Best Tools for Smaller DIY Projects

*Some of the following links are affiliate links. Please see full disclosure for complete details*

Hello there! It has been a little bit since I have been on here and it’s nice to finally have a moment to get back and start writing again. Since I last posted a lot has happened. 

You may already know but I am now an online distributer for DIY Paints created by my friend Debi over at Debi’s Design Diary. I met her in person finally late last year and was excited at the opportunity to represent her and her wonderful paints. They are clay based and highly pigmented and are perfect for DIYs, crafts and furniture transformations. 

I have done several videos sharing how to use them. Here is an example of a gorgeous X Front Cabinet I recently transformed with them.  

In addition to the paints, I also began making my very own natural soy wax candles and started selling them online as well. These are highly fragrant and natural with no dyes and made with soy grown right here in the U.S.

Once I started reading all of the unhealthy ingredients in mass produced candles, I decided to make my own and share them with my subscribers. l sold out of all of my candles the very first week I launched and have been slowly trying to get back to my normal inventory levels. 

 

I am so grateful for everyone who has been so supportive. 

And finally, if I didn’t have enough on my plate, we bought a 19 acre farm and will be moving by the end of summer. I shared all about it in this video.

It’s a huge change for us, but we have been led by God for some time to get started and we are excited at the opportunity to start our own homestead and build a home. We are excited about it and will be sharing more about our journey soon. 

For today, I wanted to share some of the tools that I use on a regular basis to create my DIY’s. These tools make it really easy to get started DIYing and all of these are a must-have in my book.

1. GARTOL MITER SHEARS

These are one of my most-used tools in my studio. You can cut small pieces of actual wood trim as well as popsicle sticks and dowels. These are great for when you need a quick cut and you are able to adjust the degrees for any type of angle cut. 

2. OFLA Circle Cutter 

These are great for cutting the perfect circles whether it be on card stock, paper, foam board or even felt! I have used these for so many projects, including this pillow an these ornaments. 

3. Mini Miter Saw Kit: 

This miter saw kit is another great way to cut small dowels and even popsicles. I also like to use the blade to cut down floral foam!

4. PAPER TRIMMER

I love this tool so much I literally have 2 of them. If you want straight cuts every time with little hassle, you need one of these. This is perfect to use on scrapbook paper for crafts and even to trim down decals to the right size. I pretty much use this tool every day. It even helps me trim down my thank you cards for my online orders as well as my labels for my homemade candles. 

5. SPRAY TENT

 

This is another tool I have that I have used so many times over the years. If you have a small place to spray paint or if you need to spray inside a garage during the cold winter months, this spray tent is key. It holds in all of the overspray allowing you to spray paint in tighter spaces without getting the paint everywhere. It even folds down to a small bag for easy storage. 

Watch how I use it here. 

6. CRICUT MAKER 

 

I love my Cricut! At first I was a little intimidated by it but now I use it for everything! Whether it’s to make custom home decor pieces like this look for less pillow or this high end dupe tray. I can cut so many different materials and I even use it to sell merchandise on my website. The possibilities are endless and while the price can be a bit of an investment, the payout is tenfold in my opinion. 

7. MITER SAW BOX KIT:

This miter saw box kit is perfect for when you want to cut larger pieces of wood but aren’t interested in investing in an electric miter saw just yet. As a matter of fact I made this Kirklands dupe with this saw and it worked perfectly!

8. FISKARS ROTARY CUTTERS

 

If you sew (even a little bit) this is a must have! It makes cutting your straight lines for patterns super quick and easy. But it also makes cutting curves a breeze! I use it so much I already had to change the blade! 

Watch how I use it to cut these custom Christmas stockings. 

9. WOOD BURNING KIT:

The funny thing about my wood burning kit is that I never burn wood with it! LOL! True story!

But I do use it to melt holes into plastic ornaments like when I made this DIY Christmas Garland . I also used it to make faux stitches on leather for this amazing Dollar Tree fall home decor piece. So even if you don’t do wood DIYs, it’s still super useful! 

10. FABRIC TAPE MEASURE

Let’s be real, I don’t like tape measures cause I find them kinda awkward. However, I always have one of these fabric ones around my neck. I am always measuring things and when I am doing a project I like to have them handy to make sure I am doing everything right. These are super inexpensive and I like to have one in different locations. 

11. CUTTING MAT

 

I used to think cutting mats were only for sewing but I use them for all kinds of cutting. As a matter of fact I have one on my crafting table that never goes away. I do so many things on it. It protects my desk and it gives me the ability to measure anything right away since it is always out. Of course, cutting fabric on this is super easy especially with the rotary cutter above. 

 

12. OMIGRID RULER

While the Omigrid ruler is meant for cutting fabric I use the straight edge to cut just about anything, including foam board. I like that it’s clear so that you can see your material underneath and all of the measuring points are super helpful when cutting precise measurements. 

 

13. ELECTRIC MINI MITER SAW

This is my newest addition to the tools stash! A mini electric miter saw! First of all, it’s too stinkin’ cute! And second of all, it cuts so well! This is perfect if you don’t want to use the power of your own hands to cut with some of the tools above. I suffer from carpal tunnel and sometimes using the other tools can be tough, but this takes the work out of it and it’s SUPER affordable! 

I hope this list was helpful. Let me know if you hadn’t known of any of these before or if you already have some of these in your toolbox! 

I should be back soon! 

Until then… adios!