How many pairs of scissors does it take to make your craft room complete? Punchline answer not available, crafty people take this very seriously! After taking on this subject, I did a quick count, myself.
For most of you, the answer will vary. This may depend on how many you actually own and use. Or find. But your answer should be a resounding “more than 1!”. I can check-mark that box for sure.
As cardmakers and papercrafters, we require good scissors. Our scissors have to be a proper fit for our hands. Our scissors have to work well for the intended use.
This tool should be flashy enough to us so it does not get buried in the mountain of paper we work with. Maybe come with a tracking device, for those times they get lost. After all, I can dream, right?
We need them in a variety of ways for so many purposes. And I am not talking about clipping coupons, opening chips or trimming hair. Those ordinary scissors are for less important work.
Good Paper Scissors
Do you have a pair of scissors that you consider your “Sunday Best”, that are tucked away for special use? Is there a work-horse pair that clomp around your crafty area and do any job you ask?
If you have more than 1 pair of scissors, you have probably designated each pair’s use. And, I say, for good reason! My scissors are different sizes and perform different jobs as well.
I can proclaim, hands down, my Paper Snips from Stampin’ Up! are the best pair of scissors I own. (You can buy a pair in my online store!) They are in excellent company; I don’t want to discredit my others scissors.
But my Paper Snips do so much for me, and I use them the most. Here are the top three uses for my Paper Snips:
1. Fussy Cutting
My Paper Snips are super sharp. I find that the little blades make quick work of fussy cutting (to see the card I was fussy cutting this image for, click here). I can get into very detailed areas if needed. My Paper Snips are small enough to swing direction easily, and this makes them priceless to me.
2. Flagging Ends
I get a lot of use from my Paper Snips by simply creating flagged ends of cardstock. The flagging technique is fun and decorative, an easy design enhancement for any card.
I start from one corner and snip to the middle at a straight angle. Next, I repeat on the other side. Others trim straight up the middle first, then cut toward it from each outer corner. You should experiment at home, practice makes perfect.
3. General Trimming
As a papercrafter, I am frugal with my scraps. I keep the left-over papers neat and organized for their next possible use. My Paper Snips come in handy to trim neatly and efficiently around messy edges. This helps me avoid paper mash-up as intricate edges collide. No paper jams for me, thank you very much.
4. And More
Okay, I realize I said I was sharing my top 3 reasons, but there are more things to do with Paper Snips. I have used them as tweezers for embellishment placement. They come in handy to peel backing off sticky tape. And they pick and poke jammed bits of paper out of punches very nicely. I am sure you have even more great uses to share with me!
Paper Scissors & Ribbon Scissors
There is a decree that paper scissors are only to be used on paper, and ribbon scissors are only to be used on ribbon. At least in my craft room.
My ribbon scissors live in a glass jar, far away from the common crafting area, on an elevated perch. They survey the craft kingdom and make special appearances as necessary. I do not allow anyone to use my ribbon scissors for anything but ribbon cutting.
Are you new to types of scissors in the craft room and confused by this? The answer to “why?” is simple. Paper dulls scissors quickly. As a result, dull scissors do a terrible hack job on cutting ribbon. Lastly, ribbon gets wasted, crafters get angry. It is better to have a designated pair of scissors just for ribbon only.
Decorative Scissors
Scissors are also decorative. I own a set (or two) that cut fun edges in designed patterns. These kinds of scissors are great if you don’t have punches, or dies and a die cutting machine.
Not only are my scissors used to make decorative cuts, they are also decorative in nature. I have assembled them in a ceramic mug. This puts the fun in fun-ctional. They are pretty to look at, like a bouquet of flowers, and that makes me happy.
Scissors With A Purpose
Anyone remember the Fringe Scissors? Stampin’ Up! retired theirs in 2017. I have put them to work to make grassy landscapes and fringe (as the name implies). The trick to using them is to know when to stop. If you cut too far into your paper, the result is confetti strands!
Rules And Regulations Of Scissors
Your first thought on scissor rules may be “walk with the pointy side facing down” or “don’t run with scissors”. I am thinking of scissor safety too: keeping my craft room scissors safe from theft and abuse.
The consensus on keeping scissors is: the more the better. Also, I discovered it is common practice (for many) to keep scissors in every room, in order to keep the craft room scissors safe. These decoy scissors are working hard daily, taking on those ordinary tasks like I mentioned above.
And to answer the question at the beginning of this post, my craft room is complete with 12 pairs of scissors, plus an exacto-knife. Do a quick inventory yourself, and let me know what vast number you come up with!
