Make Room for a New Tool: The Crop-A-Dile

It's a hole punch, it's an eyelet setter, it's a Crop-A-Dile. That big, clunky looking tool might look like a weapon, but it's a gem. And it's pink. Now you might wonder why anyone would want another hole punch. This is not your ordinary punch. It actually punches two sizes of holes, 1/8" and ¼". But the amazing thing is it punches not only through paper, but also through chipboard, metal, and wood, just to name a few. It punches extraordinary things with no extraordinary effort. It also allows you to evenly space and punch holes, thereby cutting out the guess work.

Another benefit of the Crop-A-Dile is the fact that it makes setting eyelets a breeze. No more noisy hammer, no more self-healing mat. Nothing is needed to set eyelets other than the Crop-A-Dile. Just punch a hole, drop in the eyelet, and give it a squeeze, and you're finished; it's all set. I actually dusted off the eyelet box and started playing with them again. After all, I bought this tool, so I felt compelled to use it.

One of my favorite things to use the Crop-A-Dile for is punching holes through chipboard. It just dresses up those letters in such a unique way. "It's a Guy Thing" is an example of punched holes in chipboard. Three holes of varying sizes were punched in each of the brackets.

In "I Heart You," the Crop-A-Dile was used to punch holes in a wood frame. The frame was further embellished with rub-on letters and a piece of ribbon.

Lyda Salmons, a custom card designer and owner of Lydart, used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes through metal letters and then set eyelets for this birthday card. The Crop-A-Dile made the project easy and Lyda reports that she loves the simplicity of using this tool.

Whether for cardmaking or scrapbooking, a Crop-A-Dile added to your standard supplies is bound to be a well-used product. If conveniently placed in your work area, you'll find yourself reaching for this nifty tool time and time again.