Scrapbook Tip #3: Paper Cutters

Welcome back to another Two minute Tuesday -- Scrapbook Tip #3

Today we will talk about the different paper cutters available.

 There are many out there but they basically fall into one of these categories:

• Guillotine Paper Cutters - These are used for precision cutting.  They contain a large blade that can cut up to about ten sheets of paper, cardboard and textiles -- depending on the thickness of the item being cut.  Guillotine trimmers generally have a guide, a ruler, and a grid pattern to help ensure that your cuts are straight.  These are not really for your general crafter and they are very similar to the arm cutters.

• Rotary Paper Cutters - Designed for graphic artists and photographers due to the clean accurate cut.  Rotary paper trimmers use a round cutting blade, which slides along a rail that can cut in either direction.  This is my personal favorite as it is the most accurate and I can cut from the middle too if I want to do an opening in the middle of a card or something similar.  Fiskars is a good one.

• Arm Cutters - A lot of stores carry this kind in the scrap booking section or in the school, and office section of your discount superstores. These cutters are the most common type cutter/trimmer and state they are designed for everyday use.  They generally have a ruler, a guide and a large bladed arm.  You see these a lot in the schools.  I don't care for them.  They are scary, seem kind of dangerous, and if the screw is not properly adjusted do not cut well.  If the screw is not tight enough they flop around when you try to cut making your paper bend instead of cutting.  If the screw is too tight it rubs and is hard to cut, you keep running into the metal edge and dull your blade faster.  Also as they get older they don't cut straight, due to the arm movement.  I would avoid this type if you have small children.

• Stack Cutters – Perfect for cutting through large stacks of paper.  They generally have a guide and a ruler to help you achieve the desired cut as well as a clamp to fix the paper in place to avoid tearing.  You won't find this kind in your general store.  They are for bigger jobs and are generally a more professional type of cutting instrument.  You can probably find them on line if you are really interested in this type, but for your average crafter, you really don't need this type of paper cutter.

• Crafter's trimmer -- I'm not really sure what to call this last one, so I just called it the crafter's trimmer because you will often see them in the craft section.  I have one of these in addition to my rotary cutter.  Basically you have a plastic arm of some type that either lifts from the top so you can place paper under it, or is hinged on both sides and you slide the paper from left-to-right / right-to-left.  The blade rests in the middle of the arm and you slide the blade up and down to cut your paper.  These are used for small scale type cutting.  They only cut one sheet of paper at a time and they are limited in how large a piece you can cut, usually less than 12"x12".  However, the great thing about them, and the main thing I use mine for, is for putting the alternate blade in them so that you can create a crease in which to make nice even folds.  If you make a lot of cards this is fabulous.

See you next time on Two minute Tuesday. :)

Two minute Tuesday: Scrapbook Tip #2

Time for another Two minute Tuesday

Scrapbook tip 2:

Gather Your Supplies

What kind of feeling do you want to present?  Do you want lots of embellishments or minimal?  Color coordinated, mirrored pages, pop-out, pop-up, or ??? Close to My Heart has all kinds of scrapbooking supplies (check out my website to see what we have), plus there are so many places you can pick things up in craft and specialty stores, and even other types of retail or superstores.

Here are some supplies (in addition to your photos) that you will need to have on hand:

Decorative papers -- variety of colors and patterns

Cardstock -- variety of colors and textures

Scissors

Scrapbook album (post bound vs strap hinge)

Acid-free Adhesive

Here are some additional supplies you might want to also have:

Decorative scissors

Rubber Stamps

Stamp pads

Ink

Acid-free Markers

Boarder punches

Plastic template sheets

Stickers

Buttons

Fabric

Rick-a-rac

Fancy hole punches

Photo corners

Corner punches

Ribbon

Brads

And sooooo much more

Some tools that are great to have on hand:
Paper Trimmer (Guillotine, rotary, arm cutters & stack cutters)

Cricut with lots of cartridges (some people have other die cutting systems, but I love my Cricut)

Cricut Design Studio (CDS) or Gypsy for your Cricut

Cuttlebug with lots of embossing folders

Decorative Bar Stapler

Crop-a-dile

Two minute Tuesday: Scrapbook Tip #1

Organizing photographs can be a daunting task, but with a little time and a few tips you can conquer your photo piles and organize them so they are easy to share with others.

