My Fave Tools

So, I have been meaning to write this post for ages, but there is always something to side track me! When did I get so busy?! I love love love that the shop has taken off in the last couple of weeks but I am definitely scrambling. I have some exciting news and I have new products to share, but that can wait!

I know that many/most of you who read this blog are crafts enthusiasts yourself, and if you're anything like me you love reading tips and tricks that other crafters have to share. I wanted to talk a little bit about the tools that I use every day and couldn't live without, I hope this inspires you!

Number One:

Cutter Bee Scissors. I love these scissors so much, I could never be without them now! They are small, sharp, and accurate. I do a lot of hand cutting and I would be lost without these. They can get right in and cut out the tiniest details. They are comfy to hold on to, and don't give my hand a cramp. I have had my pair for almost one year now and I use them for *everything* and they haven't dulled at all yet! Best of all, you can get them at almost any Walmart or Scrapbooking store for about $10. I have even seen pink ones around!

Number Two:

Basic Gray Rub On Roller. This thing is great not only for rub ons, but I use it for other things like cleaning my cricut mat after cutting and for cmoothing paper down when gluing. This tool is the best for applying rub ons though - it has a ball point end. Much easier than a popsicle stick!

Number Three:

Adtech Glue Runner. This thing is my baby! There are many glue runners on the market, but Adtech is cheap and widely available. It comes in dot glue (repositionable, good for paper) and a stronger version that I like to use for things like ribbon and felt. This one is available at Walmart and the refills cost $4 for 2 - a good price for me, I go through 4-5 refill packages a week sometimes.

Number Four:

Fiskars Threading Water Punch. I love a good scalloped edge, who doesn't? I use this punch in many of my products, predominantly cards and gift card holders. You can scallop any edge and it will look good, if you ask me! This is a punch that is definitely worth the investment.

There we go! These are my favorite tools! What are yours? Tomorrow I will post about some of my must have products so check back!

Spic and Span

I was a busy beaver this AM and cleaned up my paper station (it really needed it, as evidenced in the before photo). To be honest, I had to clean it because I was looking for one very important, very small piece of paper in the midst of everything. Luckily, I found it! And now my space is very tidy and my scrap papers are all sorted :)





I'm embarassed that it looked like this before! Here is what it looks like now:



I sorted out all of my scraps by solids and patterns, in the two baskets. I added a table cloth (that is fabric left over from the head table at my wedding!) to hide the junk under the table, and I moved the paper cutter to the other side so that paper won't fall off the edge of the table after it has been cut. I also kept bumping my hip on the lever when I would leave the room.

The shelf above the table was my $10 garage sale find that I painted, it holds merchandise ready to be shipped. On top of the shelf there are various jars of ribbon spools. Next to the shelf is a thrifted wall sconce that holds this. I want to paint the sconce as well.... obviously I have a lot of paint projects! Under that shelf is a thrifted letter holder that needs to be painted - it holds tiny pieces of paper.

Thanks for looking! Tomorrow I am headed to the closing of the *only* scrapbook store on the island... which makes me very sad, but everything is 40% off so that makes me happy! Check back here tomorrow because I will be posting a little write-up about my favorite tools. I will tell you some tips and tricks to how I do my crafts :)