Top 10 must-have products

I’m always talking about my “must-have” Stampin’ Up!® products but I’ve never actually made a list. Naturally, there are hundreds of products that I think are fabulous... but, if I was being sensible, I’m sure I could narrow it down to just a few.

I’m not talking about a basic kit here – which would consist of stamps, ink, cardstock, adhesive, scissors and a paper cutter – but about my absolute most favouritest Stampin’ Up!® items which I really would rather not live without.

In no particular order:

Sticky Strip
A boring old tape, selected for a Top 10 must-have products list? But what a tape! We’ve all had boxes fall apart but this will not happen with this tape. It’s brutal – it even removes skin (don’t ask). It takes no prisoners – you can’t shift it once it’s stuck down, so no mistakes allowed. But your boxes won’t fall apart.

Paper Snips
Scissors? Can’t I come up with something more exciting than scissors? But have you actually tried the Paper Snips? They are really good, you know. I even know people who have more than one pair – one for ribbon and one for paper. I’m not that obsessed (yet) and use mine for both... but, for cardstock, only for precision cutting. They cut ribbon beautifully, too – no fraying!

Stamp-a-ma-jig®
Because you can waste a lot of cardstock by stamping images in the wrong place. The Stamp-a-ma-jig helps you position your image perfectly. It’s ideal for two-step stamping, for stamping titles on scrapbook pages, for positioning images on a small piece of cardstock, for lining up images. It’s also VERY easy to use – I’ve had a stamp positioner for years and never got on with it. The Stamp-a-ma-jig® changed all that.

Versamark ink pad
It’s called Versamark because it’s versatile and there is LOADS you can do with this ink pad. Its most straightforward use is as a watermark. Whatever colour cardstock you stamp it on (not white) you will get a slightly darker image; stamp it on pink and you’ll get dark pink... stamp it on blue and you’ll get dark blue etc. Stamp it on white and use it with Stampin’ Pastels and you have a real “wow” technique – it’s called Poppin’ Pastels because the colours really pop. You can also emboss with it, use it for emboss resist techniques, and much more. It’s safe for scrapbooking, too.

Whisper White cardstock
We all have white cardstock... but is it Stampin’ Up!’s Whisper White cardstock? Because, if it isn’t, the chances are you’re not getting the best out of your stamps and ink pads. It’s so smooth that your images will be really bright and clear. You won’t believe me until you’ve tried it... so just try it!

Lovely as a Tree stamp set
All of my selections so far have been very utilitarian because there’s no substitute for good quality basic tools. Here’s something a lot more attractive! I’ve waxed lyrical about this stamp set so many times you’re no doubt sick of reading it (or hearing it, if you’ve been to one of my events). But once more for those who weren’t paying attention: this is a fabulous set, very elegant, suitable for loads of occasions, including those tricky masculine birthdays and even trickier sympathy cards. You’ll want to use it all year round – including at Christmas. Stampin’ Up! demonstrators in America and Canada voted this their favourite set of all time... and they’ve had a LOT of stamp sets in the past 20 years.

Scallop Circle Punch
This is a really useful punch which looks great on almost every project. Pierce the scallops or dot them with a white gel pen to ring the changes. Punch twice to make a novel medallion. You will use it LOADS.

Large circle punch – preferably both of them
That’s the 1 ¼” and the 1 3/8” circle punches to be precise. These two punches (yes, I’ve cheated – my Top 10 is really a Top 11) go brilliantly together and even more brilliantly when used with the Scallop Circle Punch. They co-ordinate with many of the stamp sets in the current Idea Book and Catalogue - Season of Joy, Doodle That, Tart & Tangy and more. Oh and I nearly forgot to say that these punches are great quality and will not disappoint you like so many other punches do.

Watercolour Wonder™ crayons
These are a joy to use – they go on so smoothly and make colouring very, very easy. I’m not big on colouring, as you’ve probably noticed, but I love using these. You scribble with them onto your image then blend the colour using blender pens, an Aqua Painter™ or even simply a wet paintbrush. You can also use any of these directly onto the crayon to pick up intense colour for small, detailed areas. They come in four colour family packs plus a neutrals collection. Everyone who has used these at one of my parties, workshops or classes has fallen in love with them!

Old Olive
I couldn’t neglect that dear elderly lady, Old Olive, could I? What a wonderful colour! It’s a green you won’t find anywhere else and it goes so well with so many colours. The good news is that you can buy an ink pad, cardstock, Designer Series Paper, ribbon, die-cut flowers, felt flowers and buttons in this colour. The bad news is that you’re probably sick of seeing it on my blog as I use it all the time!