I posted these cards today and got rave reviews and demands to know how it was done! Your wish is my command! Well, not really, but in this case I was happy to oblige, because I wanted to see if I could come up with a more economical way to cut the Designer Series Paper anyway, and now we'll all have it safely in the SOMHS archives, or on Pinterest, or wherever you like to save ideas for a low-mojo kind of day. So without further ado--the Slanted Newsprint Technique Cutting Guide!
Don't be freaked out by the number of pictures in this tutorial. I just wanted to make doubly sure you didn't have any questions by the end. Questions cause hold ups, and hold ups eat up your precious crafting time--so not cool!
To begin, you'll need a Stampin' Trimmer or other paper cutter; and newsprint-patterned paper such as the new Typeset specialty papers from Stampin' Up. Feel free to copy my finished cards on the other post if you'd like; there's an exhaustive supply list as well so you can see the colors and stamp set I used, too.
Insert your pristine sheet of 12x12 newsprint-patterned paper into the cutter with the top right corner in the track of the blade, and the lower right hand corner slid all the way out to the very edge of the trimmer.
TIP: you may have noticed my Trimmer blades have a little C and S marked on them with a Sharpie--that stands for Cutting and Scoring. That's to help my customers (and me!) know at a glance which blade to use. Cuts down on lots of mistakes!
Once you have your paper lined up at that angle, with the top corner in the grove and the lower corner pulled out to the edge, go ahead and slice it. I know, I know--I always hesitate, too! But IT'S ONLY PAPER!! IT WILL BE OK!!
Now, that edge that you just cut is your only "square" angle right now, so that's the side we want butted up against the top guide next. Turn your paper 90 degrees LEFT and place on the cutter the same way we did before, with the top right corner in the blade's groove at the top. The lower right corner will naturally stick out, as shown below.
Chop that sucker off! YOU CAN DO IT!
Whew! We made it. (giggle)
Now you have two correct angles, so you'll be turning the paper 90 degrees LEFT once again to butt the newest flat edge up against the guide at the top of the cutter. If your upper right corner is once again in the groove of the blade, and the lower right corner is once again slanted out towards the edge of the trimmer as shown, you're good to go. CHOP CHOP!
Continue turning the paper 90 degrees to the LEFT one more time, lining up the corners and slicing. When all four edges are cut, you should wind up with an almost-perfectly-square piece of diagonally slanted newsprint that measures about ten by ten and a half inches. Plenty to get at least four full-sized cardfront pieces or smaller rectangles and squares plus leftover pieces.
So there we have it! Punch some shapes from the four little leftover strips, or use them on a funky scrapbook page, and you can do this cute, simple technique with zero guilt about the "wasted" paper.
Now that my gears are turning, I'm thinking I might try this with musical note-patterned paper, map-themed patterns, or even stripes that are diagonal that I wished were vertical. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship!
If you enjoyed this free tutorial, I would count it an honor if you'd let me know. It just makes my day when I find out someone gained inspiration or got motivated by something they spotted on my little ol' blog. Go ahead--make my day!
I'm pretty sure you're a crafting genius. Just so you know my opinion. Thanks for the detailed photo tutorial. You give fantastic instructions.
Posted by: Kristine John | 08/08/2014 at 06:59 PM
Lyssa!!! You never cease to amaze me! I did a workshop/club today and we made your swap card from convention with "Kinda Eclectic" and it was a huge hit. Now you come up with THIS beauty...swoon...(yes, I learned my drama from Lydia.)
Posted by: Theresa Romani | 08/08/2014 at 07:03 PM
This is awesome! I cannot thank you enough!
Posted by: Jen Guarino | 08/08/2014 at 07:24 PM
Lyssa, this is amazing!! Thank you for such a detailed tutorial. I'm looking forward to using this--maybe with a sewing pattern paper. :)
Posted by: Kim Schultz | 08/08/2014 at 07:30 PM
thankyou! thankyou!! thankyou!!! i'll go try it right now.
