Hello, my name is Tracey Clem...

...and I am addicted to supplies.

Seriously, I am an absolute SUCKER for art/craft supplies. Paper, paint, tape, glue, pens, markers, stickers, rub-ons, stencils, stamps, ink. Oh man, Michael's sees me coming, and rubs it's greedy little paint-spattered hands together in glee knowing I'm about to drop some cash on a load of goodies. And don't get me started on Blicks, my local art supply store. Their acrylic paints are so yummy - and sneakily affordable. I have always been this way. Even long before I came to the world of art and crafting my mom and I could spend a glorious afternoon browsing office and school supplies - all those pens, papers, clips, tags...

Thankfully, I have a found a support group in Deb and Emily who share my supply struggles. Ok, we are actually more like enablers - there's something about buying supplies for someone else that makes it okay for you to have a few yourself. I mean just look at this gorgeous package of goodness that sweet Emily sent me for my birthday...

 

So in the spirit of luring you to the dark side, I thought I'd post a few new supplies that I'm loving right now...a few art store supplies and then a couple of fun finds outside from outside the craft aisle!

Check out these gorgeous India Inks from Dr. Ph. Martin! They come in a small bottle with a dropper and I can't stop drawing with the dropper and splattering my pages with the ink.

 

I'm also addicted to the Caran d'Ache Neocolor II watersoluable crayons. They are so supremely smooshable, smearable, blendable and paintable. And portable!! Throw them in your bag with some paper and a waterbrush, and you are set!

 

Now, how about a few supplies from Staples! I picked up these shipping tags for about $6 for a pack of 100. They are great for a small, quick project and are so fun to staple, tape or sew onto a larger project.

 

I also picked up this pack of different sized alphabet stencils - great for spraying ink through!

 

Then I couldn't pass up these Portfolio Oil Pastels - 24 colors for only $10! They are similar to the Caran d'Ache in function - smooshable, smearable, paintable - but much more affordable. If you want to try out a watersoluable crayon, these are a great place to start.

 

And finally, my favorite find, check out this amazing tape! It is actually drywall joint tape from Lowe's. For about $7 you get 100 feet of self-adhesive tape that looks like punchinella. You can use the tape, which is white, AND the backing that you peel off, which is brown. I have to give credit to Donna Downey for this one. I have been following her blog recently and she frequently uses this tape in her art journal.

And here's a quick page I did with some of these supplies!

 

What are your favorite supplies - both traditional and non-traditional?