National Scrapbook Day Over at 3 Scrappy Boys

Wow, so it's been a little while since I last blogged, but now is the PERFECT time to get back on it!!  Heather over at 3 Scrappy Boys  asked me if I'd like to do a little tutorial for NSD....of course I wanted to!!  There will be lots of great stuff going on on the 3 Scrappy Boys forums, so head over and do a few challenges or check out some other tutorials!

I decided to focus on the Sew Easy Piercer for 2 reasons...1-I've used it and think it's a cool little tool....2-I know that some people have had reservations about using it and getting it to go straight. 

First, it really does work better if you have a piercing mat like the one put out by We R Memory Keepers.  The holes will be ready for you to stitch, whereas you'll have to poke through little indentions if you're not on a mat (and they're hardly visible).  If you don't use a mat like this, please make sure that you are careful, as rolling it on a hard surface can break off the little "hole makers."

Next, it really isn't difficult to make this tool roll straight when that's the look you're going for.  Simply put your paper on the mat, line a ruler up and follow the ruler with the Sew Easy tool.  It might take a little bit of experimenting with to figure out where the holes are going when you use the ruler, but it gives such a great look to layouts that it's worth playing with a little until you get the hang of it!

I used this method, along with the Basic Grey papers from Life of the Party (which can be found in the New Products section at 3SB) to create this layout------------------->

I wanted to make my own embellishment and add a little extra to it with the Sew Easy Piercer tool, so I cut out this rose with a Lifestyle Crafts die (if you don't have the die, no worries....simply draw a pinwheel and cut it out by hand!).  I then slowly rolled the tool around the edge of the paper flower.

Then stitch on the flower using the holes made with the Sew Easy Piercer.  I used a backstitch (ok, so I think that's what I used...I'm not much of a seamstress!), but you can do whatever design you choose.

Next, using a pencil or the end of your paper piercer, roll the edge of the flower from the outside in until you reach the center.  Then you can unroll it and hand roll it tighter---do this a few times until the rose has a look you like.  You can really manipulate it as much as you'd like at this point....roll out the edges some if you'd like, squish it down...possibilities are endless...PLAY!!  Once you have a shape you like, put a few glue dots down on that base in the middle and adhere your rose together.

Now you're ready to add it to a layout, card or altered project!!

The last little thing I did with the Sew Easy tool was to use it on some chipboard letters.  You start by rolling the tool over your letters.

Because the letters are thicker, you can't just poke a needle through.  I used my paper piercer to make the holes go all the way through

 the chipboard letters.

Finally, I  sprayed my letters with Maya Mist, allowed them to dry and then stitched on them using the holes I made.

The Sew Easy Piercer is a fun and EASY tool to use to add that special touch to your projects.  The handle comes with a straight stitch head, but you can also get interchangable heads with different stitch patterns.  The tool comes with a needle and the handle has storage in it to hold that needle!!  Be sure to check them out over at 3 Scrappy Boys...Heather has the tool and heads on sale for National Scrapbook Day!!

Enjoy National Scrapbook Day!!  I hope you're able to spends lots of time gettin' your scrap on!!!