by L. A. Hardt

Created on: October 05, 2007

With Scrapbooking being so popular, it is no wonder that there are so many tools out on the market that can help you just about create anything you want for your scrapbook, but it doesn't end there. I will list a few of my favorites and some of the uses I have gotten from these products.

First there are the scissors that cut in, zigzag, waves, scallops, and they even have one that looks like a torn edge. These are used to cut paper to make its shape and borders unique, you can also use them to cut your pictures. I love the way they make my borders look around my pages, or when I use them to cut out frames to go around my pictures.

Now if you want to make die cuts there are several machines out there that can do that, including ones that hook up to your computer, but I will touch on that a bit later. My favorite is the Sizzix, I have the original red one, not the Big Kick, but I love it anyway. I purchase dies when they are on sale; I have also purchased used dies. This machine can cut most other brands of dies with an adaptor; I also have the smaller version called the Tagalong, it cuts smaller dies and it is convenient to travel with.

This is why these machines are so much fun...You can create cute cut outs for your scrapbook, but this is where I take it further. Sizzix has fairly large dies along with some medium dies that are capable of cutting material; you might find flowers on your jean legs, shirts or your pocketbook. You can make dinosaur curtains in a boy's room, or a border on the wall. There are frogs, flowers, and snowmen, just about whatever you can think of they have dies for. I not only use my die cuts on my scrapbook pages, but I use them everywhere that needs an embellishment. (Don't stand still around here, you will be embellished!)

I also have the Xyron machine; these also come in different sizes. These machines allow you to run embellishments, pictures, die cuts, and almost anything that will fit through your machine, and it applies glue to the back of it. Feeding through the front it comes out of the other end on a sheet that looks like wax paper, so you can put through a lot of things at once without waste. The glues that you use with these machines can be permanent or repositionable; some machines laminate and also apply magnate backs. The Xyron machine can be used safely with your pictures. Remember the die cuts that I said can be used for a wall border, well here's where the repositionable glue works wonders.

Okay I promised to tell you about the machine that can be hooked up to your computer. Xyron has a machine called Wishblade it looks like a printer and actually works like a printer with one difference, instead of printing it cuts! You can go into your computer and write a word, for example "Happy Birthday", set up your paper in the Wishblade and it will be cut out perfectly. You can cut, shapes, words, and it can be endless, what some of these tools are capable of doing.

Oh did I forget to mention, I also make my own embellishments from scratch, but it is so much fun to use the tools that are out on the market.

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