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hi well i just started getting into stamping and card making i had a cricut and sold it :( and hopefully getting one for my birthday but what else is an essential to card making? thanks
Oh gosh....there's so much...where to begin....BONE FOLDER, BLACK INK PAD, good paper, such as GINA K, PAPERTREYINC.....STAMPS SETS, EMBELLISHMENTS, COPIC MARKERS, (or any other good marker, if you don't want to invest in the copics),SPONGE DAUBERS, COLORED INK PADS, ENVELOPES, STICKLES, SCISSORS, ADHESIVES, GOOD PAPER CUTTER, the list goes on and on!! Have fun collecting your toys...er...necessities!!
I don't even have a Cricut but I do have a Cuttlebug and I love my embossing folders and Nestabilities. I use my Cuttlebug on everything so IMO that's a necessity. ;) I think the bare essentials are your card stock, inks, embelishments such as ribbon, buttons, brads- whatever you like the most and patterned paper. Everything else is essential- just not as much so.
The first essential is coupons, sales, offers and guidance from SCS ladies on best price/service :mrgreen:
I say your black inkpad depends on what you want to do - I like the Archival Ink (I've seen it in Hobby Lobby and Michael's) for pencil and watercoloring work. I like Memento Tuxedo black (ok love) for my Copics (which are alcohol based markers) I have never used my Stazon as much as I thought I was going to. Probably my next used ink pad is my Versamark and pen.
I would say a nice white cardstock (there is one at Sam's) and some people use Georgia Pacific 110 cardstock which can be found at Walmart. It isn't the best to stamp on but it definitely isn't the worst either and is a good cheap starter product. Personally I would get it even if I could afford the best because its a good paper to work out designs, coloring etc.
I tend to buy stamps sets that I love and can think of many uses for. Rubber stamps are the easiest to use IMO but they may need to be conditioned (the versamark pad can help but there are a variety of ways). If you have space/storage issues you may wish to use clear/unmounted stamps - personally I use a lot of unmounted rubber and clear and a stamping cushion (fun foam is similar ;) ) that came with one of the sets for my unmounted stamping.
Depending on your stamp preference you will either need different colored inkpads (often for sillouette or multi-step stamps, or something to color in your line stamps such as watercolors, pencils, or markers.
If you go with colored inkpads, I have loads of "spots, dots, eyes, drops" and think this is the best way to go with color unless it is one you know you will really use loads. My favorite colored inkpads are memento because you can get as a soft or deep a color as you need by either stamping once or repetitive over the same section.
There are a variety of recommended colored pencils - I do think you tend to get what you pay for but there is nothing wrong with starting with crayola and seeing how that works for you. Koh i nor pencils are used by some. I use Prismacolor with or without OMS/babyoil (Gamsol method). And some other brands, its a good time to use a Vendor's coupon and get artist grade pencils.
I have a variety of markers from Bic up to Copics and they all have their uses.
If you want to watercolor there are inkpads that you can watercolor from or you can get watercolor pencils or you can use traditional watercolors or you can even use a product like Twinkling H20's which are water colors with a sheen.
I use makeup sponges for daubers however you have to really pull back the edges so you don't get harsh lines.
Adhesives - there is a lot of variety. Personally, I use an ATG and 3M but have have fun with effects from basic white glue but that can "Pucker" your projects. I think everyone has to have a bit of a trial and error on what works for them in their climate.
Scissors - I have some small embroidery scissors that I love, bought to some cushioned Fiskars scissors from the sewing department and have some Tonic ones too.
As for paper trimmers I am still looking for the perfect one. I have a Carl trimmer that I picked up on sale at Sam's Club. which is much better than the Fiskars one I have. I also have the Martha Stewart Rotary trimmer and grid ruler (similar can be found in sewing departments) with a self healing mat I have had for years (worth the investment) I have a small and large one and the large one is basically my cleanable working space. I'm thinking if I can get a larger area to work in that this would be my preference.
I would also recommend a Scorpal or similar. I use mine on every card I make.
Also a pair of crafting tweezers especially if you are wanting to do small work from your Cricut. They make it much easier to place things.
Other tools that are useful - a heatgun with embossing powders, diecut machine (Cricut, Big shot, Wizard)with dies and embossing folders.
Also as far as ribbon goes if you buy white and have inkpads/markers you can die it to match your projects
Also if you like brads - silver ones can be colored too.
And lastly - I struggle to use patterned paper so for me it wouldn't be as high on the list as other things.
