It’s the AAA Cards Challenge 2nd Birthday and to celebrate, the Design Team are having a blog hop! You should have arrived here from Jane‘s blog. The blog hop starts at the AAA Cards Challenge page. We hope you’ll join us in the fun – there are lots of prizes up for grabs!
For my card I chose to go very red. I used the fabulous My Favorite Things Die-Namics Birthday Centerpieces die, cut in the front of a card base made from Paper Trey Ink Pure Poppy cardstock. Their card is really sturdy (I think it is 120lb) perfect for card bases. I then die cut a 2 from the MFT Die-namics Bright Lights Numbers in DCWV gold glitter card stock. I adhered it inside the card so you can see it peep through to the front when the card is shut. To finish, I applied clear Wink of Stella glitter pen and Glossy Accents to the letters on the front, et voila! Super quick, simple and effective 😀
Here are some of our wonderful, kind and generous sponsors – go check them out. All of us on the DT team love their stuff!!!
So what do you need to do to win some of the great goodies? The guidelines are below, and can also be found at the AAA Cards Challenge website.
I’m also offering a little crafty bundle of goodies to someone who gives my favourite answer to the question below in the comments on my blog.
So my question is:
I love discovering new crafty products but often the crazes drive things out of stock (and me crazy!) What is the best product you’ve discovered that is completely underrated right now?
Your next stop on the blog is the fabulous Justine. If you get lost at any time, all of the links are below:
I can’t believe the AAA Cards Challenge is already celebrating its
year!!!!
Please join in the fun – we can’t see what CAS creations you come up with to help us celebrate!!!
Jenny
Fab birthday card! I'm usually waaaayyyy behind any crazes, so they normally bypass me! I guess one of my favourites is glossy accents, I often use it on my cards 🙂
I don't know if stencils are considered underrated but lately I've found it makes awesome backgrounds.
Love the birthday card – the die is great! My favourite underrated thing right now are these Nuvo drops – you can make your own enamel dots! http://www.sosuzystamps.com/nuvo-crystal-drops/?aff=2
I loved this card as soon as I saw it Jenny 😉 it's super dramatic and classy and perfectly CAS too. Oooh and that's a tough question – I'm not sure they are underrated by Distress Inks are simply awesome. There's so much you can do with them and I never get bored of them – I just hate waiting for the new mini size colours to arrive in the UK. LOL! Sarah x
my most underrated product is Aleene's tacky over and over, I use it to make custom size glue dots so they fit any embellishment size i have and they work perfectly. Love your red card, it's very Chinese in some way, but very bright and happy and happy birthday to you too!
Ooh love all that red! I have to get that die cut! I'm too new in this craft to know whats in or out (lol) but i love playing with my brushos! They create such amazing effects!
Oh EM GEE!!!! JENNY, I LOVE your card, simply AWESOME!
I am a unemployed grandmother (a young one! LOL) who has been crafting for years and I am terribly behind in the trends. Not sure if they are underrated but for me its: COPICS! I understand they have been around for quite some time but I am only (this past year) learning about them and starting my collection. Our small Michael's store is out of new colours and don't know when they will be getting more…
Very very cool, Jenny! Or maybe I should say 'hot' because of all that fabulous RED! My favorite color. 🙂 Hmmmm, so many products to choose from. I guess I really love my ink-blending tools and stencils a lot most of the time. Anything with Butterflies and Scripture sentiments always catch my eye too. 🙂
So hot it's cool! Loving how the 2 appears to be suspended in space when it peeps through the die cut. Guess my underrated right now is coloured cardstock, I always reach for white without thinking. Your card proves just how wrong that is!
That is a righ warm colour and beautiful diecut card!
Underrated is the so much cheaper stampruler (instead of the Misti) I use it so much from the first days of stamping…
Ribbon is underrated in my craft room. I have a lot but rarely use it anymore.
I love patterned paper, and most all of the time it is in stock. I especially like MFT 6×6 paper pads. I also love metallics and glitter papers. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Striking card! I haven't found any underrated product yet! 🙁 However I have found a supply store that offers reasonable shipping and great prices on some top brands: http://scrapbookpal.com/
Hope that counts as answering your question!
