Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter ... a must have tool

Reported by Julia Stainton

I love papercrafting and I love papercrafting tools and gadgets. If you were to look at my desk...you'd know this for a fact! I use my crafting tools daily and they really get a great work-out! Out of all my wonderful tools, there is one that I really would not want to be without... my Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer.

The Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer is a fabulous tool and one I use on every design I create. A good paper cutter is an essential tool and I love its clean precise cuts as well as its other wonderful features. I first started looking for new paper trimmer options late last Spring. I was extremely frustrated with the paper trimmer I had. It was a track-type model with blades that needed replacing all the time. This was adding up in cost quite rapidly and I just was not satisfied with cleanness of its cuts and on occasion, there was some play in the track leaving my cut less than perfectly straight. Another problem I had was if I needed to slice off a small fraction of cardstock to make my matting perfectly balanced. I just could not do that with the product I had. The result would be a nasty distressed looking edge if you wanted to trim off less than 1/8th of an inch.

I discovered this Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter at my local scrapbooking store. It came highly recommended by the owner and I had a coupon discount so I decided to give it a whirl. I have been so thrilled with its performance over the past 8 months and it has more than paid for itself in refill blades. That is because this guillotine trimmer never needs sharpening or its blade replaced. The stainless steel blade sharpens itself with each pass and always gives a perfect cut. This paper trimmer is portable and extremely lightweight but is designed so well. You can cut through 4 or 5 layers of cardstock with ease. Do you like using chipboard...this trimmer also cuts through chipboard, leather, transparencies, burlap...I've tried them all.

One of my main concerns when purchasing a guillotine type trimmer was safety. We've all heard stories of those big heavy paper cutters that they had in grade school...fabulous but perhaps a little scary. I have five children in the house so safety is quite a concern for me. Now this might sound a little strange but I actually tried to cut myself (with caution of course) with this trimmer. Actually, the blade is not sharp at all. The friction and engineering of this product delivers a sharp clean cut without a sharp blade. There are also safety features built in. For your left hand, there are two clear places where you press down on the safety bar and keep it out of the way. The paper trimmer is designed to trim perfectly when the safety bar is depressed and I love how it is clear and you can see through it for perfect paper positioning.

If this hasn't already convinced you...here is a list of features that I love...

• It's portable...the handle and measuring bar extension can be removed and stored under the trimmer for portability and easy storage.
• Metric and Imperial measurements on the trimmer
• 1/2" increments on a molded grid on the cutter base make it easy to use and line up
• Self Sharpening blade means no more replacements
• Extremely light and easy to carry with orange handle at top of cutter
• Comfortable soft handle when cutting
• Safety bar is clear and easy to see through
• non-skid rubber feet on bottom of trimmer
• sturdy high-impact plastic base
• 12"+ base allows for easy cutting of 12x12 papers. There is extra room allowed to fit in those patterned papers that are manufactured a little longer
• extremely well priced
• no replacement blades to buy

Hints for using the Tonic Paper Cutter

To use the Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter, simply slide the paper under the safety bar. Press down on oval spots with your left hand and slice with your right to get a precision cut. When you are cutting, you will always get a perfect 90° corner if you make sure your paper is butted right up to the top of the cutter. As there is no measuring device to the right of the blade...if you wish to trim off a certain small amount...simply measure the paper, subtract the amount you wish to trim off and then re-line it back up at the new measurement on the left side. It is very simple to get the hang of after a few tries. The one thing you cannot do with this Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer is score your paper. My old paper trimmer had a scoring blade option but I did find that with the play in the track, this was often not a good solution. If you wish to score your paper, I suggest scoring using a bone folder with a ruler or investing in a scoring board.

I'm thrilled with my Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutter and would highly recommend it. When paper crafting, nothing spoils a design quicker than sloppy looking construction and good clean precise cuts are essential. I also allow my older children to use this cutter for school projects etc. They are always thrilled with how great this posters and projects look and it is easy and safe enough for them to use. If you are thinking of purchasing a paper cutter, this Tonic Cutter is well worth the investment and will serve you well for many, many years. This paper cutter is also available in a full 12" base model and is perfect for paper crafters who use large sheets of paper and do not need the portability option. The Tonic Guillotine Paper Cutters can be found at your local scrapbook store as well as many on-line scrapbooking supply stores.

Dear Santa...a papercrafter's list

Reported by Julia Stainton

Dear Santa,

This year I've been a very good girl. Busy crafting all year long, sharing my creativity with my family, friends. You didn't notice the occasional cobweb or dishes in the sink while I was oh so busy, right?

And so...I'd like to ask for a few small items just for me... {wink} OK... I don't expect it all for Christmas. I won't be greedy. But this is called a wish list, not an "I'm actually going to get it" List, right?

