Handmade - Templates

Today I've been busy trying new techniques, cleaning, scrapping, organising, planning and downloading.
Tonight as my handmade items I've been hand-cutting some templates of some new shapes and designs. That sounds fairly straight forward and it is, though most of my templates I cut out of plastic so that I can re-use them hundreds if not thousands of times without the slightest sign of any damage.
I would post some pictures but they are all clear plastic so they don't photograph well. I will however point out some of my templates as I use them.


How do I create my templates?


First you need a design that you like and think you will use time and time again. It may be a die cut piece of paper that you really like the shape of or an image you have downloaded that you think would make a great background.
If I download an image I like, I print it out onto ordinary printer paper then cut it out with scissors. If its a die-cut piece of paper then I just use that.
I use re-positional adhesive dots to hold the paper template on to my plastic so I can then trace around it with a soft pencil - like a 3B - 6B.
I know you are asking what plastic do I use for my templates...
Go to your local $2 shop and look for packs of 2 clear plastic place mats. You can use coloured ones if you like, though I like the clear as then I can see the patterned paper beneath, just in case I am trying to line up a particular part of the pattern.
Having drawn or traced your pattern on the plastic, cut out the design using sharp but smallish scissors.
I then cut a small hole in one of the corners so that I can feed them onto the binder rings I have all my other templates on.
I have 4 or 5 rings now each with different sized templates on them.
The plastic can be quite firm to cut, so I wouldn't cut out too many at once, not unless you really like blisters across your fingers - just take my word for it on that.
And then when you have cut out your templates use them to cut patterned paper & cardstock for your scrapbook pages, cards and OTP projects.