Posted by: ginny | 08/08/2014 at 07:52 PM
Lyssa! You rule! I always hated that the columns didn't line up on all the cards. Now, diagonally, it doesn't matter and I LOVE the way the paper looks! THANK YOU! I'll be CASEing for sure!
Posted by: Diane G | 08/08/2014 at 09:04 PM
Thanks so much for making this tutorial. What a lovely technique.
Posted by: Heather Arsenault | 08/08/2014 at 10:19 PM
Thank you so much for all of your crafty wisdom!! I was afraid of messing it all up!! You were kind enough to show us just how to do it the right way the first time!! Lyssa, my dear, you ROCK!!!
Posted by: Cynthia Tuttle | 08/08/2014 at 10:24 PM
FANTASTIC! I wish I could use a larger font to shout that at ya! Thanks again for sharing; I love to see all your creative projects and tips.
Posted by: Renee | 08/08/2014 at 11:24 PM
Thanks for the step-by-step tutorial, Lyssa. Love this technique and will be duplicating it! TFS!!
Posted by: Debbie Flattum | 08/08/2014 at 11:33 PM
Many thanks for the tutorial!! I absolutely adore the finished card; there's so much interest there because of the slanted DSP.
Posted by: Doris | 08/09/2014 at 12:26 AM
Lyssa!! You are a paper rock star and making me wish I'd brought ALL my stamping stuff to Paris! I can't wait to try this when I get home. :)
Posted by: Christyne | 08/09/2014 at 01:46 AM
Lyssa awesome tutorial I am a visual person and this definitely helped!! Thanks for sharing w us!!
Posted by: Terry Molineux | 08/09/2014 at 04:05 AM
Awesome Lyssa! Thank you!!
Posted by: Dee in NH | 08/09/2014 at 06:34 AM
What a great way to use the paper in a new way. It is amazing! Makes the wheels turn!
Posted by: Jeanne Ann Carver | 08/09/2014 at 08:31 AM
Thanks Lyssa. Can't wait to try it.
Posted by: Renee Ondrajka | 08/09/2014 at 08:38 AM
Great tutorial.
Thanks so much for your time to make the tutorial, and the inspiration to
be more creative with my paper.
Posted by: Mary Jean | 08/09/2014 at 09:51 AM
Excellent tutorial and thank you so much for the photos - such a help! The text paper does look more interesting on a slope, and becomes more of a background at an angle, as you're not so inclined to try to read it, rather than see the card as a whole! Great job!
Posted by: Ann T | 08/09/2014 at 06:12 PM
Ditto on what Kristine said!!! TFS.
Posted by: Wendie | 08/09/2014 at 06:15 PM
Love this card! Thank you for the tutorial! Pinned it!
Posted by: Elisha | 08/09/2014 at 07:02 PM
love the idea of slanting the type, just saw it on pinterest and now I am a new follower
Posted by: Deb Holland | 08/09/2014 at 07:57 PM
Your photo tutorials always rock and this one is no exception. Thanks so much for taking the time to share the tutorial. I LOVE the cards!!
Posted by: Mary Lou Kleveland | 08/10/2014 at 06:33 PM
Love the cards, and especially the tutorial: I have tried several times in the past to work out how to end up with a rectangular piece of paper after I've cut the design so it slants, but it just made my brain hurt! Thank you for solving the puzzle for me and explaining it so clearly!
Posted by: Sally | 08/11/2014 at 03:41 AM
Love the look and the slanted paper and your tutorial is fabulous! I could have never figured it out without you. Thank you, thank you!!!
Posted by: KimberlyM | 08/12/2014 at 11:31 PM
I really need to try this out....having some of that great printed DSP on the card as a b/g makes a beautiful and easy card! TFS...you are so good about sharing and explaining, we love it (and you!) jdh
Posted by: Jan Hoyt | 11/14/2014 at 07:17 AM