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Hello all. I'm fairly new to the stampin' thing and very new to this site. I've only been lurking for a couple of weeks now and am thoroughly enjoying all of your tips and suggestions!
I'm loving this making cards thing, and am looking for an easy way to cut my cardstock so I have a variety of sizes for layering. I've discovered that the layering really makes the card! I'm getting ready to do it the hard way and just use a ruler and pencil and start cutting away. But I wanted to check with all of you, first, since you seem to have so many good tips and ideas!
Creative Director - My Favorite Things Dirty Dozen Alumni
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Florida - MFT Land
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pencil? ruler?
OMG! Don't use a pencil and scissors! Even the most steady hand can't cut straight. Invest in some sort of cutter. Fiskars has cheap ones. They even have them at Walmart. There is the ruler built in. You just line up your paper and slide the blade across. Then you can add 1/4 inch to each next bigger layer... or whatever size depending on the amount of layer you want to show through. I can't even imagine doing it the "hard way". Have fun!
I'm fairly new at stamping too - and I'm a new SU demo!! One thing I wish someone had told me about layering... To make a card, take your 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock and cut it in half. That will make two cards, each 5.5x4.25. I also cut some of these 1/2 pieces of cardstock in half, which gives you two panels.
Then, if you want a layer on top of the card so there's a border of the original color around it, take one of those panels (1/4 sheet of cardstock) and cut 1/4" off the long side and the same off the short side. Then you will have an 1/8" border all around it. If you want more than that, take more off - the same off each side.
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cutting
Also, for AFTER you get a cutter... I sometimes sit in front of the TV and cut mass quantities of cards in assorted colors as well as some mats in my most used sizes (white, vanilla, confetti 5 1/4 X 4). That way when you go to stamp, you don't have to start at square one each and every time. You will still need to cut some pieces, but as long as you have at least the cards cut it doesn't seem such a daunting task.
i just took a ton of cardstock to Staples and had a small amount cut in half and a huge amount cut in quarters, this costed me $8.00. I figure then my trimming for layering will be easier and it is so worth it to me to have cardstock to grab and go. Also, you can layer edges by tearing... love that look!
Also, for AFTER you get a cutter... I sometimes sit in front of the TV and cut mass quantities of cards in assorted colors as well as some mats in my most used sizes (white, vanilla, confetti 5 1/4 X 4).
That is exactly what I'd like to do! And, I do have the Fiskars cutter that was in the last catalog - just not the super cool one in the new catalog. Oh no - I couldn't cut a straight line with scissors if my life depended on it!!
OMG! Don't use a pencil and scissors! Even the most steady hand can't cut straight. Invest in some sort of cutter...... I can't even imagine doing it the "hard way". Have fun!
LOL! I have like 5 cutters. Some for small jobs, some for big jobs. I invested in the Carl cutter and LOVE IT!
My fiskers never seems straight....
THE HORROR - a pair of scissors..... toss those babies in a drawer and only remove them to do little snipits...
the cutter will be your best investement ever....
But I do recall, some of my first cards were .........ack....hand trimmed...
My Carl Cutter just came in the mail yesterday so I have not had much time to play just yet. The little bit I did do tho, felt like I was cutting thru soft butter! I am so in love with this thing! My fiskers seems so blah now in comparison.
__________________ Melissa Wadkins (Mel)
Peace begins with a smile.
Member #3785
Grab you sunday paper see if michaels, rag shop, or AC moore has a coupon this week..... RUN.... DON'T WALK to you craft store and GET A FISKARS TRIMMER...... (the new one is the euro with triple track) ... don't worry about the other brands for now....
while there.... or next time there is a coupon.. buy the replacement blade set that has the black scoring head!!!! absolute must!!!! I told my fiancee I want to make holiday cards and he said to me "doesn't it take too much time to cut all of that stuff"..... cutting is sooooo fast with a trimmer. Love the scoring head. nice clean folds!
I mostly use a metal ruler and an X-acto blade on top of a self healing mat...once you get used to it (and remember to keep your fingers out of the way) it's as simple as drawing a line.
Just another option other than a trimmer or paper cutter
Perfect layers! They're GREAT!!!! I recommend using a glass cutting mat with them for really smooth cuts. I love them so much that when I converted my daughter's bedroom to my craft room I got a glass top for my desk so I wouldn't have to drag out the glass mat all the time. I also printed a Zero ruler on acetate and placed that under the glass, so easy to center things.
Actually a tip that I once got for preventing bulk in scrapbooks, was to cut out the centers of the layers of cs underneath. Then you can use the cs that you cut away for other squares. I haven't tried it yet on cards but I think that as long as you can't tell that there is some card missing underneath then what is the harm. Has anyone else tried that and if so how were the results?
How do you use Perfect Layers? I looked on QVC and couldn't find any directions or pictures of it being used.
It's a little hard to explain. It helps to see a demo on air. There are 2 rulers, each has 4 edges that have a "lip" at different widths (ie. 1/4, 1/8, 1/3, etc) for a total of 8 different widths. After you mount the 1st layer to the 2nd, you push the lip of the ruler with your desired width up against the first layer and cut with a craft knife along the edge of the ruler. If you want another layer, adhere the layers to the next sheet and so on to produce as many layers as you need. Perfectly straight every time. You never have to worry about mounting the layers straight. Makes great use of odd shaped scraps.
I was thinking of investing in the tool on p. 204 of the 2004-5 catty... "the Layering Helper" - it looks simple enough to use. Anyone out there using it?
__________________ Liz "There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'." ~ Dave Barry
Any good suggestions for cutting cs for layering?
