Folks who don't partake in scrapbooking might think that all that you need is a couple of scissors to cut out all of your paper shapes. Many are surprised to find that this isn't the case. There are so many different cuts and shapes and levels of precision it is almost impossible to do it all with a pair of scissors without losing quality.
For those people new to scrapbooking, here's a description of the indispensable cutting tools I use.
Scissors
I have a couple of pairs of scissors that I use in my scrapbooking, these are my general pair and my precision tip scissors. The general pair gets used on all sorts of materials, ribbon, card, thin plastic, leather and similar materials.
The precision tip scissors are only utilized for paper. Cutting different materials can dull and affect your scissors, leading to tearing and poor cuts when it comes back to paper.
As a side note, if you need to sharpen some scissors, you can cut through some tin foil to re-sharpen them.
Rotary Cutter
A rotary cutter looks a bit like an air hockey puck. These are superb things, perfect for cutting out curves and circles on flat paper. There is very little resistance thanks to the way the cutting mechanism works.
Its actually something you really should check out in a store.
Exacto Knife
Exacto knives or scalpels are good for extremely precision cutting. Razor sharp and very pointy, these actually come into their own when you want to chop out accurate and little shapes in tight areas. For instance, if you were cutting out small stars or triangles in a high school scrapbook, an exacto knife is your best friend.
While you will not use it all the time, when you want it, you really need it.
In the next article, we will be having a look at the more advanced cutting tools available to scrappers and how they cannot only save you time but make your albums look better than ever!
For those people new to scrapbooking, here's a description of the indispensable cutting tools I use.
Scissors
I have a couple of pairs of scissors that I use in my scrapbooking, these are my general pair and my precision tip scissors. The general pair gets used on all sorts of materials, ribbon, card, thin plastic, leather and similar materials.
The precision tip scissors are only utilized for paper. Cutting different materials can dull and affect your scissors, leading to tearing and poor cuts when it comes back to paper.
As a side note, if you need to sharpen some scissors, you can cut through some tin foil to re-sharpen them.
Rotary Cutter
A rotary cutter looks a bit like an air hockey puck. These are superb things, perfect for cutting out curves and circles on flat paper. There is very little resistance thanks to the way the cutting mechanism works.
Its actually something you really should check out in a store.
Exacto Knife
Exacto knives or scalpels are good for extremely precision cutting. Razor sharp and very pointy, these actually come into their own when you want to chop out accurate and little shapes in tight areas. For instance, if you were cutting out small stars or triangles in a high school scrapbook, an exacto knife is your best friend.
While you will not use it all the time, when you want it, you really need it.
In the next article, we will be having a look at the more advanced cutting tools available to scrappers and how they cannot only save you time but make your albums look better than ever!
About the Author:
To get more great high school scrapbook layouts and embellishment concepts check out Janette Miller's website. Also while you're there why don't you download some of the free scrapbooking layouts that are available.
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