paper: Five ideas with border punches | pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Please welcome the always bubbly and creative Sally to the blog today – she has five ideas to help you get the most of your border punches!

I am such a fan of punches right now!

Honestly, a year ago, I would not have guessed I would utter that phrase, but seriously they are so useful, so versatile, so easy to store, quick to use and they can create something so very different to the norm.

I have had a relatively sized collection for a while now, but since the re-birth of the punch I just had to acquire a few more. One of my favourites is the Fiskars border punch. It has all the attributes I love about punches, its easy to use (you don’t have to be the worlds strongest person to use it!) it cuts clean shapes, it’s quick and you can see where you are punching right away. Oh and it only cost £10 (about $15) which is awesome, right? Check out just how many different designs you can get with a border punch now – such an amazing variety.

Make a border-punched rosette
I love to make my tools work in different ways for me, you know, to get the best out of them and see what special tricks you can create. Well a few months ago I spent some quality scrapping time with a new bunch of lovely friends , and I learned what I think is such a really cool technique, it’s probably been seen like a million times now, but for me it will never get old and I have the lovely SJ to thank for this. Who doesn’t love a pretty rosette and you really can’t resist one with a scalloped edge hey?

I love this picture, my wedding was so special (obviously) and I find I want to scrap it over and over again now enough time has passed since the day. Finding new ways to add extra special touches to the pages really sings to me. Adding a rosette to this page made it work, the clustering, the small detail, the girly feel, these factors all remind me of aspects of our day, man I love scrapbooking! Click here for a video tutorial to create paper rosettes with a border punched edge.

Make a tag more feminine with a simple border punch
What do you think about tags? I like them you know! They add that extra special touch, that depth to a page. I love that they can be used on cards too, I don’t make many cards, but have done more since the ease of popping tags on them crept into my life.
I love that you can prepare these little beauties when you don’t have much time and then pop them on your page. You can make garlands too, I saw some fabulous examples by Shimelle at Christmas, how inventive? So pretty, and yet use very few supplies! You can find them here.
You know what? I pick my tags up in the stationery aisle at the supermarket. Is that a bad thing? Nah! I believe all scrappers are lifelong stationery lovers, how can you not be?

Add depth with layers of border punched strips on a scrapbook page
I love to layer, it’s a staple in the production and evolution of any page of mine and adding many pretty scalloped, fluted like layers of sassafras papers to any page makes me smile lots, who doesn’t love Sassa?

Make a bunting title with punches and stickers
Bunting cracks me up, it’s as old as your granny, but as cool as a cucumber. Everyone loves it, it can be pretty, funky, bold and cute. It comes in all shapes and sizes and looks neat with a scalloped edge, do you not think?

Trying new ways to add a title is something I am working on and I think this will be a new path for me, I adore this page. Again, these pictures were ones that I was finding hard to scrap, they mean so much to me, and I can feel the emotion of the day just looking at them. But with time and feeling, I achieved a result I am very proud of.

Punch and layer whole sheets of patterned paper for a unique background
Using more than two sheets of patterned paper – how could I? Well I have made a vow (to myself) to scrap with lots of textures, lots of patterns and not hoard older papers. There is no need, and this page helped me through that.

I have found that I like to add interest in other sections of the page every so often, even though clustering is my new thing, this was such a simple way of doing drawing the eye to another feature. I kinda feel like it says “Hey, come over here look at me. I am the lesser spotted top right corner, and I am super pretty with scallops, you like?”… I do. Oh and to tie it all in, I added a few extra scallops around the page. I really do have a thing for those scallops! LOVE

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Sally Danes is a happy, crafty soul. By day she is a design teacher and by night she is Mummy to a beautiful little girl. She lives in Nottingham with her daughter and her extremely understanding darling husband, who actually ‘gets’ her obsession with paper! She is into most things handmade, but really can’t get into the knitting scene. She can usually be found with a pair of scissors in hand, reading blogs, snapping pictures of her cute girlie, whilst loading the dishwasher, writing lesson plans and playing with Happyland. She is a firm believer in her hobby and frequently chirps the phrase “you know, you could make one of those rather than buy it”.

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12 May 2011

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