Quite a while ago, I did a short series on must-have supplies for those who are new to card-making. Since then, things have changed a bit -- both in terms of what I use and what's available. Some products got retired, some companies went out of business, etc. I thought it would be a good idea to update my list every 6 months or so and share my new go-to supplies.
Cardstock:
For white card bases, my go-to cardstock is Stamper's Select White from Papertrey Ink. It's very affordable (40 sheets for 6$) and it has the perfect thickness and texture.
For white panels, I prefer a thinner cardstock, so I use Neenah's Classic Crest Solar White 80lbs, which I grab from Simon Says Stamp. It's slightly more expensive (40 sheets for 10$), but it's a very smooth and bright white cardstock. It's thin enough to be a good layer, but not so thin that it's flimsy.
For colored cardstock, I buy from: My Favorite Things, Papertrey Ink and Gina K. Designs. The cardstock in all 3 shops is the same high quality, and they feature different colors. I also still own quite a few cardstock packs from Simon Says Stamp - I especially like Lipstick Red, which is a very bright red.
Paper Trimmer:
I still own my Fiskars SureCut Deluxe trimmer along with Titanium replacement blades. However, it does get expensive to replace the blades. So, I've recently invested in Tim Holtz Tonic Guillotine trimmer. The guillotine trimmer works really well and it's self-sharpening. The only downsides is that it's not long enough to create top-folding A2 cards and that it has no locking mechanism -- so it needs to be kept away from little ones.
Patterned Paper:
Since I'm inspired by patterned paper, I have a very huge variety of paper and quite a few must-haves. So, instead of recommending a particular paper pad, I'm recommending a couple of companies that have really good 'basics'. My Favorite Things features simple designs (chevrons, polkadots, stripes and plaids) in a large variety of colors that match their cardstock. Avery Elle also features basic designs (stripes, hearts, etc) matched together in sets -- these are really great if you're not sure what colors pair well together.
Inkpads:
For Copic coloring, I use MFT's Hybrid Black and Hybrid Chocolate Brown.
For sentiments, I generally use Versafine Black Onyx ink or Ranger Archival inks, as they both stamp very crisply and clearly.
For colored ink, I have Lawn Fawn inks, WPlus9 inks and Simon Says Stamp inks. They all have the same formula and a different range of colors.
I also have a sticky ink for embossing and some pigment inks, but I don't use them very often.
Adhesive:
My go-to adhesives are Tombow Mono Dot adhesive and Plus Honeycomb adhesive. They are both strong adhesives with affordable refills that are easy to use.
For liquid adhesive, I use Ranger's Multi Matte Medium, which dries clear.
For dimensionals, I use the big roll of foam tape along with Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares that I bought on sale. Another great affordable option is from Best Creation.
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One thing you'll notice is missing from my supplies list is stamps. I have so many amazing and wonderful stamps that it was impossible to narrow them down -- even the list of companies/designers I love is giant! Instead, I will be sharing occasional spotlight weeks on my blog, where I create several projects with particular stamps/companies.
I hope this list is helpful!
~Elle~
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