My Favorite Crafty Things 2017 — Tools

Hi! It’s time for more of My Favorite Crafty Things 2017. Today is all about tools… including stamping, die cutting, and more.

If you haven’t checked out THIS video about this series, please do so – it explains a lot.

I have lots to share today, including giveaways (see below) and store discounts. Who doesn’t love a crafty deal!?

  • Ellen Hutson is offering 10% off your order! Use the code “JensFaves17” through 12/13/17 when shopping HERE.
    (Valid on in-stock merchandise only. Excludes BCRF Fundraiser set and Mama Elephant releases within the last 90 days. Not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with other offers.)
  • Simon Says Stamp is offering my readers $10 off purchases of $75 or more during 12/11/17 to 12/18/17! Use the code “JENFAVES” when shopping HERE.
    (Note the dates. Valid on in-stock merchandise only. Not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with other offers.)
  • Gina K. Designs is offering a FREE stamp set to my viewers!! Shop HERE.
    (Good for orders over $50 – just add “JENNIFER” into the instruction box at checkout.)

Let’s talk crafty tools…

[Warning: This video is VERY long. You can instead just check out the products below. All products are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails. Affiliate links may be used. To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]

If you are interested in any products, click on one of the store icons under the product images.

BASIC TOOLS

Here are some tools that are essentials or very helpful when cardmaking:

Penblades
[ SSS | ELH ]
Tim Holtz Tonic Mini Snips
[ SSS | ELH ]
Fiskars Titanium Micro Tip Scissors
[ SSS | ELH ]
T-Ruler
[ SSS ]
Large Black Work Surface
[ AMZUS ]
Tonic Easy Clean Mat
[ SSS ]
Cutting Board
[ AMZUS ]
Scor Buddy
[ ELH | SSS ]
Teflon Bone Folder
[ SSS | ELH ]
Micropore Tape
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Tombow Monosand Eraser
[ SSS ]
Adhesive Eraser
[ SSS ]
Hero Arts Heat Gun
[ SSS | ELH | HA ]
Embossing Magic Powder Bag
[ SSS | ELH ]
Coffee Filters
[ SSS ]
Swiffer Dusting Cloths
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Microfiber Cloth
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Handvac
[ AMZUS ]
Handvac Option 2
[ AMZUS ]
Jewel Picker
[ SSS | ELH ]
Bead Tray
[ SSS ]
Tim Holtz Sprayer
[ SSS | ELH ]
Ink Blending Tool
[ SSS | ELH ]
Ink Blending Tool Replacement Foam
[ SSS | ELH ]
Tonic Blending Sponges
[ SSS ]
Full Sticky Post It Notes
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Post It Tape
[ SSS ]
Avery Removable Ahdesive Sheets
[ AMZUS ]
Tim Holtz Trimmer
[ SSS | ELH ]
Fiskars Premium Cut Line Trimmer
[ SSS ]
Fiskars Reinforced Paper Trimmer
[ SSS | ELH ]
Carl Heavy Duty Rotary Trimmer
[ SSS | AMZUS ]

STAMPING TOOLS

Here are the tools I find most helpful when stamping…

MISTI Stamping Tool
[ SSS | ELH | MSW ]
MISTI Mouse Pad Insert
[ SSS | ELH ]
MISTI Mouse Pad Insert
[ MSW ]
MISTI Bar Magnet
[ SSS | ELH | MSW ]
MISTI Stickers
[ SSS | MSW ]
MISTI Creative Corners
[ SSS | ELH | MSW ]
Gina K Longer Acrylic Block
[ GNK ]
Catherine Pooler Acrylic Blocks
[ CTH ]
Studio Katia Round Acrylic Block
[ SHR ]
Simon Says Stamp Acrylic Blocks
[ SSS ]
Hero Arts Ultra Clean
[ SSS | ELH | HA ]
Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy
[ SSS | ELH | LWN ]
Salt Box for Shammy
[ AMZUS ]
Salt Cellar for Shammy
[ AMZUS ]
Kirklands Baby Wipes
[ AMZUS ]
Microfiber Cloth
[ SSS | AMZUS ]

