Here it is, folks, by popular request! I've had several people ask me how I do the scallops on Coluzzle shapes using a corner rounder, and how I line up the corner rounder so that the scallops are even, so I'm giving you all a little tutorial. This has been my solution to not wanting to invest in
Nestabilities...they're absolutely amazing, very versatile (you can die-cut and emboss, and use them as stencils) and you really, really do get a lot for your money, but I don't even know where to begin on that buying binge, and don't really want to start! LOL
Here are the corner rounders that I use...they are made by EK Success, and are at Michael's, Beverley's (a Southern California craft store), Target, etc.:
The green one is my favorite, it's the "medium" corner rounder, and the yellow is the "small" corner rounder. Both originally came with the guards you see on the yellow one (for lining up with the corner of your paper), but mine is off the green one more often than it's on, and now is lost in the abyss of my craft desk. *wink* Lately, if I need to actually round a corner with the green one, I just use the yellow one's guard.
Here's a photo of how the guard comes off...I just pull (gently) to one side to slide it out of the groove, and then pull the rest off.
And here's a photo with the guard completely off:
Next up, the
Coluzzle templates. I bought mine as a set from Stampin' Up!. The set came with a circle template, an oval template, the cutting mat, and the swivel blade craft knife. I have both of my templates marked in red with the right size for creating a perfectly scalloped shape using my
Corner Adorner Medium Rounder from EK Success:
(I haven't had my yellow ("Small") corner rounder long enough to test out which sizes, if any, work for a perfectly scalloped shape, but I'll let you know when I do...)
Here's a photo of cutting an oval from card stock. I lay the template where I want to cut out, then push the blade of the swivel craft knife straight down into the channel. You should hear a 'pop' when the blade cuts through the card stock. Keep the knife vertical as you cut around the channel to avoid cutting into your template, or having a wonky shape.
Next is a photo of how to line up the scallops (sorry for the blurriness). Basically, you make sure the metal 'prongs' are both pushed flush against the edge, and then align the 'point' of the cutting edge so that it overlaps the previous scallop. You should see just a small opening (at the left in the photo below), and no card stock in that corner where you're overlapping:
If you play your cards right, this is what you end up with:
Now comes the disclaimer *wink*... Ovals don't always come out right (I've never had a problem with circles, just ovals). I think it's because of the varying radius of the curve around the shape. So, sometimes you end up with what I call a 'fish tail' (this happens on all the other sizes of ovals when you use the Medium rounder):
And if you try to force that fish tail into a perfect scalloped shape, you end up with something like this, with double cuts in the valleys:
Here's a photo (on a circle) of how it looks when the last scallop fits perfectly (notice the openings at both ends of the cutting edge):
Here are a couple photos to show you how the circle compares to
Marvy Uchida's scalloped punches. It's just a bit bigger than the 'Super' (which is a 2" diameter):
And about 3/4" smaller than the 'Giga' (purple) scalloped punch, which is a 3" diameter:
I did try to see if I could 'guess' which size circle would work with the
Corner Adorner Small Rounder from EK Success (the yellow one). I decided to try the second largest circle...
And ended up with a 'fish tail' (see it on the right?):
(As an aside, the corner rounders often leave divots on the reverse side...you can kinda see them in the photo below. These are awesome for piercing, since they're perfectly spaced and centered in your scallops. So, that's what I did! *wink*)
So how do I deal with that 'fish tail' problem when I want a different sized shape or my punching doesn't work? I tie my ribbon over it! Check it out...
Seriously, you'd be surprised how many cards that I've shown you on this blog are hiding fish tails! *wink*
For the card, I attached my pierced fish tail-ed scalloped circle to a Kraft A2-sized card base, and tied twill ribbon around the entire card, covering the mismatched scallops. I stamped the butterfly from
Oh Happy Day! on Whisper White, and cut it out with my 'Super'-sized circle punch from Marvy Uchida, and then sponged the edge of the circle with Bordering Blue ink. I punched a 'Mega'-sized Chocolate Chip circle to mat it, and adhered both over the twill using foam tape. I stamped 'happiness' at the bottom, accented the butterfly with half-back pearls, and Voila! A card I'd be happy to give, and the recipient will be none-the-wiser about my mismatched scallops! *grins*
Thanks for stopping by today! And *please*, let me know if you have any other questions, or if any part of this is unclear...I've had a bunch of questions on this subject, so I'm hoping this will help! Have a great week!
~Michelle
Supplies used:Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, and Whisper White CS (SU!)Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!)Stamps: Oh Happy Day! (Unity Stamp Company)Other: Coluzzle cutting system (Provo Craft); Small and Medium Corner Rounders (EK Success); Super and Mega circle punches, Super and Giga scallop punches (Marvy Uchida); Retractable paper pick (Tim Holtz by Tonic Studios); Mat pack (SU!) White twill (Martha Stewart Crafts); foam mounting tape (3M); self-adhesive half-back pearls (Michael's)
Just a quick post...I wanted to share this simple little card I made using some of my new(ish) Amuse stamps. It's so fun inking up new rubber!! And, I made it for no reason at all. It's been a while since I stamped without doing it for a challenge, or a tutorial, or MOPS, or a blog hop, or.... It was so nice just to PLAY!
