My favourite essential craft supplies

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You could go crazy filling drawers and cupboards and even rooms with craft supplies but I thought I'd share a few of what I consider to be crafty essentials. These are the tools and supplies that I love and use day in and day out. In fact, I think you could make good chunk of the projects from my archives using only the essentials in this post.

1. Stamps. If you can it's good to have a mix of shapes and sizes, images and sentiments. Out of all my stamps, these are my absolute favourites. I've had them for quite a few years now and continue to love and use them.

2. Fiskars scissors. A sharp pair of scissors is a must. I've abused these scissors terribly and somehow they're still as sharp as when I bought them. Highly recommend.

3. Martha Stewart Scoring Board. I resisted getting one of these for a long time. I scored all my card using a bone folder and a ruler and it worked fine until I got one of these and realised all the time I'd been wasting. This score board lets you score sharp, even lines in seconds. I've used it to make gift boxes, envelopes, notebooks and cards.

4. Multi-surface acrylic paints. I love these Martha Stewart acrylic paints. You can use them on so many different surfaces including fabric, wood, glass and plastics. Of course it doesn't hurt that they come in a fantastic range of bright, vibrant colours.

5. Mod Podge - Matte. It's a glue and sealer all in one. I've found the glossy formula can still feel tacky to the touch even when fully dry so I always recommend the matte finish.

6. Das air hardening clay. One of the questions I get asked the most is what air dry clay do I use to make my clay projects, in particularly these stamped clay bowls. The answer is this Das clay. If you've used air dry clay in the past and had problems with it being soft and crumbly I recommend giving the Das clay a go. It dries a lovely matte white colour but I have found it takes much longer to dry than the 24 hours it says on the packet especially in cold, damp weather. Also the clay does have a smell that I know some people find off putting however I've found it fades as it dries and within a few weeks totally disappears.

7. Versacolor ink pads. This is the ink I used to make my stamped clay bowls. It's a pigment ink so it takes a bit longer to dry than the dye ink pads. Pigment inks are fade resistant and give a more vivid colour when dry. I know a few people have had problems with their ink fading so I recommend using pigment inks over dye inks. My bowls are 3 years old now and show no signs of fading.

8. Rise & Shine Scrapbook Paper. I always like to have some 12x12 patterned scrapbook paper on hand. The great thing about these pads is that all the papers are designed to go together so you don't have to worry about mixing colours or patterns. It's thin enough to use in origami projects like these boxes but thick enough to make small gift boxes like these mini milk cartons.

9. Fiskars paper trimmer. Another must for any paper crafter. It cuts a smooth, crisp line without any ragged edges. I've used a few different trimmers in the past and none of them have lasted but going by the reviews these Fiskars trimmers seem to last and last so I've got high hopes.

10. Double-sided tape. I use a lot of double-sided tape. I particularly like this super strong skinny red tape. It's good for making envelopes or boxes where you only have a very narrow tab you need to stick down.

11. Contemporary origami paper. This is a recent find and I absolutely love it. The paper is high quality and comes in a range of bright, vibrant colours. So far I've used it to make these origami box fairy lights, some easy origami wall art and finally these Halloween origami bats.