DIE CUTTING TOOLS

I use die cutting as much as I use stamping on my cards. Here are some helpful tools to consider…

Sizzix Big Shot Express
[ SSS ]
Sizzix Cutting Plates
[ SSS ]
Memory Box Metal Adapter Plate
[ SSS ]
Spellbinders Embossing Mat
[ SSS ]
Gemini Die Cutting Machine
[ SSS ]
Spellbinders Platinum 6 Die Cut Machine
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Tim Holtz Sidekick Die Cutting Machine
[ SSS | AMZUS ]
Tim Holtz Craft Pick
[ SSS | ELH ]
Flush Wire Cutters
[ SSS ]
Your Next Die Wire Cutters
[ SSS ]
Handvac
[ AMZUS ]
Handvac Option 2
[ AMZUS ]
Micropore Tape
[ SSS | AMZUS ]

GIFT GUIDE

This list of Favorite Crafty Things makes a great gift guide for holiday shopping. Just forward on this link or print the page and circle what you are interested in. Don’t forget the discount codes above, too!

I have a few more days of My Favorite Crafty Things 2017. You can keep up to date on all the topics HERE… and for my lists from 2016, click HERE.

GIVEAWAYS

Throughout this series, I will have prizes!

Today I have a $50 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp!

For your chance to win a giveaway, leave a comment below by 11:59pmEST on 12/15/17 telling me what crafty tool you could not craft without. (To leave a comment, scroll down to the bottom of this post on my blog and click the green “leave a comment” button. The winner’s name will be randomly selected, emailed and posted on my “Winners page” after the giveaway closes. International folks are eligible, too! Prizes are personally donated.)

See you soon!

[Please note that I purchased most of the products in this post personally, but not all. Regardless, the decision to include them in this list was my own. I truly like these products and companies. For more info, visit HERE. If you have questions, please email me.]


Leave a Comment

492 thoughts on “My Favorite Crafty Things 2017 — Tools”

  1. Wendy says:

    I could not go back to stamping without my Misti, it has saved so many projects from the trash.

  2. Moogie says:

    I would not be able to craft without my Fiskars paper trimmer. I cannot cut straight if I tried. Thanks for the great videos.

  3. Marisela Delgado says:

    I guess my Fiskar’s paper trimmer. That is just so necessary.

  4. Thanks, Jennifer … great recommendations … the new Gemini looks so good … excited to find out about the Junior when you get it! My top tool is my MISTI … I use it on almost every card and it’s changed my crafting world! Anita 🙂

  5. Cheryl Nussbaum says:

    Oh my! I guess my most used, most loved tool is my Misti. Thanks for a very informative video Jennifer!

  6. Marlyn Rojas says:

    My Big Shot and my paper trimmer!

  7. Mai says:

    My Fiskars paper trimmer and my silhouette. I really want a Misti though. Thanks for the chance!

  8. Sandy Carroll says:

    Enjoying my new Big Shot machine. Looking forward to the Stamp Shammy that I am getting for Christmas.

  9. Donna Phelan says:

    That was AMAZING! Sooooo informative! I think I want one of each lol Merry Merry!

  10. Naama E says:

    Thanks so much for this! It’s always helpful to see what tools people are using and how, they’re the basis of so many techniques. I have to say, I think choosing a favorite tool is basically impossible for me, it really depends on what I’m making. I love my die cutting machine and my stamping tool (I have Tim Holtz’s platform and love it), but sometimes my project centers on inking and then I can’t live without my ink blending tool and water sprayer (I’ve recently got Tim Holtz’s one and am completely in love!), other times it feels like my scissors or ruler are the most important things… So hard to choose! Then again, I’m a bit addicted to tools so that might be it 😉

  11. Roberta S. says:

    Very informative video series. My current can’t craft without tool is my Crafter’s Companion Gemini. It is very disabled friendly. Thank you for all your craft tips. You are one of my go to craft resource tools I refer to often.

  12. Diana W. says:

    My current most used item would be my Big Shot. I am so grateful you introduced me to the Spellbinders embossing mat. That was a game changer!

