I only recently discovered that my hours spent carefully cutting
flowers or other designs out of my 12”x12” paper had a name – fussy cutting. To
start with I didn’t like the name, but the more of it I do the more apt it
seems – because sometimes it’s very fussy given how small and fiddly some of
the designs I seem to cut out are. That said, it is probably the biggest tip I
can give you for working with Graphic 45 papers. They suit fussy cut work
fantastically and a lot of the designs you will see on the Graphic 45 blog or
gallery involve a good deal of fussy cutting.
The thought of cutting lots of things out can fill some people with
dread – me too, especially if I’m trying to get things done quickly – so a
complete mind set change is in order. Instead of trying to rush through it and
finding cutting out a chore, I settle down in front of a good film with a few
sheets of 12”x12” Graphic 45 and my Tonic studios scissors and just start
cutting. There’s no particular skill to it – it’s just a matter of being
patient and careful. More skill comes into play when you are then using the cut
out pieces to create your work. You can
breathe life into the cut out designs by curving petals and shaping objects
before sticking them on with silicone adhesive or foam pads to give dimension, by
adding glossy accents or stickles or by using the cut out features as pop-up
objects.
Let’s have a look at some examples before we give it a try.
This is an amazing example of fussy cutting by one of my favourite
designers Susan Lui. It combines Secret Garden papers with cut out butterflies
from Olde Curiosity Shoppe….
And here’s one from another of the Graphic 45 designers Arlene
Cuevas using Tropical Travelogue…
Now some of my work which uses fussy cutting…
My
Once Upon a Springtime mirror featuring lots of fussy cut wild roses…
This time it’s fussy cut sunflowers in my French Country egg
holder…
And of course, to create pop-ups you need some sort of cut out
image – this time the Nutcracker Sweet images…
And my Circus in a box…
As soon as I saw the 'Fanciful Floral' paper in the Steampunk Spells range, I
knew that I would want to do a project involve lots of fussy cutting. Although I wanted to use the Steampunk Spells
paper I didn’t want it to be a Halloween project and I wanted to show how the
theme of the paper does not have to matter to your project. So here is a rather
elaborate fussy cut birthday card using images from two of the 12”x12”
Steampunk Spells papers…
To make this card you will need...
blue cardstock A4 or 12”x12” to tone with the papers
black cardstock A4 or 12”x12”
acetate
Steampunk Spells – Fanciful Floral and Vintage Voyage
A sentiment (I used one from the 8”x8” Place in time pack)
And if you want to have a go - here is my ‘how-to’ video…
Happy crafting!
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