Technique Thursday: Around the Border Punches

Martha Stewart’s Around the Border Punches can create breathtaking layouts and designs — if you know how to use them.

While both punches can work independently of each other, if you want to go all the way around the border of something, each side of your paper must measure to one of the following:

3 1/4″

5″

6 3/4″

8 1/2″

10 1/4″

12″

You can mix them up as you choose (like a 5″ x 6 3/4″ photo mat or a 10 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ strip), but each side must be one of the measurements above. Once you have that figured out, you are ready to punch.

With different sizes, you can make frames, journaling boxes, photo mats and more.

There are two punches that come in the Around the Border set. There is a corner punch and an edge punch. Both have wings that fold out or down for use and then fold back in or up for storage.

Step 1 is to punch each of the corners of your paper.

Then, grab the edge punch and line up the corner you punched with the design printed on the punch itself. When properly aligned, you will not see the silver pattern at all.

Punch once, then move the paper to line up with the border or edge design printed on the punch. In this case, the silver pattern should fit perfectly within your punched area. Once lined up, punch again. Repeat this process until you are at the edge of your paper. Then, turn the corner and start again.

You can also use the punches independently of each other.

Here I used only the corner punch …

Here I used just the border or edge punch:

NOTE: Crooked edges are what happens when you don’t keep the paper up tight against the guide …

You can also use the corner punch to punch the folded corner of your card, like this:

To do this, only open one wing on your corner punch. Line the edge up with the edge of the paper, like you normally would. Then, find the little mark on the side of the punch and line that up with the fold of your card …

And punch.