Shop Scissors Blog

Scrapbooking as a Family

With the kids about to go back to school, now is a great time to plan a few last activities to spend time together as a family. Scrapbooking together is a great option for doing just that. Not only will you get to spend time making more memories with your kids, you will get that last scrapbook put together before the school year gets busy. It is also a great opportunity for young kids to practice with scissors before heading back to school.

Shopping for Supplies

Pick up a scrapbook that matches your style and the theme of the scrapbook, if there is one. Also pick up plenty of accessories. Make sure you pick up plenty of supplies on your initial shopping trip, as you will be more inclined to finish the scrapbook to your satisfaction that day, as opposed to having to make multiple shopping trips and add more later. Make sure you're stocked up with plenty of scissors, glue and tape.

Including the Kids

Have your children work on gluing in pictures or border designs. If they are skilled with the sicssors, have them work on cutting pictures. Invite them to use their creativity to the fullest. Even if they aren't quite as talented as you, the end result will mean all that much more to you. Not only will you have created a great scrapbook illustrating your family's story, you will have created a new treasure that will entertain your family and future generations for years to come.

To purchase craft detail scissors for scrapbooking, visit us online at ShopScissors.com.

DIY cards for Dads

This Father’s Day, go the extra mile and show the dads in your life how much they mean to you by making them a card. Just follow these simple steps to create your Father’s Day card:

First be sure you have the appropriate materials:

• White card stock
• White scrap card
• Words rubber stamp : You're Special, Dad
• Hero Arts rubber stamp : tie image
• Dark blue ink pad
• Clear embossing powder
• Heat gun
• Craft Knife
• Steel Ruler

Then follow these steps:

• Trim white card stock and fold to make a basic blank card.
• Mark center of card front and score a line from the top to the bottom of the card.
• Use your knife to make a half inch cut from the top on the score line.
• From the cut mark half inch to the right and also to the left.
• Score and fold to make collar of shirt.
• From the center bottom, make a one inch cut from the bottom on the score line.
• Mark lightly about 3/4 inch to the right, score and fold.
• Ink tie rubber stamp with dark blue ink and stamp on white scrap.
• Pour clear embossing powder on the stamped image. Shake off excess powder and heat.
• Trim the embossed tie image.
• Ink words rubber stamp with dark ink and stamp on right side of white card front. Heat embossed with clear embossing powder.
• Glue top of tie to the collar.
• Optional: Color stripes of tie with blue and brown markers.

DIY Wedding Reception

When putting together a wedding, one must never forget about the party after the ceremony. Decorating for a wedding reception could be the best part of planning for that special day. Themes can be incorporated, lighting can be played with, and gifts get to be made! Just make sure you have a handy pair of scissors available for trimming table clothes. ShopScissors recommends the Featherlite Shears, which are just as lightweight as the title sounds. They also sport stainless blades for multipurpose use, so plan on using these in the kitchen and at the office. These are perfect for the bride with a budget.

Halloween craft of the week: Pumpkin Light Catchers

It's officially fall - what better time to ramp up your Halloween party plans? This week, we're featuring pumpkin light catchers as seen on MarthaStewart.com.

Did you know? The carved lantern didn't become associated with Halloween until 1866.

What you'll Need: 

- Scissors

- Pumpkin Template

- Black Construction Paper

- Tape

How To:

1. Print our pumpkin and face Templates, enlarging or reducing designs as desired.

2. Choose a face, and cut out features; tape to black construction paper that's larger than the pumpkin. Cut out features from black sheet.

 

3. Remove template. Place pumpkin on top of black paper; hold both up to the light so the face is visible through the pumpkin. Maneuver papers until placement of features is correct on pumpkin. Glue papers together, and cut around pumpkin edges through both layers. The pumpkin's expression will show up when it is backlit by the sun, a lamp, or the light from a candle in a tall glass holder.

 

 

DIY Halloween Costume: Cute as a Cookie

As cute as a cookie - that's what your little one will hear this year. This do-it-yourself Halloween costume is as sweet as it is easy to make. 

What you'll need:

• Silver poster board (one 22- by 28-inch sheet)
• Double-sided carpet tape (we got ours at a home-improvement store)
• Craft knife
• White foam core board (20 by 30 inches)
• Duct tape
• Brown craft foam (three 12- by 18-inch sheets)
• Red craft foam (one 9- by 12-inch sheet)
• White dimensional paint
• 1 1/2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon (2 1/2 yards)
• Adhesive-backed Velcro

Directions:

On the back of the poster board, pencil a line parallel to each edge, then make a cut at each corner. Turn it over and fold along the lines (a yardstick is a handy folding tool). Overlap and stick the corner flaps together with double-sided tape, then trim off the points.

Use a craft knife to trim the foam core board to 27 inches long and round the corners. Attach it to the back of the poster board with double-sided tape.

Duct-tape the brown craft foam together, long sides adjoining. Draw a large cookie on the taped side, then cut it out. Trace the face opening onto the cookie sheet. Score the line with a craft knife, then go back over it until you've made a clean cut through the foam core.

Cut out 4 smaller cookies (we traced a 5 1/2-inch cookie cutter) and 3 red craft foam buttons. Stick the cookies and buttons in place using double-sided tape. Add details with the dimensional paint. Let it dry for at least 4 hours.

To work on the back of the board without damaging the decorated front, lay it on 2 folded towels. Cut the ribbon into 2 equal lengths. Using duct tape, attach the ribbons
halfway down the foam core.

Stick 3 Velcro strips on the lower corners of the board, then have your child try on the costume.

Cross the straps over her back, then pull them down. When the face opening is at a comfortable level, stick 2 Velcro strips to each strap where they'll stick to the Velcro on the board. Trim any excess ribbon.

