you can save money when matting and layering by gutting cardstock. Gutting is effectively removing the centre of you matt before adding the next layer. I do this most often with mirri cardstock and glitter card, but also to save any speciality papers or limited supplies. You can do this in two ways: with a paper trimmer or with dies. If you have a rotary trimmer, you may struggle to control the end of the cut when you reach the corners, so I would always recommend using a craft knife or a fiskars 'personal paper trimmer' (like the one I use) instead.
Whatever you choose to use, the principle is basically the same. cut your matt to size and ensure you leave a good border when marking where to trim. You then cut out the centre to leave a frame of your cardstock. If you left this hole, your next layers would sink, so you must fill the space. I normally take a cheaper cardstock of a similar weight to fill the gap, cutting it to size (this is easiest when using dies, as the same one can be used for a perfect fit.) Another advantage of the dies is that you get a nice neat edge to use the central cut out as a layer, but depending on the size of your mat and the dies you have its not always possible. Once this is complete, you can hide the cheaper cardstock under your next layer. Nobody will ever know, but you can get a lot more cards for your money!!
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before
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| gutted |
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| refilled |
Before you say 'its not tuesday' I would just like to apologise for being a day late. Life had got a little busy and I lost track of days, but I still wanted to share this little tutorial with you all.
Mx
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