Self-healing Cutting Mats...

Which do you love/recommend? I have one that I bought from Micheal's, but its thick & you can't roll it up I don't have a scrapbook room (I know, HORRIBLE) so I have to take out my stuff & then put it back & I have a small table (don't ask what size) So, does anybody have one that's easy storage/portable, durable, medium-sized BUT NOT expensive? I heard quilting mats were great..

I love the one I got at walmart in the sewing section-

I have a couple different sizes of Olfa mats, they're in the quilting section. Very durable and long-lasting. I mostly use them for quilting, actually. When scrapping I hate hand-cutting so I use my Gazelle and Big Shot as much as possible and try to avoid anything having to do with an Xacto blade, lol. Still - sometimes they come in handy

They do not roll up, however they're very easy to tuck away, for example, underneath the couch or behind a bookcase.

Interesting...

Self-healing mats do not roll up. They need to be thick enough and stiff enough to withstand a cutting blade.

One of the roll-up mats is the thin kind that's heat and stain resistant, but it can be cut apart if you try to use a blade on it.

Another roll-up mat is soft and thick, (sort of like a mouse pad) used for stamping. But that also will be damaged if you use a blade on it, and is really too spongy for that job.

I have very little space, probably less than yours, for scrapping. It's just a small corner of my dining table. I have to constantly take out only one item and put it right back when I'm finished using it. I have a self-healing mat (about 18" x 12") that I take out and use as a base for my other materials when I scrap. When not in use, I keep it stacked up in a corner along with my other flat objects. You can stack it against a wall, alongside or between 2 cabinets.

I only cut using a rotary blade and self healing mat, so I have several sizes of olfa mats, my favorite being a rotating olfa mat, it is 12x12 and perfect for scrappy pages with a clear omnigard ruler and fiskars rotary cutter. And because of the size I can tuck it into an iris scrap tote with papers if I need to haul it anywhere/store.

If you do go with an olfa mat of any kind it is recommended to store it flat-but it is super easy to slide it under the bed, on top of the washer. Before I got my scraproom I stored my mats in the linen closet under the towels/sheets. it is thin enough it can slide right in under them all.

I use a glass mat. Things cut so much smoother. Not lightweight but I LOVE it.

I sew and I too use an Olfa mat. I rarely use it for scrapping so it is tucked behind a "book"case that sits under my crafting table.

I use the self-healing magnetic mat by Basic Grey that comes with a ruler and magnetic tacks. Got it at ACM with a coupon for like $15 or so. I don't have a dedicated room but a corner on my DS's bedroom and my table is a small vinyl one from Kmart. It works fine 'cause I leave it on top of my table at all time. It sort of looks like one of those desk calendar that you use at an office and then you put everything else on top. For that reason, storage for me is not an issue but I'm pretty sure you can lay it flat underneath or hanging on a peg board on the wall.

very interesting... well guess my storage solution went down the drain... BUT flat isn't bad either...

Flat takes up less space, actually. If you have to roll something, you have to ensure that it will stay rolled, and there's all that space in the center of the roll that you can't use for anything else.

I have a giant Martha Stewart self-healing mat that I found at Big Lots for five bucks. It is nice- but it is THE SIZE OF MY TABLE. I usually keep it flat behind my wall and a set of shelves. But what I use ALL the time are these 'foldable cutting boards' from the kitchen aisle of Dollar Tree. They come two to a pack, so that's fifty cents each. Each one lasts a long time, even tho they aren't all fancy self-healing, and I don't mind getting ink/glue/paint/wine all over them. They're about 18 inches wide and 12 inches tall- maybe about 'table placemat' size. They just work really well for me- and I cut lots with an Exacto and a ruler.

And if I ever do need to cover my entire table for some serious cutting, there's my Martha mat behind a shelf...

• designguyKORY Said:

I bet its waiting for someday to be used... Poor mat

I use a Fiskars self healing mat. I got it when I was quilting and now find it invaluable for papercrafting. It is large and flat and can sqeeze behind a book case or file drawers.