Books & Paper Snip Scissors

A few days ago I mentioned that I would do a product review. I know that when I read a review on other blogs I find them all very helpful in one way or another. Although one of the items that I will be giving my opinion on is not new to any of us who love to stamp, scrapbook or do paper crafting I thought I would share my thoughts about an old tool.

So the first thing I would like to give a review on is scissors.Yes, scissors. :)

One technique that I *love* to do and seems to be making a come back is Paper Piecing. The first time that I made a card using the Paper Piecing technique I used the Cutter Bee scissors made by EK Success. They cut my paper with precision and gave me the control that I needed to get into the tiny sections of the image that I stamped out and needed to cut. I love that they have comfort grips for my fingers to slip into and hold onto. The blades are just the right length for small to very small cutting. The other feature that I like about these scissors is that it has a safety cover. I am a bit of a klutz so having a protective cover is important to me. These scissors are made in Taiwan.

The scissors made by Fiskars have a longer blade. Although I have used them to cut out small pieces of papers I found them to be a little stiff and they did not give me the control that I needed to get the results that I wanted. They do not have the comfort grip or a safety cap. They are a good pair of scissors but in my opinion are second best to the Cutter Bee. One thing that I do love about Fiskars is that they are made right here in the USA.

Last but not least is the pair of Martha Stewart scissors that I recently picked up at Wal-Mart. Did you know that Wal-mart is now carrying some of the Martha Stewart collections? ;) Out of curiosity I decided to buy them and try them out. I also caved into buying them because they have pretty green handles. I know not a good reason to buy them . I like that they have a safety cover and that they glide easily. Oh and of course the green handles. What I do not like about them is that the blades are too short. This made me feel that I did not have very much control when using them. Getting around corners was a little harder then need be. I also do not like that they are made in China. Okay so I'm one of those people who want most if not all of our products made in the USA.

So there is my review on the scissors that I have tried and have used. As you can see my favorite pair are the Cutter Bee. Love them! I would like to know which brand of scissors you use for paper piecing. I am always open to trying different products.  

The last product that I would like to share my opinion on is a book that I bought a few weeks ago from Stamping Memories. Perhaps some of you have noticed that I enjoy using punches to make cards. Yet another technique that I like to use. I recently made another card using a flower punch but can not share it with you at this time. But I will as soon as possible.

A few weeks ago Liz, got the brand new book in by Susan Tierney Cockburn. It is called Paper Bouquet.

If you love making flowers using punches, lots of different punches then I do believe that you will love this book. This book shows you how to make different flowers that will help to make your card or other projects pop. I don't know about you but I am very tired of buying flowers that are all ready made only to get then home and find that they are either too big, too small or not the right color that I need. Trust me I have bottles filled with flowers that I have never used for these very reasons.Now I have made my own flowers the colors that I want and the size to fit the cards that have made. In this book the author has flowers listed from A to Z. Her instructions are very easy to follow. She uses pictures so that you can see how each flower is made. Also included are pictures of the punches that you will need to make each flower. I paid 14.99 for this book and it is  worth every penny. I am so very excited to have this book.

So there are two product reviews from me for you. I hope that each of them has been helpful to you in some way. Again, I would love to hear which scissors that you use and would recommend.

I hope that all of you are enjoying your weekend so far. Wayne and I had our Saturday evening BBQ. We had to eat indoors though because we had a storm and it was too wet to eat outdoors. It was still nice. After the clean up we went for a mile and a half walk because the temperature dropped from 90 to 70 degrees. It was so nice to walk in cooler air. :) This afternoon Wayne was out in the backyard practicing his golf swing. I had never tried swinging a golf club in my life. Today I decided to try. Oh my gosh it was hilarious. After missing the golf ball several times I hit one and it went about 5 feet. No lie. The second one might have gone 8 feet. In my defense, I have bad shoulders so I did not use them to swing and hit. I decided that I will leave the golfing to Wayne. Ha-ha. But heck at least I tried right? I'm sure that Wayne is secretly very glad that I gave up.

I am in the process of making a simple card using a Memory Box penguin and will post it as soon as the weekend is over. Thanks for stopping by and Smile. :) 

Comments

[Lynne]

Great review, I love scissors and have so many different ones Hubby always says I would be happy with just scissors and magazines and newspapers, I cut, save or share with others items of interest. I will have to look for the flower book, sure looks interesting. We had rain at dinner time tonight too and had to eat inside. Have a great week-end. Hugs n' Stuff, Lynne

[Peggy Maier]

Mary, I love the Cutter Bee scissors for paper piecing too. I haven't found anything better! I'll be looking for the book about making paper flowers! I have way too many bottles of unused flowers on my shelves as well.

[Joan]

I recently bought a pair of Tim Holtz Tonic sissors and I think they are the best pair I have ever used. Although I think they are mainly for cutting rubber I find myself using them for paper piecing and other projects. I also have the cutter Bee and a couple of pairs of Creative Memories Sissors which I like but the CM ones are not good for paper piecing.

[Dottie K]

Hi Mary,

I'm with you on the cutter bee scissors. I have two pairs of a squishy handle scissors that I use, one for paper and one for ribbon. These little scissors are so comfortable. I looked on them for a name but there isn't one listed. I bought them from the LSS and I use nothing else for everyday use. I also have the tonic scissors which are the best for rubber cutting. Will have to looking for that book - sounds like fun. Thanks for sharing your review. Dottie K. :)

[Louise]

My favorite scissors are the Stampin' Up paper snips. They are made in Taiwan. I haven't tried any others because these work so well. The book looks like fun.

[Rita]

Loved your review Mary & like you my favorite pair of scissors is the cutter bee. I spilled some super glue on them once & they were not the same but they are still usable, so I went out & bought another pair & now use my old pair for smaller quick projects & I have some that I bought from Creative Memories that I use for ribbon along with some cheap ones as well. It seems I can never have enough scissors around the house. Are you like that?

[barb]

LOL! My husband is a golfer too, and like you, I've tried it and have also decided to leave the golfing to him :D. I can't recommend a different scissor because I also use a Cutterbee and won't use anything else for those precision cuts. Thanks for the review on the book :)!

[Jean in NH]

I am a huge fan of the Cutter Bees too - I have 2 pairs of the black Teflon coated ones. My husband bought them for my Christmas stocking one year and I thought I lost them. I loved them so much I replaced them and then, of course, the first pair turned up. One thing I have learned is that you need dedicated scissors for paper and dedicated scissors for cloth (ribbon). I have a big pair of sewing scissors with a few ribbon scraps tied on the handle to remind me that they are JUST for cutting ribbon.

I'm going to look for the paper flowers book - I saw it mentioned on another blog with terrific praise for it!