General Information

Because Rubber Stamping can be such an expensive hobby, I researched the topic exhaustively, and bought the items I thought I needed. Following is a list of the supplies I purchased along with information that I think may be helpful:

1. Ink Pads

Colorbox 12-color ink pads, one in primary colors and one in pastel. The pads are removable so you can ink small or large stamps, and they can be rearranged in the case if you want to use a brayer for a rainbow effect. This was more economical than buying individual pads
Gold, Silver and Copper regular size pads (found them for $1.00 each and they work great.)
Clear Embossing Ink Pad.
- Emboss with clear embossing powder and the color of the paper will show through. Background of Lizard-Cactus card shows clear embossed lizards.
- Stamp an image with embossing ink and let dry until just a little tacky. Rub image with chalk or pigment (Pearl Ex, Liquid Pearls) to give a soft look. See Chalk Dragonfly card for an example.
Embossing Pen These come with a variety of shapes and sizes of tips, and can be used to draw fine lines or greetings. See Black Dress card for an example. I also draw along the edge of cards and sprinkle with gold embossing powder for a great look. See Gloves card where I outlined the entire image with an embossing pen.

2. Markers

Set of 30 colors purchased in a local discount store. I use these mostly for sponging backgrounds, but have used them to color in a stamp image as in the colored sun in the Sun card

3. Chalk

5 colors found in a dollar store - pink, purple, blue, lime and orange - these are deep colors, not pastels. Used as backgrounds, or rubbed on embossing ink for a nice look. Both techniques in Chalk Dragonfly card

4. Watercolor Pencils

Staedtler's 24 color package - use these for backgrounds and to color in stamped images

5. Adhesives

Double Sided Tape - I really like this and it works well but it's more expensive than a glue stick. However, I used a glue stick almost exclusively at the beginning, but I found that cards that sat around for awhile started to come apart.
Foam Pieces- instead of buying the foam dots, I found a package of small squares or foam tape on a roll that I cut to size, which was much cheaper. These are great for adding a little dimension to cards.
E6000 Glue - I use this craft glue for attaching embellishments such as shrink plastic, fun foam, ribbons, etc., and for attaching papers to embossed cards if necessary.

6. Cutters

Deckle Scissors - Although there are many decorative scissors to choose from I liked the look of this edge and only bought the one
Paper Cutter - I had an 8 1/2" x 11" rotary wheel cutter already and can't do without it. It's great for making sure your edges are straight, or pieces are uniform

7. Paper

Card Stock - many of the local craft stores have sales and I stock up on solid color cards. I've also found several inexpensive packages but find that I probably won't use all the colors so it's really better to wait til the colors you want are available
Layering Papers - most stores have "scrapbook" papers which have great patterns and are much thinner weight than the stock. A great source of these papers is wallpaper books - check with your local store to see if they're getting rid of any. The background on the Blue Dragonfly card is a piece of wallpaper.
Specialty Papers
- Vellum
- Acetate - good for postage templates
- Old cards - I found pieces of parchment, and metallic papers that I could reuse.
- Origami paper
- Used dryer sheets - this was one of the best tips I ever read on the web. Instead of mulberry paper, take your used dryer sheets and use them. Check the techniques page for tips on tearing and dying them.

8. Embossing Powders

Gold, Silver, Black and Clear - rather than purchase any other color, I use pigment ink in the color I want and top with clear embossing powder so the color shows through

9. Dry Embossing (with Brass Stencils)

Shell Brass Stencil & embossing tool - the brass stencils are really nice, but you can make your own stencil by drawing an image on heavy acetate, or mat board and cutting with an exacto knife. (Remember that when you stencil, your image will be reversed so be sure to use the right side of your stencil.)

10. Paper Corrugator

I couldn't find gold corrugated paper so I bought a corrugator that would hold an 8 1/2" sheet which works great on any thickness of paper

11. Heat Gun

Marvey Purple heat gun - works great for embossing and shrink plastic

12. Speciality Items

Fun Foam - used to make texture stamps, embellishments for cards, and pad homemade stamps
Shrink Plastic - used for embellishments

13. Other

Ribbons, beads, jewelry findings, foreign postage stamps and anything else you have around the house!