TIPS & TRICKS FRIDAY - Stamp First, Punch Second

Those of you who have been at my classes and workshops will have heard me say 'Stamp First, Punch Second'.  I use this mantra to make sure that stamped images are in the middle of punched shapes and so I don't have to stamp greetings straight onto my cards and risk a wonky greeting wrecking all the hard work gone before.

OOOPS!!!

So now I could cover it with a punched shape and stamp on it again to try and save my card.

Better but still not perfect.

This is what I do to make sure that I don't have to go through this process every time I stamp a greeting.

I stamp my greeting on a scrap of matching or coordinating cardstock.  I then turn my punch upside down, this time it's the modern label that fits in the space. Slide your cardstock greeting side up into the punch and move it around until it's centred or positioned as you want it to be when punched.  Then punch.

Here it is adhered to my card.  If I wanted the punched shape to stand out I could pop it up on Stampin' Dimensionals, sponge the edges and/or add some ribbon or an embellishment to it.

Product used it this tutorial: -
Stamp Sets - Lovely as a Tree & Just Believe (greeting)
Cardstock - Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler & Baja Breeze
Ink - Baja Breeze & Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pads,  Cherry Cobbler & More Mustard Stampin' Write Markers
Punch - Modern Label.