  13. Shelli says:

    It looks like you showed me a lot of what I can not live without! I love my Fiscars scissors for sure! I also love my sizzix machine…I need a misti though!! I love to see what you love! You have raved about the bone folder so I think I need that too! Mostly I need to get organize so I can use and erm perhaps find some of these favorite things!!

  14. Michele says:

    My paper trimmer 🙂

  15. Jan CastleJaneJan Castlet CastleJan Castle says:

    Thank you Jennifer….very helpful video – enjoy your tea!!!!
    Paper Hugs,
    Jan

  16. Jane bell says:

    MISTI hands down.

  17. Casy says:

    Asked for Misti for Christmas last year. Can’t live without it. Love it

  18. Thank you Jennifer for these videos! My favorite tool is my stamp positioner.

  19. Barb R. says:

    My favorite crafting tool is Jennifer McGuire videos. So may great ideas and techniques. But, Misti made me a much better stamper. It’s incredible.

  20. Nita K. says:

    My tool is the Fiskars trimmer, which I am pretty sure I bought because of you. I love it!

  21. Mary-Anne V says:

    . My most used tool is my Fiskars paper trimmer and my Cuttlebug . Thanks for a great video I always love seeing what you recommend!

  22. Elma says:

    The tool I can’t do without is my fiskers curing tool. I would love to get a misti. It looks like it would save me a lot of time.

  23. Hi Jennifer
    My most used is my Misti, I love it, it makes life so much easier! After that I would say my Tonic paper trimmer and my Big Shot. Thanks for all the great info, just put a bunch of stuff on my must have list over at Simon!

  24. Phyllis Tamminen says:

    No matter what video you show I always learn something new!!!
    Thanks for sharing your ideas.

  25. Michele Slater says:

    I look forward to this series each year. Thank you for the great information in your video’s. I love my BIG Shot and hardly ever craft without it.

  26. Rufus says:

    My favorite cant’ live without crafting tool?? Whatever I’m using at the moment! Sometimes it’s my computer, sometimes my craft knife, my Misti, or my Cuttlebug. Thanks for doing these, I always learn something from watching that I didn’t know or had forgotten!
    Merry Christmas to you and yours, Jennifer.

  27. Mindy says:

    Could not live without my Big Shot! In fact, just had to get a new one because I wore my old one out.

  28. I am so loving your posts like this!! Have one order already arrived and this is so helpful too!! I have to say I so agree with so many you were saying but especially my MISTI!!! How the heck did we live without this one for all of these years!?? I create so many projects with mistakes and it saves me every time! Have had my friends buy one as well!! Spreading the love! LOL!! I also use the Platinum 6 with the Spellbinders all in one tool and that is my second go to tool!

  29. Amanda Waugh says:

    I love my mini Misti. I just got the Tim Holtz stamping platform that I have been trying out for my larger needs.

  30. Loly Borda says:

    I use my Teflon bone folder and my T ruler in each of my creations! I love this series! A few years back I bought the Swingline Guillotine that you recommended, I still use it but I use the Tonic one more often now. TFS

  31. amendelson says:

    I could not live without my vagabond die cutting machine I get a thrill every time I send a die through and hear that crackling sound! I use it every chance I get. Thanks for your amazing posts and videos.

  32. MelissaF says:

    The crafty tool I cannot live without is my MISTI – it makes stamping so much more enjoyable for me. Thanks for your in depth look at some favorite tools, always appreciate the detail info.

  33. Elizabeth R says:

    I have to say that all are the ones I can’t live without. But forced to choose one, I’d say Misti. It was a life-saver when I had to stamp 300 coasters for a friend’s wedding.

  34. scrapinator says:

    That one’s an easy one, my MISTI!! I have the original one, but would really love to get the Memory one!! I’m also a scrapbooker LOL!! Thanks for a very informative video!!

