We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

Sometimes a new product come out that makes you think....wowie....this is a great idea!  Sometimes the ideas translate to good useful products...and sometimes not.  I saw a video recently on the new We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board and thought if it worked well...it might be a tool to have.

I love tools.

I like drills and hammers and screw drivers with the best of 'em...but what I really like are good scrapbooking tools.  Things that make paper crafting fun and maybe a bit less complicated.

And that's exactly what I found with the WRMK Envelope Punch Board.  It was inexpensive (retails for about $20) and is an all in one piece that makes envelopes easily and very quickly.

So what does it look like?....here it is:

It measures about 10 1/2 by 7 inches....smaller than a standard sheet of paper.  The board comes with a measuring guide across the top, a punch (the big blue oval thing at the top and center), a grid and over on the right is a little blue thing which is actually a scoring tool and bone folder.

The grid gives you the card size you can make an envelope for, the measurements of the paper to use, and also a number where you will start your process once your paper is cut to the correct size.  In fact, one thing that is great about this unlike using a regular scoreboard is that once you measure where you paper lays on the board that is the last measurement you have to make!  So easy!

Here's how it works... (and you will notice that WRMK has done a great job putting the directions front and center...well, front and left right on the board!...really if you just follow those instructions it is EASY PEASY!)
But....since I want to blog this... :)
For example, suppose you want to make a gift card sized envelope (for a card 2x3 1/2).  You would first cut your paper to 5x5 using your favorite paper trimmer.  Look where the bone folder is pointing below and you will see the score line will be at 2 inches.

In the photo above you can see I have placed the left edge of the paper at the 2 inch mark as directed on the grid.)  At this point I punched the blue oval thingy to start my envelope...just press down and punch!
And then I scored from the punch down to the edge of the board at a diagonal.  You can see the score line here:

Then....this is the non measuring part....you turn the paper one quarter of a turn counter clockwise like this and line your score line up with the Score Guide as shown below:

and of course, you punch at that point, too.  You continue doing this until you have all four score lines and punches and you will end up with a piece of paper like this (hard to see some of the score lines...but they are there...trust me:

At this point you can turn your punch board around and corner round the sharp corners like this:

After you've done this you fold on your score lines...add some adhesive and end up with this:

...which would also be called "the perfect envelope"!
Here area  few of various sizes I tried:

Now....I used the board for the first time today.  It is so easy to use....no big learning curve here...even a cave man could do it!  In fact...on the third try I decided to time myself.  From start to finish (including the time it took to cut the paper to the desired size) it only took me....drum roll, please......

are you ready for this???.....

ONE MINUTE AND 30 SECONDS! NO JOKE!!! I am totally serious on that!  Amazing!

Would I recommend it?  Certainly!  I think it will be a great addition...I can use it to mail cards (if I ever decided to mail any of the cards I am hoarding...)...I could use it for scrapbooking...I think this will be a wonderful and versatile tool.

Run and get one!!!

Happy Crafting!