I owe everyone an apology for disappearing last week. Between a crazy work schedule and being lucky enough to be in my amazing friend Kelly's wedding yesterday, time for blogging was hard to come by. So my apologies for the radio silence! I'll do my best to make this week's posts extra-special to make up for it!!
Speaking of weddings, here is a picture of Mr. B and I after the wedding. As I told my friends, I always have to get a picture when the two of us get all fancied up to prove that we clean up ok! lol
I'm a pretty lucky girl to have such a good guy. He even carried my purse so I could attend to my bridesmaid duties! Oh, and I got to wear a dress with ruffles AND a bow!! Awesome day.
Back to business...As I was writing the blog post a few weeks back about
updating our bedroom (for zero dollars!), I shared a few little tools that I use frequently for organizing. That got me thinking...there are A LOT of other things that I love too (And maybe some people would be interested in hearing about them!)
Today, I'm going to share a few of my must-have basic craft supplies. These are the backbone of my craft room - the tools that allow me to do the basics and do them well! In later posts, I'll expand tell you about my favorite decor items/brands, fancy craft supplies, tools, and maybe even more!
My first favorite?
Tacky glue.
I always have at least one bottle open. It is extremely versatile, but I find myself using it most for gluing paper and small pieces of wood for craft projects. Tacky glue is great to have around for crafts as well as household uses. Be careful, though. Once you figure out how awesome it is, you might start to hoard it like I do...I usually have at least 2 extra bottles on hand (just in case!)
Next is a
paper trimmer.
Many years ago, I was an avid scrapbooker. Though I haven't been in to it over the last few years of my life, my paper trimmer has moved right along with me wherever I went! From college to working life to home, I find myself using it extremely frequently. You never know when I may need to trim a picture or cut a piece of paper for a home decor project!
My trimmer is older so it isn't sold anymore, but you can always find good ones at Joann or Michaels and get a good deal with a coupon. My favorite brand is Fiskars - they're reliable, last a long time and the replacement blades are easy to find!
Speaking of Fiskars...
The next item up in my list of craft favorites is a super sharp pair of scissors!
Actually, let me restate that. Make it 2-3 super sharp pairs of scissors. Now now now, don't get worked up about having too much of a good thing. Because you can't really have too many scissors. My theory is that there are SO many different things that you use scissors for, you should really have a pair for each category of crafting. Here's how my scissor arsenal lays out:
Fabric Scissors
To me, this pair of scissors is holy. Fabric scissors need to be super-de-duper sharp, and cutting paper or *gasp* cardboard *gasp* will kill them in just a few cuts. Therefore, Mr. B knows to leave this pair alone (He's a smart guy). I myself only use them for cutting fabric and ONLY fabric. That way they stay sharp as long as possible and I don't find myself trying to cut fabric with scissors that work as well as those plastic ones we used in kindergarten!
I have my eye on
this pair for the future when I can upgrade. So drool-worthy. Yep, I drool over scissors.
Right now I'm using the pair you see above. They are compact and allow for small, sharp cuts for those little, bitty project details. Generally they get used most for crocheting (and specifically pom pom-making!)
Last is a pair of paper scissors. Again, Fiskars is my go-to brand, so no picture needed. These are for trimming - wait for it - PAPER. I know, you never would have guessed, right? But these ones get a workout for other miscellaneous craft items too. I tend to use these more freely, so they dull faster. \
Once they don't work great anymore, they get downgraded to household do-whatever scissors and I grab a new pair. I just keep an eye out for those times at a craft place when I can double up coupons or find a "fashion" pair on clearance. Then I can snap them up and keep them at home for when the old pair bites the dust.
Whoo, that was a lot about scissors. Probably more than you ever wanted to know. Feel free to leave a comment if you would like me to add scissors to my "off limits blog topics" list!
Now you won't likely find me using these to make a dress. In fact, if I mention sewing clothes, direct me to possibly leave that idea and go to one of my other hobbies. Clothes-making and I do NOT have a good track record...that's a story for another day!
The reason I like a dressmaker's measuring tape is because it is flexible. The giant ones I use for home improvement are great, but they're bulky and hard to maneuver. A dressmaker's tape is flexible, so it can be wrapped around a vase or put against the curve of a lampshade. I use mine all the time!
I'm afraid that I may have lost your interest, so I stop there for now. However, there are SO many more things that I use all the time I could share with you!! Here's a list form of some of those things:
Hope you have a great week!
