I am a firm believer that keeping certain crafting supplies on hand is a cardinal rule. Why? Well, imagine you are on a creative streak with ideas flowing out of you almost faster than you can nail them down…….and you are OUT OF ADHESIVE! Or WHITE CARD STOCK! Or nice envelopes. Or your favorite color ink pad runs dry? Let yourself go to that scary place…….. Not fun, huh?
So here are my top five supplies on hand I think every crafter needs:
1. PLENTY of adhesive. It doesn't spoil or get stale and if you are out of adhesive you are OUT of your crafting time. Whatever your favorite is, I recommend having at least three extra refills (SNAIL, Fast Fuse) or one extra container/package (Liquid Multipurpose Glue, Stampin' Dimensionals) of what you use the most. That one day that you unexpectedly run out and realize with joy that you have more, trust me, you will thank me!
2. Whisper White Card Stock. And now with the THICK White Card Stock – which I use all the time for card bases now – you might want to add one package of each to your supplies on hand. Stampin' Up!'s Whisper White Card Stock is known across the industry for being one of the smoothest, whitest (without being blue!) and best-to-stamp-on products available. At under $10 a package, it's low cost insurance to guarantee you will always have the perfect medium.
3. Ink Refills. Yes, they are available all the time, so what's the rush, right? Well ink pads and ink refills are ALL going to vary in the most miniscule ways – most invisible to our eyes. BUT when you purchase an ink refill at the same time you purchase the ink pad you are far more likely to receive ink that was produces in the same or almost same batches meaning your colors will age at the same rate meaning you will always have a perfect match, even if you can't see it. Plus, if your pad arrives a little dry, which they sometimes do depending on where and how they are shipped, you can re-ink right away. And lastly, there are more and more techniques out there that call for drops of ink. You don't want to fall in total love with a color and not be able to play!
4. Envelopes. Yes, you can get them cheaper at the office supply store. But did you know that you can't stamp on the majority of those less-expensive-and-they-look-it envelopes? The ink bleeds outside of the stamping AND bleeds through. Plus why would you put a beautiful card that you made with your own two hands and stick it in a cheap looking and feeling envelope? Your cards deserve to be coddled in something befitting their fabulousness and at just a few cents more, the envelopes from Stampin' Up! are luxurious looking and feeling and wears ink like a queen wears her tiara!
5. Stampin' Mist. Honestly, I think this is one of the most underrated products in the catalog. This stamp cleaner and conditioner is like nothing else out there in terms of thoroughly cleaning your stamps – rubber and photopolymer – without damaging the stamp or degrading the materials. I have seen lots of concoctions for substitutions and if you follow some of the threads about them you will see people come back later sharing that they've not had results worth the “savings”. I always have one of the refill bottles on hand and it lasts a good long time.
There are lots of other things I personally love to stock up on because they are my faves but your having these supplies on hand will ensure that you have plenty of the basics in stock and ready to use when you are ready to craft!
