IRAN ART EXHIBITION: OUR RECOMMENDATION TOOLS LIST FOR YOUR DECORATIVE CRAFTS
Craft tools and supplies vary for the four main types of crafts.
FASHION, TEXTILE, PAPER and DECORATIVE CRAFTS all require different crafting supplies.
The craft tools and materials below are mainly for PAPER CRAFTS and some DECORATIVE CRAFTS – the two most common craft types.
There are MANY different types of paper and decorative crafts, we are introduced to the basic paper and decorative crafts in preschool when we do things like hand prints, 3D animals, cards for mom and dad and so forth, then we advance to more grown up versions!
Craft materials start with what we call a support, it can be (ex: paper, canvas, a mirror, old door) anything with a solid surface that will allow you to get creative and use it as a base. Followed by texture mediums, paints, solvents, special additions, finishes and sealers.
Craft Tools are used to apply texture mediums & paints to the support and can include almost anything from fingers to the most expensive sponges and brushes.
1. A LIST OF BASIC CRAFT TOOLS AND SUPPLIES FOR KIDS AND BEGINNER PROJECTS
Even the most advanced crafting enthusiasts use them regularly!
This list below will help you pick out the most important basic items first while wandering through our extensive recommendation list.
Craft Paper – Different Types – White, Black, Bright Colored and Tissue Paper
Card Stock – Thick and thin – choose your favorite colors, corrugated card board comes in handy too.
Soft pencil – Of which the markings can easily be erased
Eraser – Often overlooked until you need one.
Sharpener – Another item often overlooked.
Sticky or masking tape – To secure projects while working, you only learn once you’ve had a wet (glued or painted) project end up face down on the floor!
Glue Stick – A good quality.
Paper Craft Glue Pen – A strong glue to hold all paper bits in place and the very fine tips allow you to glue the most delicate pieces precisely.
Strong Glue – A good quality that is fast drying and dries colorless or a hot glue gun which I use myself (opt for one that have a stand).
Paint – I prefer acrylic and water color. The paint pens in our recommendation list is a super fun item for rock art.
Color Mediums – These can be coloring pencils, crayons, pastels which ever you prefer working with.
Scissors – Large paper scissors and small embroidery scissors. I don’t embroider but I use this for super fine cuts in paper crafts when I don’t have a cutting mat and a craft cutting knife available.
Paint Brushes – For painting and to dust off excess dry crafting goodies like glitter and distress powders which are used for an aged look.
Dual Tip Markers – These are great for coloring, drawing, blending, calligraphy.
Paper Punch – I prefer the hand held, one hole paper punch for precision punching so that you can see exactly where the hole will be. I use this for making tags, party printable hats, masks and for holes in craft boxes if I want to tie my boxes or bags with ribbon or bakers twine.
Self Healing Cutting Mat – This is an absolute necessity if you use a craft knife or rotary cutter. A good quality craft knife will go a long way and very helpful to cut out inside patterns where it is difficult to reach with a pair of scissors.
Rulers – Short and long rulers. I have one 12 inch steel ruler that is as old as the mountains and it still works perfectly. A steel ruler won’t get nasty humps and bumps in and it was one of the best items I ever bought. The weight also helps to hold paper down firmly, especially when cutting with a craft knife.
Bone Scorer – When you score fold lines with a bone scorer before folding, it gives your projects a lovely rounded professional look. I use mine a lot when making cards, thank you notes, packaging and more.
Circle Punch – A 2″ (inch) circle punch is a great item to have for cupcake toppers, card making, general round cut-outs and tags. I also have a .75″ for Christmas time when I punch out colorful circles from pretty paper to stick onto Hershey Kisses. I place these in small organza bags as small gifts or as stocking fillers.
Kitchen Paper Roll – Or Facial Tissues and Cotton Buds are great for spills and corrections.
MAKE YOUR OWN STENCILS
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: Stencils are another one of my favorite craft tools! Stencils with motives are handy items and available in any shape, size and pattern to decorate cards, walls, personal belongings and craft work with. Although fairly cheap and available from most art & craft stores, they are simple to make out of cardboard or old X-rays. All you need is a stencil pattern (freely available on the internet), card board or old X-ray (this is our favorite!), cutting mat or old magazine, a craft knife, and a photo copier if you wish to increase or decrease the size of the stencil pattern. Copy or trace the pattern onto the old X-ray, cut the motive out and you have your own high-quality stencil.
Shop for stencil cutting tools
– If you don’t have a steady hand for cutting stencils, don’t despair there are many tools to help you out!
Shop for stencils:
* Please note that there are different types of stencils for painting, glass, embossing, airbrushing, food – like cakes and more. So be sure to search for the type of stencil you require.
FREE CRAFT TIP 1: Always be on the lookout for things you may find in nature and in and around the home that you can use for crafts – Pebbles, seashells, bright colored autumn leaves, flowers, shiny chocolate papers, gift wrapping etc.
FREE CRAFT TIP 2: Those handy little rollers with patterns on and the shapes you get with kids play dough sets are also great for crafting – use them to draw shapes and print backgrounds with water based paints!
ORGANIZE YOUR CRAFT TOOLS
IRAN ART EXHIBITION: If you purchase a lot of paper and cardboard at once, you might want to make an additional bigger box (the boxes Boots come in!) are ideal to store these in! Otherwise you can store them in separate plastic folders in a file which can also be decorated to match the craft box! The craft toolbox is not ONLY for kids – it can be decorated for teens and adults alike.
