Scrapbook Ideas Using Punch Art

I have created these cute scrap pages for a children's scrapbook using punches from Carl. They make wonderful covers for projects or even a photo border.. For the creepy creatures and the tutti frutti designs I used various sizes of circles, heart, vinca flower, oak and maple leaf . I cut and rearrange the layout to create this border. It's easy you can learn this in one day. All you need are some punches, colour papers and a good craft glue.

Order your punches now from my craft boutique and go ahead and make your own layout!

BASIC ESSENTIALS FOR CARDMAKING

STAMPS - They come in various shapes, patterns and designs.. They are usually made of rubber,but the adventurous type can carve them out of erasers or vegetable (such as potatoes) OR use leaves and other things to make texture.. Stamp Cleaner is essential to keep your stamps clean and stop colors running and mixing together..

INK- Comes in various colors and is usually applied from an ink pad. Standard dye inks are used for general stamping.
*Pigment inks are also used for general stamping and embossing.
*Permanent inks are used when the surfaces needs a waterproof ink for watercoloring of fabric stamping.
*Pearlescent inks pigment inks that create a lustrous sheen when stamped.
*Watermark inks give a tone-on-tone look when stamped.
*Embossing inks stay wet longer so they can be used with embossing powders.
*Rainbow ink pads contain a variety of ink colors on a single pad..

EMBOSSING POWDERS - You apply embossing powder to wet ink to create raised designs. They are available in a variety of colors from metallic colors like gold to solid colors like white.. They are also available in fine powders for detailed work..

PASTEL CHALK - These are available in a variety of colors ad can be found in a plastic palette.. You can apply them with a sponge or your finger tips to create a soft color to your cards..

WATERCOLOR MARKERS - Various colors.. these are water based and can be applied directly to the stamp in specific areas.. They can also be used to color images after you stamped them.

COLORED PENCILS - Variety of colors and are used to color and shade images.. Look for soft, leaded pencils as they are easier to color and blend with..

WATERCOLOR PENCILS - you can use them like ordinary pencils or they can create a water color look.. You simpy add water to a brush and brush over the area that has been colored in with the water color pencil, this will soften and blend the color.

PAINTBRUSH - They come in a variety of sizes and qualities.. It is best to use a soft, small brush for specific areas and big wide brushes for water color wash and backgrounds..

WATERBRUSH - This is a brush that is attached to a plastic barrel filled with water, but can also be filled with ink.. It is used to blend colors..

SCISSORS - You NEED good scissors. Fine-tipped scissors that are sharp to the edge. Teflon coated scissors will help resist the stickiness of the glue. Decorative-edged scissors that have shapes cut into the blade can also come in handy..

PAPER TRIMMER - This is an excellent tool for getting straight lines.. There are plenty of guillotines on the market which include ruled grid lines..

PAPER PUNCH - They are great for punching a variety of shapes out of paper. You can use the cut out piece of the whole piece or both ..
CRAFT KNIFE - This is a very important
part of your card making toolkit.. It contains sharp blades in the handle for cutting and the back of the blade can be use to make sharp creases (scoring) in paper.

BONE FOLDER - This is a useful tool for making sharp fold lines across paper. This gives your fold a crisp crease.

HEAT GUN - This is used to melt embossing powders.

Punch Care and Maintenence

Punches are among the most durable of scrapbooking tools, if they receive proper care.

Store them in a dry place to avoid rusting, such as a fishing tackle box or embroidery floss box. To lubricate a sticky punch, (or a brand new one), punch through a couple of sheets of waxed paper. This should be done regularly to ensure that you don't have problems with your punches. Intricate designs stick more often than the more basic shapes.To sharpen your punches, punch through a couple of layers of aluminum foil. This does not usually need to be done very often.If your punch won't compress, don't be afraid to stand up and put some weight on it. Use the palm of your hand or even place it on the floor and step on it gently.

A Punch Aid (available from Carla Craft) can help ease punching hard to compress punches. It is also very suitable for little children. A punch aid is also useful for lots of punching.

You might also want to switch to a thinner material. Best paper weights for small to medium punches are between 110 to 120gsm papers. Watch out for the right kind of papers that you use to punch. Some of the more intricate designs will break if you attempt to punch through heavy card stock. But some corners and border punches ay require about 160 to 230 gsm card stock/papers.

If your punch gets stuck and you can't get the paper out, try compressing it once more. If that doesn't work, turn the punch over and use a screwdriver, a spoon handle or some other blunt object to press on the protruding punch design to help release the paper. DO NOT use your fingers...the metal is sharp!


Spray a little wd40 oil to lubricate the punch and gently use the end of a pencil that has an eraser to push the punch back into position.