I’m heading to a three-day crop in New Jersey this weekend. Three days of unlimited creative time sounds so lovely and exciting, but it also means packing. Ugh. How do I take my whole studio with me in two suitcases? Well thinking about packing has made me think about what I can’t stop using lately. So today I thought I’d share ten products that I’m currently reaching for all the time! (And yes, I’m thinking I may have to bring the sewing machine to the crop….)
1. Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi-Medium in a squeeze bottle
I was kind of dismissive when this came out. But I bought one because I thought it would be an easy way to take gel medium with me when I travelled. And it definitely is! But recently I have discovered that it is the perfect thing for adhering “self-adhesive” letters! It has a precision tip and it’s easy and neat and your little letters stay exactly where you want them to!
2. My Sewing Machine
I have a Bernina Virtuosa 155 — it was my college graduation gift (though I received it about six years after I graduated from college, but that’s a longer story). Lately it doesn’t seem to matter what I’m making, it involves stitching! It’s gotten so bad that I’m kind of afraid to leave the house to craft because I’m so dependent on it for that little bit of extra texture and the way it makes just everything look finished!
3. Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Water Soluble Crayons
OMG! These things are so creamy and the colors are so darn intense. I’ve used them for backgrounds in my art journal for a while, but I just started to really use them to create paintings on canvas and I am hooked. The intensity of color, range of colors, and ability to use them wet and/or dry is just too fabulous for words! Love, love, love them!
Is it weird to have two gel mediums on this list? Truth be told I have (and use) three different kinds of gel medium on a regular basis. And Liquitex Matte Medium is the newest one to the party!
I love this matte medium because it’s so fluid and thin. It’s fantastic for collaging light weight papers and the finish on top is so matte and wonderful. It really allows you to write and paint on top of it in a way that other gel mediums I’ve tried don’t. I bought a large bottle about a month ago and it’s almost gone! I am going through it like crazy!
5. Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens
It feels a little bit like I’m cheating on my beloved Sakura Pigma Microns…but I have to admit that I’m hooked on the India Ink in these pens! I’ve used a nib pen that you dip in India Ink for a while now. India Ink is great stuff — writes on virtually any surface and is so deep, deep black in color. Having the India Ink in a pen (so there’s no washing the nib and dealing with a bottle of seriously potent ink) is fabulous!
As you can see China Markers (also called grease pencils) are not markers but pencils. They’re called China Markers because they “mark china” — as in porcelain. I love them because they’re waterproof pencils! You can erase them with an eraser on some surfaces — and rub them away on others, but splash some paint or water on top and they stay put. After all grease doesn’t like water. I’ve been using mine to put in the details on paintings. I like the soft pencil-ly line they provide, as opposed to a firmer and darker paintbrush line. I want to investigate the other colors, as well as some of the other brands!
7. Bamboo Skewers
Not exactly a craft supply, but I use one every single day! These skewers are long and pointy and perfect for holding little things in place while you paint them. They’re great for scraping away excess glue or paint that bulges out. And they’re so cheap that when the tip gets gunked up, you just toss them and move on to the next one!
8. Scor-It
In an act of full disclosure, I did receive my Scor-It free from the manufacturer. In another act of full disclosure I was grateful when I received it but kind of lost as to what the heck to do with it. I didn’t think of myself as a person who did a lot of scoring. I’m not a card maker and I’m not a perfectionist. But in the year or two that I’ve had it, I find that I use it constantly! It’s great for bookmaking and all sorts of altered paper creations. And I can’t say enough about how much better the score line is from this contraption than from using a bone folder and a ruler (at least the way I use it). It even scores transparencies!
9. Tiny scissors: Cutterbees and Fiskars
I have two pairs of tiny scissors that sit on my desk and I use both pairs multiple times every single day. The Fiskars scissors (orange handle) are my fabric-only scissors. I use them to cut threads and through fabric. The Cutterbees (black and yellow handles) are my every-single-day-hardest-working-scissors-in-show-business scissors. They’re practically welded to my hand.
