Guest Author - Lawanda Kress

A very frequent question from new scrappers is, "What is one thing you cannot live without?"

My answer is always, "My Straight Edge Cutter!"

This tool is so practical! I am horrible with scissors, and couldn't cut a straight line if I tried. But, when trying to mat photos, you usually want your edges straight, so this tool comes in very handy.

My favorite straight edger is the 12x12 Fiskars. It is a sliding blade as opposed to a guillotine type that you pick up and push down to make the cut. The sliding blade is much safer, in my opinion. With the sliding blade, you pick up the whole plastic piece, slip your paper underneath to the very convenient measurement line that you want, and lay the entire plastic piece down, and then slide it down the paper to make a cut.

This tool is also wonderful when you want to make cuts in the middle of your paper, perhaps to cut out a section in the center to make a frame for a photo. You simply pick up the plastic piece and move the blade up to where you want the cut, and lay the plastic piece down and make the cut! It has notches so that you can tell exactly where the cut will start.

The measurement lines I mentioned are an extremely helpful feature of this cutter. It also has a swing arm ruler that comes out so that you can measure up to 15 inches. You can measure your paper or photo to make the cut exactly where you want it.

It is GREAT!

You can purchase the Fiskars 12x12 Straight Edge Cutter from my website:

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