{ranai}
Happy New Year! The past few months were intensely busy. I had what felt like 2487623876 orders for Christmas gifts, participated in a craft fair, and had a large event to pull off. It was stressful but showed me I can tackle just about anything. The worst part was it left my craft room and event storage spaces wrecked. Don’t judge me… please!
I work in higher education as my full time pay the bills and provide me with health insurance and retirement gig. That means that we get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off. I took that time to really reorganize my craft room. It was daunting, but when it was complete it took this intense weight off my shoulders.
It also got me thinking about my favorite tools- the items I wanted really close to me because I use them almost daily. Some are pricier investments, others are inexpensive and often used for an unintended purpose. Here’s my rundown:
- Silhouette Cameo. I still don’t know why I hesitated so long to buy one of these. If you watch for deals you can get them in the $200 range. It has been life changing what I can do with it and has cut down the time on certain projects CONSIDERABLY.
- Paper Cutter. I like the cutters that slide along the track. They tend to cut straighter than the guillotine style and you can eye where it’s going to cut much easier. I don’t have this exact style, but if I were replacing mine this is what I would get. It takes up less space and has a swing out ruler arm.
- Scotch Advanced Tape Glider. I get made fun of for this giant tape gun, but it is the BEST tape. It’s strong and comes out really fast and clean. It’s a bit of an up front investment, but the refills are affordable and last a long time.
- Retractable tape measure for sewing. I don’t sew. Ever. But I love tape measures intended for fabric projects because they can go around glass objects and do quick measurements. I carry them in my car and purse and have a stockpile in the craft room. You can buy super cute ones or get something from the Dollar Tree and decorate it.
- E6000 glue. This glue rocks my socks! It can be used on fabric, glass, whatever. It has a super strong adhesion but it takes a bit to set. You can buy it just about anywhere that sells glue.
- Blue painters tape. I always have a roll or ten around to hold things down on little to big projects. It comes off clean and doesn’t leave a residue. Since I use a lot I tend to buy it in the contractor’s pack.
- Pan scraper. Nylon pan scrapers are amazing little buddies of mine. A lot of the projects I tackle require some type of smoothing and these are the best for getting the job done. I bought mine at Walmart but you can find them just about anywhere.
- Test Probe set. I guess these are really for circuit probing and other type work. I use mine for weeding vinyl projects. I wrapped the metal handles with electric tape for a more comfy grip.
- Crop-a-Dile Big Bite punch. When I scrap-booked I got this for eyelet setting. Now I mainly use it to punch holes in paper but it’s so strong and easy to use! Plus you can set a guide so you punch at the same depth every time.
- Score board. You know how when you fold a piece of paper over and crease it, it’s never clean? Not so with a score board! Mine has seen me through so many card making projects and a ridiculous amount of paper medallions. I have the Martha Stewart one because it used to be sold at Michaels much cheaper than this one on Amazon. EK tools and other brands sell their versions in the $20 range.
- Singer Heavy Duty scissors. I have a few of these bad boys. They cut through EVERYTHING. They’re great for floral projects, wire, ribbon…everything.
FYI I’m not legit enough to make money off of these links. You might find better deals elsewhere, just wanted to give an idea what I’m talking about 😉 And of course, don’t forget to use your coupons wherever you decide to shop!
I received some craft store gift cards for Christmas so I bought a Bow-It-All v3.0. I’ve played with it minimally so it didn’t make the list, but I can see it being a game changer for making super cute bows!
What are your must haves in the craft room?
qutehoots.com 