Make It Monday: Three Essential Tools for Music Therapy Makers

If you don't know, I am a proud "Music Therapy Maker." (I think I've just coined this phrase, and I think I'm going to start a hashtag about this...) For me, this means that I love to make things for my clients to use and use up and play with and enrich and change and adapt and all that stuff. I make lots of things, but I think my favorite music therapy materials to make are file folder visual aids. 

I have made so many different types of file folders to assist my clients in completing specific goals and objectives over the years that I have found many tips and techniques for my fellow Music Therapy Makers (how does #MusicTherapyMaker look for a hashtag?? No one else is using it yet!) I have messed up SO many folders, laminating sheets, tools, and materials that I don't even try to keep track any more. It is just too sad to think about how much time and energy I have wasted over the years. So, I CHOOSE to focus on what things I've discovered about making the file folder production process easier so others can benefit from my experiences.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to three tools that I find ABSOLUTELY essential for Music Therapy Makers who are interested in making file folder activities for their clients. 

***Just so you know, I do not get any type of payment or perks for telling you about these products, so please know that I make recommendations based on what I have experienced without bias. I don't recommend things that I don't like, use, and must have around when I am doing different things. There you go!*** 

Tool 1: A large-bed laminating machine: Can you see how this laminating machine can laminate my entire file folder? It has a 13" width laminating bed/slot/space, and I LOVE it! I bought mine with a wicked discount about 10 years ago, and it is still going strong. I have two Fellowes laminators that I love for making things. File folders fit in 12"X18" menu-sized laminating sheets (if you use tool #2 to trim off about a half inch from the flap) and the laminator can seal those up without any type of difficulty. Keep an eye out for this tool to go on sale and take advantage of deep discounts to get one of these for yourself. I've never regretted the month I had to eat macaroni and cheese to afford this one (even when it was discounted VERY deeply).

Tool 2: A paper trimmer: Like the laminator, my trimmers have made my file folder making life SO much easier. In this picture, you can see me getting ready to trim off the half inch tab of the file folder so it will fit in the 12"X18" menu-sized laminating pouch and go through the laminator. I have several of these, and my recommendation to you is to find a trimmer that will cut what you want it to cut. I also recommend that you have a couple (they aren't very expensive) in different sizes so that you can use them for different things. I have a smaller one that I use for cutting my file folder cards. I have another one that I use for cutting laminated pieces (the blades dull faster when cutting through laminate than paper), and I keep this one for cutting paper and cardstock and file folders. This little tool allows me to skip the scissors and get pretty straight edges. There is a nifty little ruler arm that extends so I can figure out where to cut without having to mark things, and there are lots of grid guidelines to help me see where to cut to get standard sizes. I love these!

Tool 3: Oh, how I depend on this little tool more than anything else! When I can't find it, I am bereft and despondent until I can find it again. It is my corner rounder!

Doesn't look like much, does it? It's not, but it makes my life so much more satisfying when I use it. It makes sharp corners round. I like it because I try to avoid sharp corners on my file folders - mainly because it looks so much neater when things are rounded off, but also for safety reasons - and this tool makes them all the same. I don't have to spend my time trying to use my scissors to make things look pretty. I don't have to use a quarter to mark the curve to cut off. I don't have to leave things pointed. I've done all of these things before, and I've found that my corner rounders (yep, I have more than one) help me be more efficient in my production process. Things just look a little bit better and smoother when I use this tool than when I don't, so I am a firm believer that paper crafters should always have a corner rounder within their grasp. I think I may need to make a trip to get a work set of corner rounders so I can have some there as well as here. To sharpen these when they get dull, punch through some aluminum foil several times to hone the cutting edge.

Hey, if you are interested in more about #MusicTherapyMaker, please watch for more Make-It Monday posts. Happy making, Music Therapists!!