6 Basic Tool/Product must haves:

1. Trimmer- I use a very basic trimmer at this stage, I have my eye on a new trimmer, but have decided to invest in other products instead.


2. Adhesive including foam squares to add dimension – I love tape runners because they make card making and scrapbooking so much quicker, but most of the time I use x-press it double sided tape (or equivalent) for economical reasons. For foam adhesives I will purchase anywhere, and love having different brands because the thickness of the foam differs. I will even get them from my local cheap shop.


3. Computer/printer – or access to one. I use mine for searching lots of different sites for inspiration and learning new techniques, shops for purchasing products, and a word processing program for printing a variety of different things.


4. Cardstock and patterned paper – try to match up some plain cardstock with your patterned paper when buying or before starting a project to set the tone of your project. A must have is some decent white cardstock, I keep a supply of A4 and 12” x 12”, and keep all my white scraps left over in a separate container. Don’t forget, all cardstock has another side, don’t automatically throw it out because you have destroyed one side. Another good tip is to look out for double sided patterned paper, it gives you 2 coordinating papers without having to think. Paper pad packs are also great for having a lot of coordinating sets of paper.


5. White gel pen – I will only buy uni-ball signo white gel pens, they are usually also available from your local newsagent. Always have a back up one available because nothing is more annoying than a low ink gel pen!


6. Markers – there are many markers on the market, but if money it tight, don’t look past your childrens texta sets. I sometimes pinch my daughters textas, they have a set with 100 colours at a cost of about $19.95 (bought a couple of years ago) and they are great! Stampin’ up have a great range of markers. These type of markers have many great uses when stamping as well. A permanent double ended black marker is also a great investment.
   

Ok…..so my first project using only the above supplies is a card inspired by Kristina Werner. I love her blog… her projects are usually fairly easy to follow and can be adapted using basic supplies.

To make this card I printed the sentiment ‘happy’ on my computer using a word processing program. This takes a little bit of thought the first time, but you will soon get used to it. A tip is to ensure all your ‘page setup’ tools are correctly set (especially paper size and margins), a little playing around, and it will come to you. I personally usually don’t use my computer much, and prefer the feeling of stamping, but we live in a technological era, and this is my back up when I don’t have a suitable stamp. (Remember, I am a crafter on a budget).

I found some left over Kaiser patterned paper and coordinating plain cardstock from another project. Using the trimmer I cut 5 x 1” squares and 5 x ½” squares. The bottom strip of paper was the reverse side of one of the papers, but was a plain distressed blue and I felt it needed a little help. White gel pen and ruler to the rescue, a few lines and dots and it was done.

A blue marker pen for the sentiment ‘birthday’ (Kristina style, I think I did ok), a brown marker for some faux stitching, a white gel pen to draw stars on the ½” square embellishments and the card was finished. Although it doesn’t show up well in the photo, all the squares are mounted on foam adhesives to give the project dimension.