Today I'm going to share my top ten craft tool essentials. These are the products and brands that I use most often in my own craft kit.
1. A die cutter is a brilliant tool, whether you work with paper or fabric, I have a Silhouette Cameo from Crafts-U-Love but there are lots of other options out there. I started off five years ago with a Sizzex big shot machine (which I recently donated with all my old dies to H's Museum), then I moved on to a Making Memories Slice machine, before upgrading last Christmas to my Silhouette. The best thing about Die-cutters is that you get a really professional clean cut and the amount of different materials you can cut with them. I would totally recommend looking into the best one you can afford and working your way up, depending on how much you find you use it.
2. Fiskars classic general purpose scissors are my favourite fabric scissors, because the actual dressmaking scissors are a little large for my small piggy fingers I find. I adore Fiskars brand products, they are just such brilliant quality and being orange, I can always spot them in my sewing box.
3. Another classic Fiskars product are their Pinking shears, they are by far the best I have ever owned and I have owned a lot of different brands. They are generally not a cheap option, so I would totally recommend popping them on your Christmas list (yes I am aware that is the second time I have mentioned Christmas, sorry I know its only August) but they are worth every penny. Crafty tip: If you want your fabric scissors and pinking shears to last... Never cut paper with them, ever! it will blunt your blades, you can buy cheaper alternatives to cut paper. It is also worth avoiding beaded or sequin fabrics, unless you remove them along the cutting line before you cut.
4. 3 in 1 pliers are a brilliant addition to any craft kit. they are obviously great for beading and jewellery making but they are also great for wire work and grabbing hold of small dainty bits and bobs.
5. I got my first Xacto knife 10 years ago, it was one of the first freebies I was given from one of my suppliers at Sew Crafty. I have since bought about 7 more. Definitely one of the best craft tools I own. I now have to buy refills online but it is the best craft knife I have ever used. I like the fact that the blades are small and neat, it means that you can be really precise with your cuts and are much less likely to slice yourself. However they are VERY sharp, so always use them with extreme caution.
6. Scotch double sided tape is by far the best double sided tape, bar none. This stuff is gorgeously sticky. I use it on paper, fabric, cork, card, plastic and basically anything I need to stick together. I mostly use it for card making, but it is the best double sided tape I have found.
7. A Heat gun is something I have had for ages and don't use that often but it is a great tool to have. It is great to use for shrink plastic, but also I use it for drying paint and for effects with watercolour.
8. If I can't use my double sided tape I will be using my Gutteman HT2 glue. It is fast drying clear glue, I have many glues in my collection, but this is by far my favourite.
9. I love my rolling alphabet stamp, I have had mine for a while and have used it a lot. I bought mine from Etsy.com a while ago and seem to be a little cheaper now than when I bought mine, but they are definitely a good buy. It is perfect for making personalised ribbon.
10. This is a crafting staple, a Staz-on ink pad. It can take a long time to dry on some surfaces but it is great for using on fabric and shiny paper.
I hope that was helpful to some of you who are looking to top up your craft tool boxes.
What are your favourite crafting tools? Do you love your fancy crochet hooks? or do you have a favourite brand you love? We would love to hear your thoughts
Sammy xxx
