Another Drink of Punch

Punch Around the Page – Corner Card Technique

Here’s a sneak preview of an upcoming demo for April 21st, and a special one day class on May 12th!  It’s Martha Stewarts Punch Techniques class featuring the oh-so-cool punch around the page technique.  It will really make people ask, “How did you do that to your paper?”  It’s complicated looking, but with a little practice yields great results easily, with just a few punches.  Here is a card featuring the full technique:

 
But sorry folks, I am not going to spill the beans on that card today.  To learn the full border technique and lots more, come see me at the store for the demo and sign up for class!  The card I am writing about today features a nifty corner punch detail.  This one’s all in the angle. 

What is punch around the page?  It’s a set of two coordinating punches, a corner punch and a border punch.  They have special markings on them that help in aligning them together.  They are designed to give a continuous punched look around a border.  Here is the class kit I am working out of. 

This kit does NOT include the punch around the page punches!  It simply has the materials to produce a total of six cards in four designs, as well as detail instructions.  Any Martha Stewart punch around the page set could be used.  I am using the “Loops” set.  Here are the materials to complete the card:

 

• A blank green cardstock pre-folded card
• Coordinating decorative paper and pink cardstocks pre-cut to fit
• A pink “Thinking of you” phrase embellishment sticker

NOT included in the kit:

• A glue stick (always, always, ALWAYS acid free)
• The corner punch part of the punch around the page set  

The first step is the trick that makes the look of this card unique.  Open the pre folded card and punch the top corners on the front of the card first.  Do this by holding the punch at an angle and aligning the fold of the card with the silver mark on the side of the punch.  Align the other side of the corner with the edge of the wing of the punch.  The alignment looks like this:

Whenever you punch, do it upside down.  This really allows you to see the positioning of the paper in the punch.  This will prevent any “oops, I thought I was punching right there” moments.  Repeat this step on the other top corner.

For the bottom corners simply punch just like a regular corner punch, aligning the paper corners with the popped out “wings” on the side that help guide the punch.

Next layer and adhere the light pink cardstock underneath the green card front.  This lets the contrasting color peak through the punched pieces on the card front corners.

Now the easy part, layer and adhere the darker pink cardstock strip to the center of the card front.  Then add the decorative paper to the center of your dark pink stripe. 

Now you’re ready to add the finishing touch!  Place the journaled embellishment in the center of the decorative paper.  You could use foam dots for this if you’d like to give it some extra dimension.

    

Easy, easy, easy, EASY!  Now reward yourself and go have a drink of punch, rum if you please.  ;)