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I'd say basics would be sets or individual happy birthday, thank you, sympathy, baby or some variety sets with all these. I use Stampin up paper. It's very high quality. I started out buying a stamp set one month and paper and ink the next. I started very slow. You will need a paper cutter, adhesive (I use ad-tech from Wal-Mart which are $3.00 for the glue runner and one adhesive and the refills are $2.50 for two). Many people here on SCS use other adhesives. I didn't get into embellishments until I had my basics. I say get a couple packs of paper with color combos you love...like brown/pink, brown/blue, yellow/gray the ink to match one or two stamp sets, and some ribbon, adhesive, paper cutter & envelopes. Start there and add on. It took me four years, so I know you don't have to have it all right away (unless of course, you can afford it, then go for it all!).
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
You need ink, cardstock and stamps. Those are the basics! I'm assuming you already have a paper trimmer and adhesive! I do NOT think Copic Markers are a necessity - they are great for people who already have tons of stuff and are artistic and LOVE to color.
I love Stampin' Up's products (I loved it so much I became a demo) and I think SU is a great way to go because everything matches. You can buy a color family of ink pads (or Stampin' Spots, if you want to go cheaper), a package of Whisper White cardstock, a package of cardstock in your favorite color family, and a couple stamp sets and you're on your way!
Happy card-making - it's SO much fun!!!
__________________ ~ Susan - Celebrating 19 years as an SU demo! Grammy to Anna 15, Elizabeth 14, Nora 12, Abigail 12, Kendall 10 , Isaac 10, Evan 7, and Hudson 3 with me in my avatar Proud to be SCS Fan Club Member since the beginning!
You need ink, cardstock and stamps. Those are the basics! I'm assuming you already have a paper trimmer and adhesive! I do NOT think Copic Markers are a necessity - they are great for people who already have tons of stuff and are artistic and LOVE to color.
I love Stampin' Up's products (I loved it so much I became a demo) and I think SU is a great way to go because everything matches. You can buy a color family of ink pads (or Stampin' Spots, if you want to go cheaper), a package of Whisper White cardstock, a package of cardstock in your favorite color family, and a couple stamp sets and you're on your way!
Happy card-making - it's SO much fun!!!
I don't disagree with you on Copics however, if I had bought them first I probably wouldn't own all the other ways I have to color as well! :mrgreen:
This is the best advice I ever got when I started stamping again. Buy Georgia Pacific White Cardstock, and Versafine Ink. Those are your basics.
Other basics:
Adhesive. My favorites are yes, the trust glue stick. She works for me. I also love Tombow Mono Multi.
Wet washcloth to wipe your hands with while working.
Baby wipes to clean your stamps. If I am doing a big project I use a wet washcloth soaped up with baby shampoo to clean my stamps.
Favorite Color Medium. I have them all but I prefer color pencils. You might love markers, watercolor crayons or pencils, chalks etc. Use the ones that make you feel like an artist when working on a project. I started with a big old box of Rose Art color pencils. I still love those pencils even though I have new art tools.
Scissors
Ruler
I had more trouble with paper trimmers. I went with an X-acto knife and self healing mat.
A method to fold your cards. I would wait to get a scoring board until you know this is a hobby to commit too. You can use an old empty pen, butter knife, or a stylus to fold your cards.
Bone folder gives a nice crease. I gave one to my Mom, the queen of simple and beautiful paper crafts. She never had one in all her years of paper crafting. She's attached to her bone folder.
Tweezers
Memo Pad to jot notes down.
Your animals who must "help!"
Cricut:
Dental Pick
Baby wipes to clean your mat. Helps it stay sticky longer.
Extra blades
An old gift card to scrape your mat.
Cricut Spatula. Trust me this is a must. I think it should be included with the Cricut is a must have tool. I am not joking about that. Really helps take cuts off the mat. I use it with all my die cutters.
If you want to make your own designs SCAL is a nice basic addition.
ooo I found (online at Sam's Club) the bright white Georgia Pacific 110 weight that someone recommended. Price seems to vary by region but here it is
GP Image Plus White Cardstock - 250 Sheet Pack at $6.86
Described as
Quote:
110lb. high bright white cardstock is great for greeting cards, invitations, business cards and any other application that requires a heavier basis weight.
The person that found it on another thread said it is a brighter white than the Georgia Pacific found at Walmart.