These small detail scissors make cutting effortless. I remember when I used those big clunky scissors to cut everything. What a mistake! The tiny tips and powerful blades on these scissors make cutting a breeze! Seriously, you will be a better cutter with better scissors.
I will admit that I buy a new pair of Cutterbees every year because the blades do dull after all that cutting after a while. I could have them sharpened, I suppose. But they’re inexpensive enough that a new pair every year is a nice treat and it feels like when I was a kid getting that new box of crayons at the beginning of the school year!
In an act of full disclosure this is another product that was provided to me free-of-charge from the manufacturer. And when I saw the Sakura folks at CHA I did tell them that this marker has become my new best friend! Pigment ink in a dual tip marker (chisel tip and bullet tip). It’s waterproof (yay!) and I love to use it to doodle, color edges, write my name on my tools…lots of stuff! I’m working on some new projects for Scrapbook Soup and I have to stop myself from using the Permapaque is every single one. An awesome black marker is one of those crafty basics that everyone should have!
So there you go! Ten products I’m in love with right now. Every single product on this list is something that I use (at least) on a weekly basis and most of them, on a daily basis. How about you? Do you have some products that you want to send a love letter to?
I see a few things I can’t do without too – the watersoluble pastels (OHMY, you have an even bigger box then I have! Yummie!!!) and I find myself using the same Faber-Castell pens lately! LOVE THEM! So much more ‘black’ then the other markers!
I see a few things I can’t do without too – the watersoluble pastels (OHMY, you have an even bigger box then I have! Yummie!!!) and I find myself using the same Faber-Castell pens lately! LOVE THEM! So much more ‘black’ then the other markers!
I see a few things I can’t do without too – the watersoluble pastels (OHMY, you have an even bigger box then I have! Yummie!!!) and I find myself using the same Faber-Castell pens lately! LOVE THEM! So much more ‘black’ then the other markers!
I see a few things I can’t do without too – the watersoluble pastels (OHMY, you have an even bigger box then I have! Yummie!!!) and I find myself using the same Faber-Castell pens lately! LOVE THEM! So much more ‘black’ then the other markers!
Yes, everything is truly essential.
Good luck in New Jersey.
Yes, everything is truly essential.
Good luck in New Jersey.
Yes, everything is truly essential.
Good luck in New Jersey.
Yes, everything is truly essential.
Good luck in New Jersey.
I’ll also be at a crop in (Totowa) NJ with BASF this weekend. Thanks for the list of supplies. I’ve been loving my Faber-Castell pens lately as well. I’m also loving my Tim Holtz scissors.
I’ll also be at a crop in (Totowa) NJ with BASF this weekend. Thanks for the list of supplies. I’ve been loving my Faber-Castell pens lately as well. I’m also loving my Tim Holtz scissors.
I’ll also be at a crop in (Totowa) NJ with BASF this weekend. Thanks for the list of supplies. I’ve been loving my Faber-Castell pens lately as well. I’m also loving my Tim Holtz scissors.
I’ll also be at a crop in (Totowa) NJ with BASF this weekend. Thanks for the list of supplies. I’ve been loving my Faber-Castell pens lately as well. I’m also loving my Tim Holtz scissors.
