As the days shorten and the twinkle of lights begins to appear, now’s the perfect time to turn your creative energy toward the holidays. Whether you design jewelry, ornaments, or mixed-media art, this season offers a beautiful opportunity to delight friends, family, and customers with handmade gifts. But to truly shine (and avoid last-minute scrambles), there’s no better moment than now to stock up on the tools and supplies that fuel your craft.
Here’s a robust, inspiring case for why now is the time to invest in supplies—and how to get the most from them using content, ideas, and resources from Cool Tools.
Why Stocking Up Early Matters
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Beat the supply-chain rush
As holiday demand increases, popular tools, or finishing media often sell out or incur longer lead times. Ordering early gives you more breathing room and flexibility. -
Time to experiment
Having supplies on hand allows you to prototype, test finishes, and perfect designs without pressure. Want to try a new metal clay blend or texture roller? Do it now, refine your process, and have confidence going into gift making season. -
Balanced workflow
During the height of holiday season, your time is gold. If your tools and materials are ready, you can spend more hours creating and less time scrambling to reorder missing parts. -
Creative momentum
There’s something energizing about having a well-prepared bench. Seeing your tools and materials gathered and ready helps motivate consistent work, inspiration, and momentum.
What to Stock Up On (Cool Tools–Recommended Foundations)
Our website and Learning Center offer deep insights into the tools, media, templates, and techniques that serve as the backbone of quality handcrafted gifts. Below are categories and highlights worth considering now.
Metals, Blanks & Sheet Stock
We also carry a rich selection of metal blanks (in brass, copper, silver, nickel) that are ideal starting points for pendants, charms, and ornaments. Click here for all of our Metals
If you like shaping from scratch, our textured sheet metals in various gauges (fine silver, sterling, copper, bronze, etc.) offer flexibility to cut, texture, patina, and combine with other media.
Crystals, Beads & Findings
Sparkle matters. At Cool Tools, we feature a line of crystal beads (psst... these are on clearance!) in multiple colors and cuts—great for jewelry or accenting ornaments. Click here for Our Crystals
Meanwhile, their charms & pendants collections (brass, gold plated, etc.) give your creations instant polish without needing to cast or form every piece. Click here for Our Charms & Pendants
Templates & Holiday Shapes
One of our more holiday-oriented offerings is our Holiday Jewelry Shape Templates —for example, a “Holiday Bulb” template with nine sizes, ideal for cutting out festive metal or clay elements. Click here for our Our Holiday Shape Templates
We also stock other holiday geometry templates (bells, etc.). Click here for our Bells Template
In their templates category, they mix holiday shapes along with other jewelry and embossing templates—bringing both seasonal and year-round utility. Click here for more Templates
Metal Clay & Tools
Metal clay (fine silver, bronze, copper clays) remains a favorite for crafting small sculptural ornaments, pendants, or charms. Our Learning Center covers metal clay basics - including the proper use of cutters, stamps, textures, firing, and finishing. About Metal Clay
Some relevant tools and kits also include bench pins, jeweler’s saws, pliers, saw blades, files, torches, soldering essentials, and safety gear. Getting Started in Metalsmithing
We also offer Finishing Touches Molds for repeatable shapes and pattern stencils to emboss or texture clay or enamel pieces.
Tumblers & Polishing Tools
A polished finish can elevate a handmade gift from “cute” to “professional.” Our tumblers (rotary or vibratory) are designed to polish metal smoothly and evenly, taking work off your plate. Click here for our Tumblers
Using stainless steel shot and burnishing compounds, tumblers can refine edges, smooth surfaces, and add shine without damaging detail work.
Holiday Gift Project Ideas & Creative Hooks
Stocking up isn’t just about acquiring stuff—it’s about empowering ideas. Here are a few project types and creative spins you can lean into:
Ornament Collections
- Use holiday shape templates (bulbs, bells, stars) on metal clay or sheet metal to cut out small ornaments.
- Embellish with enamel, mica powders, patinas, or gemstone inlays for contrast. Be sure to check out our project videos showing enamel holiday shapes using copper clay. Click here for our Enameling Project Videos
- Add integrated holes or bails with token jump rings, for easy hanging.
Matching Keepsake Sets
- Create bandwidth by making companion items: e.g. a pair of earrings and a matching pendant and a coordinating ornament or pin. Use the same texture, patina, or gemstone family to tie them together.
Cascading Tree Decoration Chains
Craft linked metal or clay snowflakes, stars, or bells on jump rings, forming vertical hanging chains—beautiful as mantle accents or tree decor.
Locket / Memory Pendants
Embed small photos, tiny-pressed florals, or inscriptions inside metal frames or cloisonné elements. You can use our charm line, blanks, and findings as frames.
Mixed-Media Gifts
Don’t limit yourself to just metal or clay. Combine materials like polymer clay, resin, wood slices, or glass with metal connectors or frames. Use charms, findings, and templates to glue or attach elements seamlessly.
Enamel & Decorative Techniques
We also publish enamel-related project videos and techniques (e.g. how to enamel holiday shapes, or use separation enamel) to add color and depth. Click here for Firing Enamel in the Learning Center
Use stencils, mica powders, or patina gels to enhance surface interest.
Tips for Holiday Craft Season Success
- Plan a project calendar. Allocate “prototype weeks” now (in October/November) and reserve December for batch production and finishing. Maybe even start now for next year!
- Label and organize supplies. Use bins or trays so in the future you can instantly locate wire gauges, findings, or backup tools.
- Test finishes early. Try patina, polish, or enamel on sample pieces before full runs.
- Batch operations. For example: cut all shapes first, then texture, then fire/enamel, then finish. This pipeline style is much more efficient than doing one piece end-to-end.
- Stock extra consumables. Things like saw blades, pickle solution, flux, polishing compounds, buffer wheels, torch fuel—these small parts often run out at the worst moment.
- Take advantage of our support content. Their Learning Center and project videos are a treasure trove of walkthroughs, tip lists, and inspiration. Our Learning Center
Final Thought & Call to Creative Arms
Holiday magic lies in thoughtful intention as much as in shiny surfaces. Putting care into the tools, supplies, and creative processes gives each gift extra weight. The gift of something handcrafted is, in effect, a gift of time, spirit, and connection.
So lean in. Order those templates, stock your metals, pick up tumblers or finishers, and try that new clay—or that complex technique you’ve been eyeing. As the season rolls closer, your bench will be primed and your instincts sharpened. You'll be ready not only to meet demand but to surprise yourself with what you can invent.
Happy Creating for the Holidays!
The Cool Tools Team
