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The problem is there are so many ways to make cards depending on supplies.
There are many card makers with huge followings that never color an image.
There are others that never stamp and only diecut and emboss.
I think it is imperative to narrow down what speaks to a person. If it is Tim Holtz look then the crafter wants stamps and ink and plain cardstock...if it is diecutting thenwhat sort...if it is coloring then what sort. Yes, there are some tool basics but one person's basic is another's never need. I rarely see anyone mention a small pair of embroidery scissors, yet I use that as much as my piercer.
I have a large Martha Stewart mat that I have on my desktop at all times. It protects my work surface, it's padded so I have a cushy stamping surface, and paints, etc. clean off easily not to mention that I always have a cutting surface ready to go.
An inexpensive alternative is to use an oven liner sheet. It isn't cushy but meets all the other criteria.
I use a plastic cutting board on my desk that I got at the dollar store. Easy to clean and very durable.
I would invest in good scissors, paper cutter and I love my score board. But the best purchase I have made is my silhouette cutter. If I am bought that I could have saved a fortune on dies and punches.
For me when I first started making cards I was extremely frustrated until:
1. I bought good quality card stock for card bases - I use Gina K or PTI white. All other I mainly use SU
2. Bought a good paper trimmer.
3. Bought a scoreboard and scoring tool.
Of course, now I've been stamping for 20+ years and have many more tools in my arsenal. But the three mentioned above were so helpful in the beginning.
The problem is there are so many ways to make cards depending on supplies.
There are many card makers with huge followings that never color an image.
There are others that never stamp and only diecut and emboss.
I think it is imperative to narrow down what speaks to a person. If it is Tim Holtz look then the crafter wants stamps and ink and plain cardstock...if it is diecutting thenwhat sort...if it is coloring then what sort. Yes, there are some tool basics but one person's basic is another's never need. I rarely see anyone mention a small pair of embroidery scissors, yet I use that as much as my piercer.
This is SO GOOD to remember! And to ask customers as well! It's a no-brainer but something I might forget to ask!
__________________ Mischelle Smith www.mischellesmith.comFounder/CEO of The Angel Company and NOW a consultant with CTMH !
I have read scissors as a requirement but I think they need two pair. One for paper and one for fabric or ribbon (which is fabric). Paper can dull scissors pretty quickly and then trying to cut ribbon with them might be frustrating.
I do not have any kind of special scissors for ribbon and have not had a problem all these years but there is another thread ongoing right now that discusses different choices.
That a good idea but the oven liner is not self-healing.
True. I don't cut on it. It really just acts as a barrier for wet stuff, ink, glitter, bits of paper, etc and when it gets messy I can pick it up and dump it off into the trash. I used to only use grid paper, but having the oven liner under that adds one more layer of protection for my desk surface.
