My 2015 Favourites: Tools

Welcome to Day 4 of My 2015 Favourites series. So far we have looked at my favourite stamps, dies, Inks & Pens of the year and now its time to look at those all important tools! I haven't mentioned every tool here (i.e scissors, craft knife etc) because I tend to alternate which I use depending on what mood I'm in, so I've just stuck to other interesting things I wanted to mention. Enjoy! 

• Cuttlebug Die Cutting Machine
• If you want to die cut then you need a die cutting machine! I decided to go for the Cuttlebug for may reasons, some of which that were important to me were: the price, the size and its versatility. This little machine is perfect for me. The feature I love the most is that you can fold it up into something that can easily be stored. As I moved a lot when I was at uni, and all of my belongings had to be kept in one room, this was something that was very important. 

• We R Memory Keepers - Corner Chomper Blue & Yellow
• The first corner rounder I bought wasn't very good, it couldn't cut through more than one layer of card and left the edges feeling quite rough. So I bought a corner chomper and I never looked back. The first one I bought was the blue one (1/4 & 1/2 inch) and I loved using it so much that I bought the yellow one too (1/8 & 3/8 inch). These have also come in very handy for my project life!

• Foam Tape & Squares
• These are a craftroom essential. If you want dimension on your cards, these adhesive pads and tape are the way to go. I don't tend to stick to a specific brand, I tend to pick quite a few up at a time, whether that be from a poundshop, the works or hobbycraft etc, it depends where I am at the time.

• Double Sided Tape
• Another essential is double sided tape. This is pretty self explanatory so all I will say is that Hobbycraft tape is pretty good and the often have some quite good offers on it. 

• Fiskars Paper Trimmer
• I have tried many a paper trimmer in my time and never quite found the right one, until this one! Many of the others I tried were in an attempt to find a cheaper trimmer available to me in the UK to avoided having this one shipped in from the USA. But after many breakages, tears and wonky cuts I finally bought the 12 inch Fiskars Trimmer. I love the foldable arm that allows for easy storage and the fact I can cut 12"x12" paper without cutting it with scissors first. I do need to get some more blades for mine though, I had used it so much that both of mine have worn out.

• Cutting Mat
• A cutting mat is an essential for any crafter, especially if you are using a craft knife. I use mine normally just as a worktop saver and something to lean on. Mine has grid lines which come in very handy when lining up sentiments on an acrylic block. I picked mine up fairly cheaply from a shop here in the UK called The Works. 

• Apple Pie Memories Round Acrylic Blocks with Grips

• The set of acrylic blocks that I use the most are my Apple Pie Memories blocks. I bought them as a set of 4 in the sizes 1.75-inch/ 2.5-inch/ 3.5-inch/ 4.5-inch. I love them because of their shape. The indents/grips and the fact that they are round make them so easy to hold. The grid lines are also great for lining up stamps.

• Ranger - Mini Ink Blending Tool and Refils
• These little tools are perfect for using with distress ink pads. I will admit they did take a bit of getting used to, I think I was putting too much pressure/ink onto the pad and so when I was blending I was getting patchy circles on my card. This went away with a bit of practice and a lighter hand :)

That's all for another day. I hope you can join me again tomorrow where I will be talking about my favourite crafty storage! 

Let me know some of your favourite tools in the comments below.

Thanks!