Templates
A cut-out shape that can be filled on the inside with paint, markers or other color media, a template lies flat on a surface so an image or shape doesn't have to be drawn freehand, it can be traced or colored in.
Unfinished Wood
You don't need woodworking experience to work with unfinished wood. Pieces from small dollhouse furnishings to large hope chests and curio cabinets are available and ready for sanding, painting, detailing and displaying, and they're often sturdy enough to survive and hand down from generation to generation.
Vases and Containers
Adding paint to a dollar-store planter or wrapping a vase in embroidered ropes and fabric can change the ordinary to the artsy and display-worthy easily and affordably.
Watercolor
Method of painting that allows for soft, diffused -- or watered down -- colors, or bold saturated colors depending on the balance of paint and water used. Most often painted onto specific watercolor papers or surfaces.
Wall Adhesives
An assortment of wall décor stickers is easy to find in craft stores and online, and they're far more changeable than the wallpaper variety of days past. Most can be configured in a multitude of patterns and are easy to remove and reuse.
Wire
Not just for jewelry-making and picture-hanging, wire is a multi-tasking craft item for twining, detailing and strengthening joinery in small-scale projects. It also makes artificial foliage more workable.
Related Articles
Sources
- A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts. "General Crafts Catalog." 2012. April 20, 2012. http://www.acmoore.com/c-7-crafts-catalog.aspx
- Disney Family Fun. "Crafts by Material." FamilyFun.go.com. 2012. April 21, 2012. http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/crafts-by-material/
- Martha Stewart Living. "Essential Craft Tools." MarthaStewart.com. 2012. (April 20, 2012) http://www.marthastewart.com/276982/craft-tools-and-projects?tab=index
- Martha Stewart Living. "The Crafts Dept." MarthaStewart.com. 2012. (April 20, 2012) http://thecraftsdept.marthastewart.com/
- Michaels Stores. "Departments." Michaels.com. 2012. (April 20, 2012) http://michaels.com/Art-Supplies/departments-artsupplies,default,sc.html#