DIY Bride

Happy August! This month I’m bringing you several articles, tutorials, and resources to get you merrily on your way to a life (or at least a few projects worth) of stamping.

Today I’m introducing the necessary tools and products to get you started. These are, in my opinion, the essentials every stamper should have in her toolbox (besides the stamps themselves).

1. Basic black dye ink pad. (We’ll go over dye ink vs. pigment ink in a later post.) A black ink pad is like your favorite little black dress: it’s perfect for any occasion and it’ll serve you well for years. (My fave inks: Stampin’ Up!, Close To My Heart, Tsukeneko, Fresh Ink!)
2. Rubber stamp scrubby and stamp cleaner. After you’ve used your stamp, you’ll need to clean it. While some people use non-alcohol-based baby wipes, I prefer stamp scrub. It’s a hinged tray with a scrubby material on the inside lid and base. When open, I spray stamp cleaner on one side for cleaning and leave the other side dry for wiping off excess. (My fave: Stampin’ Up! Scrubber and CTMH’s cleaner)
3. Embossing/heat tool and embossing powders. Heat embossing is an awesome way to add dimension to your stamping projects. It’s the act of heating a powered plastic on a stamped image. When the powder melts, it leaves a raised image. Embossing powders come in a vast array of colors, including metallics. (My fave: Marvy)
4. Stamp positioner. This tool helps you perfectly position a stamp where you need it on a page.With clear stamps, you don’t really need this because you can see right through the stamp, but for wood-mounted or red rubber stamps, this is an absolute essential for accurate results. (My fave: Stampin’ Up!’s Stamp-a-ma-jig)
5. A good, sharp pair of scissors. You’ll need great scissors for cutting ribbon, trimming stamps (some rubber stamps need to have excess rubber removed), and other projects. (Any shears by Kai are awesome.)
6. A paper cutter for trimming cardstock and decorative papers. A 12″ one is sufficient for most DIY paper projects. I have 4 different ones. You can read my review of each in the forums.
7. A selection of dye inks and pigment inks in your favorite colors. Inks are available in, literally, hundreds of colors.
8. An eyelet-setting tool and eyelets. I prefer an all-in-one tool that will both punch the holes and set the eyelet. “Setting” the eyelet usually refers to putting a small, metal eyelet into a hole and smashing the back to flatten it onto the paper. (My fave: Crop-o-Dile)
9. A bone folder. Bone folders are smooth, slim pieces of bone or acrylic that are used to create creases and folds in paper. (These are all pretty much the same. I do really like the feel of the ones from Martha Stewart Crafts.)
10. Adhesive. There are so many tapes, glues, and sticky substances on the market right now that it’d take a whole post just to cover the basics. I love double-sided tape and can’t live without it. (My default is the tape runner by Tombow. However, it’s hit or miss in longevity and stickiness. My ongoing quest is to find a good tape dispenser with tape that’s consistently sticky.)