Starting out with paper crafting?

Paper crafting tools can seem overwhelming when we first start out.  Did you find this? When a friend told me she wanted to learn how to use the tools we use in paper crafting, I thought I would put something together to help her and others.

To get us started I thought I would start with my very favourite Stampin' Up! tool, the Stampin' Trimmer.  I just love this piece of kit.  Its so versatile, you can cut and score with it both in metric and imperial measurements.

The things I love about the Stampin' Trimmer.

• It's lightweight, portable trimmer is specially designed to make stable and straight cuts. 
• You can cut and score in any direction.  It comes with a cutting and scoring blade, and you can cut or score anywhere, in any direction.
• The cutting and scoring blades have a hook on the right that locks onto the cutting track, making your cuts and scores as straight as possible.  They also have a precision tip on the left that follows the ruler on the cutting track, allowing you to precisely start or stop where you want.
• The base extends beyond the cutting surface so that you can have your cutting and scoring blades on the track at the same time.
• The Stampin' Trimmer has an extra-long cutting track so you can make a full 30.5 cm (12") cut or score.
• The extra-wide 16 cm (6-1/4") cutting base, makes your standard cuts or scores easy without opening the extender ruler. 
• The extender ruler with a stabilising foot allows you to cut up to a massive 36.5 cm (14-1/2") on a steady cutting surface. When fully extended, the extender ruler sits flush against the cutting base for accurate and consistent measurement across the entire surface.
• The cutting base has rulers on the top and bottom in both centimetres and inches.  The cutting track has a ruler in centimetres.  The centimetre rulers have increments of 1 mm.  The gridlines on the base measure every 1 cm, great for precise measurements.
• All rulers and measurements are printed under a plastic coating so they won't wear off.
• You can lock the cutting track for secure storage when moving around.
• The Stampin' Trimmer has a storage compartment under the base with a clear cover where you can store your spare blades or bone folder.