  35. I love listening to you and watching you teach a technique or tell us about a tool or trick you’ve learned or created. Your voice is so smooth and welcoming & I confess to being a fan way, way back when you were just starting in the crafting world as a scrapbooker. I was a fan of your work in magazines, and was thrilled to find you online a few years back. Thank you for being a bright light in a sometimes dismal and uncaring world. I think you make people better in the way they treat others, as well as in crafting. May Our Lord bless your Christmas and 2018.

  36. Whoops. I forgot to say the tool I cannot live without. It’s my Uniball Signo 207 black ink pens. No matter what I create, I always write on it someplace & this is my favorite pen. I have no idea if it’s acid-free, permanent or any of that because it doesn’t matter for most of my work. When I scrapbook I use Zig pens. And, I am not lying when I tell you that I own Zig pens that are more than 20 years old and they still work. Best pens ever! Sorry I forgot!

  37. The tool I cannot live without. It’s my Uniball Signo 207 black ink pens. No matter what I create, I always write on it someplace & this is my favorite pen. I have no idea if it’s acid-free, permanent or any of that because it doesn’t matter for most of my work. When I scrapbook I use Zig pens. And, I am not lying when I tell you that I own Zig pens that are more than 20 years old and they still work. Best pens ever!

    I love listening to you and watching you teach a technique or tell us about a tool or trick you’ve learned or created. Your voice is so smooth and welcoming & I confess to being a fan way, way back when you were just starting in the crafting world as a scrapbooker. I was a fan of your work in magazines, and was thrilled to find you online a few years back. Thank you for being a bright light in a sometimes dismal and uncaring world. I think you make people better in the way they treat others, as well as in crafting. May Our Lord bless your Christmas and 2018.

  38. Michelle Laulu says:

    For me, it’s a toss up between my big shot and my trimmer. I do a lot of die cutting, on almost every project. My trimmer keeps my cuts straight. I love having both of them!

  39. For me, my Sizzix Bigshot Machine is a must tool when I am working. I have spent few years of crafting without it and I now know it truly worth it!

  40. Lisa Andersson says:

    I would say that my bone folder is the one thing I wouldn’t trade for anything!

  41. Shannon says:

    I use my Fiskars trimmer a lot, followed closely by my Scor-It board. I use them both on virtually every project!

  42. Toni C says:

    I think I would really really miss my BigShot if I didn’t have it but I am also a bit mad when it comes to paper trimmers – I have 4 that I use often…! I did wonder if I was being a bit silly buying the last one but I have found I do use them all almost equally, depending on what I am doing.

  43. Andrea Hastilow says:

    Loving this series of information, as a new comer to card making there has been so much useful information for me you have saved me some money realising that better decent investment than lots of mini buys. I just am not brave enough yet to make cards for anyone other than very close family & two close friends, maybe with a bit more confidence I will spread my wings, I’d like to but nerves get me x
    My can’t do without tool so far has being my Tim Holtz stamping platform, has saved some card so far, would like to invest in a decent trimmer next I think .

  44. Jeanette Hebden says:

    The Misti, definately the Misti. It just edged out my bigshot. I don’t think I could survive without them. Thanks so much for these tremendous videos.

  45. smlittler says:

    It’s a BIG tie between my Misti stamping tool and my sizzix Big Shot. Can’t craft without either of them. Thanks for the video!

  46. Kyle E. says:

    I cannot live without my Misti!! I could never stamp straight or get things lined up correctly when layering stamped images before I got my Misti! I didn’t know there was a Mouse Pad insert, but it is now on my list of “must-haves!” I actually learned a few different uses for the Creative Corners! Your video was chock full of information on all of the tools you highlighted!!

  47. Miriam Prantner says:

    I can’t craft without my detail scissors. Basic, but totally necessary!

  48. Lisa Chin says:

    Couldn’t live without my BigShot! Thanks for the chance to win and Happy Holidays!!!

  49. Janet Trapp says:

    So many great tools! I love what you love because you show me great ways to use them all!!!💕

  50. Danni M says:

    Thank you for all of your inspiration and insight! As someone new to the card-making world, it is wonderful to have your advice and videos to learn from; they are very much appreciated!
    I don’t think I could craft without my paper trimmer – I would not be able to cut a smooth, straight line without it!

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