I buy all my GP at Sams. Love it. Only $6.36 per ream of 250 sheets. I usually buy 4 at a time and go next door to the Office Max and have them cut all 4 in half. Usually cost me .75 per ream to cut in half..well worth the time saved and use of my cutter.
blessings.
Well, a Cricut is not an essential. So I would hold off on that until you are sure you need one. I was stamping and card making for years before I bought my first die cutter.
I tried to think of stuff I use constantly:
craft mat
craft knife and blades
paper trimmer, small one is fine
stylus and bone folder
tweezers
adhesives of choice, inc. repositionable
versamark pad
black pad
range of dye and pigment pads
quality card stock
clear embossing powder and heat tool
stamps!
I started out buying a set of sentiment stamps and some sets of versatile images. From there, you will get to know what you "need" to add.
Essentials: Stamps, chalk or dye inks, cardstock, envelopes, bone folder (or similar tool) to score and crease cards, scissors, ruler, self-healing mat, adhesive (I prefer UHU glue sticks).
Nice to have: designer paper, pigment inks, solvent inks, embossing powders, heat gun, chalks, sponges, embellishments such as ribbon, brads, eyelets, faux gemstones, etc., paper trimmer, markers--especially if you use a lot of outline stamps that you want to color in, brayer (almost an essential for me), die cut appliance and dies, scoring board, plus tons of other stuff that can make your cardmaking easier.
I would put the Cricut in the very-very-nice-to-have-but-not-essential category. It is an expensive machine, and unless you think you would get your money's worth out of it, I'd advise getting other tools and supplies first.
Having said that, if you are a teacher, if you have kids who do a lot of displays for school, 4-H, clubs, etc., if you do a lot of scrapbooking, wall art, making of signs and bulletin board displays for church, etc., then a Cricut may be a good investment. If you are primarily making cards, you can use chipboard, die cuts, embossing folders, etc. to get a variety of cool effects. I've seen the Cricut infomercial many times, and it was very tempting to order it, but once I really thought about how much it would be used, I had to decide not to buy it. Now, a Cuttlebug...that's different story, LOL!
Ultimately, it is up to you what you consider essential beyond the basics. There are a lot of non-essentials that can certainly make your cardmaking easier and add beautiful touches to your creations. Those non-essentials may eventually become essentials because you find that you rarely make cards without them.
Everyone has given you great advice on tools - my advice is start simple. Do a bit of research as to your style if you don't know already and then purchase accordingly.
If you don't like to color then pencils and some markers are not going to be high on you list. Don't buy a mega set of the best if you just want to try it out. Like it was suggested, Crayola is just fine when you are deciding if you will color a lot.
If you love watercolor then spend money on a great paintbrush and decide on how you can watercolor with the least amount of cost. You don't need a mega set of watercolor pencils or crayons when you can watercolor using a dye ink pad or marker.
Invest in your scissors (paper, ribbon, & sticky stuff) and don't use them for anything else.
I hope you aren't like I was, thinking I had to have all of something. Buy accordingy to your color preferences (if like soft colors then don't buy a bunch of bright inks & papers).
Some things are a bargin to buy in bulk (white cardstock) other things, find ways to use a product multiple ways (i.e., don't buy tons of embossing powder colors when you can emboss colored inks with clear). A lot of the products have a short shelf life so you don't want to have to replace dry pens, old EP, etc.
In general, spend wisely when it comes to the tools you will use most often (the most expensive is not always the best) as you will regret not having some things and others you'll use once and wonder why you bought it. Don't get caught up with us enablers - we want everyone to have everything we want---
I didn't think Cricut was essential to card-making?!?!?! I don't have one!!!
When I first started stamping I thought one or two stamp sets would do fine because I had lots of other supplies from scrapbooking and well, was I wrong! I find having an array of stamps FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES inspire you in different ways! If you can, try to spread the love around by buying sets from different companies until you find what you love!
Ink. (I love ranger inks, memento, and versamagic for sponging...)
Cleaners
Scissors
$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
Essentials vary person to person... When I first started out, I went with a list my mom gave me- she had been stamping for about 7 years before I started... and I feel her list was great.. so I will pass it on to you... At the end (price listed beside) I will tell you just how much it cost me to start (I feel it was reasonable, ok cheap really to start a new hobby)
--A decent Paper Trimmer $25.00
--CardStock and Designer Paper-- try a slab (it has both) or DCWV Ultimate pack or a set that coordinates together from J's) $20.00 each on sale
--a good 2 set of scissors (larger, and a smaller for detail cuts) $25.00 fiskars
--bone folder $4.00
--versaink or watermark pad $10.00
--black dye ink $5.00
--set of very versatile image stamps $20.00
--stamp cleaner or Windex $5.00
--pack of precut, prestored cards/envelopes in bulk (well 50pk) $6.00
--silver and gold brads $5.00
--tape $5.00
--very small amount of preferred embellishments (ex: flowers, stickers, rubons,ect) $30.00
retail it would have ran 160.00
I paid 98.00 to start, and I really had everything I needed in addition to a computer.. I found sales to buy from and used big box stores.
