Tips and Techniques |
DecoupageDecoupage is a craft where identical prints of the same picture are individually cut out, shaped and built one on top of each other, using 3D foams pads or silicone glue as a spacer, to form a delightful, three dimensional picture. Your first print is always your base print. Secure this to your card or mount using double sided tape. You can add trimmings around the edge of the print. There are many trimmings available which are ready to stick down straight away, like peel offs or Dovecraft Sticky Crochet. If you prefer to use ribbon or quilling paper use a cocktail stick to apply a thin line of craft glue around the edge of the base print. Tip:- To stick trimmings in a straight line, place one end in position and hold it down with one finger. Use the other hand to gently pull the trimming along the line then lower it into position. Trim off the excess trimming with a sharp pair of scissors. Cut out each of the three remaining prints, following the cutting guide. Use a sharp pair of scissors to start with, you can buy specialist decoupage scissors, but a pair of normal nail scissors will do fine to start with. As your confidence builds you may find it more accurate to use a sharp craft knife. Practice holding the craft knife at an angle in order to cut under the paper, this will help to hide any white edges. If your craft knife starts tearing the paper or if the paper starts to ripple as you are cutting, it's time to change the blade. Extra depth can be added to your design by shaping the pieces before they are stuck to your design. Place the image face down on a shaping matt and manipulate it with a boning tool. A soft cloth makes an inexpensive alternative to a shaping matt, the back of a mouse matt can also be utilised. A teaspoon can be used instead of a boning tool. As the images get smaller and more fiddly, you may find a pair of tweezers useful for positioning them on the design. They are also very useful for handling fiddly 3D foam pads. Tip:- If you struggle to remove the backing from the 3D foam pads with your finger nail, try using a blunt craft knife. This is also a great way to pick up peel offs and stickers. A sharp craft knife can cause damage to your sticker or your finger, so it's worth keeping two handy, a sharp one for cutting and a blunt one for peeling off stickers and tape backing. Border Punch Tips To start the border design at the edge of a page line up the piece of paper with the grid line mark that is one step inside the corner notch. (Marked "a" on the punch diagram) To line up the punch design so that it makes a continuous design from one side of the paper to the other simply match up the punched out design with the "repeat silhouette" that is printed on the base of the punch.(Marked as #3 on the punch diagram.) To centre one design on a mat or piece of paper piece simply find and mark the spot where you want to centre punch the design. Line it up with the centre notch (Marked as #1 on the punch diagram) and slide the paper to the back of the punch and depress the punch lever. To continue to repeat the design on either side of the centre simply slide the punch design over until it matches the repeat silhouette. To turn a corner with the punch design start at the corner and insert the corner of the paper even with the corner notch indicated on the punch. Flip the paper up-side down, turn 90 degrees, and insert the other side of the corner again even with the corner notch on the punch. (Some designs will match evenly at the corner of a 12 x12 piece of paper, others may have to be trimmed.) If the corner design does not match up evenly at the corner try spreading the design by starting at the outer grid mark. ( Marked "b" on the punch diagram) This will spread the corners enough that the design may end up evenly along the page. (The corners will not be trimmed by the punch itself so you may have to trim it with a pair of scissors.) To punch a mat for a photo first determine how many design repeats is closest to the size of the photo. For example a 5x7 photo will require 3 repeats across the top and bottom and 4 repeats along the sides. To do this start at a corner and work over three repeats. Trim the paper a quarter inch beyond the design repeat and continue around the corner to do the long side of the mat. (Repeat the process at the other corners as necessary.) The "centre notch" is the middle of the punch design. The "corner notch" will help line up the punch design when going around the corner of a page. The "repeat silhouette" will help you line up the repeat of the punch design if you are doing a whole side of a page. The "1/4" grid" will help line up other measurements when doing the border designs. The "punch lever" is a build in "punch aid" to help make the border punch easier to depress. Inner "grid mark" for lining up edge of the paper. Outer "grid mark" for spreading corner design". Hand Punch Tips Combine theme-related punched shapes. The same punch can look very different just by changing the colors, patterns or textures of the papers used. Combine punches, shapes and stickers. Layering - by combining and positioning different punch shapes, you can create an endless number of new images. Cutting - by cutting punched shapes, you can combine paper colors and patterns for unique effects or remove extra portions of the punched shapes. Snipping - by snipping into the primary shape with a second punch, much as you would use scissors, you can redefine or create a new punched shape. Adding dimension - by using contrasting paper shades, patterned paper, layering punched shapes or crimping them, you can add depth to your punched shapes. Use a ruler to measure spacing for patterns and borders. With a pencil, lightly draw guidelines on the back of your paper to ensure proper punch placement. Place dots where the center of each punch should be. Check the alignment before punching through the paper. Vellum Tips Vellum is a translucent paper that comes in several weights. The lightest weight is the most transparent and works well for overlays and with dye-based inks. A heavyweight vellum is best for embossing because it buckles the least when heated. If it does buckle, wait until the powder is cool and then place it under a heavy book to flatten. Many vellums are acid-free, but it's a good idea to always test your vellum with a pH pen, especially if you plan on using it in your scrapbooks. Handle vellums with care, they crease very easily and the crease will leave a white "scar" on your paper. Also, oils from your fingers can create smudges that will show through the vellum. When folding vellum, use the Scoring Blade for the Personal Paper Trimmers. They make a crisp crease in the vellum and make it