I have and use 3 out of the ten daily (Liquitex, Caran D’Ache Crayons and Pitt Pens). I have two of the ten in my house and haven’t used (skewers & grease pencil). I’ve been looking at the cutter-bees lately and think I’ll just go get them. And I think I have one of those PermaPaque pens that someone gave me and I haven’t opened it yet – 7 out of 10 – not a bad score. Thanks Julie
I have and use 3 out of the ten daily (Liquitex, Caran D’Ache Crayons and Pitt Pens). I have two of the ten in my house and haven’t used (skewers & grease pencil). I’ve been looking at the cutter-bees lately and think I’ll just go get them. And I think I have one of those PermaPaque pens that someone gave me and I haven’t opened it yet – 7 out of 10 – not a bad score. Thanks Julie
I have and use 3 out of the ten daily (Liquitex, Caran D’Ache Crayons and Pitt Pens). I have two of the ten in my house and haven’t used (skewers & grease pencil). I’ve been looking at the cutter-bees lately and think I’ll just go get them. And I think I have one of those PermaPaque pens that someone gave me and I haven’t opened it yet – 7 out of 10 – not a bad score. Thanks Julie
I have and use 3 out of the ten daily (Liquitex, Caran D’Ache Crayons and Pitt Pens). I have two of the ten in my house and haven’t used (skewers & grease pencil). I’ve been looking at the cutter-bees lately and think I’ll just go get them. And I think I have one of those PermaPaque pens that someone gave me and I haven’t opened it yet – 7 out of 10 – not a bad score. Thanks Julie
i have to ask, what the hell is a crop? … but 🙂 yes, for me the caran d’aches I discovered at the art school shop years ago and bought one or 2 at a time, secretly joyfully and with such pleasure! they are … just wonderful.
i love also my albrecht durer watercolor pencils, lovely soft luscious colors too, and gluesticks, and fine black pens – artline or sharpie or whatever, and i like the chinagraph pencils, but those are better – mine are normal pencil tips and just fall away under the sharpener, bit annoying.
thanks have great weekend there!
i have to ask, what the hell is a crop? … but 🙂 yes, for me the caran d’aches I discovered at the art school shop years ago and bought one or 2 at a time, secretly joyfully and with such pleasure! they are … just wonderful.
i love also my albrecht durer watercolor pencils, lovely soft luscious colors too, and gluesticks, and fine black pens – artline or sharpie or whatever, and i like the chinagraph pencils, but those are better – mine are normal pencil tips and just fall away under the sharpener, bit annoying.
thanks have great weekend there!
i have to ask, what the hell is a crop? … but 🙂 yes, for me the caran d’aches I discovered at the art school shop years ago and bought one or 2 at a time, secretly joyfully and with such pleasure! they are … just wonderful.
i love also my albrecht durer watercolor pencils, lovely soft luscious colors too, and gluesticks, and fine black pens – artline or sharpie or whatever, and i like the chinagraph pencils, but those are better – mine are normal pencil tips and just fall away under the sharpener, bit annoying.
thanks have great weekend there!
i have to ask, what the hell is a crop? … but 🙂 yes, for me the caran d’aches I discovered at the art school shop years ago and bought one or 2 at a time, secretly joyfully and with such pleasure! they are … just wonderful.
i love also my albrecht durer watercolor pencils, lovely soft luscious colors too, and gluesticks, and fine black pens – artline or sharpie or whatever, and i like the chinagraph pencils, but those are better – mine are normal pencil tips and just fall away under the sharpener, bit annoying.
thanks have great weekend there!
Awesome- some of those things I can’t do without either. NOw add China Markers on my list…wonder what they are called in GErmany….off to hunt them down 🙂
Awesome- some of those things I can’t do without either. NOw add China Markers on my list…wonder what they are called in GErmany….off to hunt them down 🙂
Awesome- some of those things I can’t do without either. NOw add China Markers on my list…wonder what they are called in GErmany….off to hunt them down 🙂
Awesome- some of those things I can’t do without either. NOw add China Markers on my list…wonder what they are called in GErmany….off to hunt them down 🙂
Had to giggle at the skewers. Cant live with out those either *grin* Or a lot of things you listed. Thanks for the list. =0)
Had to giggle at the skewers. Cant live with out those either *grin* Or a lot of things you listed. Thanks for the list. =0)
Had to giggle at the skewers. Cant live with out those either *grin* Or a lot of things you listed. Thanks for the list. =0)
Had to giggle at the skewers. Cant live with out those either *grin* Or a lot of things you listed. Thanks for the list. =0)
China Markers!!! They make me think of my parents. There was always one in the cupboard for when mom took her pyrex to a church event. Dad would bring them home from work where he was in the Army. His job was to maintain schedules and rosters and the china marker was a great thing to use on their charts because they erased so easily. When I was little, I would have fun peeling the wrappers off of them. I think my mom still has one in her cupboard.
China Markers!!! They make me think of my parents. There was always one in the cupboard for when mom took her pyrex to a church event. Dad would bring them home from work where he was in the Army. His job was to maintain schedules and rosters and the china marker was a great thing to use on their charts because they erased so easily. When I was little, I would have fun peeling the wrappers off of them. I think my mom still has one in her cupboard.
China Markers!!! They make me think of my parents. There was always one in the cupboard for when mom took her pyrex to a church event. Dad would bring them home from work where he was in the Army. His job was to maintain schedules and rosters and the china marker was a great thing to use on their charts because they erased so easily. When I was little, I would have fun peeling the wrappers off of them. I think my mom still has one in her cupboard.
China Markers!!! They make me think of my parents. There was always one in the cupboard for when mom took her pyrex to a church event. Dad would bring them home from work where he was in the Army. His job was to maintain schedules and rosters and the china marker was a great thing to use on their charts because they erased so easily. When I was little, I would have fun peeling the wrappers off of them. I think my mom still has one in her cupboard.
i have to give a shout out to my beloved cutterbees. what would i do without them (even though they have given me bandaid injuries on more than one occasion). i too replace them every year or so. how positively delightful it was to get a special edition pink pair this year! 🙂
i have to give a shout out to my beloved cutterbees. what would i do without them (even though they have given me bandaid injuries on more than one occasion). i too replace them every year or so. how positively delightful it was to get a special edition pink pair this year! 🙂
i have to give a shout out to my beloved cutterbees. what would i do without them (even though they have given me bandaid injuries on more than one occasion). i too replace them every year or so. how positively delightful it was to get a special edition pink pair this year! 🙂
i have to give a shout out to my beloved cutterbees. what would i do without them (even though they have given me bandaid injuries on more than one occasion). i too replace them every year or so. how positively delightful it was to get a special edition pink pair this year! 🙂
Love Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. I need a fine pen & sharpies were not working for me. These I <3
Love Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. I need a fine pen & sharpies were not working for me. These I <3
Love Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. I need a fine pen & sharpies were not working for me. These I <3
Love Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. I need a fine pen & sharpies were not working for me. These I <3
The skewers are my secret crafting weapon 🙂 Great for holding down shrink plastic (so you don’t burn your fingers) also great for applying glue to tiny rhinestones and anything else that’s small & fiddly. I’ll have to find those china pencils, they are a new discovery, thanks to you, I wonder if they would work as a “resist”, like a crayon-type resist? Thanks for the awesome list 🙂
The skewers are my secret crafting weapon 🙂 Great for holding down shrink plastic (so you don’t burn your fingers) also great for applying glue to tiny rhinestones and anything else that’s small & fiddly. I’ll have to find those china pencils, they are a new discovery, thanks to you, I wonder if they would work as a “resist”, like a crayon-type resist? Thanks for the awesome list 🙂
The skewers are my secret crafting weapon 🙂 Great for holding down shrink plastic (so you don’t burn your fingers) also great for applying glue to tiny rhinestones and anything else that’s small & fiddly. I’ll have to find those china pencils, they are a new discovery, thanks to you, I wonder if they would work as a “resist”, like a crayon-type resist? Thanks for the awesome list 🙂
The skewers are my secret crafting weapon 🙂 Great for holding down shrink plastic (so you don’t burn your fingers) also great for applying glue to tiny rhinestones and anything else that’s small & fiddly. I’ll have to find those china pencils, they are a new discovery, thanks to you, I wonder if they would work as a “resist”, like a crayon-type resist? Thanks for the awesome list 🙂
Yes, Vicky! They do!
Yes, Vicky! They do!
Yes, Vicky! They do!
Yes, Vicky! They do!
thanks for the great list and explanations! adding to my “things to look for list” now
thanks for the great list and explanations! adding to my “things to look for list” now
thanks for the great list and explanations! adding to my “things to look for list” now
thanks for the great list and explanations! adding to my “things to look for list” now
how about bringing a pen and paper? *winks*
have a great weekend!
p.s. the only thing i need to buy on this list is the liquitex fluid matte medium!!
how about bringing a pen and paper? *winks*
have a great weekend!
p.s. the only thing i need to buy on this list is the liquitex fluid matte medium!!
how about bringing a pen and paper? *winks*
have a great weekend!
p.s. the only thing i need to buy on this list is the liquitex fluid matte medium!!
how about bringing a pen and paper? *winks*
have a great weekend!
p.s. the only thing i need to buy on this list is the liquitex fluid matte medium!!
Great list. I’m more of a scrapper/card maker than an artist so I think my list would be very different. My cutterfly and xyron would definitely top my list though. Think I’m going to need to put one on my blog…hmmm
Great list. I’m more of a scrapper/card maker than an artist so I think my list would be very different. My cutterfly and xyron would definitely top my list though. Think I’m going to need to put one on my blog…hmmm
Great list. I’m more of a scrapper/card maker than an artist so I think my list would be very different. My cutterfly and xyron would definitely top my list though. Think I’m going to need to put one on my blog…hmmm
Great list. I’m more of a scrapper/card maker than an artist so I think my list would be very different. My cutterfly and xyron would definitely top my list though. Think I’m going to need to put one on my blog…hmmm
I love seeing your list of faves! I have the same sewing machine and scissors, but it gives me some great ideas for future purchases. Thanks for sharing!
I love seeing your list of faves! I have the same sewing machine and scissors, but it gives me some great ideas for future purchases. Thanks for sharing!
I love seeing your list of faves! I have the same sewing machine and scissors, but it gives me some great ideas for future purchases. Thanks for sharing!
I love seeing your list of faves! I have the same sewing machine and scissors, but it gives me some great ideas for future purchases. Thanks for sharing!
Love the list of favorites. I use many of those products as well, but I am happy to have a list going for things to try in the future, specifically the permapaque marker and the multi-medium in a squeeze bottle.
UHU gluestick is one of my essentials – the big one! I also find with the projects that I do that my paper cutter, a Fiskars product is an essential. Tim Holtz distress ink – got to have that with me, too!
Love the list of favorites. I use many of those products as well, but I am happy to have a list going for things to try in the future, specifically the permapaque marker and the multi-medium in a squeeze bottle.
UHU gluestick is one of my essentials – the big one! I also find with the projects that I do that my paper cutter, a Fiskars product is an essential. Tim Holtz distress ink – got to have that with me, too!
Love the list of favorites. I use many of those products as well, but I am happy to have a list going for things to try in the future, specifically the permapaque marker and the multi-medium in a squeeze bottle.
UHU gluestick is one of my essentials – the big one! I also find with the projects that I do that my paper cutter, a Fiskars product is an essential. Tim Holtz distress ink – got to have that with me, too!
Love the list of favorites. I use many of those products as well, but I am happy to have a list going for things to try in the future, specifically the permapaque marker and the multi-medium in a squeeze bottle.
UHU gluestick is one of my essentials – the big one! I also find with the projects that I do that my paper cutter, a Fiskars product is an essential. Tim Holtz distress ink – got to have that with me, too!
Well…now I have a shopping list! I’m especially curious about the crayons.
Well…now I have a shopping list! I’m especially curious about the crayons.
Well…now I have a shopping list! I’m especially curious about the crayons.
Well…now I have a shopping list! I’m especially curious about the crayons.
I’ve always dreamt of having Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Water Soluble Crayons! I’m jealous. Hehe. I want to use these on my newest artworks. It would be great if I had a set of those crayons
I’ve always dreamt of having Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Water Soluble Crayons! I’m jealous. Hehe. I want to use these on my newest artworks. It would be great if I had a set of those crayons
I’ve always dreamt of having Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Water Soluble Crayons! I’m jealous. Hehe. I want to use these on my newest artworks. It would be great if I had a set of those crayons
I’ve always dreamt of having Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Water Soluble Crayons! I’m jealous. Hehe. I want to use these on my newest artworks. It would be great if I had a set of those crayons