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mom_on_line
10-17-2007, 11:33 PM
For those of you who cut out your stamped images, I salute you!

I'm having a heck of a time :arghh:cutting out the ornaments from Papertrey's bough kit. I think my ornaments are going to be the most crooked ones around!

Any tips other than getting a punch the same size????????????

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Maybe that's not such a bad idea!

buggainok
10-17-2007, 11:43 PM
The only tip I have to offer is to rotate the paper, and not the scissors, as you cut. This will give you a little more control.

And use some good small scissors, like Cutterbees.

mom_on_line
10-17-2007, 11:47 PM
heehee! Thanks, but I am!

Guess I really need to practice. Good thing I'm not doing this in the morning. The caffine would have done me in long ago....


ETA: OK, I've cut a bunch more out to practice. It is looking a bit rounder. Guess I'll be using the best ones! However, I still like the punch idea! LOL!!

hbpuppy
10-18-2007, 12:13 AM
if you have little knicks in your paper, sand the edges. That should smooth them out.

Yah, like Annette said, hold your scissors so they point up and rotate your paper.

mom_on_line
10-18-2007, 12:16 AM
Point up? OK, let me try that, too!

Thanks!

ellie
10-18-2007, 12:39 AM
I do what Annette says. Turn the paper not the scissors. I learned that in some Anna Griffin sb classes I took. Also, I love my Cutterbees...they are sharp right to the tips.

teabear
10-18-2007, 02:28 AM
Cutting out round shapes is the hardest for me, too. The best thing for me to use with that kind of work besides the tips already here is an ott light and good glasses :)

balletnurse
10-18-2007, 02:55 AM
I finally gave in and bought a pair of paper snips from SU...I love them so much more than my cutterbee scissors. They are very sharp, easy to hold, and they seem to be so much more precise. I also hold the scissors steady and rotate the paper. Hope these tips help!
Jami

tesschap
10-18-2007, 07:50 AM
Great tips. I'm not a good cutter either. If there is a punch out there I'd find it for sure! I am getting better about cutting but I tend to get too impatient. What are you making?

threefriends91
10-18-2007, 10:20 AM
Oh yes the scissors need to be good and sharp, l also let the pp move around the scissors it works best for me

cindi
10-18-2007, 10:25 AM
I love mine for this!!
also try moving the paper not the scissors when your cutting.
Good luck
:)

mcourtney
10-18-2007, 10:53 AM
I use a pair of small cuticle scissors when cutting round or curved shapes. The scissors are curved already and are very sharp. Makes getting into those tight spots real easy. And depending on which way you flip them the curve of the blades will just follow the rounded part of your shape.

mom_on_line
10-18-2007, 11:32 AM
Thanks, everyone!

Yes, I'm using cutterbees (I have 3!) and my circles are finally looking better. Guess I'm rusty in cutting, since I haven't done any in quite awhile.

Teresa, I'm making the gift tags box holder (from the newsletter) for raffle prizes. I redid the first one I posted (cs was too dark and I didn't like the way it came out). I just need to finish the second holder and then do a third one. That's about all the time I have, as I won't be home tomorrow night and off for the weekend to Discovery Bay (I think!) and Reno for meetings. The raffle will be Monday night at our joint council meeting that our club is hosting.

TiikkiStars
10-18-2007, 11:50 AM
Glad you're getting better at it. It really does take practice. Rotating the paper as you cut and a steady hand help too. I use SU's papersnips as well now and I really like them...........they are sharp, so sharp that I've poked myself many times now!
:> Karen

JBgreendawn
10-18-2007, 02:29 PM
I use cutterbees too, and another thing, is if you are cutting with the tips of them they will get dull faster, it seems to me all the scissors i own are sharper towards the joint of them then on the tips. so i rotate the paper and I am cutting with the scissors pretty open to use the parts closest to the joint.

hopefully that makes some sense?
but I'm not good with circles either so i have a whole bunch of circle punchies in different sizes...

mom_on_line
10-18-2007, 03:22 PM
LOL, Stacy! Yep, punches are our friends! It's funny you mentioning cutting at the joints, as that's where/how I normally do it, anyway. I guess it's only because then I can cut a longer length in one shot and not a bunch of little cuts. Tells you how lazy I can get! LOL!!!!