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Does anyone have good ideas for how to make sure my die cut letters are neatly glued to my cards. I try to do it by eye but I think I need to be more precise as I am not happy with the results. Frightened to draw pencil marks on the card in case they show up after rubbing out. Thank you.
And I find using a mechanical pencil gives me a better line to follow and the lines are easier to erase than regular pencils.
These erasers are non-abrasive and leave no eraser dust - I think I have 6 or so scattered about my craft room so I can easily get to one when I need it.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
To line up letters that have been cut from a Cricut or such use the excess paper that the letters have been cut out of as a stencil. Draw a light line where you want the letters to be..take the stencil( excess paper )and lay it along the drawn line with the pencil mark just along the bottom edge of each letter. Put adhesive on each letter and just drop it back in the hole it came out of. This is helpful when placing letters that are rounded like "O's" and "S's" because if you notice, proper placement for these letters should dip slightly below your line. This also helps because depending on the style of the letter some letters are slightly slanted and not straight up and down. When cutting your letters and you want to cut a sentence make sure you hit the space button in between each word and it will make sure word spacing is also correct.
Sometimes I use a ruler and sometimes I draw a pencil line. I had a job for 15+ years that involved writing in a book, in pencil, all day, every day. If you draw a pencil line remember a couple of things:
1) Use a light touch with a regular #2 pencil, some of the other darker leads will leave marks that don't erase completely and don't press down hard causing an indention in the paper.
2) Wait for what you have done to dry completely before erasing the pencil marks, cannot tell you how many times I've smeared something because I was impatient. White plastic erasers are the only thing I EVER use to erase with, especially the Pentel brand.
Honestly I go for the scattered/staggered look more often than not though so I don't have to get it "perfect". I've decided that life is too short to worry about perfect.
I tape my ruler to my grid paper at two inches and 10 inches. I then slide my card under the ruler and align it on the grid paper so that it is straight. Then I just sit the letters on the ruler.
Does anyone have good ideas for how to make sure my die cut letters are neatly glued to my cards. I try to do it by eye but I think I need to be more precise as I am not happy with the results. Frightened to draw pencil marks on the card in case they show up after rubbing out. Thank you.
I have a friend who uses a Long Ruler for her die cut letters. She lines everything up that way.
Basically she will put the ruler down on her paper. Draw a very light pencil mark. Then places the Die cut letter's on the line. Instead on the line.
This way you won't need to easer it. She also uses a magnet board with magnet's to hold her work in place.
I take the easy way out, and just put them on my cards kind of leaning, one going slightly one way, and then the next one slightly the other way, and sort of level. I decided long ago that I couldn't get them straight enough to suit me, so a whimsical, sort-of-on-purpose look works better for me.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I take the easy way out, and just put them on my cards kind of leaning, one going slightly one way, and then the next one slightly the other way, and sort of level. I decided long ago that I couldn't get them straight enough to suit me, so a whimsical, sort-of-on-purpose look works better for me.
Amen, Sister. I also go for the staggered look with alphabet stamps too.
I usually draw a pencil line lightly on my cardstock but somewhere on this forum I read all about lazer levels! I purchased a small Black & Decker (on sale of course) and now that is the only thing I use now. I am sorry that I can't remember which thread it was but if I find it I will attach it here. I alined these squares using this method. F4A222, QFTD212 All Hail Queen Janine by Mrs Noofy - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers Hope this gives you another alternative.
This is so cool Dina! I will try it when my dies come, but I'm going to use my removable tape instead of washi. I think it is strong enough to hold but yet will lift off easier.
I usually draw a pencil line lightly on my cardstock but somewhere on this forum I read all about lazer levels! I purchased a small Black & Decker (on sale of course) and now that is the only thing I use now. I am sorry that I can't remember which thread it was but if I find it I will attach it here. I alined these squares using this method. F4A222, QFTD212 All Hail Queen Janine by Mrs Noofy - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers Hope this gives you another alternative.
That was Lydia. I know it's on her blog but I went looking onsite here, so her you go...Forums at Splitcoaststampers
I really stink at keeping things straight. My solution is two-fold. 1) deliberately make each letter slightly askew (offset) and say to yourself - "I meant to do that" 2) buy dies that cut entire words and then you'll be sure they are straight. ;)
__________________ Louise Bergmann DuMontAuthor, Speaker, Serious About Her Coffee, Lover of all that is Chocolate...Worshiper of El Shaddai (The All Sufficient One)
Silhouette sells large rolls of what is basically a low tack masking tape for lifting die cut shapes off your mat, all your dies cuts stay in place on the tape, you then lay the whole thing on your project (add adhesive to the back if using cardstock). It's meant for things like vinyl but I've used it with cardstock too and it works well
Placing die cut letters