Oh I just love this card! That is a great die cut!! : )
Right now I think rhinestones are a little underrated. They used to be the bling we grabbed but now it seems it is sequins. Don't get me wrong I like sequins too but I miss seeing rhinestones on cards! : )
Thanks a bunch for the chance to win!
Patti
Awesome card… love that fabulous die you used!
What I am finding underrated… stencil pastes! They come in different thicknesses for different effects, and even some different colors (like black or gold). I love the texture they add to a card! Sometimes I apply them over a stencil for a patterned look, other times I add them to a design to make a detail stand out, like white caps on waves for an ATC card I'm working on.
Although some people use them I think an underrated product is foam sheets. I find that they give great dimension to larger panels and eliminate the sagginess (eek, is that a word???) when you use just dimensional dots.
Lovely card! I would have to say buttons.
Oh Jenny, this card is awesome. I love the drama of the color of your card, and the extra shine on the happy. I have really been thinking about the under rated things, and I have had a hard time thinking of what it might be. I decided on Concord & 9th's Happy Hues Cardstock. It's awesome for making a quick card that packs a lot of punch.
Love this! That die is such a great focal point for any card. I also love the gold 2 inside the card. One thing that I am having a hard time getting ahold of are the Altenew inks. I would love to get the four packs but always seam to be out of stock. But like I need more ink pads…of course I do!!! xx
Love the window on the front of your card! I would say the corner rounder does not get as much love as it once did… I just busted mine out the other night and love it!
Love your red card! The best thing I think that is underrated is my sand eraser – it really fixes mistakes!
What a beautiful card – the red looks absolutely gorgeous!!
I think one of the best products that is underrated is gesso. Its not just a base or just for acrylic paints – it can be used in so many ways, but its still not as well known!
I love that color. The card is a total stunner! I think the most underrated product would be the card stock. We always talk about inks, stamps, other products but forget that everything depends on your cardstock!
Love how bright your card is! I think by the time anything gets to the UK it's no longer untreated! But I do love my spectrum noir pens – I'm staying away from copics because I'm scared I'll 'need' them when my spectrum noir do the job just great
Cute card!Love the idea of it!My product would be cheap and affordable sequins as they are so versatile and go along with anything.they come in a variety of colours patterns shapes etc but it often goes unnoticed
What a beautiful birthday card it is!! I think most underrated would be plain colored card stocks…they are so important !! 🙂
Suchi xx
Such a fun and vibrant card! I love my sequin container, although many may not agree that organization is essential.
I just love your beautiful die cut card Jenny, it looks so clean and crisp.
For me the most underrated item of craftiness is double sided tape or sheets. I add it to my card before die-cutting and then all I have to do once cut is peel and stick… magic!
Happy 2nd Birthday AAA
Chrissie xx
LOVE the vibrant RED you used on your die and your die is PERFECT!! I think LACE ribbon is the item that is under rated. I love the look and prettiness of it:)
I have a lot of ribbon and twine and for some reason don't use it very often! Now that I think about it, I have jars of buttons too and very seldom do I use any!
Happy Birthday to all of you at AAA Cards! Love your stunning and dramatic card. I would say Glossy Accents is very underrated. It adds so much to a card with texture, dimension and shine. Also great as an adhesive for embellishments.
Wel First nice inspiring cards. Answer: I really love to have some text dies and glossy accent or just a few cute stamps from the sponsors! That's for sure. Spotted a few on youtube last few days.
Wow, LOVE this card! The red makes such a statement. As for an underrated crafty supply, for me it would be washi. I know I'm kind of late to the washi tape game, but I just started using it recently (well, for something other than holding my dies in place for my Big Shot LOL) and have fallen in love with it! It's so versatile and is such a quick and easy way to dress up a card.
I just love that die cut…. I'm not into fads etc I am pretty frugal. I love the Misti which was a splurge for me but wouldn't go back without it. I do love my cuttlebug and have never needed any other die cut machine
I have that MFT die and have only used it once. I like how you used it on your card.
I feel the most underrated craft product is the Quikstik Pick-Up Tool that works great for removing small pieces from die cuts and pick up those tiny things and place them where you need them.
