Resources: What to Have in your Craft Box

Here are some supplies and resources I love that can make your craft life a little easier. I love them, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Try them out and see if you want to add anything to your craft repertoire.

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Mod Podge

I love Mod Podge. It is useful in just about any project I do. It’s the perfect glue because it’s strong and dries clear. It is amazing. It is my go-to for glue. An 8 oz container can easily last me a year, unless I’m doing some huge decoupage project.

Double sided tape

Double sided tape comes in handy for those simple projects that don’t need a lot to stick. It makes it easy to get in tough spots and keeps your hands from getting sticky.

Acrylic paints

I use acrylic paints on every painting project: wood, paper, cardboard, canvas, you name it! They are cheap, come in all variety of colors, and very durable.

Puffy paint

I just recently learned about puffy paint. I like it. It’s more of a plastic paint. It sticks really well to things. They don’t have as many colors as the acrylic. I haven’t tried them on everything, but I’m starting to and I like them a lot.

Cheap paint brushes

I am a big fan of the cheap paint brushes, especially for craft projects. You can buy a pack of them off Amazon or any store for like $6-$9. It comes with a variety of brushes. I do not like to buy expensive brushes for my kids. They will end up getting ruined. The cheap ones take the stress out of worrying about them. If it breaks or gets ruined it was only .50.

Silhouette

I’m hoping to show more crafts on this website with the use of my Silhouette because I absolutely love it! You can make just about anything with it. It cuts just about anything. I usually use it for vinyl and paper. I’ve made t-shirts, onesies, wood signs, decals, stickers, and pencil holders. You can add vinyl to almost anything, including kids crafts, school supplies, and kids clothes. I made my daughter a really cute birthday shirt last year.

I highly recommend the silhouette. If you do a lot of projects, it’s for you!

Paper cutter

I can’t cut a straight line to save my life. I use my paper cutter at least twice a week. I recommend only buying the 12 X 12 size. It’s big enough for just about everything. This is the one I have right now, and I love it. The blades do have to be replaced every once in a while, but if you buy a nice one, it should last you a while. And the great thing is that a nice one is too expensive!

Good scissors

Having good scissors is key. The more I do crafts, the more I realize that I love using Kitchen scissors. They are just way more durable than most scissors, and they last longer. I have the KitchenAid ones, and I love them.

Tape

Tape comes in handy for so many things. Activities, crafts, and for fixing things. It’s always good to have different tapes on hand. It’s easy to be creative with tape, especially decorative tape like Washi Tape. Here are the ones I recommend:

Masking Tape
Painting Tape
Washi Tape -These make great stocking stuffers during Christmas, or to add into Easter baskets. Kids love it!

Save Items

Start saving things after you use them. For example: egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and containers. These come in handy, and make great crafts. Just keep a box of these items so when you need an easy, cheap craft, you already have it on hand.

Items to have on Hand

There are a few items that are great to have on hand, just about all the time. (besides the ones I mentioned above). You could probably do at least half of the crafts and activities on my blog if you have these items on hand (they just come in handy):

Most of these you can purchase from the dollar store. However, it might not be a bad idea to buy them in bulk so you always have them on hand. If you click the link, it’ll take you to the bulk item, for relatively cheap. (which in the end could be cheaper)

Pipe Cleaners
Googly Eyes
Masking Tape
Balloons
Craft Sticks (or tongue compressors, or Popsicle sticks)
Q-tips
Food Coloring
Construction Paper
Yarn
Paper Plates(The more “papery” the better)
Cotton Balls
Paper Cups

Kids Apron

Having a kids apron actually comes in handy. It can be a pain to have your kids change clothes every time you do some art. Nobody wants more laundry. I always thought putting an apron on wouldn’t really make a difference, but it does. They rarely get their clothes dirty with the aprons.

If you go to Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month, they do a free building activity for kids. They give you a cute little Home Depot apron. It’s cheap, but it does work. It’s a little big for my son, but we make it work. Or, you can buy a pretty cheap adjustable one from Amazon.