My Portable Craft Kit and Why You Need One

I have a fierce and irrational fear of boredom.  In the same way, I also can't stand the thought of going a day without crafting in some way, if only for five minutes (as I did the other night).  I have this tendency to over-pack when I go on trips so that that I'm prepared for anything that might happen.  This fear has saved me many a time from being bored, but I must admit, I might obsess over it a little too much.  Maybe.

Thus, when my family and I went on a trip last weekend, I made sure to pack plenty of craft supplies for the six to eight hour drive each way, plus the time in between of course!  I always pack plenty of craft supplies when I go out of town, but it may have been more extensive this time.

I thought it would be fun to compile a list of all the craft/card making supplies I brought on this last trip to share with you all.  Keep in mind that I packed each of these items with the intention of using them in the car, not just on the days in between!

Some of these are simply items I keep in my purse at all times, but I am including them in the list because if I didn't already keep them in my purse, I would still bring them along!  These items I will mark with an asterisk(*).

The List
So, enough with the rambling explanations of ever'thin'!  Here is a list of everything I took on my last trip, along with reasons YOU should have what I will fondly call My Portable Craft Kit.

Sharpies obviously have to be the first thing because WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT, THEY'RE SHARPIES!  I can't go anywhere, anywhere, without a sharpie easily accessible.  Oh JK.  I walk up to the mailbox with a pen instead of a sharpie.

Blank cards have to be the second thing, because they would be the first thing except that sharpies are more important.  Always.

Liquid glue* is important for many things, like adhering goofy drawings you drew on your sister's homework, or just random stuff like sticking all the parts of a card together to complete the finished piece.

Scissors* come in handy all.  the.  time.  So that you can cut out...stars!  You should always have scissors with you, just like you should always have a sharpie with you.

Watercolors were something I had to include on this trip, considering how much I've been loving watercoloring lately.

Watercolor brushes can't be left out!  They're quite helpful when using watercolors.  I prefer the kind with the pointed end, which is what most of mine have.  I'll tell you why I prefer those in an upcoming post!

A well sealed water container, with water in it of course, came in handy too!  I was planning at first to use a water bottle, but my parents didn't like that idea so much, so instead I used an old coconut oil container, which worked much better than a water bottle would have.  I took this with the intention of opening it and using it in the car, but let me tell you: when you're riding in a 14-year-old 15-passenger van going around 60 mph most of the time, it is not the most smoothest ride, and your attempts at having an open container of water there without spilling it may not be very successful.  But don't let me stop you from trying it!

Assorted small sizes of watercolor paper is pretty much a must if you're doing a bunch of watercoloring.

Crayons may seem like something only children use, but OH MAN, they are so fun!  (No wonder kids use 'em.)  I love to - wait!  I can't tell you!  But there's this really really cool technique I love doing, which I will show you all soon!  Can't wait!

Lined paper is an item I always keep stocked up in my blogging binder, for obvious reasons.  Same reason you keep it stocked in a school binder.  But did you know it can be used for so much more than just writing on?  (Surprise, surprise.)  I even made this flower one night on our trip, using lined paper + A WHOLE LOT of glue.

White acrylic paint I brought, but alas, did not use.  Not because I couldn't think of how to use it (ha!), but because I simply ran out of time.  You can do so many cool things with white acrylic paint.  I like to use my littlest watercolor brush for detailed things with acrylics.

A paper plate is, again, something I brought but didn't use, ONLY because I didn't use the acrylic paint.  If you don't want to bring acrylic paint on your trip, but you do have squeeze-out watercolors, you'll still need a paper plate.

Paper towel(s) can't be lived without, for the painter, that is!  Whatever type of painting you're doing, you'll need a paper towel to dab brushes on, or fingers for that matter.

Small cardstock scraps are just a good thing to have in a craft kit, even if you don't anticipate using them.  You never know when you'll need that one extra piece to complete a card!

A six inch metal ruler* is great for on-the-go crafts, when you don't have room for a foot long ruler, but you still need something to measure with.

Pencils* are mucho important!  Whether you're drawing out a design that will later be erased, or simply tracing around a shape, pencils are not be left behind.

Erasers* can be said the same of!  If you have a pencil, you need an eraser.  Pencils need erasers like people need bacon.

Pens* are almost as pencils, if not just as much.  I used to be partial to pencils, but nowadays, I use pens more often.

Envelopes are sort of optional, even for me, the person who has a letter to write pretty much all the time, especially on trips!  But they are good to have, and I like to take at least two stamped envelopes on every trip (more if needed!), just in case I happen to finish a letter before we get home, which has happened before.  If you run out of other paper, you could decorate your envelopes!  Note: generally it would also be good to bring an address book if you have one, but it was not necessary for me this time, so that's why it's not listed, except for here.

Tape* is also optional.  Nevertheless, it does come in handy at [sometimes unexpected] times.

A small box to carry all your little papers in is super helpful.  I use a card box my grandma gave me a while ago.

A flat hard surface to work on is definitely beneficial.  I used my blogging binder, which is falling apart anyway, so I don't care if it gets messy.

A big portable bag to stuff everything on this list in - this is not something you would forget, but it should be mentioned anyway.  Mine has flip-flops on it.  :)  I call it my Flip-flop Bag.  Very useful indeed.

A camera needs to go everywhere!  I'm sort of obsessed with taking pictures, and now I have a fancy big camera, so the pictures just look superb, and makes it so much more addicting.  In fact, my little bro of nine years used my new camera for the first time on the trip, and took a bunch of pictures.  He's not bad!

Additional Items
Now it's time for you to put your very own Portable Craft Kit together, or, at least think about what you could put in yours for when you need it.  It's meant to be personalized, changed, and tweaked!  In fact, I think the items in mine change a bit every time I go out of town!  I've taken my little knife, cutting mat, buttons, corner rounder, eyelets...and much more with me at different times.  It depends on what you're into at the time.  Recently I've been loving watercolors, so that's what I brought!

Whew!  That was a lot...  But you can never have too many craft supplies!  No sirree!  I managed to make one card on that trip, using the flower I made with lined paper.  I suppose you'd like to see it?

This card is a foreshadowing of upcoming posts.  Be on the lookout!  (I feel like I'm using so many exclamation points in this post.  Forgive me.  I'm just an excitable little person.)

Although I only made one card, I don't see that time as wasted, since I worked on many little pieces which will later be incorporated into several cards.

So, I want to know about you!  What would you include in your Portable Craft Kit?  What would you exclude from the items on my list?  Tell me all about it!