Paper crafting can make some very attractive accessories.
Common paper crafts include card making, scrapbooking, letter writing and calligraphy. All of these hobbies require specific tools. Some of them involve cutting and shaping; others are for design purposes. With the help of some convenient paper craft tools even those who think they have little artistic skills can complete creative paper art projects. Straight cuts, decorative cuts, embossed images, eyelets and decorative layers are all possible with a few tools.
Embossing Gun
An embossing gun is a heating tool that turns ordinary stamped images into raised, colored pictures. Embossing powder comes in various colors including gold, silver and other metallic choices. Paper crafters first use a rubber stamp with any ink, usually a clear type of ink so it doesn't conflict with the color of the powder. The image is stamped on the paper, then the powder poured over it. The powder will stick to the wet ink but not to the paper. After you tap the paper to remove all of the powder, then you apply heat to the embossing powder. The heat from an embossing gun melts the powder into a waxy liquid that, once dried, leaves a permanent embossed image on the paper.
Inks
Many colors are useful in a paper crafters' supply closet.
Today inks of every color, sparkle, tint and shade are available. It is likely for a paper crafter to have pens, particularly if calligraphy is a skill used in their craft. Scrapbooking also requires writing with pens, naming who's in the photo, where it was taken or providing insight. In addition to ordinary pen ink, rubber stamp ink is another type used in paper projects. Stamps can accent cards, letters, scrapbooks, invitations, envelopes and many more paper projects. A variety of colors allows you to match any scheme that a project demands.
Decorative Punches
Paper crafters often use decorative paper punches to create holes in paper. The holes can be shaped like flowers or animals, letters or any other design that works as a silhouette. When a paper with holes is placed on top of a different colored piece of paper, the designs stand out. This technique is regularly used in card making and scrapbooking. Some punches are small and can only cut around the edges of the paper. Others are long with necks that allow you to reach into the middle of the page before punching.
Eyelets
An eyelet is made of two small metal pieces that fit together. The eyelet pieces are placed on either side of a sheet or sheets of paper. Then you use an eyelet press to compress the two pieces around the paper so that it becomes one metal accessory. Eyelets come in different shapes like flowers, leaves, circles and squares. They can be used to attach two pieces of paper or a bag of treats to a card.
Cutting Tools
A paper trimmer is a flat surface with a long blade that is dragged across the position sheet of paper. Table paper trimmers accomplish long, straight cuts. Scissors are also useful for cutting in paper crafts projects and come with straight or decorative edges. Crafters can use decorative scissors to edge a piece of paper, creating zig zag edges, wavy edges, flowery edges or other similar designs. You can find mats of all sizes sold for use with rolling cutters. Rolling cutters come in both straight and decorative versions and give the user more control over where the cut is to be made versus paper trimmers or scissors.
