My CM gal said to watch the tip of the scissors. :o)

Hi Tammy,
I always draw a straight line in pencil on the back side of the paper. Then align the outermost "points" of the decorative blade along that line..does that make sense??
Good Luck!
~Mar~

Mar, that is exactly how I do it. Remember, when you are cutting out a shape, like an oval, cut with the scissors inside the line, or else your finished shape will have a line around it. I wish I could draw a picture to explain myself. Hope this helps. Also, if you are cutting a photo, it is easier to see how you're doing if you look at the white back side of the photo rather than at the picture on the front. For straight lines, I urge you to get a Fiskars personal paper trimmer. It saves so many headaches! The oval and circle cutters are great, too, but you can't do decorative edging with them.

Thanks! I thought about doing the lines, but some of it will be left. I guess as long as someone can't see the back side though, it doesn't matter.
I am going to go and practice, thanks for the advice!

Tammie

What diffrent kind of scissors are there? I got one at walmart sunday. How many diffrent ones should i have and are they all diffrent and how can i tell? I am just learning about the scrap booking.

I have 3 differrent pair. I think there are about a 1,000 different ones in all. LOL...Actually, I wish I hadn't wasted my $$$ on them. I very rarely use them.

There are special blue and white pencils for marking on the front of photos. Then after you are done cutting them out and any pencil mark that is left you just rub off with a tissue. I do all my marking on the photo so I can see excactly what I am cutting. In another posting I just did I told about using curved surgical sissors to cut curves and ovals. Does a beautiful job. Norma

An oval cutter is much easier if you want a simple, straight-edge oval.

If you buy any of the Fiskars scissors, I would recommend the Deckle edge style. The pattern is very "forgiving" in that you don't have to line it up perfectly every time. It makes a very nice "torn-looking" edge. I have several pairs of fancy scissors and I use this pair the most!

Kerrikay-every time I read one of your posts I think you and I are 2 peas in a pod.
Carla-the oval cutter...is it easy to use? Can you get different sized ovals? Is it difficult to line it up? TIA:o)

I agree about the Deckle scissors, they are the easiest to use. I still struggle with the others, can't seem to get them to behave for me. LOL

Pam

Pam- maybe we were sisters in another life :)LOL

I bought my scissors @ Sams Club. They're not the name brand scissors, but the come 8-9 in a pkg, and they're around 9.00$, verses 5.00 for one pair. If you're careful with them, they should last you a long time! Also bought the plain colored paper there also, 720 sheets for around 8.00