MORE Tools Of The Trade

Well it seems you all enjoyed my tools of the trade article - I'm really pleased - and I hope it will help you buy wisely if you ever have the chance to invest in something new!!

So I have put together another article on tools - I hope it will be as informative...

My first choice is ACCENTS - as in Ranger Glossy Accents  which costs around £5 a bottle and Enamel Accents which is around £5 for a twin pack

The GLOSSY accents is a clear substance that is literally just squeezed onto the chosen area and left to dry - when dry it looks like a glass covering - it works really well on things like clock faces, headlights on cars, noses on animals - in fact anything you want to look glossy

Its easy to use but be warned, DO NOT shake the bottle or you will end up with tint air bubbles which stop the accents drying glossy! If you get the odd bubble carefully prick with a pin and cross your fingers!!!

The ENAMEL accents come in black and white - turn the bottle upside down and gently squeeze so the liquid is ready to use - DO NOT shake as air bubbles may form and spoil the final appearance.

These accents will dry as they are use so if you peek the dot it will dry to a peek!!! Ideal for eyes or buttons on clothes and perfect for adding corners!!! In fact let your imagination run riot!!!

My next choice is PINFLARE - both the silicone glue gel and the newly released foto glue

The silicone gel comes in a starter set which has a key for the tube and a syringe to store the gel... costing around £6 or tube only which is around £4

The gel is odourless and once the gel is in the syringe provided you keep the cover on when not in use it will not set making it available to use when you need it! This is what you use to build layers and add dimension - the advantage over sticky pads is you get the chance to move your layers if not correctly lined up!

The foto glue costs around £2 a tube and is great for large areas as you can move the paper around before it goes off - and if you happen to get glue on your picture dont worry, it will simply rub away with your fingers making it an ideal glue for all projects

Here is something I talk about with almost every card I make - mainly because I use it on almost every card!!!

Its a Sakura Quickie Glue Pen - approx £3, Deco Art Glamour Dust - approx £3 and the Trimcraft Tidy Tray - approx £3,  Fluffy Blusher Brush mine was from our local £1 shop.

The quickie pen is like a biro - you highlight areas on your card that you want to glitter - this can be a very fine line or colour with it to fill larger areas - its a glue that is blue when you use it but it soon changes to white - and dries clear - simply sprinkle the glamour dust over the design, use the brush to brush excess powder into your tidy tray then it can be poured back into the bottle for next time!! So easy.....

BRUSHES GALORE!

I love to ink the edges of card and to do this I have a range of brushes - Dreamweaver do a 3 brush set for around £9/£10, they have firm bristles and are lovely to use - I get great results every time - dont worry that they are stained - the colour doesnt transfer to the ink pads....

Inkilicious used to do a range of brushes that for all the world looked like shaving brushes - they were available in a 5 pack for £6 or a 10 pack for £10 and the handles came in pine, red, blue, green and black I believe. These brushes were my first and I always had pleasing results with them, however it was suggested they be washed after use - and sadly that was a mistake as the bristles began to fall out in clumps as the adhesive was not suited to water.

So they moved on to the double ended ink duster which are more expensive at around £14 for a 3 pack but WOW what a difference  they are so nice to use and give brilliant results every time - whether it be using brish strokes, circular movements or stipaling.....a must have in my opinion!

My last tools are my shaping tool and foam shaping mat

I bought the tool from Dimension Fourth for £2.50 at a craft show then when people saw these I was asked to order and did so from Dimension Fourth online store - a great service I have to say! Same price and free P&P they treat us crafters fairly!

If you are adding paper flowers to your project simply turn the flower over in the pam of your hand and using the ball end of the tool make circular movements and watch the shape emerge! Or place it on the mat and do the same.... If you have larger pieces of decoupage to shape, work in the same way!!!

The mat is ideal for shaping, pricking and even stamping and cost as little as £2 so worth buying and trying!!!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on craft tools that I own and use almost daily - all I will say to you all is - have a go....some things you will love and get on with easily while others may not be for you....