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Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Fussy cutting hints and tips

Hi everyone and I hope you are looking forward to a new week!  Or at least not too depressed that it's four days to the weekend...  Anyhoo, I am here today with some hints and tips on fussy cutting for All That Scraps.  I've get a lot of questions about how I do it so I hope this will go some way to help.  First off, here is my card where I used this technique...



Isn't she beautiful?  This is Drozy's Darlings Letter For You and I also used a sentiment from the AmyR Stamps Sunny Sentiments set. As you can see, I have cut around her and also in between the gap of her leg and wing.  Here are the tools I use...




In order from left to right:
  1. Serrated scissors (Tim Holtz)
  2. Craft knife (Xcut)
  3. rounded sanding tool
  4. flat sanding tool (a nail file is just as good)
I don't think I need to tell you how to actually these tools!  But here are a few things I do to get a good result:
  • First of all, I always cut around the image, say 2cm all round so that I don't have large pieces of card getting in my way as I cut round.
  • Don't try to get a perfect cut out using your scissors the first time you go round.  You can always go back to trim more off but you can't put it back!
  • Make sure your craft knife is sharp - you should be able to cut with quite light pressure.  If you find you are having to press down hard to get a cut, they are not sharp enough.
  • Don't worry if the edges aren't completely smooth and rounded (especially around those tight corners) - this is where the sanding tools come in.  For the outer side of the cut out image, I use the flat sanding tool to smooth it out.  I use the rounded sanding tool in the inside cuts.
Here's a another look at my card...



That's it!  I hope that was useful.  I hope to do a video some time in the future so you can see the whole process.  If you have any questions, leave a comment to this post and I will get back to you.  I'm off now but I'll see you again for another Make It Monday in the future!

 

38 comments:

Tara Cardwell said...

Well I for one would never have thought of using a needle file on paper - I have loads of them I use when making jewellery! Can I just say "doh" and smack myself in the head!
Would love to see you do a colouring video too ;-)
Tara

Sally said...

Great card Mary J. Love reading your hints and tips too, thanks for sharing :)
Hugs Sally xxx

Karen M said...

Thanks for this Mary and I agree with Tara, I'd love to learn to colour like you do.

Jacqui's little piece of England said...

Lovely card Mary J thank you for your tips very interesting
jacqui x

Pöydän kulmalla näpertelijä said...

Thanks for the great tips.

amanda stokes said...

Hi Mary J!
Gorgeous card, fab image and design.
Great tips too, really helpful :)

Elena said...

Gorgeous Card and thanks so much for the tips!

Have nice Day!
Elena

Annette Allen said...

thanks for the tips... your card is so totally adorable..

Rachel Parys said...

I never thought about sanding the rough edges!! Brilliant! This is super cute! Thanks for the tips!

Nikbee said...

A fabulous card. I love the scalloped edges.
Nikki x

Sue B said...

Aww this is really sweet Mary… isn't she adorable!! I love the heart and the fab embossing… the embellies are really pretty!
Thanks for some fab tips on fussy cutting… the sanding tip is wonderful… I will definitely have to try it… :-))
Big hugs
Sue xx

Alison Scott said...

Wonderful card.
Thanks so much for sharing the tips for fussy cutting. Need to go buy nail files now (I use a glass file for my nails)

Sue said...

Such a pretty card.
Thank you for the tips, I always wondered how you manage to cut out so neatly and I am thinking maybe my craft knife is blunt as I do need to press quite hard on it.
Sue xx

Marcy said...

Thanks so much for sharing your tips Mary J!!! Fussy cutting is one I struggle with. I believe I need a new exacto because mine does not cut well at all. Also, I love those other sanding tools. So helpful! :)

Marcy said...

And your card is gorgeous as always! :) Love the sweet image, the embossing and the layered borders on the bottom.

heidy said...

What a lovely card MaryJ!!
XXX Heidy

Leanne said...

Super sweet card Mary!
And that tutorial was great!
TFS your tips and tricks.
Have a wonderful day!
;D
xx

Chrissy said...

Such a pretty sweet card Mary J, gorgeous colouring and fabulous tips for fussy cutting..now I need some sanding files..and new scissors..some sharp blades would be good too..lol..

Luv CHRISSYxx

chrilvian said...

adorable

Craftin Suzie (Susan Wykes) said...

Great tutorial Mary J and love the card! Just one question: what exactly is the rounded sanding tool??? Hug ssusn x

Stamps and Paper said...

Fabulous card and great tips Mary thank you

Anne

Kathleen said...

Fab card and a great tip, will have to try fussy cutting.

Kath x

Anonymous said...

A gorgeous, sweet card Mary, thanks for the fab tips too!
Helen x

Tammy said...

Thanks so much for the hints and tips, I'm rubbish at cutting out but maybe these tips will help.
Gorgeous card - as always xx

Fabiola said...

ce qu'elle est mignonne, j'aime beaucoup, biz

Wendy said...

Adorable and gorgeous Mary J...Thanks for the tips, very helpful.
Wendy xx

Scrumplescrunch said...

Hello Mary
Great card as usual, you constantly amaze me by your consistency on creating high quality cards, what do you do with them all????
Thanks for your tips on fussy cutting, I need to know where you can purchase that skinny sanding tool?
Smiles:)
Sue

Shelby said...

Beautiful bright and cheery card! Love the embossing folder you've used and the heart looks fantastic. Thanks for sharing your tips for fussy cutting.

Shelby

DesignerDiva said...

Super cute card Mary and some great cutting tips, I have those scissors - I love them!
Hugs Laurie xx

Tracy said...

Great tips and an adorable card Mary. Hugs!

Tress said...

Fabulous card! And thank you for the tips on fussy cutting! Never thought to use my sanding tools!

coops said...

so stunning mary.a really sweet image and I love your pretty design, thanks for sharing how you fussy cut too :D

xx coops xx

Dianne said...

Well gorgeous card as always, what a sweetheart you are for sharing how you do it,I just always jus use scissors, now maybe I can try properly, thanks so much Miss MJ...

Unknown said...

Love the helpful tips Mary! I always cut the image roughly like you do and then trim. But I've never used that skinny sanding tool...now where would I get one like this? I don't usually use the craft knife to cut though, only use my sharp pointy scissors. I would love to see you in action live that's for sure:-)

Unknown said...

That's y I never get the inside clean:-) I should use on craft knife more often. Btw, gorgeous card and what's that folder again? For her wings, you've used some light blue right?

Anonymous said...

So gorgeous Mary!! Thanks for the tips - I've never seen one of those rounded sanding tools before.
xx

Marcy said...

Hi Mary J! I wanted to look back at your post cuz I wanted to get one of those rounded sanding tools which you showed on this post. But searching online and can't seem to find anything close to it. Can you recommend where to purchase one of these tools? Fussy cutting is so challenging for me so I can use all the help I can get! LOL Thanks again! :) Marcy

Audrey Ernst (hippieaud) said...

Like everything you do Mary, this is awesome! Love your image and the heart with patterned paper inside is so cool!!

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