Tricks of the Trade ~ CTMH

Tricks of the Trade

Here is a  list of how to use the many tools that CTMH offers to us in the catalog. the List came from Julie Reynolds and our fearless team leader Joy McHargue......

BONDING MEMORIES GLUE

re-sticking my Cricut mats)

make re-sealable envelopes!  Just put a line of bonding memories glue onJenvelope flap, let air dry and you have a re-stickable flap!  

temporary adhesive when masking (another image), if I can't stamp on a Post-It

cover the face of chipboard or paper with the glue then sprinkle it with prisma glitter.

trace stamped images with it then sprinkle on the glitter.

Best adhesive for gluing paper to My Creations items like the blocks or star. Make sure you have good "blue" coverage from edge to edge and hold for 30 seconds.

very economical adhesive.

QUILLING TOOL

curl our Cricut flowers

 quilling- cut 1/8" strips and roll

Hook Ribbons to push them through a “slot” in the cubes to make a hanger for it!   

BONE FOLDER

one of the best weighted and shaped ones out there.  (curve in place for between thumb and index finger

Score and crease cards before folding

Scoring for additional multi-folds in card creations

use this with my 3D Artiste Cricut items…folding those lines could not be done Jwithout the bone folder!  

add texture to my card stock – score to stripe on reverse side

make flat cricut cut outs pop up.... Like a five petal flower

I use the bone folder to "curl" edges of flowers, leaves, borders, etc. (rub with round end on VersaMat

 Use the bone folder like you would a pair of scissors to curl ribbon.  I place my item down on my piercing mat or the foam side of our versamat for stability.

I use it a lot for faux stitching – especially great for non-straight lines. 

 I recommend everyone with a Cricut have one handy to use to score and fold all cards and 3-D items for crisp edges.

SPONGE DAUBERS

Washable

Must have at least one for each color family, or why not one for every color! 

With sponge daubers, I like to use one for each color family. I'll label the side "orange", "red/pink", "blue",etc.

Ink distress edges, makes a nice, “tight” sponged look on the papers (as opposed to round sponge )

Also, like to use these to come in on the corners of my papers when sponging…so instead of just the edge being sponged, The entire corner is colored and then blended out to the edges.

apply color to a stamp image,

also I use them for chalk application.

I also use Sponge Daubers on masked images (stamp the image (like the scotty dog we had a while back, cut it out.  Keep the outside, discard the inside of the dog.  Use the sponge dauber to color the fur of the dog.)

I like to do a quick-coloring technique with them by creating a stencil & sponging through.

Stamp an image on glossy or thick cardstock. Cut it out (or portions of the image) w/ an xacto knife. Stamp same image on paper, lay stencil over top & sponge through. It makes a quick, almost air-brushed type of look.

use these with pigment inks…sponge on different colors on one stamp image 

Use sponge daubers to add colors to Color Ready Seam Binding Ribbon

I love using the sponge daubers to color chipboard and irresistibles.

I also like to heat emboss with clear detail powder and use my sponge dauber to create my own resist pattern on paper and chipboard.

cleaning up white edge of paper on cricut cuts (with ink that matches paper)

FINISHING FILES

I use the finishing files to even out the edges of the chipboard – clean off the nubbins from punching them out

to make paper blend in with the my creation items when I cover them.  

I use the handles to curl paper and roll flowers when my tweezers or quilling tool are not within reach. 

hole poker

holding down paper when embossing

I use these all the time for finishing edges on projects, especially wood, FABULOUS for a clean edge.  Sell them by the boat load at expos because I always incorporate their use in one of the hands on projects

PIERCING TOOL KIT

Pierce holes for brads

The piercing tool is great for picking up opaques and sparkles – and especially the bitty ones - as you want to add them to your work.

Piercing holes for stitching

lifting the adhesive off the silver trim ribbon

opening the hole back up from the liquid glass

TWEEZERS

Easy pick-up of brads (especially when you have lovely long fingernails or short absent ones!)

Tweezers - to place opaques and sparkles on artwork

RUB-ON TOOL

Application of rub-ons

smoothing your paper down after using the bonding memories to help it lay down. No air bubbles.

To give dimension to cricut cutouts ex. Flowers

LIQUID GLASS

Good adhesive for gluing paper to MyCreations items

Great for any dimensional items on cards, pages or projects: buttons, etc.

adhering Cricut-cut flowers together once they are rolled

making sponged dimensional element letters shine

highlighting pretty much anything you want to have highlighted .....