5 THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE I STARTED CRAFTING

Hopefully You Won't Make These Mistakes

I had not done any scrapbooking since the 90's, and had never attempted to make a card, or any other paper crafts, until 2 years ago. I needed a hobby, and a friend who is an avid scrapbooker, got me hooked on  papercrafting by sending me a Cricut.

I made a lot of bad purchases in the beginning, simply because I did not know what I was doing. I hope this list will help you avoid making the same mistakes.

1. All paper is not created equal. 

    When I first started, I went to Wal-Mart and purchased packs of paper in different themes. What I didn't realize is the quality of paper varies wildly. Now that I know better, I only buy a few different brands that I trust, and always purchase printed paper that is double sided. Cardstock is thicker and comes in solid colors, making it great for card and scrapbook bases. My favorite brands of paper are Bo Bunny, Graphic 45,  Close to My Heart, and Core'dinations. I prefer to buy paper collections now. I don't want to have to find embellishments to match my great paper.

Find the Yuletide kit here.

2. There is a reason there are lots of different types of ink.

     I wrote a post explaining all of the different types of ink, and when to use each. If you are like I was in the beginning of my crafty journey, staring at an array of inks, with no clue, check out this post.

This is the Whimsy pigment ink collection.

3. You should not randomly purchase cute stickers, stamps, ribbon, etc.

     You walk into the craft store and it all looks so pretty, and it's on sale! Your eyes glaze over, and you think you need it all.  I know the feeling. I randomly purchased items that were on sale, and a year later had not managed to use any of them. Now I purchase with a project in mind. I know I will be making scrapbook pages, and cards in certain themes, and I'm sure you do also. Why in the world do I have a ton of flowers in such odd colors? Twenty rolls of washi tape? I have no idea.

4. You do not need a large collection of Cricut cartridges. 

     If you own a Cricut you know what I mean when I say that collecting cartridges can become addicting. I have many, but seem to always turn to the same few for my projects. Once I purchased my first Close to My Heart cartridge with 700 images, I realized that these cartridges could take care of most of my scrapbooking, and card making, needs. 

Artbooking Close to My Heart Cartridge

5. Organization is important!

     There is nothing worse than knowing you have pink ribbon that will go perfectly with the card you are making, but you can't find it. Suddenly a card that should have taken you 30 minutes to make, has you spending an hour just finding your supplies. Figure out the type of organizers that work best for you, and get your stuff in order. I need to be able to see my supplies, so very little of it is out of sight in drawers. The drawers I do have are labeled. If you have a system, not only will you be able to find that pink ribbon, but clean up will be much easier. 

My new favorite clear organizers.

Are there some things you wish you had known when you started crafting? Comment below and let us know. Maybe I'm still making mistakes, and you can help me.