The Big Kahuna

In the life of a paper crafter, there are a few things you can never have enough of - paper, pictures, patterned paper, room to craft, plain paper, organizational items, paper, etc. One of those must-have's is adhesive. A while ago, I heard about something called an ATG gun:

http://www.southernmoulding.com/images/equip/ATG714.jpg

Now let me break it down for you. The adhesive I have been using, I got from Wal-Mart... just your ordinary kind, nothing special. I'd heard a lot of buzz about the ATG gun, and decided to do a little research. Let me enlighten you as to my findings.

Cost of adhesive refills: WM - $5.17 / ATG Gun - $3.39

Amount of adhesive ON the refills: WM - 11.3 yards / ATG Gun - 36 yards

No, that's not a typo. I have been paying $1.78 MORE for TWENTY-FOUR POINT SEVEN YAAAARRRRRRRDS LESS with the Wal-Mart stuff.

I'll save you the headache of the drama we've gone through with ordering, shipping, backordering, cancellations, etc. Thanks to Dave's AMAZING co-worker Farrah, I got my ATG gun today!

lol, Now I'll show you what it looks like... why it's taken me so long to be convinced of it's glory... why I laughed and mocked and scorned those who've been seduced by its appeal...

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tcSl668KMepLhs4_kv03yAkqbRZSb-Zrsin-7HS1SHFPzYeHzr_UzT7eQroeMDmuJKJ-XloH0eVD7xBK9UL0ftQ7aQGC_YJRe4YpqUk6CXKB8x-eDiw8yL_1-pTZeeElFUetAoH3nc3P/s400/P1080301.JPG

It's gy-NORM-ous lol! That little guy next to it is the size of a regular adhesive dispenser, one about the size of the palm of your hand. It's about nine inches big - SO HUGE! I thought you had to be die-hard, hard core to own one of those suckers! But now I think you just have to be smart. :)

And the best part is, when Dave ordered it, they didn't have the normal 36-yard rolls... all they had were 60-yard rolls, and they only came in cases of six lol! My point? I am now a die-hard, hard core paper crafter with a hunka hunka burnin' ATG gun, who looks a little goofy with such a big gizmo, but is saving a looooooot of money.

Ready, aim, fire!

Did You Know - For the Girls

Did you know that you can use extra virgin olive oil as an eye makeup remover? It'll even take off waterproof mascara. I've been doing this for about a month now, and it works just dandy. Like every other oil-based remover I've used, I can't see anything afterwards because it's all blurry lol, but it works really well. I've been told that the oil particles are too big to get trapped in your pores, so it won't make you break out. (??) Give it a shot, save some money.

Did you know that you can use baking soda as a facial scrub? I've done this one since high school. Pour some in your hand, add enough water to make it a thick paste, and GENTLY rub it all over your face and neck - I repeat, g-e-n-t-l-y lol! The first few times I experimented with this, I wanted to really exfoliate around my nose, so I scrubbed really hard. Yeah, no. Trust me. It hurt! If there is an area you'd like to concentrate on a little more, just rub longer, not harder.

Did you know that regular sugar, vegetable oil (you could probably use olive oil, too) , and lemon juice make the most moisturizing scrub EVER? I've used it on my legs after shaving (if you use it before, the oil leaves too much residue to get a good shave); I've used it on my rough, Hawaiian, no-sock-wearin' feet with amazing results; and my favorite - on my hands. Take off all your rings and go to town. Have you ever done Satin Hands from Mary Kay? It's just as good, without all the steps. And the best part is, because of the oil, you don't have to moisturize afterwards.

Did you know you can pretty much use baking soda for anything? Use a little in your shampoo every once in a while for a super squeaky clean scalp. Put some in the washer with your whites for an even more thorough cleaning. (And I don't know how to do this, but you can somehow brush and brighten your teeth with it.)

For all you Cricut users... which I think might be one lol... did you know you can make your mat sticky again with some Zig 2 Way Glue? I've heard cleaning the mat off with a baby wipe does the trick, but I didn't have much luck with that. (I didn't try that hard, though. It was right before I used the Zig.) But I tried the Zig Glue, and holy cow! It's amazing! (I've also heard you can use fabric spray adhesive.)

Did you know, before you start going to work and tweezing away at your brows, you'll have less horrifying accidents if you fill them in first? Using some type of brow corrector, draw on your perfect brow. (I've seen someone use white eyeliner.) This will be your guide, and cut out a lot of guessing as you shape/ re-shape/ fill in your brows.

Did you know lemon juice is supposed to be a natural "hair-setter?" Fix your hair, then spray on a little juice for a more-natural-than-gunky-hairspray set. (I've never done it, though. I'm afraid of it lightening my hair. And, to me, it's not worth the trouble of getting it into a spray bottle.)

Did you know you can add a little lemon juice to your freshly cut fruit to keep it from browning?

Did you know you can soak and scrub your nails in lemon juice and warm water to make the whites whiter?

Did you know pouring some epsom salt into a warm bath will alleviate aches and pains?

True story.