Tools of the trade

I've been thinking about all the "tools" that I use on a frequent basis so I decided my first post should be about just that!
The must haves, the it would be nice to haves, and the ones you can get away with not having at all.

The must haves:
Paint:I have collected shoe boxes full of acrylic craft paints in every color, I seem to buy more each time I do a project. They range from .69 to 1.99$. Can't beat that! The colors are amazing and they blend well for custom colors. I highly advise building up a large collection for future projects!
I also use a ton of spray paint. Back in the day you couldn't spray paint much, but now they make a spray paint for everything. Wood, metal, plastic, high heat etc.
Most of the time you don't even need to sand or prime!I've spray painted furniture, wall art, plastic playhouses, brass chandeliers, wall outlet plates and switches, decor accessories, and even cabinet hardware. There is an endless amount of possibilities you can come up with when you have the right color spray paint!


I use the cheap .96 cent paint for some projects but I prefer Krylon paint for important projects. It's my standard go to paint. Not to mention all the awesome colors and finishes they have now!


Then of course there is wall paint. I tend to stick with a satin finish. I've tried most brands of paint out there and I am defiantly a Behr girl! I always seem to go back to Behr. They are reasonably priced, covers well and has a huge range of colors! That doesn't mean to imply I don't currently have 3 brand new quarts of Glidden paint in my craft closet right now. Ha!




Power Tools:
A cordless drill is a must have, it takes a third of the time of a manual screwdriver, and lets face it, I'm impatient. I want it done now!
We have a table saw, but I think this could be a tool you can do without.
We just recently (finally) bought a miter saw. In the past we have used a miter box, but I couldn't take anymore complaints from the handy man husband department. 120$ investment in a miter saw solved a lot of that. Trim projects now take less than half the time with better cuts. If you love trim like I do, a miter saw is a must have power tool.Misc must have tools:
A Hammer. Mine is old, maybe older than me. It's covered in rust and has a curved end instead of straight. I really need a new hammer. Maybe I can get a pink one just for me!
Measuring tape- preferably one that is not curled like mine and wont lay flat for anything

Stud finder- for making sure you can support that heavy shelf on the wall and you know, for finding studs...ha.

Laser level- for those of us obsessed with centered level objects.
Gorilla glue- super great strong glue, glue most anything
Hot glue and gun- enough said.
Caulk and gun- for filling holes, and finishing trim.
This is stuff I keep on hand ALL the time, don't even get me started on fabric!