Fussy Cutting To Add Detail

Hi everyone! Practical Scrapper Alison here with a fun way to add detail to your layouts without having to buy fancy (and expensive) stickers!
I love the look you can get from those multi-dimensional stickers many of the manufacturers offer but I'm a bit too cheap sometimes to shell out for a pack of 5 or 6 when I know I will only use one, maybe two of them. Can anyone else relate to that? I don't know how many partially used packets I have cluttering my craft space!!

Anyway, my friends over at S.W.A.T had a challenge recently to create a project using fussy cutting. (That's when you cut around an image in your paper to add it as an embellishment.) so I decided to create my own dimensional additions! I'd been playing with some Bella Blvd papers and they are great at providing whole 12x12 sheets of images for you to fussy cut. After cutting out a couple trees, LOTS of leaves, some clouds and a couple other images, I created this ...

That's my eldest daughter 5 years ago! When she looked at it she thought it was my youngest! LOL! I guess the sisterly resemblance is strong with my girls. Anyway, it took some time to cut each leaf and ink them all but the effect is SO worth it! I usually add a fair bit more to my layouts but this technique, when allowed to shine, is all you need sometimes.

Here are some close up shots of those fussy cut pieces. 

In my stash I also found these flair like stickers. The sun had words in it that I didn't want so they were perfectly covered by this leaf sticker.

This pumpkin came with a separate little leaf. While the pumpkin is popped up with dimensional adhesive, the leaf is just adhered flat to the page. That way it is more interesting to look at. 

The 'Pumpkin Patch' image was a free one from my friend Ashley Horton. Go HERE to grab your own. 

And last but not least, the tree. The one in the background is adhered flat to the page and then I popped the second one up with dimensional adhesive. Another of those flair stickers at the bottom completes this cluster.

Well, there you have it. I hope you try this on your next project. It's a great way to stretch your supplies and have more fun with your layouts. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Fussy Cutting

Fussy cutting - can I get a show of hands for those of you who wondered just what the heck the term "fussy cutting" meant when you first heard it?  If it makes you fussy, why in the world would you want to do it?!  Well, for those of you who are still just a little unsure what fussy cutting is - it's not something that makes you mad, it is taking a piece of scrapbook paper - or any paper - and cutting specific images out of it, following very closely to the outline of the image.  Think of it as creating a die cut without the machine.  And today, we have lots of wonderful examples of fussy cutting from our On Trend team - everything from the sweet and simple "just right" embellishment to the intricately detailed...take a look:

 

Practical Scrapper Wendi Robinson fussy cut out scallops and added pop dots to make a layered effect, she also fussy cut the heart and lil elephants.

Practical Scrapper Mary Pat stamped several elements, fussy cut them, and turned them into embellishments (banner, just be you, love).

Practical Scrapper Lanette fussy cut lots and lots of Bo Bunny flowers and clustered them together to create this romantic card.

Practical Scrapper Audrey Yeager fussy cut the flowers and doilies on her page to create embellishment clusters.

Practical Scrappers Claude used letter stickers on a piece of cardstock and then fussy cut around the title. She then pop-dotted it to make it stand out.

Practical Scrapper Marcia Dehn-Nix fussy cut the victorian lady and rose from patterned paper in this A Ladies Diary Collection by Graphic 45. Then she adhered them with foam tape to give her layout dimension.

 

Practical Scrapper Krissy Clark McKee fussy cut her arrows along the top and bottom of her layout.  She then fussy cut additional matching pieces that she sewed on top in several places to create extra dimension.

Challenge Me Tuesday: Fussy Cutting ( with video tutorial)

**Next week we're taking you far far away from fussy cutting...We want to see what you can do without patterned paper! Send your creations to practicalscrapperslayouts@gmail.com .We'd prefer if you sent us a blog link to your project, and sent submissions for the challenge with CMT in the subject line.

Today's Challenge Me Tuesday technique focuses on fussy cutting. Fussy cutting is the process of meticulously cutting out or into a design from a piece of patterned paper ( or stamped image) in order to embellish, or to incorporate elements as you would when cutting into a background paper. We have a tutorial from Practical Scrapper Bev on fussy cutting backgrounds at the end of this post.

The technique can be used for layouts and cards alike, and is a great way to add layers and interest to a project. I enjoy cutting out the odd design, but it's the "meticulous" part that probably keeps me from being great at this technique. Here are some great examples to inspire:

 Debbie Burns

Debbie's technique is all about fussy cutting, and it makes for stunning pages!

Practical Scrapper Audrey hand cut the branches of flowers from a patterned paper to make a unique statement on her page.

Be sure to read on!!