1. Bamboo Fun Med digital Drawing Tablet: I've had one of these tablets on my wishlist for months now. So cool...you can use them as a mouse, for drawing, adding notes, just about anything. I'm really looking forward to trying out drawing some images and doing a little digital scrapbooking. It looks like so much fun! This medium sized tablet is priced at $199.0 and you can also purchase the smaller sized version for $99.99. The Bamboo Fun Medium tablet comes with software including Adobe Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter Essentials and Nik Color Efex Pro making it a great value for your money.


2. Spellbinders Nestabilities - I love these Spellbinders Nestabilities dies. The Spellbinders Wizard is a die cutting machine, perfect for crafting. My favorite dies are the scalloped shapes. I have the ovals and squares but I'd really love a set of the circle dies and the rectangle sets as well. These Nestabilities dies are perfectly scaled to fit within each other and come as scalloped and plain shapes that work together. Matting is simple and easy. To make it even better, you can also emboss with these dies making them oh so wonderful! I love circle and scalloped punches but they have their limitations. The Nestabilities take up less space and you can die cut your shape into the design wherever you wish, as long as your surface will fit through your die cut machine. Another wonderful thing is the flexibility of these dies. They work really well with other die-cutting systems if you already own one. Sets retail starting at $24.99

3. True Color Ott Light - I love designing and crafting but oft-times, it can be late at night. Poor lighting can make matching colors difficult...not to mention the strain on your eyes. Ott lights are fabulous lamps that really limit eye strain and the colors stay true as in daylight hours. I'm really hoping Santa will see this list and bring me one for Christmas! Available online, as well as craft stores, these lamps come in a wide variety of styles to choose from. The portable version starts at $79.95 and is easy to take with you. One of these lamps should keep my colors true and keep me designing well into the night.



4. Robin's Nest Dew Drops - I just came across these darling little embellishments a few weeks ago. They are a beautiful embellishments and come in a wide array of colors. This would be a fabulous stocking stuffer and I can think of so many projects I could use these on. I think my biggest problem with these little beauties is which ones to choose! The Robin's Nest Dew Drops are tiny little transparent "pebbles" that are sooooooo pretty. They can be added to flower centers, adhered to a design and used in the same instances you would use brads or eyelets or used as water droplets on design. The Dew Drops are packaged in nail-polish style bottles and are easy to attach to your design with clear adhesive. My friend Ellen actually counted them for me. At more than 560 dew drops per bottle, this is a seriously fabulous and inexpensive embellishment at $4.99 a bottle.


5. May Arts ribbon - OK yes...I have lots of this. I'll admit it. But for a ribbon addict like me, you can never have enough! The wide variety of ribbons available from May Arts just keeps me coming back for more. May Arts ribbon is available for purchase from many on-line and retail stores and retails at $1.50 for 3 yards and up.Beautiful rich colors, velvets, double-sided ribbons, irridescent, ric rak...a stocking full of this ribbon would be absolutely fabulous for Christmas this year. Hmmmm...I wonder just how much ribbon you can get in one stocking....


Things to give...

I'm sharing some of my favorite items that would make super gifts if you still have some shopping to do. Ranging from rather expensive to perfect for the stocking...these items come highly recommended by me. :) Products I use almost daily and would not want to be without.

1. Rebel XT digital SLR camera - I just adore this camera. I honestly don't know where to begin. This camera has so many fabulous features. I love the digital SLR version, the lenses and accessories perfectly work together with my original Rebel SLR camera. I love the flexibility. I can change my lenses, my settings, the camera can work in a total automatic mode or if I want to take it up a bit, use a variety of manual settings. If you've never used a digital SLR camera, you will be amazed at the speed you can take photos at. My original digital camera was quite an expensive point and shoot style camera. I was so frustrated with it. I have small children and just could never get the hang of getting it to focus before they were off doing something else. You know how fast those little ones move! My suggestion is...visit your local camera store and try it out. They can explain all the features to you.


2. Tonic Paper Trimmer: My Tonic Paper Cutter is probably my most used tool. I love it! Clean, professional cuts, this paper cutter is easy to use and is portable to boot! If you hate continually purchasing refill blades or getting raggedy looking edges, this cutter is for you. I was so impressed to find that this trimmer can slice off just the slightest sliver of paper if you need the smallest of changes to the size of your layer. To be honest...when trying out this paper trimmer, I was a little concerned with how sharp it would be. I have small children in the house and craft near their play area. While this trimmer cuts cleanly, it is not sharp. I actually tried it out on my finger and was really pleased that it was very safe. Additional features of comfort grip handles, safety guards, a handle, convenient storage on the reverse side and even a 13" cutting surface that makes this trimmer friendly for those scrapbooking papers with a title on the edge. This trimmer is exceptionally well engineered. Smaller and larger versions of this trimmer are available as well. This portable 12" trimmer sells for approximately $38.99

3. Crop-a-dile: This We R Memory Keepers tool took the crafting industry by storm a few seasons ago. It's bright pink comfort grip handles and super heavy duty construction have papercrafters dusting off their eyelets and snaps and putting them back into their designs. I just love the flexibility of the tool. It is so easy to set eyelets and snaps in various sizes silently without strain. I have quite a few friends with wrist and hand difficulties and they have all had great success in using this product. The Crop-a-dile is now also available in green with a case for storage and portability. The Crop-a-dile is available on-line and in craft stores everywhere and retails at approximately $29.99 If you decide to purchase this tool, you won't want to miss the We R Memory Keepers Designer Eyelets and Snaps that are gorgeous embellishments and will make this present extra special.

