There are tons of fun tools available to help you make your scrapbooks easier and more fun to assemble. Whether you have an oval cutter, light box, fancy scissors, or just a lot of punches, here are some tricks to get the most out of your arsenal of cropping equipment. | |||||
When I am using punches, I roll the paper I am going to punch thru the Xeron sticker maker machine and then punch it. That way you don't have to try to put adhesive on the back of those little pieces you have punched. Mandy McConnell - Overbrook, KS | |||||
One of the best ways I've found to remove photos from old magnetic albums is to use dental floss!! By slipping it under one corner of a picture and moving the floss back and forth [in a sawing motion] the photo is usually released easily. Occasionally with the particularly 'sticky' old glues it might take a bit more 'tugging' with the floss. Marilyn Mangano - Tiffin, OH | |||||
Use the paper crimper on your paper before punching out leaves. It will give them more of a 3-D effect. Kris Ortale - Coralville, IA | |||||
The dark purple base of the oval cutter makes it a little difficult to see when lining up the cutter so I took an opaque white pen and marked the two notches on the base that line up with the widest part of the oval cutter. I then marked the same two places on the oval cutter template. This makes it easier to see when lining the cutter up with the template. With those same white marks on the base, I lined up the notches on the square template and marked those corresponding notches with the white marker on the square template. Colleen Hammon - Florida | |||||
The square cam that you can purchase from the Lighthouse Memories cutter makes great baby blocks for your page. Cut your pictures one size block, and cut a little larger square matt out of it and then draw or cut additional pieces to finish the 'block look.' The heart cam is great for Valentine, wedding, and anniversary pages. The book 'Creative Circles' has many ideas for the circle and oval cams, and the diamond and pentagon cams make a great geometric page with your pictures. I have used one of the two geometric shapes to cut one picture smaller, and then put it in between two panoramic photos so they are all tied together well. Panoramics tend to be difficult to work with at times in scrapbook pages--especially if you have a lot of them to put in a few pages. This adds a little 'something' to the page, so it is not as boring. Jenny Lynn | |||||
Before you release the pressure on the shaft of the oval cutter or circle cutter, spin the outer part of the picture to be sure you have cut all the way around the photo part you want. If it does not release freely, maintain the pressure and go around with the cutter again to catch any parts that may not have been cut thoroughly. Once you release the pressure, it's extremely difficult or impossible to realign. Colleen Hammon - Florida | |||||
If you're having problems with your cutter not cutting evenly or slipping while you're cutting, stop trying so hard. Many people push extra hard on the blade arm and on the unit itself. Too much pressure will cause the unit to 'rock,' thus causing slippage and an uneven cut. Practice cutting on some spare pictures and not applying so much pressure. This should take care of any problems. Dan - Lighthouse Memories (makers of the oval cutter) | |||||
Here's a cute way to make flowers. Use the oval cutter to make flower petals (set it for one size then cut again with smaller size to make a thinner cutout in the middle). Use the circle cam for inside the flower. I also love using the oval cutter for making different size Easter eggs, and for backing pictures. The oval backing is a nice change from a circle cut. Shawn Ash | |||||
When using punches, take the time to align the punch on the paper in a pattern. After you're done punching, you'll have a swatch of paper with the silhouette of the punches. Use this strip to decorate this page or any other page. A little planning can provide twice the results. Joanna McFalls - West Chester, PA | |||||
When using smaller punches, run out a length of photo tape on the paper to be punched. Leave the paper backing on. Use that backing as a guide to know where to punch. This eliminates the need to apply adhesive to the punched piece. Just peel the paper and apply. Lisa Glenn - Yakima, WA | |||||
Instead of drawing pencil lines directly on your page to do your lettering, draw dark lines on plain or ruled paper with a black, bullet-tipped pen. Then, using a light box, position the lined paper under your page, and place both on the light box. You can see the darkened lines through the paper and follow them to do your letters. This probably does not work well with thick, dark papers, but is great for white. Sue - Englewood, CO | |||||
I like to use clipart and cute pictures on my pages. Sometimes, though, I want to use a picture that can't be traced using a lightbox because it's on a book or pot holder or some other opaque item. I found that I could trace the picture using transparency film and a fine tip permanent marker. Then I can put the transparency on the light box and trace from that. Michelle Gregory - Mesa, AZ | |||||
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