Midweek blog #147 - Top 10 crafting essentials

 Hello & welcome to my blog,

My name is Alison & I am an independent Stampin' Up® demonstrator in Melbourne, Australia. I love creating cards & gifts for my loved ones & this blog will show you how to create something special for those you love. I blog twice a week, once on a Sunday where I mainly showcase a stamp set or dies & sometimes special DSP. My second blog is mid week on a Wednesday where I look at techniques, colour challenges, card sketches, fun folds, tools & equipment & ways to make or improve your projects. That's what this blog is about.

To start the year off I decided that looking at some of the essentials for crafting would help those who are starting out or just to check out what is useful in your craft room. 

Here are what most people consider the top 10 items for your crafting.

Number 1: Paper Snips & cutting tools.

These cute little snips are perfect for fussy cutting. They have blades that are not too thick which allows you to move the cardstock or paper easily when cutting around shapes. They are also very sharp so there are no rough edges when you've finished. If you want to go further with your cutting then Trimmer is the next step...

The Stampin' Up® Paper Trimmer allows you to cut, trim & score your materials for projects with precision. There is a clear track with cutting & scoring blades that glide up and down the track & can be moved out of the way of your work when not needed. These blades can also be popped out of the track & replaced when they are needed. There is an extendable arm so that you can hold your larger pieces of papers & cardstocks when cutting. There are Imperial & Metric measurements on the base of the board which has a protective plastic film so the numbers do not rub off. A very handy & portable tool.

Number 2: Adhesives.

There are a number of different ways to use adhesives in your projects.

1. Liquid glue or Tombow, the brand name, which is also called green glue by many people as the lids of the bottle are green. This is a very handy way of adhering items together. The bottle is easy to hold, fitting easily into your hand, & has a small nozzle on one end & a flat, spreading end for applying the glue more evenly on larger surfaces. A useful tool when you want to be able to have some 'wriggle room' when placing 2 areas together but it dries quickly once placed. These little bottles last quite a while, depending on how often you use them.

2. Tear and tape. This double sided tape is strong enough to adhere most surfaces together & comes in a large roll. This adhesive is useful if you don't need any wriggle room & also if you want to prepare lots of pieces in advance, perhaps when taking projects with you or preparing for a class or get together.

3. Fine tip glue pen. This adhesive is different to the Liquid glue. It is a clear rather than white like the liquid glue & the nozzle is fine like a needle. There is a pin inside the lid of the glue that glides back into the bottle to help prevent the glue drying inside the nozzle. Very important to make sure you close the bottle whenever you're not using it! This style of adhesive is perfect for fiddly, tiny areas & precision work.

4. Stampin' Seal. A roll on adhesive, useful for when you are batch creating or prefer to work quickly. You can also buy refills for the dispenser, handy if you worry about the amount of plastic you're putting into landfill.

5. Stampin' Seal+. Similar to the Stampin' Seal but heavy duty. There's a knack to using this one though. You have to flick the dispenser up when you get to the end of the line of adhesive or the cardstock will lift up with the adhesive. Refills are also available.

6. Mini Glue Dots. A very handy way of adhering small items such as flowers or leaves to projects whilst also achieving a slight 3D effect. These are similar to glue spots or dots from Bostik that you can buy at the supermarket or Office store but smaller (mini!) & slightly thicker. Can be stacked to create different height dimensions.

7. Cling adhesive sheets. Double sided adhesive sheets. These little beauties are perfect for intricate diecuts as they are applied to the back of cardstock or DSP prior to diecutting. You then peel the backing off & apply to your projects. Great for diecut greetings or large scenic/floral images.

3. Dimensionals.

 Foam sheets, strips or dots. Double sided foam dots, sheets & strips that can be used to create a 3D effect on your projects. These come in regular white or black & mini white or black in the dots. Great for layering bouquets of flowers or fruits, popping up animals etc. when creating a collage of images & perfect when creating shaker cards or when you want a little 'pop' of dimension on your card.

4. Inks.

There are a number of ways you can purchase & use inks. 

