ULTIMATE CRAFTER GIFT GUIDE

I have never made a gift guide before, but I figured that this was an all-purpose list. Not only does it give you good ideas of what to buy for the crafty people on your Christmas list, but it is a good starting point if you are looking to build your own craft stash. None of these items are particularly expensive or fancy. These are the items that I find myself reaching for nearly every week — my craft staples. The links below are affiliate links, which means that by purchasing after clicking you are financially supporting Mad in Crafts! Thank you!

Self Healing Cutting Mat:  This was one of the first craft-related supplies I ever specifically asked for as a Christmas present.  If you go back and look at old Mad in Crafts posts, you will see this bad boy in the background of many of them.  It is obviously great when cutting paper or fabric, but it also wipes down easily —  making it a great way to protect your work surface.

Mod Podge is a tried and true crafter’s staple.  Mod Podge is the go-to for adhering and sealing paper, fabric, photos, and more.  Mod Podge comes in dozens of formulas, but I think the matte formula is the most all-purpose of the bunch.

I didn’t know the joy of a good glue gun until this year.  I had been operating with a crappy dollar store gun for years, until it finally (literally) exploded on me.  Angie from The Country Chic Cottage sent me an Adtech Glue Gun and I will never go back.  This set is nice since it includes a starter bunch of glue sticks too.

I have had my EK Success Paper Cutter for years, and still find myself pulling it out at least once a month.  It’s not fancy.  It doesn’t have many bells and whistles.  It just does what it is supposed to do, and does it well.

If you don’t have an X-Acto Knife, you are making crafting harder on yourself than you need to.  I spent too many nights cutting craft components with scissors, when I could have zipped through them much faster with a craft knife.  Combine this with the self-healing cutting mat, and you will have a rock star craft gift.

I used to think that scissors were scissors.  They all have two blades and one handle that operates off a pivot point.  How much variation could there be?  WRONG.  Wrongity wrong wrong.  I double heart my Fiskars Dressmaker Shears, and I only allow them to be used on fabric.  They cut like a hot knife through butter and I don’t want anything messing with these beautiful blades.

Some projects just call for glitter and nobody makes the stuff better than Martha.  Martha Stewart Crafts produces glitter in every size, shape, and color imaginable, and Martha Stewart Glitter always comes out looking gorgeous.  Always smooth, always bright.  This multi-pack is great starter set for any crafter.

Speaking of glitter, you should give someone this pack of American Crafts Glitter Tape.  Glitter tape is not exactly a craft staple, but I still find way to use it almost every month.  Sealing up a birthday card envelope? Glitter tape.  Embellishing a place card?  Glitter tape.  Decorating party favors?  Glitter tape, glitter tape, glitter tape.

Aleene’s Fast Grab Glue is my favorite.  If you are used to white craft glue that drips and globs and takes forever to dry, you will be in awe of this stuff.  The formula is THICK and grabs onto your project with a Vulcan death grip.  The only downside to the thick formula is that it is sometimes hard to squeeze out of the bottle, which  makes this “upsidedown” bottle especially genius.

Every crafter needs some basic paintbrushes, and this Martha Stewart Paintbrushes set has a good variety of usable sizes.  I use the 1/2 angled brush all the time.  If you give them a good cleaning after use, they will last a long time too.