Paper Tear Edger - Deckle

Coolest Tool Ever?

That would be the tear bar

On the last scrapbook I made I'm pretty

sure I used the tear bar on every single page.

I have the

Fiskars Paper Tear Edger Deckle

that I got from Joann Fabrics

I like the deckle because it gives the paper
a really awesome ripped look. I love to use a

few papers and then layer them to make borders

and variety to the page. I think the best word for

it is just plain awesome.

Best part is, it's really easy to use.

I thought I would just end up ripping up all

the paper that I wanted to edge, but it's simple.

You just pull the paper toward the bar and down a little

and it rips easy as pie!

Here are the different ways I use it:

-A Thick single page, so make it look like one kind

of paper is bleeding off onto the next page

-Stacked paper making a page boarder

-Stacked paper making a cool looking edge

-Ripped in a rectangle to use as a picture boarder

In this example, I used the tear bar on the

striped paper and had it on the edge so it

looks like the paper is bleeding onto the left page.

This was done with a single paper, with no layers

and I had the torn paper take up 1/3 of the page
(using the rule of 3rds as an element of design)

In this example, I used the tear bar with

a single piece of paper, but instead of

having it bleed from another page, I just

had it coming down from the top. Again, I had

it take up 1/3 of the page using the rule of 3rds

as an element of design.

Here is an example of stacking two

torn papers to make a cool edge. I

think the layered look is awesome and

really adds a lot of depth and interest.

Here I used 3 papers total to make the boarder.

The top 2 lairs are torn and they are bordered

with a straight edge paper. I love having the

blue paper as a torn accent to give the border

depth and a little color pop.

This is a similar example of a border, but

I only used two papers to create it, and

only used the tear bar on one side.

In this last example, I used the tear bar
as a picture border. I thought it was

appropriate for this christmas spread

because it kinda looks like open wrapping paper.

This is a gives scrapbooks a really fun look
and like I said before, it's the coolest tool :)

Circle Cutter

Another must have tool (in my opinion) is a circle cutter

The one I have is a Fiskars Paper Cutter

You can get one online, or at your favorite scrapbook store.

It's a cool tool because it allows you to slide the blade farther

or closer to the center so you can make a huge variety of

circle sizes. Plus, it's very easy to use.

The top uses I have for it is

-Making journaling sections

-Using it as an embellishment

-Using it as a boarder to an embellishment

-Using it in the background to add more design

Here are some examples below:

This first example is of a journaling section. I used a larger

setting to make the pink striped circle, and then went down

a size to cut out the middle white part.

Here I used the plaid paper on the smallest setting, do

create little circle embellishments to fill empty space on the page.

Here I used it as a boarder for the sticker embellishment.

The sticker itself wasn't large enough to fill the space that

I wanted it to, so I just used the circle as a filler to add design.

This is another space filler scenario. The letters alone would

be bland and boring, so I used two separate circle sizes to make

boarders for the letters and then boarders for the circles.

Then I cut out pink circles to add more background fillers.

For this last one, I just wanted a little something extra on this

page, so I added a circle and had it peaking out from behind a boarder.It gave the page a little more sense of depth.

So there you have it! I'm sure there are a bunch of other

uses that I have yet to try out, but so far this tool has really

enhanced my page design.

Paper Cutter

This is the first tool that I acquired and let me tell you, it is a must!

I use this to cut down paper, pictures, borders, etc. Scissors just won't cut it. This is what you need. This measures what length you need for you so. This model comes with a replacement blade, and an extension so you can measure up to

Top uses:

Making boarders around my photos

Creating journaling spaces

Resizing photos

Making boarders to go behind embellishments

Borders are a big key to making my pages look polished. I love the way the look! It helps you make your images cleaner when you separate them from the busy background with a more simple patterned border. Or it helps you spice up your page when you use a patterned boarder on a plain color background.

Examples: