I will keep the introduction relatively short as this is a very fairly long post. Today I wanted to share a few tips and tricks on how you can build your crafting hobby. These are all things I have learnt along the way or have picked up from other crafters.
Having a hobby can be very expensive but there are a few ways you can help to grow your essentials without having to spend a huge amount of money. I wrote down all my tips on a piece of paper and split them into three categories; essentials I couldn't live without, where I save my money and extra tips.
Obviously these are things that I have found to work for me and building on my hobby but there may be some areas where you disagree. I only suggest you bear them in mind and if they work for you, brilliant!
This isn't 100% of saving money but also about how you can begin to delve into crafting. Walking into a shop or even walking down an aisle full of crafting bits and bobs can be extremely overwhelming so hopefully you can take something from this post to help.
If you have any tips and tricks of your own then please comment down below so everyone can see them.
Now grab a snack or a cup of coffee and continue reading to find out how you can build your hobby!
Essentials I Couldn't Live Without!
- Big Shot.
There are so many things you can do with a big shot and I utilise every single way! From cutting out shapes to creating patterns with embossing folders. Having my Big Shot has made a huge difference to my projects. You can buy other machines that do the same thing but I decided to go with the Big Shot and I don't regret it at all!
- Scoring board
I have tried scoring with a small blunt object on a matt with a ruler and I found it so difficult! Having my scoring board makes it so easy and effortless to prep all my card stock so I can get nice crisp edges!
- Good quality ink
I have bought my fair share of cheap ink in the hope it would work just as well as my more expensive inks! Personally I wouldn't recommend doing this. I'm far happier spending the extra money to get good quality ink that I know will work and will last a long time. Just start out with the one of each colour before you start branching out with different tones and shades of each colour.
- Paper cutter
I will never stop using my paper cutter! Not only to I suggest investing in one but I would advise to get a larger one. I initially bought one with an ruler than folds out from the bottom that didn't go higher than 12". This proved to do different when working with larger pieces of designer paper so I decided to buy on that went higher than 12". If I could go back I would have just got the bigger one first.
- Larger tape glider
I can't even imagine how many snail adhesives I have been through! I found myself buying so many and wondered if there was a solution to this. Looking on amazon I found a larger tape glider. It wasn't too expensive but all I have to do is buy the refills for it. I have used it in so many of my step-by-step tutorials so you will be able to see it on there. It's quite large and pink so you shouldn't miss it!
- More than one pair of scissors
This never occurred to me that having more than one pair of scissors would help me. However, cutting sticky strips and tape all the time my scissors were becoming more and more difficult to open and close. I simply just bought an extra pair of scissors so I would have one for cutting sticky things and one for cutting normal paper or card stock.
Where I Save My Money!
- Baby Sponges
If you have read most of my posts you will have seen that a technique I tend to use pretty much all the time is to sponge around the edges of a sentiment, something I have cut out or just the card in general. I also like to experiment with using a sponge to apply ink to make pictures. I will be doing this soon on the blog to stay tuned. I didn't want to have to buy a sponge to each ink I had so I bought some cheap baby sponges from my local supermaket, circles one, and cut them up into six pieces. I only had to buy a handful to cover for most of my inks. I will use the same sponge for certain inks if they are extremely similar in colour. I just simply wrote on a piece of paper what ink I have chosen for that piece of sponge and stapled in on the corner.
- Normal cardstock
I started off just buying normal unbranded card stock from places like Hobbycraft and The Range. I never had issues using it so I don't tend to buy expensive card stock.
- Buying designer paper in other shops
I have bought so many designer paper from places like TK Max, Wilkinsons, The Works. If you are in the UK in particular definitely check out these shops for cheaper designer paper. You can find some beautiful patterns for such a reasonable price. I even check my local charity shops.
- Cheaper punches
I have the same advice for punches as I do with designer paper. I have bought so many punches from my local charity shops!
