Tools

Pazzles Needle Point Tweezers

Okay, bear with me on this one. It may seem like a very minor thing, but the right tools can really make or break a job. I’ve used tons of different tools from hooks to dental picks, lord knows how many tweezers, pins, you name it, I have tried it. I tried these and I am telling you, these tweezers are absolutely the best thing since post it notes. Honestly. Hands down, the only thing I weed with. I have had folks come over and help me weed, who have their own business and machines and they have their own tried and true tools….they go home with one of these.

The shipping is off on these, call into the office and they will ship out with a reasonable cost.
Craft Knife
I gave you a hyperlink to a craft knife. I don’t have anyone that is my favorite, I just use one similar to this. We have several around the house and they all do the job. This is great for those times the vinyl did not cut all the way through and it just needs a snip.
Vinyl Application Tool
This is really a bondo tool. When I was selling wall art, I loved to give my customers one These are the same thing. Or just make a run to Home Depot or Lowe’s.
OttLite LED Magnifier Lamp
Another funny thing. Well, see, I am old. I work late into the night often. ESPECIALLY when I am weeding at night or weeding glitter this baby is turned on. I always use the magnifier with the light on along with my craft knife those times the machine just did not cut all the way through, rather than cut it again, I just grab my craft knife and turn on this lamp and look through the magnifier and all is well with that cut! I purchased just the desk lamp not the tall lamp. When looking for a hyperlink I could not find only the desk lamp. Hope they still sell them, as I sure would replace mine if something happened to it…I have had it a long time.

Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Snips
I am so weird with scissors. These are my favorites. Tim has several sizes, but these are my favorites. I have one next to my rack (I purchase Vinyl & Transfer on rolls) so when I pull it off the roll, I cut with these. I have a pair right where I weed because I separate by images that way (I usually get anywhere from 9 to 15 to 20 images on one 12X12 sheet so I cut the vinyl with scissors first separating the images, then I weed them. I have another pair in my shipping station. My husband will tell you no one touches my scissors or craft knifes. I really don’t care if anyone uses them, but forgoodness stakes put them back where you found them or don’t touch them at all…. ah…TMI I know.
Xinart Cutting mat
I know, I know I have a Pazzles Invue but I love LOVE the cricut mats. I purchased these; at the time they were 11.99 for 3 which made them 3.99 each! My favorite is the LightGrip for my vinyl. I just love it. No prep for the mat at all! And the price is right. They are smaller than the Pazzles mats. I just use a permanent marker and mark 1 14/16 down from the top of the mat and another line 10/16’s over from the left. How I came up with that is I just held the two brands together and marked the Cricut one accordingly.

It’s my understanding from other folks that the Silhouette users also love the Cricut mats, they must also move their mediums down 1/4 lower.
Heat Press – Powerpress
This is one of the most common introductory heat presses that I see folks buying. Heat presses are a tough thing. If you don’t have the budget to buy a really nice press, the cheaper ones can be hit or miss.

I like my Powerpress, it’s a nice standard 15″ size and I can do shirts and whatnot easily, and it didn’t break the bank buying it (I think I paid around $200 for it but it can vary in price, it’s usually around $175). I’ve also owned it for about 4 years and while I don’t use it every day, that’s a LONG TIME to own a press and nothing has gone wrong.

Published by Robin Spitzer

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