Love this bright coloured card. The die is awesome. I think the most underrated craft item are alphabet stickers. They can be used in so many projects and can be used to create any sentiment 🙂
– Aimless Sunny
Fantastic card. Love how bold it is. I think that my tweezers are essential, and probably underrated. But, I use them every day.
Cool Red card! Hmmm, you are making us think! Something under-rated would be a craft mat with measurements. For me, I stamp things crooked alot, sometimes it doesn't occur to me to just used the lines on the craft mat!
Talk about a dynamic card with that hot red, shimmer and pop of gold! Simple yet oh, so stunning! I live in small town Canada, so I'm always behind in crazes. Under-rated for me right now: plain, sturdy, solid, heavy white card stock. Couldn't make cards without it…
~carol
Wow that really is a fabulous card and super die. As for the best product I've got that is underrated…. that's a tough one to answer but I think it would be my Joanna Sheen cds. There are some amazing images and decoupage on them xx
My favourite underrated item is my brayer – they seem to have dropped right out of fashion but mine gets a lot of use
Jane
And I was thinking so hard about underrated stuff that I forgot to mention your absolutely amazing card – really stunning.
jane
I LOVE your bright and colorful birthday card! Since I'm a crafter on a budget, I always substitute what I can find for expensive products. I have found a new use for all the clear plastic containers and clam shells that come into my home. I sterilize them in the dishwasher and use them for shaker cards! They work like magic and they are FREE too!
A lovely cheery birthday card!
I think the most underrated thing would be peel-offs. They have so many uses, yet you don't find too many nowdays
Awesome card, bright, cheery and perfectly CAS. Hmmm, underrated craft items… embossing powders. They are a timeless classic and one of the first things (other than stamps) in regard to stamping that I bought. Hugs Bev x
Fab card! I read through all the comments to see if I could come up with an answer to your question. I have many of the things that are listed by others and I love them. I think that maybe we sometimes forget we can create with only a few supplies and we can still use the stamps that we bought a few years ago, especially all those sets that we still haven't used. Maybe we should all look through our stash and use the older stuff we may have, including older colouring mediums such as coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, crayons…
Your red card is striking! The shimmer and glossy accents add a lot of interest, great job! My underrated crafty item is rhinestones… No one uses them nowadays, everyone uses sequins or enamel dots… But I hate attaching sequins! Makes me crazy! So I'll stick with my non-trendy gems. 🙂
Red is my favorite color and your card is gorgeous in it. I think the most underrated, or at least taken for granted, item is my non-stick craft sheet. It makes easy clean up of ink, paint and glue.
What a terrific die and love how you added the glossy tough! I love my ATG tape gun and would be completely lost with it (I actually have two for two sizes of tape!)
Wow what a great CAS card, love MFT too. I am joining you in the AAA celebration. I guess my tack and peel was a discovery, I love to stamp rubber and before with the EZ mount it was quite expensive and time consuming to get them ready..now it is easy and cheaper..hugs Blankina
Now that is one cool card!!!! The stamp-a-majig – I still use it frequently, despite having a Misti….
Love that red and your die! I can't do without my Un-do. I'm always never satisfied and removing something.
What a sweet, CAS card~ I love it!! My favorite underrated item is sequins. Thankfully there's an abundance of them and a little goes a long way. I just love the sweet finishing touch they give a project. Thanks for the chance to win!
I looveee your Red card
amazing…simple and beautiful in one
love your 2nd bday card..
I love a Hellen Hudson stamp with circle
I cant buy cause I dont have credit card
my brother in law gave me for my bday present
I was thrilled soooo happpyy
thanks for your question
hugs
Monika
This birthday card is super cool – love the red and the way you jazzed this card up is awesome!! The thing I think is underrated is enamel dots – love them!!
Love your card and hwo you die cut around it.thanks for sharing.my favourite is sequins these day I have to put them in every card. And I started this passion with enigmas dots.
Love this red card. So fabulous. Thanks for sharing. I love the transparent eninal dots.
What a rich and elegant birthday card! Perfect pearls are certainly a fun product to work with.
Loving all that hot red and the glossy accents on the letters looks so shiny and cool!! For me its my QuickStik, I use on every single card!!