I’m often asked by people as to what are the things that I couldn’t craft without. The list is pretty long, but I thought I’d share my top ten.
1. My Stampin’ Trimmer. I’m sure that every crafter has their own favourite trimmer, but I love my Stampin’ Up! one. Why? Well it’s more than just a trimmer because it has both a cutting blade and scoring blade on the arm, and you don’t need to remove one to be able to use the other. That for me is the biggest time saver ever. There’s even a place underneath the trimmer to store new blades and other things such as a bone folder.
2. My Bone Folder. A neat crisp fold on a card is a must in my books. So, a bone folder is something that sits in my Basic Craft Kit and goes with me when ever I go out to craft. I also use it to help curve cardstock because it helps to breakdown the fibres. One other use that is a little out there, is helping me re-ink my ink pads. People always comment on the colourful bone folders I have sitting in various pots in my craft room. I use them to spread the ink on the ink pad when I’m using the refills to re-ink the pads.
3. My Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Mist. These have to go together and make my life so much easier when it comes to cleaning my stamps. I don’t like to put my stamps away dirty and I’m not over keen on using baby-wipes mainly because they leave fibres on the stamps which over time build up on the ink pads.
The stampin’ scrub makes cleaning the stamps quick and easy. Simply spray some Stampin’ Mist on the side that has the little rain drops and then rub the stamp on it to clean it. You then rub it on the other pad to dry it. If the pad gets really dirty I clean it my running it under the tap with washing up liquid or leave it to soak overnight in the sink.
4. Grid Paper. Sounds silly but this is something that is always on my craft table. I use it for my notes from meetings, telephone calls, classes etc. I also use it to help me line up my projects when stamping or gluing strips or layers onto a card. The grids provide a useful point of reference to ensure things go on straight.
I also use it to help me line up my stamps on the blocks – the lines show through the blocks and you can use them as reference and of course the ruler on each side (cm on one side and inches on the other) makes for quick and easy measuring of cardstock and ribbon.
5. Magnetic Plate for the Big Shot. This has made my die cutting so much quicker and is a must have if you have a Big Shot and have lots of dies that co-ordinate with stamp sets. It makes the lining up much easier. Admittedly there is a down side if you have very small dies because they like to jump to the nearest magnetic. But that’s where the sticky notes still come in handy!
Please note that the Magnetic Platform is not for everyone, especially people with pacemakers. As a result I still have my old fashioned folding plates for use in class.
6. My Acrylic Blocks. Over the years I have tried many different sorts of blocks for my clear mount stamp sets – thin ones, ones with printed lines on etc, etc. In the end I’ve bought the whole range of Stampin’ Up! ones. They have curved edges and a groove around the middle of them so that when you pick them up your finger tips rest neatly in the groove. They are probably the most ergonomic (long word) ones ever and they simply feel good in your hand. Sounds silly I know but people who come to class love them the first time they use them.
7. Stampin’ Dimensionals. Although I like to make clean and simple cards I love to use dimensionals too. They add that little extra something to the card that takes it just that one step further. These are something that I keep in my Basic Craft Kit and I seem to go through them at a vast rate at times because I’m forever having to add them to an order!
8. Scissors/Paper Snips. Scissors and paper snips come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. They are also very personal things and everyone has their own personal preference. Me, I love my paper snips – they never seem to get blunt (sticky maybe – but that’s easily removed) and I’ve had them for years. These are another of those items that sit in my Basic Craft Kit.
9. Glue/Adhesive. Are you a glue or tape person when it comes to adhesives? I like both but for card making I prefer glue. A little goes a long way and it gives you a little wiggle room to move the layer around a little. Once you have adhered something using tape there’s no going back. My Tombow Multipurpose Glue is another of those things that sits in my Basic Craft Kit. Like Dimensionals, it is something I seem to go through at a vast rate of knots.
10. Embellishments. Where do I start? There are so many options but my go-to items are Basic Rhinestones and the Clear Wink of Stella. Let’s face it, who doesn’t love a bit of bling or sparkle? These too sit in my Basic Craft Kit.
So what does my Basic Craft Kit have in it? There are a few more things not on the list above (and obviously some things on my list wouldn’t fit) but this is a great way of keeping it all together in one place.
