Fussy Cutting Patterned Paper with Jenny

Hey everyone!  Jenny here with a few little tips on how to use your patterned paper to its fullest potential!

When I was assigned the Pink Paislee "Prairie Hill" collection for my sneak peek, I panicked a bit because the embellishments that were included really didn't go with any of my photos. So, I turned to my patterned paper to look for things to cut out and use as "embellishments." I do this alot! It's great for using up paper and getting exactly the look you want. :)

I saw the diamond shapes on one of my sheets of patterned paper, and I knew they were perfect for my page. So, I began cutting. It may look like it took a long time to cut all of these out, and I'm sure you could probably use a cutting machine and cut out diamond shapes much faster, but I chose just to use my patterned paper and do these by hand. I used these little CraftSMART scissors that I bought from Michael's:

I like the way I got to use SO many different patterns, but since they are in small, repeated shapes...they look good together and don't detract from the photo.

Other than the hand-cut diamonds and my title, there are no real "embellishments" on this page! I also found some great tips for fussy cutting paper accents from the Creating Keepsakes website:

1. Choose a sharp pair of micro-tip scissors. The smaller the tip, the easier it will be to snip out those tight corners when cutting out your image.

2. Start by roughly cutting out the image you wish to fussy cut, so you can easily handle the image as you cut out the details.

3. Place your paper near the fulcrum of your scissors, not the tip. This will allow you better maneuverability and result in clean-cut edges.

4. Make long, slow cuts rather than quick snips. Quick snips result in choppy edges. If you encounter tight corners that won't allow you to make long, slow cuts, go back later and snip those pieces out using the tip of your scissors.

5. Turn your paper, not your scissors, as you cut around the edges of your image. This will lessen the urge to snip.

I hope these tips will help you whenever you are looking for that perfect embellishment and decide to use your patterned paper instead! ;)