I have to admit that I can't cut a straight line with scissors, not with a line, not without a line, not with a score line, am just horrid at "cutting." Give me a paper trimmer and life is good and straight (most of the time anyway.) Tonight I thought it would fun to review some neat cutting tools, and also to hear what cutting tool(s) you can't live without.
The one tool I use the most is my Fiskars Personal Paper Trimmer. I LOVE that thing (even though it had to be replaced the other day because somehow all the lines came off, so I could not read any of the measurements...sigh). It is a work horse, and until I got my score pal, I used it for both cutting and scoring. What is really great is how small it is, yet you can cut up to a 12 x 12 sized piece of paper. Office Depot has a cutter that is very similar to the Fiskars, and it is about $5 to 10 cheaper (couldn't find a link online, but I bought one for about $15)
For cutting circles I like the Martha Stewart Circle Cutter, it can cut a circle as small as 1 inch and as large as 5 7/8th (great sizes for cards or scrapbooking). The sizes jump by 1/16th of an inch, so you can do some nice layering with this as well. For small pieces of paper I make sure to tape the paper to my cutting board (with artist tape to protect the paper).
I have used exacto knives, without much luck. When I am cutting out a very small image I can use the knife, but just never get clean cuts. A while ago a bought a new exacto knife by Fiskars called "Fingertip Craft Knife." This knife loops over your index finger and is supposed to give you more control, though I couldn't cut that much better with it either. Sighhhhhhhhhhh
Punches are also great cutting tools, especially for different shapes. I have found the the punches with handles work much better then the ones with a button you push down. I use punches for square shapes, or my trimmer.
And I would never forget that I love my Cuttlebug for cutting as well : ) It does a great job and it is easy to use and there are tons of dies out there to use!
The one product I haven't bought yet are the Nestibilities, and from what I have read and heard they are really great for both embossing and cutting layers of shapes for card making. I think I am going to put them on my list for Christmas : )
I have a few different types of scissors, including the Kia ones which I love. Most of the time I find that the smallest scissors are the ones I use for trimming and cutting out images, though once in a while I pull out the larger ones to cut odd shapes. Make sure that you keep your scissors in good working condidtion, keep them clean and sharp and they will last a lifetime.
What do you use? What tool or tools do you consider a must have? If there is one thing a rubber stamper or scrapbooker uses constantly, it is cutting tools!
Showing posts with label cutting tools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cutting tools. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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