Sunday 26 June 2011

Tools Of The Trade!

So as mentioned in one of the posts, I have taken some photographs of the tools I use most often in my card making in the hope they may help you too!

The 1st and most used tool for me is my Eazi Score Board - there are many different score boards available - I have 3 different boards myself - but I always return to this one - it is marked out for all card sizes, and has gatefold options too! What I will add here is when you butt your piece of cardstock against the butt bar, score it lightly on the desired score line 2 or 3 times and then turn it over and do the same on the reverese - this gently breaks the fibres and prevents the fold from breaking open. While the card is still against the butt bar I fold it over so both top and bottom of the card are butted up, then smooth the score line with your bone tool.

Next is the Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper - this gadget has blue handles - it can round corners on almost any cardstock with ease - even people with hand problems can use this gadget. The chomper can do 1/4" or 1/2" corners - with a clean result every time!! I couldnt cope without mine these days!!!

In the same range is the Crop-A-Dile - this has green handles - it is used for punching a hole through many materials including metal, magnetic sheet, mount board etc - it has 2 different sized hole, and has a sliding gauge so if you need to punch several holes in a row they will be in a row! This gadget also has a sealer unit which means you can add an eyelet or gromit to the punched hole and then seal it securely - like the chomper, it is so easy to use and requires very little effort for maximum results.

Crafters Companion do a whole range of wonderful sprays that are great for all paper crafts. I find myself reaching for the glitter sprays when I have a larger area of my project that needs to be glittered.
The sprays come in gold, silver and irredescent - I tend to go for the irredescent when looking for a snow type covering as the silver tends to be thicker so not allowing the design to show through - but it is a matter of personal preference - have a play and decide - I would be interested to hear your thoughts and opinions on these sprays too!!

Card Candy - WOW - these legless brads are fantastic for card making - they are from CRAFT WORK CARDS and come in sealed bags of colours - with dozens of colour rangers available. I use them a lot and they never seem to go down - the easiest way to attach them is to add a tiny double sided sticky pad to the back - its that easy!!! You are sure to find the perfect colour or contrast for whatever project you are working on!

The clear MANDALA BOARD is a great piece of kit and quite simple to use - unlike the Glitter Girls boards that have chanels leading in and out this board doesnt but believe me it is easier to get perfect results from every time - I use a 6mm embossing ball tool and mirri card - simply decide on the shape and size you want and off you go - once embossed its so easy to cut out without losing that lovely embossed outer line!!! I like to use the labels for adding a sentiment or even peel offs because the embossed border makes all the difference!!

And finally its the TWINKLETS DIAMOND DUST - although it looks like a glitter in the pot dont be fooled - this is actually finely ground glass!!! All you have to do is use glue on your project then sprinkle diamond dust as you would glitter - shake off the excess and leave to set for a few minutes - you really do get a WOW factor with this!!! I will be adding a card later that I used this on and the results are easily noticable!

I hope you have found this run down of my favorite tools interesting - if you need any further help or information on the tools please just ask!!!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the info Angie. The legless brads look a great idea not seen these before. Love your blog by the way W xx

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  2. Well I do have one thing - the scoring board, but reading what you have written I do not use it correctly as I don't turn my card over and score again. Of course you turn it over, makes it so much easier to fold!

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  3. Love my Eazi Score Board Angie and use it all the time. Also love card candy (although I seem to have misplaced all of mine at the moment somewhere in my craft room! The Mandala Board looks good. Can I ask where you bought the Diamond Dust please? Thanks for all of the info. Liz x

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