10 favorite things

I often get asked what tools or items I can't live without in my scrapbooking arsenal. So I thought I would share a list of my 10 must haves.

1. My Cricut Expression. I fell in love with this machine when my friend Noey had hers. I love that I can use a 12" piece of scrapbooking paper in it. I also love the ability to cut my titles out of paper that matches my layouts. Not to mention all the cute shapes.



2. Making Memories Metro Alphas. They are glittery and small. Perfect for when I want a bit of shine or tiny easy to use letters. I have them in black, white, silver, brown and red. I want to get them in this aqua color.




3. My Xyron 1.5" Create a Sticker is perfect for putting adhesive on the letters I cut out on my Cricut. It is also good for ribbon and small mementos.




4. My all time favorite Cricut cartridge is Lyrical Letters. I love it's font variety, shapes and phrases. If you could only add one cartridge to your collection, this would be it.




5. I really like my Fiskars three piece eyelet setters. It lets me easily punch holes any where on a piece of paper, unlike conventional punches that limit you to the edge. I also like that I can use it to set eyelets. I use this tiny 4x4 mat under so that I don't ruin my work surface.




6. Zots. They are perfect for things that a tape runner can't stick to paper. They are great for buttons, flowers, and other 3D elements.
   


7. My Herma Dotto tape runner is probably the most used item in my scrap bag. I use it on photos, paper, ribbon, you name it I have tried to use it :) I prefer to use the repositionable adhesive over the permanent. I make mistakes. :)
   


8. Zig pens. I have them in black, grey, brown, and of course orange. They are great for journaling, using the fine tip, or drawing lines, using the thick tip. Having at least a few basic colors is great for all of your layouts.



9. You may have noticed that I didn't mention a white pen above. That is because the Uni-ball signo white pen is the best for writing in white. It writes smoothly, has a nice sharp white color, and can write on any surface.



10. Last, but certainly not least, is my paper trimmer. I love my Fiskars 12" paper trimmer. It has a rotary blade, which I prefer to the blade trimmers. I also like that I can fit an entire 12x12 sheet on the cutting board. And a must for me in a trimmer, you can line up your paper exactly along the blade line. Other trimmers you put the area you want to cut over a channel. I feel like those are not as exact.

There you have it. My 10 favorite items. Now if we were talking about paper lines or embellishments, that would be a far longer list!