4. Autumn Leaves Buttons - Buttons are so hot right now and so easy to add to crafting projects. Scrapbooking, cards, altered items, sewing projects...you name it, you'll find buttons. I love the texture and color they add to a design and buttons are super easy to group together for a bold look. Paired up with stitching, real or faux, buttons look fabulous. One of my recent favorite finds is this great Bag-O-Buttons from the foof-a-la line by Autumn Leaves. Each bag contains 6 oz. of beautiful buttons in coordinating colors in large variety of sizes. They come in a convenient little plastic bag that is resealable, very portable and easy to store. These buttons are sold in three color lines for $6.00 each. Mini versions of these packages are also available in other color lines at a lower price making it easy to fill in those little spaces in a Christmas stocking.

5. Rhinestone Singles: Bling, bling, bling...what is Christmas without a little sparkle?! I love these little packages of rhinestones. Perfect for adding to projects, they add just the right touch of sparkle. Easy to apply, these rhinestone Singles by Me and My Big Ideas, come in single color packs of varying sizes. In fact, each package contains ninety-six rhinestones. These embellishments are high quality, have a great sparkle and their multi-faceted shape is still slim enough to use on scrapbooks and card designs without adding a lot of bulk. With names like Fern, Poppy, Iris, Freesia, Hibiscus... I just couldn't resist buying one of each. These Rhinestone Singles packages retail for $3.99 and can be found in crafting stores or on-line. If Santa needs a little extra something to slide right into a stocking, this is a great little product to fill that hole.

Whatever you decide to buy and whatever Santa brings you this year...I wish you all the merriest of Christmases!

Paper Trimmer Party!

Let's get this party started! We will be chatting about Paper Trimmers all week on Craft Critique So be sure to check back daily! You will hear more on Fiskars trimmers; Carl Cutters, Tonic Guillotine, Creative Memories' Trimmers, the Purple Cow and more!

In case you missed it; I will accept some last minute submissions for a Paper Trimmer Carnival (held Tuesday; February 27th). Just be sure to get me your submissions by Monday at Midnight (CST). Remember; the blog posts you submit don't have to be your own! Tell me about your fave bloggers who are talking about Paper Trimmers!


First up in our Paper Trimmer Party; I have a delightful little love story from our newest reporter Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.

It’s not that I’m fickle, but I’ve been in and out of relationships with a fair share of cutters. I’ve loved some of them more than others. Some of them abused me more than others. But, they were all affairs to remember.

Like many women, I began my cutter affair with the gray Fiskars. Soon, another man moved into my life: Carl. I saw Carl at Staples and couldn’t stop myself from bringing him home. He had a regular blade and a deckle edge blade! Big, blue, my first rotary cutter…but not my last.

When I couldn’t find the replacement cutting mats for my Carl (and I must admit I didn’t look too hard – my particular Staples just didn’t carry them), I went back to Fiskars. Instead of my original gray guy, I upgraded to the fancy new purple rotary Fiskars. I was fairly satisfied, though rotary cutters always confuse me a little as to where they’re going to cut. Perhaps because the gray guy was my first, I got a little too used to being able to see exactly where the cut would start and stop. Eventually, though, I got tired of having to flip those cutting mats over and over and sometimes having to cut twice through photos or really thick cardstock. I began to look for a new friend.

That’s when I discovered the Tonic Guillotine, and it was lust at first sight. I operate out of a tiny NYC apartment, but I wanted this bad boy so very much that I made the space. Acting out some adolescent regression, I loved the sound the Tonic made as it sliced through paper, so reminiscent of grade school art class.

Though the affair was passionate, Tonic’s flaws soon became overwhelming. Anything less than an inch was impossible to cut with any accuracy. It would sometimes shred thick items or make incomplete cuts. I was disappointed, and in my depression, I returned to my first love: the little gray Fiskars. At least I knew what to expect. And, at that price, you can always buy another one. Maybe it was time to grow up and settle for what was out there. In a fit of pique, I even put myself on the eighteen-month wait list for a Genesis Trimmer. However, my story has one more twist.

As I sat using a combination of glue dots, Elmer’s glue, and Hermafix Dotto on a project, I had a sudden realization--perhaps I have no soul mate! I had been looking for the one cutter to be everything to me, but I use different adhesives for different tasks, why not the same thing with cutters? I now live a very content life using my little gray Fiskars for small cuts and moments when I need a portable cutter. My Tonic Guillotine makes the big cuts for me. And, in the meantime, there’s still the dream. I’ve only got about a year left until the legendary Genesis pays me a visit…