I was at a scrapbooking expo yesterday and already regret not purchasing something I saw there. It was a small box of clear templates used for paper tearing shapes. They had squares, circles, oval, rectangles, and diamonds in sets of 4 or 5. They ran about $8-9, I can't remember for sure. They were advertised for making cards and were at a rubber stamp booth. I think the name was "whispers" but I don't remember for sure. I have been searching on the internet for them, but I am having no luck at all. Anyone know a place they are available?
$8-$9 dollars, OUCH!! Sorry I do not know of the product you are discussing or a website for them. However, you can make your own a lot cheaper then that! Here's how if you are interested.
Save the plastic lids from products you buy everyday like (cool whip-good clear plastic lid, margarine lids) or buy a sheet of stencil plastic at the craft store, there are several different thcknesses to choice from. Approx $2.98 @ Michaels for a 13 x 15 inch sheet of the heaviest thickness,here in central Ohio. Or my all time favorite is to recycle the clear plastic from product containers, you know the ones that are heat sealed for store displays so you can't steal what's inside. The ones we all curse when we get the product home because you almost always have to cut them open with scissors. LOL I recently upgraded my home software to WinXP and the software box came in one of those silly plastic boxes, I cut out the flat parts and now have two sheets of 8 x 10 1/2 of clear template plastic. Best of all it was FREE!!!! (Less trash & more money still in my pocket book for important things like buying more Rubberstamps!! LOL)
Using a permanent ink marker like a "Sharpie" just draw or trace on your design then cut out with sharp scissors or a craft knife. A stencil burner works also if you happen to have one. If you don't have a stencil burner, but you do have a wood burner, you can purchase a stencil burner tip at an art supply or some of the larger craft stores and use that also. The wood burner doesn't get as hot as the stencil burner so it will take a few minutes longer to cut with, but it works great. This is what I use. Just make sure to open a window and turn on an exhaust fan, the fumes of melting/burning plastic are not to healthy to breath.
If you search through the your home or office, you'll find tons of shapes, like ovals in things like deodorant caps, the bottom of a vase, cosmetic or shampoo bottles etc. Cookie cutters are great for all kinds of shapes too! You'll be surprised at all the shapes that are just there for the looking.
Of course, for some things you can just use the plastic lid itself for the shape. I.E. My small circles are film canister lid=small circle, canned pudding lid = medium circle, "Pringles potato chip lid" = med. #2 circle, "CoolWhip (small container) lid = large circle. For really small circles go through all the flat washers you have in the junk/hardware drawer. Of course, there is always DH's tool box. For hexagon shapes use the nuts that go to bolts. If you don't have any, go to the hardware store and either trace them at the store or buy them. They only cost a few pennies if you go to the bulk bins where you buy them by the pound or just one if that's all you need.
Or use your Windows software program "Paint" to print them out on the computer printer. If you do not have a printer, don't fear, you can use your computer monitor as a "light box" and trace the shapes directly onto tracing paper or the plastic, by applying a little blue masking tape or double sided tape (the removable type not the redliner type) directly to the monitor glass to hold up the plastic/paper while you trace. Then trace away. Just make sure the shapes on the monitor are the right size for your project and you're set.
Or go to "
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" look for the quilting patterns sections, then print out all the patterns you desire. Again, they are FREE!! Quilters love geometric shapes. That is how I learned to make my own templates, I am a quilter/polymer clay sculptor/crafter. Necessity & poverty has lead me to find less expensive ways to make my own.
If you need a stiffer less flexible template, cut two or three of the same size & simply glue them together, until you have the desired stiffness. (make sure your glue is rated for plastics though, some white glues just don't work!) If you want to get really picky and make a truly hard template, cut them out of sheets of polymer clay and bake them. If you use transparent clay, they will be for the most part see thru, just not completely clear like glass, but sort of milky colored. (like watered down skim milk) The new paper clays will work also, but remember paper clays shrink when they dry, so you'll have to experiment to get the correct dried size, and they won't be see through.
Hope this helps, eliquint
"I have traveled though life a very long time, but it won't mean anything if I do not stop to help others and pass on my knowledge."
I did a google search for "whispers templates" and found this website.
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looks like they are in the UnitedKingdom though. Looks like they are just using the acrylic blocks used forunmounted stamps as paper tearing templates also.I also tried a search on "paper templates" but the 1st 3 pages of sites werejust templates for software like "MS Word" etc, there were many many pagesof more sites which you may want to check out.Also searched for "paper tearing templates" but got no results matched onthat.You could also look at these sites:
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with 50,000 items, they might have them.
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We have hundreds of scrapbooking templates by Deja Views and more.
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Store-Gallery-Contests-Ideas & More Free Shipping on orders over $30
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Low prices on all your favorite scrapbook supplies.
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Get your scrapbooking and crafts supplies at wholesale prices.
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I didn't see anything on their site like you are looking for but if you e-mail them I bet they can tell you more. Also they have a "community" button, looks like a public forum, I'll bet someone in there could tell you more also.
This is brilliant, Quin. As a crafter-on-a-budget, I'm always looking for ways to duplicate some of the nifty but expensive tools with home-made alternatives, and the recycling element of using product packaging appeals to me, too.
What have other people come up with lately in home-made or low-cost alternatives to brand-name stamping supplies?
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