I thought it might be fun at this time to think about what some of us scrappers might be dreaming of for Christmas. I took the liberty of window shopping online (…ah…purely for professional research purposes you understand…*cough*…) and imagined what would I buy if my scrapbooking budget magically became unlimited.
Ten Big Ticket Scrapbooking Items
1. Cricut Expression (approx. AUD$600)
The Cricut Expression is a cartridge dependent personal electronic cutter that allows you to cut out letters and shapes from a range of materials including vellum, cardstock, vinyl and even chipboard (using the Multi Cut function). The Expression does not require a computer and features a 12″ x “12 or 12″ x 24″ sized cutting mat. It can cut quite intricate and detailed characters – from as small as 0.25” (0.62cm) to as large as 23.5” (59.69cm). I already have the original Cricut with the 6″x12″ mat size, but ooooh would I like upgrade to the bigger version? You betcha!
2. 
Gypsy Design Studio from Provocraft (approx AUD$400).
Allow me to wipe away the drool from my chin before I tell you that this little portable hand held device can read and stores the contents of your entire Cricut cartridge library. You can also use it to design projects to cut out with your Cricut electronic cutter. Connect the Gypsy via cable to your cartridges to download their contents onto it (apparently it can store 1000’s of cartridges worth of content). Connect it via cable to your Cricut to cut out your designs. Resize, flip, rotate, slant and weld images from your cartridges and also search by keyword to find images. Best of all, the Gypsy works with any model of Cricut. Oh yeah…I want me one of these…are you listening Santa?
3. Clip It Up by Simply Renee (approx. AUD$120 for base unit and approx. AUD$75 for upper tier)
Struggling to find anything in your stash? That’s me alright. The Simply Renee Clip It Up sounds like divine intervention. The frame has a metal ring which spins so that you can reach everything on it Lazy Susan style. The swivel clips provided with the base unit allow you to attach and suspend all sorts of items from the ring. Included in the base unit are 80 clips and 25 sectional tabs to aid your organization. There’s also a handle on top so you can carry it around – well probably not carry as such, but move the thing from one surface to another within your scrap space. The base unit is expandable via an upper tier available separately. The second tier provides an additional 40 clips and 15 sectional tabs. I so NEED this thing..well actually I probably need a few of these things!
4. Xyron Creatopia
Wow! Xyron have really pulled out all the stops with this one. It’s a giant sticker maker (it can add adhesive to a 12×12 area to be more exact) with permanent or re-positionable adhesive refill options, a laminator, an embosser, a paper trimmer and a die cut machine all in one. (If you’re reading from the website, click play on the video to the right of your screen for a quick visual overview. Otherwise visit Xyron to watch the video demonstrations there.) Unfortunately, this machine is only available from selected retailers at present and I haven’t seen it available from any Australian retailers just yet. Some of the international retailers do ship internationally though. Am I giving you evil thoughts yet? 
5. Cuttlebug
Ok I’m cheating a little bit here – I already own one! (If I didn’t, it would definitely be on my wishlist, so don’t scold me.) It die cuts and it embosses. (I mainly use the embossing folders but it performs either task equally well.) It has a handle on top for portability and two platforms which fold up for easy storage and fold down to form a base for the cutting pads during use. When you lower the platforms the Cuttlebug grips the surface you’ve placed it on (via suction I’m guessing) so it won’t move during use. Running something through the Cuttlebug is effortless, just place the material you’ve chosen between the cutting pads, turn the handle and watch the cutting pad stack glide through. No force or pressure on your behalf required. If you don’t have one of these yet…you seriously NEED one.
6. Copic Markers (set of 12 approx. AUD$98.50, set of 36 approx AUD$298)
Professional grade illustration markers. Copic markers feature alcohol-based ink which dries acid free, they’re refillable, have replaceable nibs and are non-toxic. They’re available in a large range of 214 colours. I understand the markers are refillable up to 3 times and they’re said to have a shelf life of approximately 3 years without drying out – assuming the caps are on properly etc.
I’ve noticed these little beauties are already very popular with stampers and they’re also becoming popular amongst scrapbookers and other papercrafters.
7. Desktop Carousel by Making Memories (approx. AUD$95).
Another Lazy Susan style storage product! The MM Desktop Carousel is constructed of sturdy MDF and has a glossy white finish. It contains six sections with metal label holders, six drawers with metal handles, and ten compartments. The whole thing rotates so you can quickly and easily locate what you’re looking for.
Oh my…how cute is it? I could certainly find a use for one or more if they accidentally fell off the back of a sleigh and onto my scrap desk. 
8. Bind It All
As the name suggest, this tool binds mini books and albums. It can punch through materials 1/8″ thick or the equivalent of 8 sheets of cardstock at a time. This includes chipboard, wood, plastic, fabric and CDs. The associated wire comes in 12″ lengths which can be cut down with ordinary wire cutters to suit any size of mini album or book .
The Bind It All comes in a range of colours but seriously, why would you want anything other than pink? Yum!
9. Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite
This baby has a 6 inch reach, so there’s nowhere on a standard 12×12 page that you can’t set an eyelet, snap or other metal embellishment. The Big Bite sets both 1/8″ and 3/16″ sized eyelets and is tough enough to handle paper, leather, fabric, CDs, thin tin, and chipboard.
Thankfully, long gone are the days of setting eyelets with a hammer and making a loud racket. Very cool.
10. Classic Leather Albums by W R Memory Keepers (approx. AUD$54.95).
One can never have too many albums right? I personally have way more scrapbooking pages than I can fit into albums! I just couldn’t bypass these gorgeous acid free albums made of Italian leather (faux leather), with beautiful stitching around the edges and metal label accents on the spine. I personally prefer the D ring to the post bound style (each to their own though) and they also come in either a 12″ x 12″ or 8.5″ x 11″ size to keep everyone happy. You’ll just have to try and choose between the sixteen colours available. Or not – I forgot my imaginary budget was unlimited so I’ll just have one of each colour thanks! (My girls love the pink, so maybe two of that colour.)
So there ends my big ticket items Christmas wish list. If you had no budget constraints, what big ticket scrapbooking goodies would you like to see under your Christmas tree this year?
Related posts:
