Fiskars, well-known for their scissors and paper punches, makes a great system for embossing, stenciling and cutting. It's super for scrapbooking and cardmaking. Everything in these sets works together. I have several of the sets, and thought you might be interested in this versatile system.

The first piece that you need is the Scrapboss. Measuring 12 inches by 12 inches, it's big enough for full-size scrapbook pages. Templates are fastened to it by repositionable pegs. Underneath, there's a storage tray to store templates and paper. It comes with 2 styluses, some stencils, and a project book. The Scrapboss can use any stencils and templates that Fiskars makes.

There's a smaller cousin, the Shapeboss. It fits stencils and templates that are 9 inches by 11 inches and smaller. It comes with a stylus and some stencils. It does not have the storage tray. For the smallest sizes, try the Cardboss or Mini ShapeBoss Set The stencils listed on those pages both work on the Scrapboss and Shapeboss.

Embossing and Stenciling

Embossing and stenciling are very easy with this system. The laser-cut stencils come in two parts. First you lay the bottom piece on the Scrapboss, then the top piece. The top piece has grid lines and is marked, "top." Next I usually put a couple pegs in the corners to hold it securely in place. I position the paper, cardstock, or thin metal in between the two pieces and, start embossing. The styluses comes with different size tips. Smaller tips are better for detailed areas, while large areas can be finished quickly with the bigger tips.

The stencils come in a large variety, from abstract lines and letters, good for lots of pages, to holiday and baby themes. If you click on the small pictures on this page and this page, you can see the details of each one.

Sometimes I emboss right on a 12x12" scrapbook page and create borders and frames. I also make embellishments by embossing smaller pieces or copper pieces. I usually emboss before cutting them out. It's easier.

Another set that I use alot to make photo mats and embellishments for scrapbooking and cards are the Texture Plates. They're made of hard plastic with holes at the top for the pegs. Each is two-sided, with a different texture on each side. The assortment pack is a great value and contains 6 double sided plates (12 designs) including hearts/ stars, lines/waves, bubbles/dots, squares/fabric, stones/bricks and wood/leaves.

I use the Texture Plates with the Shape Templates that I'll talk about later to create my own textured die-cuts. For example, I put the heart shape template on the Scrapboss with a hearts texture plate beneath it. I slide my paper in-between. I emboss inside the heart shape, creating a hearts texture. Then I cut out the heart shape. It's very cute! I also like to create titles this way, using the letter and number shape templates and the other texture plates.

Cutting

The Fiskars templates for cutting are designed for the ShapeCutter. It's a very safe and accurate way to cut out clean shapes and letters. The cutting mat and shape templates fit the Scrapboss or Shapeboss and have holes to secure them with the pegs. Using the ShapeCutter is very simple. Hold the base of the ShapeCutter inside the template and follow around the edge. To cut a freehand design, I just look down at the blade and follow my traced line. The blade is adjusted by a knob on top for different paper thicknesses.

The ShapeTemplates are sturdy plastic with grid lines, and can be stored in a binder. They have several shapes on each one, and some have border designs along the sides. They come in many varieties and letters and numbers. There's also a set of Super Size ShapeTemplates. On these, you can use the inside and outside of each shape, That's great for cropping a photo and creating a matching shape mat.

Overall, I use the Scrapboss alot in my paper-crafting. It's very versatile, and I can create many different looks, cards, and layouts.

Fiskars ® ScrapBoss Starter Set & Stencil Sets
Embossing, Stenciling, and Cutting System

Wildcrafting & Nature Crafts
Wood and Twig Tray
Natural Wood Dyes
Painted Nature Shrine
Natural Kaleidoscopes
Fall Floral Wreath
Botanical Table Decor
Decorative Natural Balls
Cheerios Bird Feeder
Birdhouse Birdfeeder
Kitchen Windowsill Potpourri
Twig Coasters
Black Walnut Dye
Spanish Moss Wreath
Dried Apple & Nut Garland
How to Make a Grapevine Wreath
Homemade Plantable Paper
Easy Potpourri Pie Craft
Cinnamon-Apple Wreath
Pine Cone projects
Hanging Apple Potpourri
Natural Wreaths
Basket of Lights
What Tree is It?
Forced Flowering Branches
Rose Petal or Pine Cone Napkin Rings
Change the Coloring of Cut Flowers
Plant Dyes
Kids Nature Crafts
Scented Rocks
Twig Easel Craft
Easy Kids Nature Crafts
Make an Ant Farm
Sticks & Leaves Insects
Twig Vase
Potpourri Pinecones
Pine Cone Birdfeeder
Sand Art
Crystal Rock Garden
Backyard Weather Station
Bird Feeding Station
Nature Art Project
Rock Necklace
Sand Dough
Cooking with the Sun
Constellation in a Canister
Ocean in a Bottle
Homemade Weathervane
How to Whistle an Acorn
DIY Bug Box
Pressed Flowers Crafts & Preserving Flowers
Pressed Flowers Database

Pressed Flowers Candles
Decorated Kitchen Set
Cedar Shingle Flower Art
Pressed Flower Switchplate
Pressing Flowers with Waxed Paper
Framing Pressed Flowers
Pressed Flower Clock
Flower Pounding
How to Air-dry Flowers
Glowing Flowers
Microwave Dried Flowers
Lavender Wands
Pressed Flower Lamp
Pressed Posies Album
Pressed Flower Placemats
Leaf Pictures
Gourd Crafts
Gourd Birdhouse
Gourd Butterfly House
Rotary Power Tool Carving Gourds
Mini Gourd Easter Baskets pdf
Make Painted Gourds
Growing & Curing Gourds
Gourd Carving & Inlay
Make a Gourd Drum
How to Cut Gourds
Transfer Design to Gourds
Snake Gourd Rainstick
Paper Bag Gourd Lining
Make a Gourd Lamp
Gourd Paper
Embossed Gourd Jewelry
Colored Pencils on Gourds
Gourd Candleholder
Gourd Lid Stopper
Carved & Pyroengraved Gourd Tutorial
Wood-burned Gourd Easter Basket
Pyroengraving on Gourds
Gourd Purses
Gourd Cat
Pine Needle Rim Tutorial
Gourd Identification Chart
Seashell and Sand Crafts
Seaside Mail Organizer
Fishbowl Sea Candle
Seascape Gel Candle
Clam Shell Change Holder
Sand Dollar Plant Markers
Shell Herb Garden
Driftwood Door Handle
Seashell Wind Chime
Shell Mirror