I don’t know about you, but I have 5 tools that I consider
my must haves when stamping beside the obvious paper, ink and stamps/blocks.
The first tool on my must have list, is my Stampin’ Trimmer!
This trimmer is by far the best paper trimmer I have used, and trust me, I have
used several. A few years ago, when I was first re-discovering my love of paper
crafting, I went out and purchased a rather in-expensive rotary cutter. Ugh,
the saying, “you get what you pay for”…I think it came from someone who bought
this very rotary cutter….I couldn’t cut a straight line to save my life! It was
awful! So, off to one of the big box office supply stores I went. There I found
myself a rather pricy guillotine paper trimmer; that should work! Until I got
it home that is….Immediately, when I pulled it out of the box, I could see that
the swing arm was bowed out and sure enough, I couldn’t cut a straight line from
that either! Finally, I decided to purchase the Stampin’ Trimmer. I was so
excited when it arrived, but also prepared myself to be known forever to make
crooked cards. I pulled it out of the box. It looked good. So, I pulled out an
8 ½” x 11” piece of cardstock and made my first cut at the 5 ½” mark, and there
it was, a perfectly cut card base! It was beyond belief so I had to check it
again….and sure enough, my eyes were NOT playing tricks on me! Wahoo! I found
my new best friend in the craft room!
The second “must have” on my list is the grid paper from
Stampin’ Up! This is the perfect desk protector and allows me to ensure
perfectly straight placement of sentiments, lines etc. The grid allows me to
line everything up to ensure straight even designs. Remember…I can’t eyeball a
straight line…see aforementioned love of the Stampin’ Trimmer!
My 3rd “must have” in the craft room is my
piercing tool. This little gem looks like it’s uses are pretty limited,
however, it’s not just for paper piercing, mine gets used EVERY DAY, every
crafting session. I use it to pick up rhinestones, pearls, candy dots, enamel dots,
glue dots that need to be placed precisely. I use it to hold down corners that
need a little extra glue drying time. I use it to hold down something I may be
embossing with my heat tool to prevent burnt fingers…or should I say charcoal
fingernails…that’s another story!
The 4th most important item in my craft room is
my Stampin’ Scrub. This is the best
stamp scrubber I have used and it’s soft and gentle on your stamps while many
out on the market tend to be rough and scratch up your stamps. And personally,
I don’t think they would be very good for your lovely photopolymer stamps. In spite
of being soft and gentle on your stamps, it does a great job cleaning them with
the Stampin’ Mist. These 2 products together are dynamite! And when the
scrubber gets too dirty to do the best job that it can do, it is easy peasy to
clean…just pop out the fuzzy pads, run them under water, let them dry and you’re
back in business! Don’t want to wait for
them to dry 24 hours? Check back in a couple of days and I will share my little
“trick” with you! You’re going to LOVE it!
And finally, the 5th most important tool in my
craft room is my paper snips! These little pointy scissors are an absolute must
have in your stamping arsenal. They allow you to “fussy cut” with precision.
They are comfortable in your hand, are great for trimming and cut ribbon like
butter!
So, there you have it, my top 5 must haves in the craft
room. What are your must haves in your stamping arsenal?