How to layer letters using lettering templates

i'm embarrassed to say that i have never used lettering templates in my girls books. i have always used sticker letters. but lately i have been admiring lots of peoples pages that use them and they stack them (i.e. red letters on top of white ones).

this may sound silly but i bought an alphabet template from provo craft and want to use it but i'm not sure how to make the one set of letters larger -- does everyone just "eyeball" it and free hand cut the larger ones after adhering the letters to the background color? from the pictures i see i see on line they look so perfect so i am wondering if there isn't some kind of trick to it.

thanks for your help.

laura

The good news is you can do a whole lot with letter templates. The bad news is it takes FOREVER. Even so, I love them, because it's more flexible to work with loose letters than a computer title (although I still use both).

To layer them, you have a few options. If you're talking about making one layer bigger than the other, it's usually just best to eyeball it and guess. It's not as hard as it might seem. Something to note: you don't have to worry about cutting out centers on that second layer, unless it's a really big center. It will look just fine, and save you a lot of headache.

Something else you can do is to cut two sets of the same size letters, then layer them slightly off-set so you get a shadow effect.

Don't limit yourself to layering just the letters. I have been known to mat mine on as many as 3 different shapes! (Squares are easiest). You can also draw them right on the paper, allowing you to color in the letters however you want. Obviously, this works best on plain cardstock.

I may have given you more of an answer than you wanted! HTH!

Something else I wanted to add: If you don't already have them, buy a tiny pair of scissors or a swivel knife - it will make the job MUCH easier!

thank you so much for all your suggestions. it does seem really time consuming but like the layout of the day on this board -- the words really stand out.

i do have a pair of the pointed scissors that i think will work well -- i think they are fiskars.

one other question for you -- when you trace the letters onto the page or cardstock -- do you use markers or colored pencils? i've seen a lot of people mention colored pencils -- are they better?

thanks again for all your advice!

Laura, I use just a regular pencil to trace mine. I trace the letters BACKWARDS on the back of the paper - it doesn't really make a difference on cardstock, but on patterned paper you'd trace it backwards on the white side. That way, when you're done cutting you don't have to do any erasing - just turn the letter over and you're done.

I cut the first letter, glue it to another sheet of cardstock and just eyeball as I cut around the letter.

I think that the Fiskars micro tip scissors with the spring on the handles are a must have - they are SO MUCH easier on your hands and fingers than regular scissors. But, I think a swivel knife is really necessary, too, for cutting out the insides of letters and all sorts of tight spots.

Have fun!