Scallop Edges

I have returned from Salt Lake City safe and sound!  I had delays with my flights BOTH ways!  I always seem to have really bad luck with travel arrangements!  My fellow PC Pro, Alisa, did a great blog post here about what we did to entertain ourselves wile there!

So time to tackle another question!

I noticed you have made some cards with scallop edges. Do you have any
tips on making a straight even cut with scallop scissors?  I assume the scallops are done with scissors and not a cuttlebug, that
would be cool if they have a scallop cutter.. but not for me because I
don’t own one 🙂  I have a really hard time make even straight cuts with scallop
scissors.  Thanks for any information you might be able to provide.  -Ashley Best

I know there are a lot of fancy gizzmos out there on the market to cut a perfect scallop edge, but I haven’t invested in one yet, so I still use my old-fashioned scalloped edge scissors.  The particular brand I use is the version sold by SU! before they were retired 2 years ago.  They are my favorite!

In order to get my scallops straight I draw a light line with pencil (I did it a lot darker here for the sake of photo quality).  Then I cut allowing the pointed tops of the scissors to lay right along the line.  This is the side of the scissors you can see well while cutting and it is super easy to see where you are going as well.   Go slow and it will come out perfect every time!  When you are done cutting, just carefully erase the pencil line. 

The key to perfect scallops does not only depend on how straight your cut is.  It is also important to have the scallops on either end "equal".  When I trimmed this card I ended up with a 1/4 of a scallop at the very end.  Sometimes you get lucky and this does not happen, but more often than not you will not end up even.  To remedy this.  I just trim the entire edge of the card right where the last "whole" scallop ends.  My card may be a tiny bit smaller than I originally intended, but not enough to make a huge difference.  The "finished" edge really brings the whole project together and brings to light my whole "neat & tidy" obsession!

(Stamps from Simple Sentiments Set– Technique Tuesday, button & ribbon from Doodlebug, silver metal sentiment from Lasting Impressions, Pink Passion & Green Galore Pigment ink from SU!)

FYI: The next PapertreyInk stamp set will be released March 15th, with a countdown, beginning right here on March 10th!  Stay tuned!