Do you have drawers, boxes, bags, or surface areas full of photographs? Scrapbooking is a fun and easy way to preserve your mementos and memories. Whether with your family, friends, neighbors or any combination of these, creating a scrapbook can be a great way to look back and say: "hey remember when...".

First, get those photos out of their nooks and crannies and out of the sun too (UV is not any better on photos than people). Find an acid-free/scrapbook-safe accordion organizer. If you are behind you might want several. The file will probably be some type of plastic -- again, just make sure it's photo-safe.

Now, for step one,....

Choose a theme

Sort your photos by date, activity, holiday, special event or "??". One way doesn't work for every person and sometimes you may even have more than one way you want to display your photos. For example, I use both date and activity. I have specific albums for certain events (they just also happen to be in chronological order too, LOL).

I label my files by year and inside I put one month for each of the 12 slots. Then, throughout the year as I go somewhere or do something that month, I place the item in the appropriate month. When I print out my pictures I also put them in the appropriate month. If I see an embellishment that goes with a specific set of pictures, I also put that with the correct month. This keeps everything together and organized so I don't feel overwhelmed or worried that I will lose something or forget where something goes if I don't get to it right away. I also make journal notations that I place with the month, that way if I don't get to the scrapbook right away, I still remember.

Some examples of my Themes and how I have my scrapbooks organized are:

Vacation

Birthday (for my daughter only)

Heritage

Christmas (all the photos I receive from friends or family in Christmas cards - in order, it's nice to look back at how they change from year to year)

House (from building to all the changes we make over the years)

General year-to-year (every day stuff, or day trips)

Skiing

That's just a few ideas, but don't forget to make it more personal. What things are special to you or your family? Save invitations, party napkins, movie ticket stubs and put them in your folder too it can be a fantastic journey full of fun memories. Good luck and see you soon for another Two minute Tuesday Tip.

Quicky Organizing Tip

Why is it so easy to get behind and so very hard to "catch-up"? 

Did you ever notice when you start to clean one area - especially one as small as a closet, that the other areas suddenly are no longer clean?  It is quite amazing what you can find in a closet or drawer -- and how much actually fits in there.

Organizing tip #1

To prevent system overload and ensure you don't get buried in another room, start small. You don't want to overwhelm yourself, or you will probably want to quit, then you will be discouraged that you didn't finish.

Start with a drawer or cupboard or small closet.  Get some paper bags or boxes ahead of time.  Work for 15 minutes to 20 minutes at a time and then take a break and do something else.  Make sure you do go back to it though.  A timer is a great reminder to get back to work or when to take a break.

Now about those bags/boxes -- grab 3:

1. Trash -- toss, toss, toss (is it broken, non-usable, not likely to be used again or wanted by anyone else? then let it go rest in peace--recycle or trash it)

2. Pay it Forward -- If you haven't used it or will not be needing it, but it still has a lot of useful life, then consider gifting it to someone else.  Maybe a family member, friend or co-worker could use it - ask.  If not there is always FREECYCLE, it's an awesome way to give to the community and environment.  Gift your items to a person in need through this great community found locally in your area.  Type in FREECYCLE in your browser you will find information on them or check the Yahoo groups for a local FREECYCLE.  They have  a few rules (i.e. no selling, and a couple others), but by gifting to another you keep the item out of the landfills and you can help someone who may really need that item.

3. Belongs somewhere else -- if you find something that belongs in a different location, don't get sidetracked and take it there while you are in the middle of your cleaning spree, put all the items in one bag or box and then deliver them to the locations at the same time (maybe after your 15 minutes just before your break).

A set of shelves and a couple bins for the closet...will make finding those family games or toys oooh so much quicker and easier.
 
A finished clutter task is an elusive goal. You can't organize clutter, you have to send it packing. Good luck!