Thursday Product Review: Marvy Clever Lever Craft Punch

Craft punches add so much value to paper craft projects. There's not much doubt about that in our industry. Scissors and exact-o knives can only cut so straight and a good solid punch elevates your paper craft design to a new level. Designs look more professional when you use punches, they are more polished. There are so many on the market, and it's easy to spend a lot of money on them. They also take up quite a bit of real estate in your craft room – so we crafters should choose carefully.

This week I took a look at two punches we have in the craft room: The Clever Lever Xtra Giga-Square 2.475 and Clever Lever Circle 1.5 by Marvy.

 



The bottom line is I think both of these are essential. They cut cleanly, no edges were jagged or frayed. The view finder underneath allows you to guide where you are cutting, eliminating guess work. It's not hard to press down – the "clever lever" glides down with a simple press of your hand. I tried it on thicker card stock and it wasn't a problem. Simply put: these punches are easy to use and they work well. Prices range from $16-24. They are sold at Amazon.com and numerous scrapbooking websites. Google shop around for the best price if you are interested. 

I made a quick card last night using the punches. This card would have taken me substantially longer had I not had them. But I used the square punch to create the 4 tiles and the circle punch for the sentiments. I used my trusty Glue Glider and I was in business in a flash. I love both of these stamps - Thinking of You is from PSA Dare to Dream and the flower/rosetta is from PSA Rosettas. I love patterned papers and mixing circles and squares in a geometric way is always fun for me.

What kind of punches do you use? What are your favorites - you must have some!  Leave a comment here today and let us know.