My Crafty Favorites
Art by the amazingly talented Ashley Mary
One of the things I get asked most often is some version of "what are your favorite supplies and tools for crafting?" Over time I have learned what my must-haves are and have essentials in my arsenal that I want to share with you! I also want to preface though, I don't think it's always about the supplies. Sure, there are tools and things you can buy that are better than others. Thankfully there are things available for all budgets. I do think the items I have chosen here are budget friendly and super high quality and worth the investment. That being said though, the best supplies you can use are the ones in front of you. Get creative with what you have. Doesn't have to be fancy. I've seen some of the most amazing work with a simple pencil! It's not about the supplies, it's what you do with them! With all that being said, I still love my crafty supplies and feel the need to share my 5 favorites. Trust me, it was hard to narrow down, but I didn't want to make Ashley Mary sketch out too many more!
Fiskars Paper Trimmer - I've gone through many different types of paper trimmers and this is by far my favorite one. It stays on the table in my studio (or I should say on any one of the tables) but doesn't take up a lot of space. It's lightweight and compact enough to take on the go if necessary. I find it very easy to use with little room for error - it cuts straight as long as the ruler is pulled out all the way and your paper is flush against the top. The blade glides nicely and smoothly and I find the cuts to be straight and clean. The replacement blades I like to use are these. I find myself replacing them every other month or so, which only means that I am making a lot of stuff!
American Crafts Sticky Thumb Adhesive Tape Runner - Mainly I love this thing because it's compact, easy to grip and handle and most of all, takes refills! I used to use the dot runner as I liked that it was more forgiving, but have found that if you use just a little bit of this if you're unsure about committing to the paper, then you can easily lift this off without ripping or ruining anything underneath. A little goes a long way with these and I have an entire drawer full of refills because running out of adhesive in the middle of a project is not fun at all. These are safe for photos and work smoothly on all kinds of cardstock and paper too.
Artist's Loft Watercolor Set - I could go into a whole separate post about why I love these so much (which maybe I need to do soon)! These are a great beginner set with tons of colors at a fantastic price. I have been using them to create my collections with American Crafts since 2011. Shhh - we have used this inexpensive set to create designs in 8 out of 10 collections! I love it for creating backgrounds, brush lettering for my Motivational Monday quotes, and it's probably the best looking watercolor set to photograph. Like I mentioned, I could rave more about it, but maybe it's better that I just make a whole separate video and post about this. Coming soon!
Tim Holtz Detailer Tip Waterbrush - There are few things/items I can credit with changing my life, but honestly this is one of them. Not sure why it took me so long to embrace the water brush, but once I got my hands on this one, I couldn't imagine my life without it. There is a learning curve when using it, but man, when you get passed that by practicing a lot, it is a dream! It's not an essential part of my everyday. I even carry one in my purse! You can see it in action in my video series on brush scripting on YouTube. My friend Tim is the man, and I am SO grateful to have this tool and him in my life!
Cutterbee scissors - These are my favorite compact, sharp scissors. I heard a rumor that you can even take these on the airplane, but I am scared to do so because I don't want them to get taken from TSA. These scissors can fussy cut like no other and are just the perfect size to have around. For larger cuts, I prefer these Fiskars soft-grip scissors, but since this post was just about 5 favorites, I needed to stop there.
*Thanks again Ashley Mary for your amazing work and for creating the cosmetic bag I carry all my crafty travel essentials in!*
Do you have crafty supplies you love? Let me know in the comments!