- Cheap baby wipes
I have always used own branded or value baby wipes from supermakets to clean my stamps. I have never had a problem cleaning my stamps and as I go through so many of these I didn't want to spend a lot of money. Supermarkets sometimes have baby events on so I take advantage of that and buy a huge box for so little money!
- Freebies
I love reading crafting magazines to get some inspiration and ideas for future projects but one of my favouring things about them is the freebies you get. One of my daughters actually saw my stamp collection and most of the ones she picked out as her favourites were free ones I got in magazines! I recently did a couple of tutorials with a free set I got which you can see here and here. You can also get other things so make sure you browse the magazine aisle when you get the chance.
- Homemade/DIY Products
If you can, why not makes essential items you need as oppose to buying them. You will be surprised how many homemade things you could make that will come in handy! I made my own spritzing inks which you can custom colour - see tutorial here. I will also be showing you next week how you can make your own embossing paste which again you can custom colour!
Extra Tips!
- Stamp ink onto paper when you are buying more supplies
I love shopping for crafting supplies but at times I'm looking at product that comes in three different shades of blue in ribbons and I have no idea which one to go for. I find that if I stamp my inks onto a piece of paper it helps me deiced what colour or style embellishments to buy.
- Don't just throw everything away
I explained this in a previous post but I'm very careful with what I throw away. There may be some things that I don't like as they are not my style but they may work with another project so I don't just throw them away because I don't like them. I also don't throw away scraps as I might be able to use them sometime in the future. Even if a projects goes wrong maybe keep it, even if its just for a few days, to one side; you never know you might find a use for it.
- Cheap isn't always good
Like most people spending a lot of money on a product is difficult. However, I have learnt that buying the cheaper option isn't always the best idea. As I said ink is something I will always invest in unless I come across a cheaper alternative. I would also never buy a cheap pair of scissors as I find they tear the card stock and you don't get that nice crisp line. This doesn't mean you always have to spend more money on everything but I like to be aware that when I buy cheaper alternatives I may find myself regretting it.
- One of each sentiment
There are so many difficult occasions for cards and different stamps that will suit each occasion. When you are beginning to build up your collection I would suggest just buying one of each sentiment at the most. I have a number of 'happy birthday' stamps and I always find myself using the same one because I love how it looks and I feel it always works with most birthday cards I make. Once you get more into and you are happy to spend the money than you could branch out and get different styles any sentiments you would like.
- Stampin Up! things match
I love how everything in Stampin Up! is linked together. You can get the same colour ink, designer paper, card stock etc and you can even get punches and stamp sets that match! There are a lot more ways things can be used together but I think if you are beginner and you struggle with what you buy then this would be a good place to start. You could start off with a few essentials and it makes it so easier to buy things when you know what works together. You can also find your local Stampin Up! demonstrate and speak to them. I've seen so many demonstrators make videos on youtube that are so informative!
- Colour in white pearls
I love using white pearls to add something extra when I feel my cards are lacking but there are times when I wish they weren't white. All you have to do it simply colour them in with a permanent marker in whatever colour you would like! I love how I don't have a buy a heap of different coloured pearls. I will continue to just buy the white ones and colour them in. I actually did this in a different post which you can check out here.
- Organise way before
My last tip is definitely an important one in my opinion and that is to be as organised as possible! If you know that you will need a fathers day card in two week times, make sure you have all the things you need to give yourself plenty of time to pop to the shops if you need to!
I hope this post has helped you out and you can take something from it. All these tips and tricks have really helped me out since I begun crafting and I will continue to work like this until I find something different.
I have written two more posts that may also be helpful which are 5 things you should do before you begin making a card - here - and my top 10 crafting tips for beginners - here.
Hopefully this post wasn't too long and you managed to read until the end!
Let me know any future requests I would love to hear what you want to see in the next few months.
Remember if you have anything to add comment down below so we can all see!
Don't forget if you re-make this tag me on twitter or instagram or you can use the hashtag #sukilucrafts.
Happy crafting!
Susan x
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