DIY Tools: Crafting

Wow.  It has been a busy week (and month) around here.  It is a lot of work putting together these tool roundups, but it was an important part of my 31 Days series: 31 Days to Ponder DIY or Buy.  I spent the most time creating this post, because I wanted it to be very visual and to show you all the example projects I have created with these basic crafting tools.

If you are an experienced DIYer, maybe these roundups have shown you a few new tools.  If you are new to DIY, my goal was to show you the tools of the trade, so to speak.  There is definitely an upfront investment needed for DIY.  Some projects truly cost nothing, but for others you need the right tools.  I am a huge proponent of sewing your own pillow covers and drapes to save money, but you have invest upfront in a sewing machine.

I have one last tool roundup group for you today.  I called this one “Crafting”, but it is really a catch-all for all the little things I use to DIY.  Some are tools I use almost daily.  Some I have used just for special projects.  Some you may never have heard of before and so I am linking up to some example projects for each item shown.  As with all my roundups, I own and use the same tools shown here.

Despite calling this board “Crafting”, I don’t consider myself a crafter.  I don’t regularly scrapbook, make cards, or make crafts.  I use these common crafting tools in my DIY projects for making home decor and party decorations.  All the tools pictured here are available at a craft or fabric store.

1.  1/8-Inch Hole Punch – I use this guy a lot.  He makes the perfect little holes.  I used him to make DIY Lacing Cards for my son.  I have also used him to punch holes in gift tags.  My kids also like to make masks from construction paper and we use this punch to make holes for the string to tie on the mask.

2.  Create-a-Sticker Machine – I love being able to turn almost anything into a sticker.  I run ribbon through to make adhesive ribbon.  You can make fabric tape by running through strips of fabric.  I used the sticker machine to create a whole bunch of embellishments for the DIY Gift Giving Kit I made for my sister.

3.  Corner Squeeze Paper Punch – What can I say, I like rounded corners!  I have used this punch on most of the party invitations I have created.  My favorite is the Little Man Milk and Cookies party.  This can also be used to round corners of business cards

4.  Heat’n Bond Ultra Hold Iron-On Adhesive – This is my secret weapon for bonding fabric.  My most famous use is my Helvetica Stockings.  I also use the same stuff in a small 1 inch wide roll to make no-sew drapes, like these in my master bedroom, these in the nursery, or these in the laundry room.

5.  Gold Leaf Kit – This is a new love affair I have developed.  I recently created a pair of gold leafed stars for the guest bedroom.  As a perfectionist, I was not sure I would like a flakey gold leaf technique.  Well, not only did I like it…I loved it.  The perfection is in the imperfection.  I found gold leafing super liberating.

6.  Mini Iron – I purchased this guy specifically for my quatrefoil drum shade project, but he has come in handy for lots of crafting since then.  I like the size of this mini iron.  You can get smaller ones and of course there are full size irons, but I think this guy is just right.

7.  1-Inch Circle Punch – A circle punch is a must have, if you plan to do any DIY parties.  You should actually invest in a 1″ punch and a 2″ punch.  The 2″ is great for cupcake toppers.  I only have a 1″ punch, which I used to make the cutest ever paper garland for the Milk & Cookies party and mini cupcake toppers for our Wild Rumpus.

8.  P-Touch Labeler – I am not a big labeler, but when I need to label something I love how easy and handy this labeler is.  It was a birthday gift I got several years ago.  It is great for labeling file folders.  I also used it to label the kids craft supply bins.  I use Name Bubbles for labeling all my kids stuff, but if I run out I have used my P-touch in a pinch to label a water bottle or lunch box.

9.  Circle Cutter – For cutting bigger circles, I love this tool.  Also, different from a punch, you can place this anywhere on the paper to cut your circle.  I used this to cut circles of paper used in the party decor for the She’s Going to Pop Baby Shower.

10.  Chacopaper – This stuff is magic.  It can be used to transfer designs to pretty much any material; wood, fabric, metal.  You can trace your design over the chacopaper and blue chalk will transfer to the material.  They also have white chacopaper for transferring to dark materials.  You can wipe the chalk away with a damp cloth.  I used chacopaper to transfer the lettering for my Live Laugh Love art.

11.  Crafts Knife – I have this Martha Stewart crafts knife and use it for all my detailed paper cutting.  I prefer this knife over a traditional xacto knife, because this one has a nice handle and grip.  It was one of the tools I featured in this post about Cutting by Hand.

12.  Rotary Paper Trimmer – So much better than scissors for making straight cuts.  This trimmer can handle sheets up to 12″ square.  I use this for cutting party invitations and decorations.  My favorite use of this trimmer was cutting all the scrapbook paper to size for my DIY business cards.

13.  Sharpie Markers in Assorted Colors – I love my Sharpies.  I splurged months ago and but a pack of assorted colors.  I recently used the teal Sharpie to create Faux Malachite Knobs for my studio.

14.  Chalkboard Contact Paper – Confession: I have never used chalkboard paint.  I never found it necessary after discovering chalkboard vinyl.  It is easier to apply and completely removable.  I used it to create a chalkboard pantry door.  I lined my makeup drawer with it and got my doodle on.  I also used it for food signage at the Milk & Cookies party.

15.  Looking Glass Mirror Spray Paint – If you want to make your own mercury glass, you need a can of this.  With this and a few other supplies I had around the house, I made DIY mercury glass hurricanes and I love the way they turned out.

16.  Mod Podge – A basic must have.  For gluing and coating projects.

17.  E-6000 – A powerful, and somewhat smelly glue, that I love.  I used E6000 on my DIY Captains Mirrors, DIY Modern Bird Feeder, and most recently on my Rustic Glam Tiered Tray.  This stuff can pretty much bond anything.

18.  Sticker Paper – Full page label paper is my go to for parties.  It is wonderful for favor labels and party signage.  I used it extensively for the She’s Going to Pop Baby Shower.  I find it so much easier to print onto sticker paper and cut out designs, then to mess with paper and glue.

Wow.  I am kind of exhausted after seeing all these projects in one place.  The point is with just a few basic crafting tools, you can create so many different things.  

The opinions in this post are my own.  I was not compensated for writing this post or any of the opinions contained within it.  This post contains affiliate links.   I may receive a commission on purchases made after following an affiliate link.