The 4 Pairs of Must-Have Scissors All Scrapbookers Need in their Toolkit
How many pairs of scissors do you own? What purposes do they serve?
As we start to wrap up the end of 2023, I want to keep things short and sweet while we’re all busy with holidays and end of year chaos. Today I want to chat about my favorite types of scissors. I use all of these scissors for different reasons around my craft room. Each of these scissors are essential in their own way. From everyday snips to heavy-duty shears, let’s help find the perfect scissors for your next task.
#1 The All-Around Workman
What you’re looking for: 7-8" blade, reasonably priced, with a straight handle.
Why: This is the pair of scissors that you'll do 80-90% of your cutting with. You'll use these to cut paper, stickers, washi tape, etc. Pretty much everything that comes across your desk that needs to be snipped, you're gonna do it with these scissors.
Find a pair that fits well in your hand and can easily be cleaned and/or replaced.
These are the ones I use: Westcott 8-Inch Titanium Scissors. They come in a two-pack, so I’ve always got one that I use for sticky things (stickers, glued paper, washi tape, etc) and one that I use just for paper.
Another great thing about these blades is that they clean up very quickly. I grab a cotton ball and some rubbing alcohol, and clean up all the edges of both blades. That sticky gunk can really add up and make your scissors so much less effective. To get them back working in their original condition, just clean them ever month or two.
#2 The Straight-Cutting Long Blade
What you’re looking for: 9"+ blade, titanium preferred, curved/bent handle.
Why: These are the scissors that are going to cut your straight lines. Scrapbookers need to cut straight lines. Whether you're cropping (cutting down) photos, trimming patterned paper, or just cutting down cardstock to the size you need for your layout, it's important to have a pair of scissors that you can rely on simply to cut straight lines.
Do not let these blades get near the sticky stuff. It makes it much harder to cut straight.
These are the ones that I use: Westcott ExtremEdge Titanium Scissors, 9" Bent. Mine are this really nice purple color, and I love them for all my straight cuts. They also work really well for all the strip collage pages that I make in my Daily Pages.
#3 The Precision Snips
What you’re looking for: 3-4" blade, pointed tip, non-stick preferred.
Why: These scissors are for the detail work. Any time you need to trim the edge off of something or get into a corner, pull these out. They are also perfect for fussy cutting, or precisely cutting a single image out of patterned paper.
When you use these scissors with sticky materials, clean the blades with rubbing alcohol.
These are the precision scissors I use from Fiskars. One of the best things about these scissors is that they are TSA friendly! You can bring them in your carry-on luggage. Although I do suggest you put them in a clear bag that you can take out of your luggage easily (as you will get stopped and inspected). I traveled with these scissors throughout the US & the UK with no issues at all.
#4 The Heavy Duty Shears
What you’re looking for: Non-stick blade with serrated edges.
Why: Regular scissors won’t cut through all of your scrapbook materials. You need some heavy-duty scissors to cut through things like thick chipboard, felt, metal, plastic, wood, etc. Scissors with serrated blades make cutting through these tougher supplies a lot easier (and you won’t ruin your other scissors!)
I use these scissors from Tim Holtz by Tonic. I’ve got two pairs, just in case I misplace one (or bring it to another room for some home repairs). These scissors take a beating. They cut through plastic and metal so much better than any of the other scissors I mentioned today. They also do a great job of cutting through mixed media. So if you’ve done some collage, or have paper with a bunch of paint on it — these are the scissors to cut it up with.
Share your favorite pair of scissors in the comments below and let me know what you love using them for!