Burnishing

Scoring

Notching

BURNISHING

Burnishing is a technique by which we can create crisp and sharp folds. Sometimes, you may have noticed tiny cracks on your folds. This is because the paper is too tick to be folded so easily. Hence, we put pressure on our folds so that they become crisp and flat and this is called burnishing. The official tool used for this purpose is something like a bone folder. But you can simply use the bulging side of a spoon or anything which is curved and a little heavy. A heavy scissors also fulfills the purpose. Let’s see some pictures to understand better.

This is how a fold looks before burnishing.

.....and that's how you burnish.....

and that's the perfect fold after burnishing......

Basics for Box making

NOTCHING

While constructing a box we first make its template or skeleton. While making a box, we always make tabs by which the box is going to close. It is extremely important to notch these tabs. Let me show you how!

These are some tabs that I have not notched yet.

To notch, just cut a diagonal slit on either side of the tab.

This is how notched tabs look!

Basics for making boxes

SCORING 

If you are already a crafter, you must have heard about scoring, but if you have not, I’m always there.

Scoring is basically a technique by which we make a thin depression in our card stock or paper so that it is easier to fold. This technique is more commonly used while making boxes. The official tool for scoring is called a score board. But I’m obviously going to tell you the easier way out. Instead of a score board, you can simply use the blunt side of a knife (the ones that are used for eating, not chopping) or a scissors!!!! The following picture will tell you how to score.

So suppose you have to score at 3 inches, and then you just make a mark at 3 inches on your paper, with the help of a scale; then keep your scale alongside the mark and then run the blunt side of the knife along the scale just like we draw a line with a pencil.

Wasn’t that easy? You just have to go to the kitchen for a knife!