A Word About Foam Squares

I've been making a lot of cards lately using layering with 3D foam squares.  I've been buying a 4"x4" sheet of 1000 small squares for $1.59, but that source is no longer available. The best I've been able to find so far to replace that source costs $1.99 (not including tax) and some are MUCH more expensive!  As many of these little squares as I go through - especially since family comes over and uses them too - I really needed to find a lower cost alternative.  And I DID!

I make them MYSELF using foam sheets (sometimes called fun foam) and double-sided adhesive (I use Elizabeth Crafts 6" wide double-sided adhesive roll). After applying the adhesive to the foam sheets (on both sides if using regular foam sheets, or on just one side if it already has adhesive on the other), I simply use my guillotine style paper cutter and cut into narrow strips.  If I chose to do so, I could cut these further into squares, but I find I prefer to simply cut them from the strip as I need them.  This saves a TON of money!!!!

Below you can see my price calculations.  They are based on the fact that I paid $1.99 for my purchased foam squares, $8.43 for 40 sheets of 6" x 9" sticky backed foam sheets, $5.63 for 12 sheets that are 11.81" x 17.7", and $38.45 for a roll of 6" x 27 yards of double-sided adhesive (Elizabeth Crafts on sale from Amazon). Note that none of my calculations include tax or shipping costs.

• Purchased Foam Squares: one 4" x 4" sheet = $1.99

• Using Regular Foam Sheets - Equivalent amount using non-sticky foam sheets, 4" x 4" = approx 25 cents (about 1/8th the cost of the purchased foam squares!)

• Using Sticky Back Foam Sheets - Equivalent amount using sticky back foam sheets, 4" x 4"  = approx 17 cents

Now, of course, what it costs you will depend on what you have to spend for the foam sheets & the double-sided adhesive, but I just bought the foam at the store yesterday (Zurchers) and the adhesive from Amazon today, so they're pretty current prices - though what I found at Amazon WAS on sale.

Update:  I decided to re-do my calculations so I could easily compare with other things like - a big roll of scotch foam tape.  These calculations show how many square inches of double-sided foam we can get for a dollar:

• Purchased Foam Squares: 8 square inches/$1
• Scotch big roll on sale (36 yard roll of 1/2 inch wide): 15 square inches/$1
• Regular foam sheets: 64 square inches/$1
• Sticky Back Foam Sheets: 94 square inches/$1!!!!