easier to fold. Remember to handle the edges carefully because they can be sharp. Apply adhesives very sparingly, whether you're using Two-Way Glue Pens, Clear Mounting Stickers or Glue Sticks. With liquid adhesives, the vellum could buckle when it dries and streaks could show through. Try to keep the glue on just the corners and edges of the vellum. When gluing vellum to cardstock, apply glue to the cardstock and when it becomes tacky attach the vellum. If another material will be overlapping the vellum, you can place your adhesive behind the part that will be hidden. You can disguise any glue that happens to show through with strategically placed stickers, punched pieces, die-cuts or journaling. A great non-permanent attachment is to insert the corners of your vellum piece into Photo Corners , then glue the photo corners down. An easy way to attach vellum overlays is to tie the vellum to the cardstock with ribbons or raffia. Because of the smooth finish on vellums, even dye inks need a longer drying time. Dye inks dry by evaporation, so set aside to air dry or blot with blotter paper. Make sure the ink is dry before handling or you will smear it. Pigment ink will not dry and needs to be embossed. When stamping an outline image on vellum use permanent ink. Permanent ink dries quickly so there's less chance of smearing. While some inks fade on vellum, permanent ink retains its color. With a white vellum overlay, use bright and bold patterns and colors underneath. They will show up more clearly than pastel or dark colors. Avoid combining paper and vellum colors that are "opposites". Experiment with layering patterned vellum on top of patterned paper for a different look. Vellum is perfect for: snowflakes, ice cubes, stars, clouds, wings, balloons, kites, ghosts, magnifying glasses/eye glasses, windows, lamp shades, smoke, water, crystal vases, candle flames, inflatable rafts, holiday lights, leaves, crystal glasses, fire, rain, wedding veils, rays of sunshine, snow, bubbles - the list is endless. Vellum's stiff quality makes it great for gift boxes, bags, tags and envelopes. Vellum's transparent quality makes it perfect for tracing letters. Simply lay it over the letters and trace. Most vellum accepts computer ink, but it's best to test your vellum prior to use. Write on a test sample, if the ink forms droplets, the vellum isn't suitable for printing a photo onto it. Because a large amount of ink is necessary for printing a photo, the vellum may ripple slightly. To minimize this rippling, print your photo on a full sheet, away from the edges. Computer inks take a while to dry on vellum, so let dry overnight before handling, to prevent smearing. Because the ink takes a while to dry, if you work quickly, you may be able to emboss it. ShapeBoss Tips Create the Shape Boss sandwich. Template, paper, wax paper, template. It allows your stylus to glide easily on the second embossing and reduces the chances of tearing your paper. (tip: If you have a Xyron the paper backing is very slick and easy to emboss.) Emboss the design once and carefully remove the wax paper. You are not going for detail this time around just laying a slippery track for the second embossing. Emboss the design again; this should be quick and easy now that you have a waxy surface. This second embossing allows for a deeper more detailed impression. (Tip: when the design allows use the larger end of the stylus with the wax paper. The more area that is covered the easier the second embossing.) Each design element can be used individually or in combination with other elements to create beautiful effects on your art projects. Almost all papers can be embossed, vellum, cardstock, suede paper, metallic papers, etc. A variety of other materials including foil and metal can be embossed also. Highlighting your embossed designs adds new dimension to your projects. An easy way to highlight is to carefully turn your "embossing sandwich" over keeping all layers together. With the template still in place, highlight only the raised areas. ShapeCutter Tips The templates have a right and wrong side for cutting. One side is beveled the other is not. When cutting make sure that the beveled side is facing your paper. An easy way to make sure your template is correct is to look at the Fiskars logo. If your template is correct you will be able to "Feel" the logo and read it. If you have it upside down the logo will be backwards and smooth. Hold the template firmly with one hand and the Shape Cutter in the other. (Tip; be sure the plastic tip (not the blade) is against the template design. Some people have a tendency to rest the plastic tip on top of the template, as a result the blade never touches the paper) Start with something simple, an oval or a circle. When you mastered those move on to Diamonds and squares. (tip; Always start on a straight edge, never in a corner) After some practice you will feel confident to move onto more difficult shapes such as flowers and letters. (tip; If the blade is pointed towards the template you will leave a small cut in the frame of the design. If the blade is pointed towards the design you will leave a small cut in the design. In order to avoid this try to make your blade parallel with the edge of the template. There are times when you will point your blade one way or the other on purpose. For example, when you are cutting letters such as R, you will cut out the small inside circle first. You want a smooth cut to the outside frame so point your blade to the inside before you start. When cutting the outside point your blade toward the template. In this way you make sure the letter has clean edges all around.) When you do larger designs or borders you will notice that the Shape Cutter has a tendency to tip toward the side where there is not template. This is easily corrected by exerting a little extra pressure with your thumb to keep the Shape Cutter level with the template. (Tip; when cutting a border you can place another template along side of the template you are using to keep the Shape Cutter even.) How do I cut in a straight line with my decorative scissors? To easily cut a straight line with your paper edgers, using a ruler and pencil draw a straight line on the backside of the paper to be cut, then as you cut with the paper edger, make sure the edge of a pattern touches the line exactly the same each time the pattern is cut.How do I create a continuous border using a Fiskars border punch?Using the white pattern printed onto the border punch, begin by punching once anywhere along the border. Slide the punched section over to the left or right until it lines up directly with the white printed section on the tool. Continue in both directions until the entire border is punched. |