Terrific Tips Tuesday

Right now my stamping space is chaotic.  If you can say that about a space that is basically nonexistent. Currently we are renting while we get ready to build a home. I had a very nice stamping space at our previous house. When  my husband first brought up the idea of selling and building again it took a little bit to get me on board. After he promised that I would still be able to have space to stamp and scrapbook I slowly came around. Then it took a while to sell, but we finally did last year. We moved here last July and it took a while to find the place that we had in our minds and hearts. So, while our rental is quite nice by rental standards you can easily guess I don't have "my" own space to work on projects. My supplies are divided into 3 areas throughout the main floor which means working on anything means quite a bit of walking back and forth and digging. I'm a very organized person and this "limbo" is wearing thin. I keep my eye on the prize, though, and I'll keep you updated on my new space as it comes along.

I also have to use our kitchen table to work which means planning my "creative time" around our meals. I do a lot of getting supplies out and putting them back to keep the table cleared up. So, as I was working on the latest set of Stamp Camp cards I realized that I would like to share my favorite tools with you. These are the very first things I get out when I'm getting ready to work on a project.

I think the question I get asked the most often is, "What do I need to start?" Well, there is a nice little list you can put together, but for this post I want to share my absolute top favorites. I'll revisit this topic in the future and fill out the list a little more in other posts. These tools are like an extension of my right hand. I keep them all together in a little caddy and this caddy goes everywhere with me.

1. The first item I can't live without would be a tape runner. There are many brands, but of course I use Stampin' Up!'s tape runner. I love that the adhesive is clear. It means that I can run it along paper that might have some holes or details punched through it and you can't see it behind the paper. It is also a nice, strong adhesive that will hold Stampin' Up!'s sturdy card stock. 
   
   
   
2. Right next to adhesive is scissors. This is probably an obvious one, but it's an important one. I use Stampin' Up!'s Paper Snips for most projects. There are several different types of scissors available for different jobs, but these are the ones I would recommend you start with.
3. The very next tool I reach for is the Stampin' Trimmer. I have used many different trimmers in my years of scrapbooking and card making and this one is by far my favorite. For starters, it cuts amazingly well. It also has a scoring blade that fits in a track long enough to stay put out of the way so you can cut up to 12" with out removing the scoring blade. The base is slightly larger than most trimmers, so you can cut up to 6" without opening the arm - which measures up to 15.5"! The grid lines on the base are below a layer of plastic, so they won't rub off over time. And there is even a little storage compartment on the bottom to store extra blade refills. Both the ruler arm and the track lock into place so they won't be flopping around in your way when you need to travel with your trimmer. I really can not recommend this tool enough, no matter what level of crafter you are. By the way, this obviously doesn't fit in my caddy, but it lays flat and is lightweight enough to make it easy to store or pack up and take with you.
   
4. Another favorite of mine is the Bone Folder. You might laugh, but I really don't know if I could live without this tool in my kit. The most obvious use is getting a nice fold in your card stock for a professional looking card. But there are so many more uses - I couldn't list them all here. In a pinch, it can score card stock as well. I use it almost like you would use scissors on ribbon to help curl up edges of paper to add dimension, such as on flower blossoms. If you like playing with ink, it can even spread the ink around on your paper. Messy fun! Try one today and see what ways it can help you! 
   
5. One last tool that I seriously couldn't live without is not a Stampin' Up! tool. Yet. I sure hope they offer one someday. It's a ruler. Please don't laugh. I have a 7" ruler that has probably gotten more use than even my tape runner. It's small size is big enough to measure most things in scrapbooking ( pictures are generally 4"x6") and nearly all components of card making. And it's small enough to fit in my little caddy and be easy to handle. If you ever come across a ruler about this size, grab it! You'll be happy you did.