I've been making cards for a few years now and there's definitely a few items that I see myself reaching for over and over again. It's tough to narrow it down to just 10 items, but these are absolutely must haves! This list will not include items such as stamps, dies, stencils and embellishments. I'll do a more in depth list in the future of other items I recommend.
Listed in no particular order:
• Scotch Advanced Tape Gun (or ATG Gun)
This is the EXACT one I purchased almost 5 years ago! The adhesive that comes with this gun is SUPER sticky so you know your card won't fall apart in the mail. It's very easy to use, just pull the trigger and run the gun across your paper.
Refills can be bought on Amazon or in your local craft store.
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Ranger Craft Mat or Ken Oliver's The Best Ever Craft Mat
I've had my Ranger Non-Stick Craft Mat for probably 5 years now and it's held up pretty well. I love the non-stick surface which allows me to use glue, resin, and paint with easy clean up. The mat is pretty thin and can get creased rather easy. It is heat resistant and can even be put in the oven if you like to work with clay. Since the mat is brown, using it as a palette won't give you the true color result. It has a slick, teflon like surface.
Ken Oliver's "The Best Ever Craft Mat" is new to the market and has its own special properties. This craft mat is thicker than the Ranger mat. It is also non-stick as well. It can be crumpled into a ball and released with no creasing. The mat is white which makes using it as a palette enjoyable. This mat has a slightly sticky feeling surface. It kind of grips your finger when you rub across it. This property gives it a non-slip ability on your table surface, but it can also make clean up a little more difficult. This mat is also heat resistant.
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Embossing Heat Gun or Heat It Tool
The embossing heat gun that I own is actually the Marvy Uchida one, but it has bad review on Amazon so I listed the above one. It looks just like the one I have. An embossing heat gun is an impatient persons best friend. It's also the only way you will get
embossing powder to dry. I know you might be thinking "Can't I just use my blow dryer?". No, you can't! The embossing heat tool will emit heat without the extra "blowing" that a hair dryer does. This is important so you don't blow off all the embossing powder. I also recommend letting the tool heat up for a little bit off the paper before you try to emboss. This will give you better results. I use my embossing heat tool to dry watercolor paint, dye based inks, and even acrylics (shh, you're really not supposed to dry acrylics that way!).
Ranger's Heat It Craft Tool is another option. Ranger has a reputation in the industry for quality. This tool looks a lot like a compact blow dryer but it still has the gentle air flow of an embossing tool. This tool can also be used for melting embossing powders, shrinking plastic and helping dry inks. I can't really recommend one over the other, but I've been told this one is much quieter than traditional embossing guns.
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A4 Envelopes
This might seem like a silly recommendation, but it is seriously helpful! I have a
Martha Stewart Scoreboard that allows me to make my own envelopes if I chose to. However, by the time I get done making a card, I am either too exhausted or too time crunched to make a custom envelope for it. I like to work in the A4 card size because I can get 2 card bases out of one standard 8.5 x 11" piece of paper. Most stamps and embellishments will also fit nicely on this size. Just take my word for it and make sure to have some envelopes on hand!
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A GOOD Black Ink. Either StazOn, Versafine or Memento
StazOn ink is a specially formulated solvent ink that can stamp on many surfaces. It is also permanent and water resistant. Some surfaces include metal, glass, plastic and other semi and non-porous surfaces. You may be thinking what this has to do with card making. StazOn is a great ink for water techniques. It dries quickly and the water will not re-activate the ink since it's permanent. It stamps nice and crisp. Beware that is does stain stamps though, so you may want the
solvent cleaner that StazOn offers. It's the only thing I've found that truly cleans the stamps up.
Versafine Ink by Tsukineko is known to be a great ink for detailed images. It is a unique pigment ink that is also waterproof. This ink can also stain stamps and StazOn cleaner will clean that up. Since it's a pigment ink, I would recommend drying with a heat tool before moving on to water techniques.
Tsukineko's Memento Tuxedo Black Ink has been one of my favorite's for a while now. These fade resistant dye ink pads are fast drying. These ink pads also capture fine details quite well. Though they are not listed as water resistant inks, I have had good luck using this ink with watercolors and alchol ink markers. Just dry with a heat tool before adding water. This ink does not stain stamps either, so you can easily clean up with baby wipes or a paper towel and water.
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Sizzix Big Shot Machine
If you're new to card making you may be very curious about embossing folders and die cutting. It's for good reason to! These products are a lot of fun to use and can add some serious style to your cards. Even though I have an
electronic die cutting machine, I find myself pulling my Big Shot out time after time again. There's other manual die cutting machines on the market, but the Big Shot normally does the trick. Its heavy duty design means it will last for years to come. It also has the force it needs to properly emboss and cut. It's compatible with many different types of dies and embossing folders since there is a multipurpose platform included. It can cut the older design of steel rule dies and the newer design of wafer thin dies. I 100% recommend this machine over any of the others out there UNLESS you are considering either the
Big Shot Plus, which is a larger version of this or the
Tim Holtz Vagabond 2 simply because it has a motor and can help with large projects. I love my Big Shot and I'm glad I chose that machine.
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Craft Spinner
Hopefully you have some dedicated space in your home for your card making hobby. This is where you can put your spinning organizer. I have one that looks very similar to this one and it's quite useful. It helps to have your items out where you can see them. It make them get used more often. You're also maximizing your space since this is a carousel that spins.
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Multi Medium Matte and a Fine Line Applicator
This is THE BEST combination for embellishment setting. Intricate die cuts, rhinestones, sequins, and large glitter are all easy to add to your card when you have these two! Ranger's Multi Medium Matte is a great all around glue. It dries quickly and it's clear and matte which means oozed out glue goes unnoticed. However, since you scooped your Multi Medium Matte into a wonderful Fine Line Applicator, the odds of oozing is quite minimal. The fineline applicator gives you ultimate control of where your glue is going. Get this combo and never look back!
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Paper Trimmer
This Fiskars Paper Trimmer is very similar to
the one I have. I really do like my paper trimmer, but I think it's a bit of overkill and sometimes it seems just a little too bulky. Fiskars is known for making quality scissors and puts a great blade on paper trimmers. The arm on this trimmer expands for measurements up to 15" and then folds away for easy storage. I've tried rotary, blade, and guillotine trimmers and I've found that I prefer a straight blade, but not just any straight blade, a really good and sharp blade. This trimmer has a patented triple track system that eliminates any wobble to ensure a straight, wobble free cut. The Sure Cut wire line shows you exactly where your cut is going to be. Seriously, a paper trimmer is something you don't want to skimp out on. I started out with a super cheap one and ruined designer papers with jagged cuts and rips. It can really put a cramp in your crafting when that happens.
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Tutorials!
Not only is this the only FREE thing on this list, it's also one of the most useful. You Tube has an array of card makers that share their infinite wisdom for free! You may have to watch an ad every once in a while, but it's totally worth it.
Here's a few of my favs:
Intoxicating Arts (LOL, that's actually me!)
Kristina Werner
Jennifer McGuire
Sandy Allnock
Carissa Wiley
Catherine Pooler
Darlene Devries
Laura Bassen
May Flaum
Michelle Short
Amy R - Prairie Paper & Ink
I hope this list was helpful for you and I welcome you to the crafting community! Please note that this post includes affiliate links. If you click on it and purchase something I will get a small commission. It's your way of saying "thanks for the suggestion" if you decide to purchase any of these items.
