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Does anyone actually spend time using those fancy edged sissors? I find them hard to use, don't always cut clean. I wonder if it's because their blades are so cheap (you can get these things for like a buck or two new).
Those are my least used tool.
My favorite is probably my punches because I can quickly do special borders or round the corners of paper or pics.
But my must have is my self-healing cutting mat.
I also highly recommend Creative Memories circle and oval cutters. I've tried so many styles from the store and they slip or don't cut right or are hard to use. CM's cutters are the only thing I'll spend the $ on from them. Worth every penny. 10 years later and the blades are still going strong :).
I agree about the scissors. I rarely use those, with the exception of the deckle edge. The brand on them can make a big difference on quality. Fiskars seem to be consistently good.
As for favorites, my Fiskars cutting mat is a big one, along with my Fiskars fingertip craft knife. There is one with a rotating blade similar to the Coluzzle knives, but I prefer the fixed blade. It takes a standard X-acto blade. The Cricut is wonderful, too, though not very portable for cropping outside my home.
I couldn't do without my paper cutter. I used to love my corner punch, but now it sticks and I can't get it to work anymore. I read somewhere to use wax paper to make it smoother, but the paper gets stuck! Any suggestions?
OH, yes, paper cutters! I love my Fiskars 12" rotary cutter. I have deckle, scalloped and scoring blades for it and it is handy for so many thing. I use it all the time.
As far as the punches go, I've heard the same thing about waxed paper. I've also heard of people punching tinfoil to keep their edge. There is a pair of products I read about that got very good reviews -- EZ Tool Cleaner & Cutter Glide. Check this out: http://www.scrapfriends.us/inspired_crafts_cutterglide.html You can find it many places online for $10 and under. I keep meaning to order some!
Hi, my first visit to this forum (i was just perusing SB sites on the web and realized DG might have such a thing too).
Gardenwife: Please tell me about the rotary cutter. Is that like my flat 12" paper cutter? Or is it the Pizza cutter type thing? I don't know how it works to apply a decorative edge.
I agree on the scissors: they aren't worth even the dollar to me cause I can't get a continuous matching edge on most patterns. I like my new punches: one that has 3 'stacking' sized tags on it and the other that has 3 different corner treatments.
Cedar, it's like a pizza cutter blade, only it cuts along a straight path and is held in place by a rail. You can buy different blades that cut different patterns. This is the one I have. The piece of clear plastic you see on the left side is a ruler that pulls out so you can measure out beyond the platform.
Gardenwife: thanks for the pic and info. I don't guess I've seen one (I live a sheltered life) like that. Seems like a neat idea though. So is this a tool in addition to a regular straight-edge 12" paper cutter or does it function as both?
I used my heat embossing gun today for only the 3rd time in the 18mos. I've had it. It didn't go well the first time so I just put it aside. But on my 2nd attempt today, it looked great so I will start using it more. I made a tag with it today but I had envisioned using it more for cards. I think I do need one of those special little trays with a lip for rescuing the powder.
Here's a question for anyone: I have bought printed vellum over the years but have no clue what to do with it. It's just so beautiful - 12 x 12 sheets of gorgeous images (like butterflies, flowers). I'm not very creative, I just have to 'borrow' ideas. And I dearly love paper - which is how I got into scrapbooking-mania.
A heat gun is one of the things I really want to get, along with some embossing powders.
That vellum question deserves a thread of its own -- I know there are many who wonder what to do with pretty vellum papers. I started a new thread where we can share ideas about its use: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/934626/
