The start of a new journey.

Alison Culliver
Jan 11
3 min read

Explore card making & papercrafts with me.

Welcome to my first blog & my new website!

I'm Alison, and I live in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia.

In the past, I blogged on Blogger, but after completing a web design course, I've learnt to integrate my blog with a shop to sell the projects I create and showcase in my posts.

If you previously followed me at craftedbyalison@blogspot.com, thank you for joining me on this new journey. If this is your first time reading my work, welcome!

Let me share a bit about myself.

I enjoy making cards and gifts for my friends and family, and this blog is dedicated to helping you create something special for your loved ones too.

I post twice a week—on Sundays, where I typically feature a stamp set, dies, embossing folders, projects, and occasionally special Designer Series Paper (DSP), and on Wednesday evenings, where I offer techniques, colour related topics & techniques, fun folds or tools and tips.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions. You can email me at craftedbyalison@gmail.com.

Getting started in papercrafting.

This week I am starting with some basics for creating - Craft room Essentials & getting set up.

Everybody has their own style of crafting & everyone has to start from scratch so the items that I will be listing below are part essentials, part wish list. Collect the items that work for you as you can afford them or get together with fellow crafters & share your supplies until you can build up your own supplies & equipment.

Cutting

A good sharp pair of utility scissors for 'fussy cutting'. This is when you cut out an image or sentiment by hand instead of using a die. As you progress in your crafting journey you may want to add different pairs of scissors for cutting other materials such as ribbons & twine which can make your scissors blunt. Having a dedicated pair of scissors just for cardstock helps to keep them sharper.
A trimmer. This is a board that has a ruler along 2 sides and a track with a cutting blade & sometimes a scoring blade as well. There are a few brands on the market & are available from Stampin' Up®, craft stores or Spotlight.

Adhesive

There are lots of different types of adhesives. Most have a specific purpose & strength. I have double sided tape in regular strength & strong hold, liquid adhesive, also called crafters glue, plus glue dots which are handy for holding small things such as bows.

Work surfaces

A crafters mat or paper to protect your work surface.

Craft supplies

Supplies such as inks, stamps & a way of cleaning your stamps. I use a stamp cleaner from Stampin' Up® but also have a shammy & have used Wet Wipes when needed.
Cardstock, Designer Series Papers (DSPs) & embellishments such as ribbons, pearls, dots, rhinestones, sequins & gems.

That's a pretty simple run down of some of the items that help you when you're crafting. The only other things you need are an area to craft, some time & inspiration!

Hopefully I can help you with the final element in my future posts.

As I mentioned, if you are just starting out but you know other crafters, getting together & sharing your resources is an economical way of creating plus there's the added bonus of friendship & inspiration.