Mid Week Blog Series #15 - Tools

 Hello and welcome to my mid week blog,

These mid week blogs are designed to be shorter than my Sunday blogs so that I can share techniques, card design or other tips and tricks with you. Today I will be looking at some of the tools I use to help make my creations.

1. Paper Trimmer - 

Probably the most important tool to have in your kit. Without a trimmer you have to cut everything by hand which is a pain & won't give you straight lines. The trimmer also has a scoring blade which is super helpful when making multiple score lines. There is a ruler on the base of the trimmer as well as on the flip out arm. The clear plastic that holds the blades can be lifted to place the cardstock or DSP & holds it in place when cutting. Stampin' Up® supply the trimmer with Imperial measurements but you can also order a Metric blade holder. The blades have little arrows so that you can slide it along until you reach the measurement you want to cut to. This is so helpful when cutting out an area on a card or when you want to create a fold back flap. 

2. Bone Folder. 

This little treasure is used for reinforcing the fold lines on cards, scoring & leveling out the glue when adhering two pieces of papers together. A simple & cheap tool that is used often.

3. Take Your Pick. 

What a variety of uses this little beauty has! The original Pick comes with 2 ends, one double sided. They include a paper piercer for making little holes, mini spatula to pick gems or glue dots up with & a tacky putty tip that is great for picking up sequins or gems or small diecut pieces. Included in the pack is an extra putty end & a double ended stylus - large & small. There is an additional Brush head available separately which comes with 2 foam pads & is used when diecutting intricate patterns. You simply place the cardstock on the mat, roll the brush head over the card & the tiny little pieces get pushed out. So much quicker than trying to remove them all by hand. 

So that's the first 3 tools that I have for you. I will include more in future blogs. If you would like to purchase any of these tools I will have some links in my Sunday blog that will take you directly to my Stampin' Up® shop.

I hope you enjoyed this blog & come back to see more next week. My theme for next weeks Mid Week blog will show you how to use strips, leftovers or cut specifically for a project, to create simple & stunning cards. Hope you can join me for that too.

Thanks for popping in. Take care & keep creating!  XX Alison