Paper: cutting, cropping, resizing....

Traditional scrapbooking is all about paper. Cutting it and arranging it. Once cut, you cannot uncut it so the 'measure twice cut once' rule was super important back then. Computers make scrapbooking so much easier: you can resize and recolor all you want until you are completely happy with the result, and the 'undo' button is always there.

Computer offers us three options to adjust the size: resize, cut and crop. I use CraftArtist2, but even if you prefer a different software, the concepts are still the same, so read on. Let's look at all the three in detail.


Resize: this one seems like the most obvious one. Great for text and embellishments, it is not ideal for paper though, as it distorts the pattern and robbing the page of that realistic look.

Cut/scissor tool: even though you might want to use it as your main tool for cutting paper, it is more practical to use it for patterned edges and diagonal lines only. For the same simple reason that once cut, you cannot uncut it if you change your mind three embellishments later. If you do use it though (oh, the beautiful things you can do with your scissor tool...) remember to always start with the same size paper. To keep that realistic look, you know...

Crop: this is the tool you would want to learn to use and love. It allows you to adjust the size easily, without distorting the pattern of the paper (you can even move the paper within the cropped shape if you want to include a specific part of the paper). There are two way to work with this tool. You can drag the paper onto your page and crop it directly or first create a shape and then crop or clip the desired paper to it. Starting with a shape allows you to change the paper hassle-free in just a few clicks: uncrop the items, delete the unwanted paper, drag the new one onto the page and crop it to the shape. Important point to remember: before you crop your paper, make sure you always start with the same size paper.





After that, all you have to do is add a few embellishments, journaling and your photos and your page is ready. Happy scrapbooking.