Here is a tip for your Tuesday that will make you say…why didn’t I think of that! I think that this is a first for me…just 1 picture today but you know me – I will have lots of comments and also links for you to get these goodies if you wish!
I think that you know me by now in the fact that I love to find ways to make things easier and then I also like to share them with you. Why in the world would I want to hold them inside and not share…we are all on the same boat…love to craft but that “time thing” gets in our way! Perhaps you like my tips, perhaps you have another solution – if so…please share!
There is nothing more frustrating that not being able to “pick up” a small object that we are working with ~ it could be a small punched out heart, a sequin etc…
Here you can see 3 ways that I like to “pick up”…
#1 – The Quickstik – I love this….and I can say that I do reach for it often. On the one end there is a putty that is a great way to “pick up” things but I mist say…..I get SUPER FRUSTRATED in getting more putty to advance forward soooooooo if anyone can give me a tip on this….I would appreciate it!
In the opposite end there is a great “pointy thing” that also is helpful. I will say that I do “reach for this” often.
I bet that you can get it at a Big Box Store and use a coupon for it but I know that you can click away and have it come right from good old Amazon. (I really am an Amazon junkie…shopping on line is the best!)
#2 – Microbrushes – These are gems….they are made for eyelashes (now that is WAY OUT OF ANYTHING I CAN COMPREHEND) – I’ll stick to using them for crafting!
I do buy them from Amazon and I use them in 2 ways~
- To dap into green glue and place on hard to get things….like sentiment die cuts, little edges that flip up (that make you mad) 👿
- I let the green glue “set up” on the end of the brush and then it is a perfect sticky piercing weapon!
#3 A good old fashion toothpick and green glue – This seems rather simple and yep…it is ~ this tip came from a blog reader and I am soooo happy as it works, it is easy and wowza – it can’t get any more affordable than this….I “stuck” it into a foam block to let it “set up & do its thing” and then when it was set – works like a charm!
Well as the saying goes…..
I hope that you learned something and if you have some tips….please share as we all know – this is how we learn, we grow, tips simply make our life easier….
Enjoy the day!
Those are all great ideas. I have a couple of the quickstiks and love them. I had heard and seen the micro brushes but hadn’t tried them, guess I’ll have to get some. As for the toothpicks, now why hadn’t I thought of that one, LOL.
Thanks for the tips Susan.
I have tried a few different things. I think my favorite is a pair of “twilling tweezers” I got with a coupon. The points are so pointy, I’ve dropped them many times on my wood floor, and still they are pointy. I guess I’m not too delicate as the glue at the ends of the toothpick or the putty is tool is always too much for me. Looking forward to everyone’s comments on this one for sure!
Have a great day.
🙂
I have used a quickstik which I liked but now it won’t open. The putty can really stick well! I now use the microbrushes which were given to me from one of the best SU demonstrators (hint, hint). They are perfect for small, intricate pieces and are my go to tool. Twilling tweezers sound like another good choice, Nancy, which I might give a try. Thanks for the tips, Susan, and have a fun day!
I have the same problem with my Quickstik!!!! Had never heard of the Microbrushes and never thought of using the toothpicks!!!!! I will be checking back to see if anyone knows the trick of the Quickstik, sure am hoping someone chimes in. ?
Have a terrific Tuesday!!
I use all of these and also like to use the Q tips for eyeshadow ( I guess) Flat sided on one end (great for glue smearing down flat edges ) and using the pointy end with dried mono for a pick up thingy or lifter on the other end .
I love my Quickstick ,but it can get unruly at times . I have not gotten those little brushes at Amazon yet ,but I am gonna do that today (love my Prime ) Thanks Susie !
o.k. gang, gnome buddy knows the troubles I went through to finally comment on yesterday’s videos. So you all had better go back and check our my comment. If I think of more I will add to it. Maybe I need to get out my gnome book and/or my one gnome I have.
I won one of those quickstick things on a blog candy post and I made a big mess getting the putty stuff stuck. Since I am not big on sequins and use small amounts I think I might stick with the ol’ spit on the finger and pick them up. (All right, note to self – do not send any cards involving sequins to those who read Susan’s blog – because of the ick factor.) Otherwise, I have been known to use a dab of rubber cement or the Tombow on a toothpick and use the stab method. Maybe not using sequins and intricate die cuts is a plus so I don’t have to worry about all this!
Wow…great job responding to yesterday’s gnome blog. Your are too funny! I think you could be the gnomes mentor and lead them where “gnome man has gone before.”
Oh I am still almost giggling at your comment!
I do the glue on the toothpick thing. It is cheap and easy to replace when the first one gets full of cat hair. I quit the quickstick. I would pull off the lid and that often pulled the thing apart. Then I’d have to put it back together and try again. The putty didn’t seem to want to advance and it all dried up in the Arizona heat anyway (and yes that was inside the house). I tried that yellow microbrush you sent me and that was the bomb but I have more toothpicks at the ready and not more of those.
Oh, and just using a toothpick without anything works on sequins if there is a hole in them. On a different note, I ordered a wooden holder from Tiffany (no not the jewelry store but that woman who has a stack rack and organizes craft stuff) to hold markers flat. It has 7 little pull out shelves or 5, whatever…..it wasn’t expensive and I thought I would try it. I have markers all over the place so maybe this will help though I do like my little pewter tea pot full but then I have other cups full and in drawers and every where. Mike has not found my new set of fine point Scripto ones yet.
I have used the toothpick method that I learned from this GREAT? demonstrator! I love it! I actually have the Microbrushes for another hobby, miniatures. I will have to try them for cards. My favorite tool is tweezers. They make those big, fat, fumbly fingers into long, sleek, little fingers. I use them all the time to pick up and place sequins, tiny card stock pieces etc. I also use an Exacto knife the way many use the piercing tool to pick up rhinestones and pearls etc. Great post Susan! Thanks!
I have never tried the Microbrushes but am an Amazon junkie also, so I’ll probably have those ordered by the end of the week. 🙂 I’ve never heard of “twilling tweezers” so will be researching them to see what makes them different than “normal” tweezers. I was excited when I first ordered the Quikstik and thought the putty end would be the next best thing since sliced bread, but I’m disappointed to report I cannot advance the putty either. Another gadget I really didn’t need. I use toothpicks with my Tombo. I enjoyed everyone’s comments.