DIY cards for Dad

This Father’s Day, go the extra mile and show the dads in your life how much they mean to you by making them a card.  Just follow these simple steps to create your Father’s Day card:

First be sure you have the appropriate materials:

• White card stock
• White scrap card
• Words rubber stamp : You're Special, Dad
• Hero Arts rubber stamp : tie image
• Dark blue ink pad
• Clear embossing powder
• Heat gun
• Craft Knife
• Steel Ruler

Then follow these steps:

• Trim white card stock and fold to make a basic blank card.
• Mark center of card front and score a line from the top to the bottom of the card.
• Use your knife to make a half inch cut from the top on the score line.
• From the cut mark half inch to the right and also to the left.
• Score and fold to make collar of shirt.
• From the center bottom, make a one inch cut from the bottom on the score line.
• Mark lightly about 3/4 inch to the right, score and fold.
• Ink tie rubber stamp with dark blue ink and stamp on white scrap.
• Pour clear embossing powder on the stamped image. Shake off excess powder and heat.
• Trim the embossed tie image.
• Ink words rubber stamp with dark ink and stamp on right side of white card front. Heat embossed with clear embossing powder.
• Glue top of tie to the collar.
• Optional: Color stripes of tie with blue and brown markers.

Red, White and Blue Crafts this Memorial Day

It's the prefect time of the year to discuss the true meaning of memorial day while adding some significant patriotic flair to your home or outdoor entertaining area. 

What you'll need for this craft:

Tools and Materials
12-inch-high roll of flag-pattern bunting
Scissors
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Wide pale-blue grosgrain ribbon

Gazebo Trim How-To
1. Measure the desired length for the trim. Roll out the bunting to a length that's about two times that measurement; cut.

2. Trim the bottom four stripes (red, white, red, white) along entire length of bunting.

3. Pleat the fabric: First, lay the fabric down, wrong side up so that the blue blocks of stars run along the bottom. To make a single box pleat, crease both edges of a red-and-white block (where the stripes meet the blue block), and then fold both creases so they meet in the middle, covering the stripes; essentially, you're matching blocks of blue to blocks of blue. Pin in place. At the same time, pin the ribbon in place, covering the top two stripes. Repeat along length of fabric.

4. Sew along the top of the panel, through the ribbon and pleats, using a straight stitch. Remove pins. Hang with nails or as desired.

Weekend Feature: Hobby knife refill blades

The dog days of summer are the perfect moments to pick up the craft book and make something with the kids. Order your hobby knife refill blades now, so you'll be ready for some summer time fun.

Westcott #11 Refill Blades for hobby and craft knifes.

• Pack of 10

Manufacturer: Westcott

Model: 13972

Spring Crafts for your celebration

With Easter and Passover on the horizon, we're bringing you some fun and fast crafts to make with your kids from Kaboose.com.

 

What you'll need:

• White poster board
• Pink construction paper
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Tacky glue or school glue
• Tape or stapler
• Easter stickers, optional
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils; optional

How to make it:

1. Cut a strip of poster board about 2" wide by about 24" long.
2. Cut out 2 ears out of poster board each about 8 1/2" long x 3 1/2" wide.
3. Cut out 2 smaller ears out of pink construction paper.

**Shop Scissors Tip** Parents try using a craft knife to get a more exact shape.

1. Glue the pink ears inside the white ears.
2. Glue the ears inside the band, positioning to fit behind the child's head.
3. Let the child decorate the head band with stickers, markers, crayons, or colored pencils if they wish.
4. Tape or staple the band to fit the child. Cut off any excess.

Bedkat Chametz Craft for Kids

According to Hebrew faith, the night before Passover families are obligated to search their homes for chametz. Chametz, meaning leaven or yeast, or food mixed with leaven, are prohibited during the Passover. In order to search for the chametz you will need a candle to see where light won’t reach, a feather for sweeping crumbs, a paper bag for gathering the chametz, and lastly a wooden spoon for Kabalistic reasons. Make this cute craft to display your knowledge of your faith. 

What you'll need:

• 8 ½” x 11” piece of cardboard
• 1 sheet felt in a light and matching dark color (lt. green and dk. green, lt. blue and dk. blue, etc)
• Felt: goldenrod, orange, cream, tan and off white
• Feather
• Scissors
• White craft glue

How to make it:

1. Glue light colored sheet of felt to cardboard, trim if needed.
2. Cut a candle from the off-white felt.
3. Cut a flame shape for the candle from the orange felt, and cut a smaller flame shape from the goldenrod felt.
4. Cut a rectangle from the tan felt for the paper bag. Cut a jagged edge at one end of the rectangle for the opening of the bag. Cut another piece, same width as the bag, about 1/3 the height, this is the folded pleat at the bottom of the bag.
5. Cut a wooden spoon from the cream colored felt.
6. Glue all pieces onto the light colored felt. Start with the candle and flame (goldenrod goes on top of the orange), then glue the feather on next. The paper bag is glued on next and lastly, the wooden spoon is put into place.
7. Cut a border from the dark colored felt and glue around the edges as a frame.

Show some love: Tools to make the perfect Valentine

Who says making valentines is a kid thing? You don't have to be in grade school to show someone you care. This year, show some love with a hand-crafted valentine.

1. Turn your ordinary paper valentine into a modern-day marvel by using paper filigree. Sounds difficult? Try it out using these steps from Martha Stewart online. 

2. Get edgy: Use craft scissors to create interesting edges on your cards.

3. Stitches of Love - Use felt and hand sew hearts on to your card. It'll create a sweet, home-spun feel.