Asherah Arts (formerly Lee Rose)
You can scavenge shrink plastic. anything that is #5 recyclable will shrink
Posts by Asherah Arts (formerly Lee Rose)
I love doing teeny tiny papercraft projects!
Matchbox altars are fun.
Inchies bother me because i hate square format (but will do similar things, just rectangular)
atc's are so much fun!
quilling i'm just getting into
tags are definitely my fav!
Does anyone know any other small format things to play around with?
I thought about doing something fairy-garden-y but I'm kinda burned out on that whole lot (working at a major craft store can ruin some things really quickly for you)
I don't have a die cutting machine per se, but I have a sizzix texture boutique which, if you get the right "sandwich " (which you'll be hearing all about on die cutting tuts on YouTube) will run most "wafer-thin" dies. This basically includes everything not in a block. I have since made my own magnetic platform for it as well so my dies don't wander around in the cutting process.
It embosses with embossing folders as well.
I believe it's close to the cheapest machine on the market, retailing for around 30$, but most craft stores will let you use a 40% off coupon or put it on sale. For the price it's a very sturdy and get the job done type machine.
I would highly recommend it for a beginner to get the hang of things and not have to make a huge investment. Its basically a smaller version of the big shot/ big kick Jacqui linked to above.
Personally I think the 300$ digital die cutters are a waste of money when I have an xacto knife/utility knife that can cut the same thing. But I know the people who love them, love them A LOT!
If you try the TB, let me know and I'll help you out with what I know. Is been slow going since I don't have a lot of cash for dies but I'll help you however I can!
Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but why are you worried about preserving it if you are just going to fold it up? Folding it is damaging as much as smearing, even more so since you're weakening the actual paper. Try getting some mailing tubes for storing your work.
Also I agree with monika, using several thin coats of spray fixative will seal it. Hairspray is cheaper and will also work like steph said but is not archival so it will start to degrade the paper after a while. In the long run its totally worth the extra money to buy archival and/or acid-free fixative so that your paper doesn't yellow or weaken. It seems like a waste of money to buy the expensive colored pencils but then not finish/store them properly.
I'm sorry for lecturing, one of my teachers made sure we understood this stuff. Hope it all goes well!