But here are some random products I enjoyed immensely this year:Elizabeth Craft Designs Glitter
Now, I know a lot of you are wary of glitter because of the mess. I won't lie: after using glitter, I usually look like a fairy sprinkled fairy dust on me. But this particular glitter can be used with glue or adhesive sheets, and once you rub it, it sets and no longer comes off.
Lil Inker Cover Plate
There are many companies that make cover plates – large dies that either die cut the entire size of a card front, or dry emboss a pattern on it. My favorite is the Quilted Stitched Pattern by Lil Inkers because it's very subtle but can add just the right amount of interest to an otherwise simple design. There are other patterns available as well.
Wplus9 Sunshine Layers Die Set
Alright, I'll be honest – I bought the entire die set for only the large scalloped die. That's the only one I wanted, and it's become one of the best investments I ever made. You might at first think that paying that much for a single die is crazy, but I've been using it on almost every other card! It's the perfect size, the stitching detail adds tons of interest, and it just looks perfect. If there is a large general purpose die you need, this should be the one you get!
That was my look back at my favorite products of 2015. I hope I didn't do too much damage to your wallet, and maybe some of these goodies will make it under your christmas tree in time for the holidays? ;)
Wishing all of you happy holidays, a great time with family and friends, and lots of good food. Cheers!