Friday's Designer Tips

Must Have Tools.
 I mean, these tools will really make your crafting life so much easier.  Trust me these tools are a must have. 


1. The Zero Centering Ruler by Deja View. 

This is a clear flexible ruler that easily allows you center things on your project perfectly.  Its funny becuase I used to just eyeball things and now I eyeball and then lay this ruler down to see how close I was to being perfect center and its just funny.  Sometimes I am 1/2 inch off.  I believe EK Success makes one of these rulers as well. 

2. We R Memory Keepers Self Healing Magnetic Craft Mat

If you don't have a self healing mat you HAVE to get one.  They are expensive but totally worth it.  You can run a craft knife over this and it self heals, very cool.  They also wipe up easily and you have a built in ruler and grid on the bottom and the sides.  What is so special about this one in particular is that on top of all that it is also magnetic.  Which means you can take the little magnet posts that come with this and secure your project down.  It is a lot easier doing various techniques if you project is not moving around.  Also, this ruler is a magnet so you can put it down and then cut with your craft knife without having to try to keep the ruler in place with one hand and then cut with the other.  One other point about this mat in particular vs. Basic Grey Presicion Mat (also magnetic) is that I love the fact that this is purple.  Not because I like purple but in fact because it is one of my least used colors.  I have other mats that are black and when you are working with a project that is black/dark brown or really any other darker color it can be harder to see where the project begins and ends. 

3. We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

I know you are probably thinking why do I need another corner rounder.  Well, I will tell you.  First, in my experience most corner rounders do not make a perfectly round corner, this one does.  On top of that is has a wide corner rounder on one side and a narrower corner rounder on the other.  It also catches all the little pieces of paper and then you can dump them out when its full.  But, most importantly, it goes through multiple pieces of paper at once and will also chipboard, grungeboard, fabric, thin metal ect... I have used this tool often to round that edges of a chipboard book. 

4. Cutter Bee Paper Snipes

These are the very sharpest you can get.  I also use Stampin Up! paper snipes but even they are not as sharp as these.  These truly are the best and at around $10 they are a great deal. 


5. The Coluzzle by Provo Craft (The easiest Circle Cutting System out there).

I don't know about you but I have a heck of a time with circle cutters.  I actually sprained my wrist using the EK Success circle cutting system, and had to wear a brace for two weeks.  I also just recently bought the We R Memory Keepers Crafters tool kit which comes with the magnetic mat and a compass that cuts circles and  it didn't work for me at all.  The compass kept slipping and it was a disaster.  I have tried various others but sometimes the simplest method is just the best.  The coluzzle is so simple and comes in round, oval, square, and other shapes.  You just lay the template down and trace with a special swivel blade and it is sooo much cheaper than all the other fancier systems.  For some reason it is hard to find the round and oval coluzzles so check out http://www.ebay.com/ or http://www.stampinup.com/. 

6. The Big Shot by Sizzix

So, I know that a lot of people have the electronic die cutting machines (as do I) but let me tell you, this machine is sooo easy and sometimes I don't want to deal with test cuts, photoshop elements, and blade length ect...
You can also use virtually any dies/embossing folders/sizzlits/big dies/texture plates ect... It works with them all.  And all you have to do is turn a crank. 

7.  Heat It Craft Tool by Ranger

If there was ever a tool I didn't think I needed it was this.  I though, geez I already have a Stampin Up! Heat gun why would I ever need this.  Well, I can tell you, I used this once and then put away my other heat gun forever.  This doesn't blow air like the traditional heat gun it just gets really hot and that hot air is emitted but not by the gust of wind that the other heat guns give off.  The benefit to this is the darn embossing powder isn't blown off the page anymore.  I didn't even know how much better embossing could look until I gave in and purchased this tool.  PLEASE trust me on this one. 

***Also, another embossing tip  DO NOT use Versa mark as an embossing pad, yes it does work but not that great.  It is more of a watermark pad.  Buy a pad that was specifically designed for embossing such as Top Boss, they are much thicker and stickier and will also help hold the embossing powder in place.

And I will leave you with a card...

I used two American Crafts stamp sets small sentiments and large sentiments.  How I got this 'watercolor' look was by using regular dye inks on clear stamps.  This is a good example of why you should use waterproof dye inks if you want a sharp crisp image.  For this card I wanted a soft imperfect look.  I used various Stampin Up! inks.  The ribbon and the square punch are also from Stampin Up!

Have a Great Weekend.