Craftastic Hoarding

So I guess one of the things that makes me so crafty is that I hoard crafts. Not that it doesn't also take some artistic ability to connect pieces and make something but hoarding is definitely part of it. Over the years I have hoarded everything. I still have some mosaic tiles that I found in the art supply room in middle school. I don't do this on purpose but there is always a little voice, that I listen to, that says "hey that might come in handy one day. You might NEED that" so I keep it. Now, some things do come in handy but many just sit in my craft box.

Over the years I have collected feathers from failed projects, paints of the same exact brand and shade (past and present me both have great taste), and scraps of fabric as well as many other odds and ends. While all of this is a large part of my craft creating collection, I think that there are some essentials that everyone trying to craft should have.

1. The very first and most important is a hot glue gun. From the beginning of crafternity the hot glue gun has been the center of the craft universe. When I lived at home I used my mom's. Soon after moving into college I realized I couldn't function without one. Elmers or super glue just aren't my thing. So I went out and bought my very own glue gun. I thought they would be expensive but turns out Hobby Lobby has mini glue guns for around $5 which, though I am poor, is in my budget. Definitely the most important part of my crafting. I use it for nearly every project.

2. While not as important for crafting but still important in daily life, I think the sewing kit deserves to make this list.

This is just a small sewing kit that my boyfriend picked up at Walmart for me for Mother's Day (proud mom of three goldfish). It was mostly a joke between us but still a good gift since I needed a kit. It comes with pins, needles, threads, and all the other essentials to sewing and was only $5. It's no sewing machine and could never replace one but has been helpful thus far. There are a lot of DIY projects I would like to do that involve a lot of sewing but, until I get my own sewing machine, this will suffice.

3. I don't have a lot to say about this next item but paint brushes are important for the obvious reasons: to paint anything other than your nails (I have a secret for that). I bought a large pack of assorted brushes at Hobby Lobby for probably $5 (it was a while ago so I may be wrong on the price).

4. Number four is important to me and my crafting but may not be a necessity to others. I love sharpies. Of any and every color. I have used them for a lot of things and I think that they are very useful, especially for things that would be hard to paint (mostly small things like lines). When I was a preteen I used to carry a Sharpie with me wherever I went. I once drew in (on) a JCPenny elevator. It wasn't a bad drawing either, pretty artistic (haha). There was also a long time that I would write on my shoes whenever I felt the need (no idea why I needed to write on my shoe). So, anyways, sharpies are important to my crafts. I like to doodle.

5. This is probably only going to be a list of five important things for your magic craft box so last but not least is the magic craft box itself. Mine is just a green tub I bought at the dollar store, though it has been transported over the years to several different containers. For Christmas last year I received a carrying case to sort my crafts so I actually have two bins now for my crafts. In my craft box I have pictures that don't yet have a home, tissue paper from presents, buttons, old artwork, and lots of other odds and ends. Like I said, any little thing that you might want to keep can go into this box. I have one cherry clip-on earring because it's pair was used in a BFF frame for my best friend from high school. It's important to me so it goes in the box. Anything you might want to use one day, that the voice says "don't get rid of that", goes into this box. Without it, all your other items are useless...

Obviously this is just my opinion on crafts but it's worked for me thus far. Get crafty this weekend!