Favorite Craft Room Tools Series – Basic Shapes Paper Punches
Hi friends! Today in the Favorite Craft Room Tools Series, I’m throwing punches. Wait. No. I’m talking about paper punches. Whew. That was a close one. This series is in answer to requests I’ve gotten asking what my favorite craft tools are and what I would recommend as “must haves” for a craft room.
I love the simplicity of a paper punch. All you need is a punch and a piece of paper and you can create something. I love that! They are simple to use, durable and easy to take with you when you’re going to a crafty event. Today I’m talking about basic shape punches but in a coming post I’ll talk about border punches and more.
BASIC SHAPES PAPER PUNCHES
I used to buy a lot of paper punches with various themes but I often find that simple shapes in various sizes are the most useful. I hate to admit that because I love a detailed, cool, design punch just as much as you do but I tell ya, I turn to a simple circle or square punch for more projects than I do the detailed or border punches. You can turn a circle or square into so many things and they also work well for stamping. My love for the simple circle punch is why I designed the All Around Sentiments stamps. They work with 1″ and 1 1/2″ circle punches but you can use larger punches with them too. Simple, simple. Easiest thing to do with simple shapes? Make a quick tag for a gift.
Here’s a link to a post I wrote: HOW TO LABEL & IDENTIFY WHICH MARVY PUNCH YOU HAVE
I’ve tried a bunch of brands of punches but my absolute favorite brand of basic shape punches are by Marvy Uchida. Punches are sort of like paper in that everyone is very loyal to their chosen favorite. I’m actually more loyal to my simple punch choice than I am any paper brand. I go Marvy or I go home. LOL! Again, if your favorite isn’t Marvy that’s ok!! Just make sure you have a few simple shape punches in your craft room. They come in super handy. I recently outgrew my shoe rack storage for my Marvy punches (due to my Marvy love). I’ll show you my new storage for them as soon as I get them installed. (read as…when DH installs them…LOL! Poor DH.)
CROP A DILE, HOW I LOVE YOU
If I could go back in time to when I was buying my very first school supplies I would request (in a baby Joy voice) a new box of crayons and a CROP A DILE. What?! Don’t ruin my time travel school supplies daydream. In this scenario they DID make Crop a Diles back then. Geeze. It wasn’t THAT long ago. I mean dinosaurs weren’t still roaming the Earth or anything. Anyway…
There are 2 Crop a Diles and I love them both they are the Crop-A-Dile Big Bite and the Crop-A-Dile.
If you don’t have one, you might want to plan on getting one. It will easily punch holes in paper, metal and more. My kids and husband even use them. Need to add a hole to your belt? (It happens.) You can use the Big Bite to chomp right through leather. I highly recommend either and both Crop A Diles.
Once again you nailed it. I have the small Crop-a-Dial but hardly use it. Thank you for the great instruction video. Makes me want to go “punch” something.
Joy, I’m loving your tool series and this one is very helpful to me. I have wanted to get some punches for a while but am always so overwhelmed and can never make up my mind on one. Thank you for the info.
You crack me up Joy! LOVE your post! I don’t drink coffee so having a dose of you in the morning gets me through the day! LOL I use to own ALL the Marvy punches but got rid of them…. I know terrible right? Naaaa…. I still have simple punches… just different ones… they still do the same thing and take up a little less space… But they are my “GO TO” punches as well… I also have both the BIG and Small cropadiles… AWESOMEST PRODUCT ever made! Just sayin’! :o) Looking forward to seeing your border punch series… 🙂 Have a great day!
LOVE, love, love your post!! I am new to punches. You are so informative. I will definitely check your page every day. Thank you and God bless!!
Joy, I really love using my crop-a-dial and have considered the big bite but think..I have the crop a dial so it would be a duplicate type of tool…but now I saw your ribbon box and the big bite is at the top of my list of wishes! I love having some quick go to punches, but I lean toward the Fiskars squeeze punches. I need to make an IKEA run because I too have run out of storage space (I just scored some lovely MS border punches at TJMaxx) and need another bygel rack!
Oh Joy, I could sooooooo hear you in your li’l baby Super Joy voice asking for a crop-a-dile. Toooooo cute!!! 🙂
Great video Joy, I have the Big Bite, and just LOVE it, and I have punched through leather, it punched perfectly and just as easy as paper, and both my hubbie and son have used my Big bite…they think it is a tool that should be in there garage……boys, stay out of my craft room…..LOL and thanks for the tips on the punches, I need to pick up a few more, I can’t wait to see how you store them….
I have the crop-a-dile, wish I was paying attention and got the big bite instead! Anyways, I will survive..lol. Looking forward to the border punch video! TFS, Cindy
I just got my crop-a-dile to make an album for my sil for the holidays and I love it! So true that I wish I had purchased it YEARS ago! The crafts we could have accomplished with it!! I also have the Corner cromper which I love too!!