Saturday 16 October 2010

While we're talking about collections....

let's lift the lid a bit further and examine one of my accidental collections. Scissors.
LouDotMac commented on WOYWW that she could see three pairs in my desk. She has two pairs - one from SU! for paper and another pair for cutting ribbons. Well, colour me blunt! I have never considered setting aside a pair of scissors especially for ribbon. I do have fabric scissors which can ONLY be used for fabric; if-you-misuse-them-I-will-visit-the-torments-of-a-woman-ignored-upon-you.
I have a black pair of scissors coated in tungsten which are non-stick. I use them exclusively for cutting double sided tape, sticky anything.....oh and once I sharpened them, only to remove the non-stick quality of the cutting edge (which let's face it, is where they need to be non-stick). Fortunately, many blog friends were able to help me restore them! So that accounts for one pair. The massive number of orange handles in my collection does signify a preference for Fiskars scissors. Some are very pointy for fine snipping and others are rounded for just good cutting. They all work well and they sharpen beautifully. However, the real reason I have so many is that someone somewhere appointed me as a Fiskars demonstrator and of course, you have to have lots of their products in your kit. This post is not sponsored by Fiskars. Ironically, in the three years I've been bearing the responsibilty of this awesome job, I haven't been called upon to do any demo work!
Of course I have patterned edge scissors too, a postage stamp edge, an informal deckle edge and a scallop edge. I use them more often than I think, but not often, if you know what I mean. I think I use more than one pair on my desk because I'm an untidy worker, and it's easier to reach out for another pair than it is to find the pair that's buried under paper and stuff. So to answer your question LoudotMac - I have so many pairs of scissors in use because: I have them! Quite simple really. Complicated, moi?

23 comments:

Angela Toucan said...

I've 5 apirs on my desk - some kids ones, 1 for sticky stuff, one sharp pari, then some fancy ones in my box ontop of the wardrobe and my fabric scissors in the habby draw

your's look lovely and colourful

Milliesmarvels said...

I have just counted my scissors....I have 12 pairs on my desk! I think some are missing though...
Jane
x

LouDotMac said...

Julia, this post made me laugh out loud, quite literally. You have a way with words!!

Geez, ladies, now I feel like I'm the odd one out!! Like Julia quite rightly said I have one pair for ribbon and one pair for everything else. Maybe I'm the weirdo with a lack of scissors, who knows. But, to be honest, they have done me quite alright since I started crafting, even if that has only been under a year. Maybe my love of scissors will develop and my collection might expand, emphasis on the might, but then its a toss up on where to store them, more scissors.. or more pens.. Yikes, I'm confusing myself.

Thanks for this post Julia, you have brightened up my VERY boring day of studying/blog hopping!!

Take care ladies. xo

Annie said...

Hmmm Now I have just had a quick count up of mine....And I think you have made me realise I just may have a problem.....I have just counted the ones I can see and it amounts to 18 pairs![and I'm certain there are others]. So? What does that say about me? [no, don't answer that one!] Some are just for fabric. Some for embroidery [little pointy ones]. Paper cutting ones. Fancy edge cutting ones. Plus I have many pairs of snippers too [one at least by each of my machines so I don't have to reach for them!]. I am a serious collector :-)
A x

Ohhh Snap said...

I have 4 pairs on my desk and I don't know how many decorative in a bin. I think I have about 5 pairs of embroidery scissors (I like to keep a pair with each project in a bag which rotate as my designated "purse project" lol). One pair of good fabric scissors and one pinking fabric scissors.

How did you restore the non-stick though? :D

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I have dozens and dozens of scissors and each is duller than the last. Even my decorative edge ones are dull. Can't seem to keep scissors sharp, no matter what I do. Glad to see your collection, though.

Mandi said...

Oh so funny
I have loads of scissors...actually I will tell you how many...

4 big ones and 5 small ones

and yes amazingly I use them all LOL

mandi xx

Michelle said...

I seem to have acquired a huge number of scissors and funnily enough Hubby can never find a pair... i think they might all be in my craft cupboard... :-)

LouDotMac said...

Yup, I'm definately the weirdo here!! *Hangs head in shame* Go on, laugh!! Just be sure I can't hear you, or I'll feel hurt!!

