Crafting Newbie

Essential tools for anyone and any craft would be:

-hot glue gun
-very sharp knife (box cutters or exacto knives are good)
-modge podge ;)
-ruler or one of those fancy green boards that are measured for cutting things on

For home decor you would most likely need a drill, a hammer, a saw depending on what you want to make and craft.

For sewing, since you're a beginner I would say you should get a couple sewing needles, an embroidery needle, thread, embroidery floss. With those tools you'll be able to sew pretty much anything. It would be good to have a couple pins as well. These are the ones with the big ball at the end of them. They are meant to hold two peices of material together because if not your materials can 'creep' as you sew and you'll get an uneven edge. For sewing materials I would say pick up a pack of felt for now. It's cheap and it's very easy to work with so it's good for beginners. I would stay away from things like silk or stretchy material.

For glue I always have simple white school glue because it dries clear AND you can water it down to use to glaze over things. Like say you make a collage of magazine pictures and you use school glue to hold it together it would be a good idea to brush a layer of glue over the whole thing at the end to make sure it stays together and also to give it a nice shiny finnish. Modge Podge is good to use too.

Hot glue is better for sticking bigger things together. Like say you are making an x-mas wreath for your grandma's house and you have some small nut crackers you would hot glue them on. Hot glue is also water proof - school glue is not. Hot glue is good for home decor.

I don't really have any other tips for you as I too am a beginner but those things are what I learned or heard or found out the hard way ;)

Good luck and happy crafting!

personally what i use the most for crafting all mixed would be... sharp scisor, hot glue, various sided brush, and old sponge, sharp cutter, needles and beads and glitters and stones, scraps of fabric andd recicled material, broken glass or mirror, small mold, and the most important... a RADIO and a cup of chai tea and a kid to keep the husband buzzy

Keep EVERYTHING! You can make great things from stuff you were just going to throw away. Everything is a potential crafting tool.

I agree with switz, though i have to say bigger things are hard to hold on to without feeling like a pack rat I'd also say invest in a cutting board and a ruler, not one or the other, they both have individual uses.

Oh, also, cardboard, cardboard, and CARDBOARD!
If you haven't any newspaper I'd pick that up for working with any hot glue or generally glue-y projects on so you don't make a fuss, or a tarp if you can afford it.
Can't wait to see what you make!

I guess it depends on what type of paper crafts you are interested in.

For decoupage I recommend: a small roller, a craft knife, scissors, a variety of serviettes or printed paper images (from magazines or gift wrap), some paint brushes, cutting board, modge podge, nappy liners, craft paints and varnish

For card making (including inchie-making and ATC's): Various colors of cardboard and paper, embellishments (like beads, ribbon, brads, glitter), perhaps some rubber stamps(plus an ink pad), a glue stick, ruler, scissors, craft knife, cutting board.