All my sediments in the beginning came off the net at a website called www.versalog.com, I printed it on smaller pieces of card-stock and adhered to my card with tape. I also found copyright free images off the net to my liking. Now for Sediments I have purchased a CD for $15.00 that has several books worth of sediments that can printed on CS, PS, Vellum (one of my fav's)
Now I will admit, there is ton more that will seem like essentials once you get started.. colored inks, embossing gun, Stylus, coloring tool (ex:chalk, colored pencils, watercolors, markers, gel pens, crystal lacquer, dove blending pen, just to name a few ways to go.
A Score board (crafters companion, scor-pal, scor-it, martha stewart, just to name a couple)
chipboard
Embossing and/or diecutting machine... I Love my Cuttlebug, and sometimes can't remember how I ever worked without it!
Fad items as I call them.. (Glitter, shimmer paints, flock, metal leaf material, gems- this list can go on and on...
Embellishments in every way...
Punches
This is not a cheap hobby in my opinion, but it is soooo much fun... I have more product them I could use in this lifetime or the next and will always buy more... You will have to figure out your style in paper-crafting, in the meantime you will buy things you try and don't like... Remember this is all about having fun...
Sign up at M's and J's for coupons at local stores if you are lucky enough to have one close to you.. Those 40 and 50% off coupons go along way..
Personally I am a paper hoarder, so I have almost 6 feet of paper in 1 spot and about 3 feet in another...
Most of all have fun and enjoy yourself.. You don't need everything to start off...
I would suggest looking through the gallery for types of cards you like, then buying what it takes to make them. For instance, if you like cards with lots of ink, buy markers or colored ink pads. If you like cards that are colored in, buy colored pencils, pastels, watercolors, etc. and a plain black ink pad.
You'll need white or creme paper to stamp on and colored paper for the backgrounds. You don't really need patterned paper unless you really like it. Ribbons are fun, as are other embelllishments.
Start out with a few things, but enough to get you started. Have fun!
I would suggest looking through the gallery for types of cards you like, then buying what it takes to make them. For instance, if you like cards with lots of ink, buy markers or colored ink pads. If you like cards that are colored in, buy colored pencils, pastels, watercolors, etc. and a plain black ink pad.
You'll need white or creme paper to stamp on and colored paper for the backgrounds. You don't really need patterned paper unless you really like it. Ribbons are fun, as are other embelllishments.
Start out with a few things, but enough to get you started. Have fun!
Excellent post! As someone who started stamping on a lark back in the early to mid 1990s (and stopped and started over and over again!), I wish that I'd had a resource such as Splitcoast, all of the wonderful blogs and online galleries, etc. Maybe Splitcoast was around, but I didn't have access to it. :(
I made a lot of mistakes, didn't know about the different uses and formulations of inks, embossing powders, etc. It would have been nice to have some guidance, rather than having to learn almost entirely by trial and error--lots of error, LOL! You'll still have some trial and error, but probably not near as much as you would without this resource. Maybe it almost goes without saying, but Splitcoast is an essential, too.
I use ivory colored paper ALL the time!! I always make sure to have a good supply of it Some other supplies that are always on hand are:
Ribbon
Brads
Glue dots
Foam tape
All different colors of ink (Versa Color is great to start with)
Paper cutter (ABSOLUTE necessity!!!!)
Stamps with different generic saying (thank you, happy birthday, get well soon, etc.)
Punches (circles, scallops, etc.)
CB (I use mine with just about every card!!!)
But I think the best idea is just to get a few sheets of paper and accessories, and have at it!!! Your collection will (rapidly!!) grow, and pretty soon you'll have all the supplies you need!!! BE WARNED: You are beginning a VERY dangerous (and expensive!!!) hobby!! :-D That being said, I wouldn't trade my card supplies for anything!!! Have fun creating!!
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~Rebekah~ My mind works like lightning - one brilliant 'FLASH' and it's gone!
what are the essentials?
