Must-Have Crafting Essentials

We sat down with the Sizzix Designers to ask them to choose a few Crafting Essentials that they just can't live without. Albeit a hard decision, as there are so many must-have items available, they all managed to pick three favorites that they think everyone needs as a staple in their craft toolkit!

We’d love to hear yours, share them with us on social media using the hashtag #mymakingstory!

Sizzix Designer Debbie

My first must-have for my craft kit is the Permanent Adhesive Sheets. They let you craft without having to fuss with wet glue to adhere an intricate shape to a project and having an adhesive backing creates an immediate sticker to the die cut. This means less mess and a less time-consuming project which is a total win, win situation!

My next choice would be the Paper Sculpting Kit. There's so much included in this craft tool kit it's guaranteed to assist you with your projects and helps add plenty of dimension too. Included are a variety of Stylus', a Leaf Vein Tip, a Quilling Tool, Reverse Tweezers and Scissors. Each tool can be used on a range of Sizzix Surfacez, allowing makers to sculpt projects and create flowers out of not only paper but Sculpting Foam, Texture Rolls, Shrink Plastic when heated, and much more!

My third and final must-have is the Festive Cardstock because I love all things bright and happy! The color story in this assortment is my favorite and I use it year-round, not just during the Christmas season! It brings a fun pop to any project even if just one of the vibrant colors is used, don’t be put off by the fact that it's called ‘festive’, you really can use it in all crafting seasons!

Sizzix Designer Pete

One of my favorites to craft with is the Opulent Cardstock. Although I use this sparingly, it adds a touch of bling to some of my favorite color palettes and is a perfect companion for all of our Embossing Folders. I would recommend adding this staple to your craft kit as you can use it in a range of projects to just add that small bit of sparkle.

The Sizzix Makers Tape is another great product that is designed to hold your dies in place so they don't move when you put them through any of the Sizzix Die Cutting Machines. This Tape will be the perfect assistant for when you are cropping photos or stamped images as it never leaves any residue of glue on the surface of your card, unlike others.

My next choice would be the Sizzix Stencil Film as this allows me to turn all of my Dies into stencils or masks. This film is very thin which means you get a super crisp image when applying or blending inks, it really is a must-have for any project from mixed media to Paper crafting.

Sizzix Designer Jess

One of my favorite crafting essentials is the Gold or Silver Embossing Powders. I have found myself gravitating towards these recently, especially when using stamps for sentiments with a Clear Embossing Ink Pad. You can add gold or silver Embossing Powder to make the sentiment stand out and it really will add an elegant glimmer to your crafts. I love the metallic effect it gives and the powder is super fine and easy to use.

Along the same theme, my next choice would be the Gold, Silver or Rose Gold Sequins and Beads. I love adding a bit of sparkle to my makes and it's super easy to do with the Sequins and Beads. I use the Gold, Silver and Rose Gold colors as these complement most colors of craft paper and can be used for multiple things when Paper crafting, from simply filling white space to highlighting the center of a flower. The different shapes are great for different purposes as well!

Another top pick of mine would be the Sizzix Adhesive roller, I love anything that makes things quicker and easier so when I am Paper crafting I often reach for the Adhesive Roller as a super quick way of getting larger pieces of cardstock onto my makes without fiddling around peeling off the backing of double-sided tape or getting messy with wet glue.

Sizzix Designer Alexis

One of my favorites is the Crystal Glaze. I love how you can use it with stencils created by Dies to create a beautiful effect on top of Acrylic Paint washes or ink-blended backgrounds. Equally, it looks beautiful when added to a die cut element to create a bit of sparkle. This also applies smoothly thanks to the Texture Tool, which is easy to clean off, making it another bonus when working with Effectz.

Another one of my top picks is the Sizzix Crepe Paper. I truly have come to love making 3D florals with Crepe Paper. It was an incredibly intimidating Surfacez option to work with initially, but with practice, you quickly learn how to make realistic blooms. Additionally, I have been enjoying researching different ways you can use Crepe Paper aside from florals.

A top pick that is a must-have for any craft toolkit is the Muted Cardstock. I’m loving the bright hues from this set for the Summer makes we have been starting to create. Having the new shades of purples, oranges and yellows truly brighten up projects just in time for the Summer season.

Sizzix Designer Josh

When I think about my favorite craft essentials, it is so hard to pick just a few but one of my favorites is the Adhesive Sheets. They are so easy to use and help you to create a perfect project every time without the hassle of adding additional glue to your project. Simply add them to cardstock before you Die cut and then peel off the backing and add to your project.

Another one of my favorites is the Acrylic Paints because they really help you to create an exciting mixed media project. I love painting so, when I can, I add the Acrylic Paints to my projects to add different textures and effects. The Acrylic Paints come in so many colors there is literally something for every season, making them the perfect addition to your craft kit!

Finally, it’s going to have to be Cardstock, the ultimate crafting staple! The Cardstock range at Sizzix is the perfect collection of colors, there's quite literally a card pack for every crafting season, whether it's for a Wedding or Summer Party or Christmas or Halloween craft!

Thank you for reading this Crafting Essentials blog and we hope that you enjoyed learning about all of the items the Sizzix Designers class as their must-have Crafting Essentials. Remember to tag us on social media using the hashtag #mymakingstory and share your must have essentials, we we love to hear them!