I really would like to invest in some decorative edge scissors, but all the nice ones seem to be in like packs of 10, with only a couple that I could ever see myself using.

Useless, to say the least!!

Pam said...

I have a few pair that I usually find buried on my desk somewhere inevitably I usualy pick the bluntest pair when I am trying to cut ribbon!! I did treat myself to a new pair of pointed ones in hobby craft the other week as mine were getting a bit blunt only to find the new ones are bluntter than my original!! And as for my fabric ones I've given up on them the kids use them for every thing but fabric.
Hugs Pam x

misteejay said...

I won't even attempt to count my scissors...let's just say I've got a lot LOL

Toni :o)

Janetlynne said...

Hmmm- I have 2, maybe 3. I have a hard time keeping them in my scrapbook room!

kayc said...

Just counted mine. Never knew I had so many! 4 pairs on my desk. 5 pairs in a box and 4 decorative ones in another box. Kathleen x

Carmen said...

One of my favourite pairs of scissors came free on a kiddies magazine waaaay before I ever had kids :P I bought the mag specifically for the scissors and then passed the mag in the vague direction of my nieces and nephews... a pair of ELC zigzag cutting scissors - cut the same as my Mums old pinking shears used to when we used to do the Christmas card massacre for tags. Memories! Can you EVER have to many scissors? Methinks not.

Candace said...

I have around 20 pairs but you will never see that many on my desk as they have a bad bad habit of walking off my desk all by themselves to be used for various activities such as cutting bacon, cutting grass for the rabbits being used to cut paper up to 'embellish' my Daughters bedroom carpet. You name it they cut it!
But why when I sit down to craft do I struggle to find 1 solitary pair? The mystery of it all.......

Rosie said...

Like you I have a special fabric pair - touch them IF YOU DARE that I use for dressmaking etc. For crafting I have my trusty Tim Holtz scissors which I LOVE, and which make it possible for my arthrickety hands to cut stuff out all day. Then there's my "desk" scissors with which to do everything else, eg cut sticky tape, hack open boxes/parcels, etc etc .... never got on with those fancy edge scissors though.

Ohhh Snap said...

Please use whatever you need to make things for people fighting the good fight! I posted directions for the Take THAT Cancer! card with some close ups in yesterday's post. Let me know if you have any questions.

fairy thoughts said...

this is my first visit to your blog,
you really made me laugh, i tried to share your thoughts with the family, but they just dont get it..... non crafters, what can i say!!!
i have 5 pairs, only 1 knife, 6 hat pins (not for use with hats) and 2 crochet hooks . . . not for crochet either, making holes i think???? lots of fancy scissors somewhere, not sure where! impressed with the craft stace though,
my hubby asked me why he has to step over so much 'stuff' to get into mine !!

minnie_mac said...

What a lovely colourful collection of scissors. I do have certain ones that I use regularly: non-stick and decorative edged ones for crafting, kitchen ones, and sewing ones, but your post makes me realise that I have so many other pairs lying about in various drawers and cupboards without any real purpose. Perhaps my project for the week will be rounding them up, sharpening them and deciding their fate !

Marilyn

Melanie M said...

My problem. I have loads of scissors, but I just can never find them! Seriously. I know I have more, but I can never find the pair I want. I have 2 tiny tungsten coated pairs - one I use for only double sided tape, the other for cutting out my images. The reason - the handle is more comfortable - the other ones give me blisters. I'm busy looking for 2 other pair of scissors that have gone awol... I should maybe look in the kids rooms

Ciara said...

I think I have about 10 pairs at least, so you're not alone. Although I did only recently set a pair aside just for ribbon and tied a little piece of ribbon around it so I know not to use them for owt else.

I do have the Tonic ones with the red handles and black blades, they seem nice.

Hmmm, I think we all need to get out more!!!

Chrissie said...

I have a whole bunch too. In fact a new pair arrived only yesterday... Tim Holtz non-stick jobs.
When I first saw on a video, someone mention they had scissors especially for ribbon, I thought it was a bit twee, but now I do it and I'm so glad I do... it's a bit like your (and my) fabric scissors... perfect cutting every time.
Chrissie

Lyn said...

Ahem. My name is Lyn and I'm a scissorholic. Oooops, wrong audience!

Actually, all this talk of collections is panicking me somewhat ...when does a collection become an addiction?????!