1. Ink pads

2. Ink refills

3. Ink spots

Most people find the easiest way is to have full sized Ink pads (1)  to allow a bigger surface area for your stamps when inking. The pads can be refilled with Ink Refills (2), small bottles with the same ink that the pads are loaded with. Great for refreshing your pad when it's no longer 'juicy'. When you re-apply the ink to the ink pad, be sure to spread it out evenly with the back of a plastic knife or something similar to ensure that there are no pools of uneven ink. The final ink option is Ink Spots (3), handy little ink pads approx. 1" in size that can be purchased if you want to try a lot of colours & can't afford all of the pads, if you need to travel & don't want a lot of extra bulk in your craft bag & also come in many of the kits.

5. Stamping acrylic blocks.

Pretty handy if you need to stamp! Clear acrylic blocks allow you to position your stamp exactly where you want it. The cling on the reverse of the stamp attaches easily to the block & the stamps release easily when you're finished. There are 6 different sizes available at Stampin' Up® to cater for all the different sized stamps that they offer. Easy to clean & there is a groove along the side of the blocks to give you more control of the block.

6. Stamps.

Cards & projects can be made with just cardstock & papers but sentiments  & images allow you to create unique & personalised projects. There are many, many options available throughout the Stampin' Up® catalogues & in the online store. There's bound to be something you like!

7. Punches & dies.

Many of the Stampin' Up® stamps have co-ordinating punches or dies. This is super handy as it saves you a lot of time if you are not a fan of fussy cutting. There are also lots of label & tag style punches & dies for when you need to stamp a sentiment or spotlight an image. The dies are high quality & work beautifully in the Stampin' Up® Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. 

8. Stationary.

If you're just starting out then you won't have a lot of cardstock but if you want to make cards then you need to have bases. Notecards & envelopes are a great way to start creating cards as they are precut & scored, ready to use. When you're ready to take the next step, there is a great selection of cardstock & Designer Series Paper (DSP) in the Stampin' Up® catalogues & on their website.

9. Cleaning up.

Once you've finished with your stamping you need to clean your stamps to keep them in good condition.

Many people use wet wipes to clean stamps but there may be lint left behind when you use them which can effect the quality of any future stamping. Here are some useful items to help you 'clean up'.

Simply Shammy
This little piece of material is one of the simplest ways to keep your stamps clean. Simply wet it & wipe your stamps on it. The Shammy cleans all the ink from your stamps without leaving any lint. It can be washed with soapy water & fits into a regular stamp case for storage. This cloth will stain with use but the ink will not transfer to future projects or your hands.

Stampin' Scrub

The Stampin' Scrub has a 'wet' side & a 'dry' side. Simply spray Stampin' Mist onto the right, 'wet' side, rub your stamp over the fibres to clean it & then rub over the left, 'dry' side to dry it on the fine fibres. I find that you get a better result & prolong the life of your mats if you stamp off on scrap paper before cleaning. 

Stampin' Mist

Stazon Cleaner

This little bottle is perfect for cleaning Stazon off of your stamps. Stazon is a permanent ink that will stain your stamps. Dabbing some Stazon Cleaner onto your stamp, allowing it to sit for a few seconds then cleaning it on your Stampin' Scrub mats will help remove nearly all of the stain.

10. Inspiration.

Everyone needs a little inspiration sometimes. A great place to start is with one of the Stampin' Up® catalogues.

Stampin' Up® catalogues have beautiful images inside to showcase their products & inspire you to create beautiful projects. There are loads of completed cards & 3D projects plus card sketches to use. Tips & techniques also help get those grey cells working! If you're looking for further inspiration or something specific then Google & Pinterest are 2 great places to find ideas & inspiration.

So there you have it - 10 of the top essentials if you want to set up your craft area & be ready for some creativity. I hope this has helped you.

That's all I have for you today. Thanks for visiting my blog, especially 'repeat offenders'! I appreciate your support. If you would like me to show you a particular technique, style of stamping or product then please, drop me a line at craftedbyalison@gmail.com & I'll do my best.

My next blog is on Sunday where I will share a gorgeous fun fold with one of the new DSP packs from the mini catalogue. It's called Storybook Moments & is super cute!

Next week's mid week blog will feature more of the Storybook Moments suite which has Storybook Friends stamps & dies that co-ordinate with the Storybook Moments DSP. This suite will be providing me with lots of creative opportunities!

I hope you can join me for both of these blogs. Til next time, take care & keep creating.

XX Alison