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February, 2009 Newsletter
Welcome to Scor-it News, a monthly eNewsletter from the makers of Scor-it Boards and the Scor-it Mini.
 In the Spotlight: Judi Kauffman Judi Kauffman is a nationally-known designer, writer, and review columnist, best known for her mantra that "Easy Isn't Cheating." But if you ask her to describe herself, she will say, "I am a teacher." She believes that everyone is born creative, but that it gets lost in most people somewhere around third grade when one child in each class, the one who can draw a realistic dog at an early age, is labeled as the artist. For close to forty years, Judi has stepped into the classroom to prove it otherwise. She taught the popular "If You've Never Held a Pencil," "Drawing Your Ideas," and "Unlocking Creativity" courses at The Corcoran College of Art & Design in Washington, DC for over a decade, where she convinced hundreds of eager but nervous adults that they could, indeed, draw and were, in spite of thinking otherwise, creative!
 Before she began to work full-time freelance in the craft and needlework industry, Judi was a graphic artist and illustrator. She worked as an art director at a television station and ran a design studio in Dallas. But no matter what else she was doing, she was always in a classroom. She headed the Advertising Art program at a college in Texas for six years and taught Visual Communications at The George Washington University before and after her years in the longhorn state. Her former students are at the helm of advertising agencies and design studios nationwide - she will brag about them but not about herself. She is as proud of the retired nurse she taught to decorate folders and greeting cards as she is of the former student who later cast William Shatner in the Priceline.com commercials.
Judi is much happier describing the accomplishments of others than her own. She is versatile and multi-talented, but modest. She said, "I like to stay below the radar. I never had any interest in being a celebrity. It's not about me - it's about my students, the readers and consumers, the manufacturers and editors I work for."  The products she developed for manufacturers don't bear her name. Though she stays out of the limelight, she's not at all shy. She thought of her appearances on The Carol Duvall Show and Decorating with Style as another teaching gig.
Judi has a BFA in printmaking from Cornell University, an MFA in fibers from Antioch University. Yet if you ask her about her credentials, she usually mentions that her grandfather was a tailor and her parents were both artists, and that she had wonderful, supportive teachers. She is skilled at - and has taught - everything from needlepoint and ribbon embroidery to fashion illustration, figure drawing, rubber stamping, printmaking, card making, scrapbooking family recipes, how to use the Scor-it Board and much more.
 Judi says she thinks of magazines, books and web sites as an extension of the classroom, a way to help people feel creative even if she can't meet them in person. She continues to inspire and teach through her many articles and projects that appear in Paper Creations, Scrapbooking & Beyond, Scrapbooking.com, CardMaker, Scrap & Stamp Arts, Vamp Stamp News, Knit 'N Style, Create & Decorate, Just Cards, and other publications. She also writes and designs for a variety of manufacturers including Red Castle, Inc. (who manufacture and sell Judi's rubber stamps), HAMMONDSGroup, Inc. (Scor-it) - the list is long and varied. She ghost writes (she has a gift for capturing the voice of others and she'll never reveal the names of those for whom she has been a wordsmith), and is the author of five books with her name on the cover. Her most recent is By the Batch: Creative Cards, Postcards, Envelopes & More (Watson-Guptill) in which she teaches her unique approach to creating one-of-a-kind cards in series.
Judi works from her home studio, her beloved standard poodle at her side.
You Asked, We Answer
Q - Why would I use the Scor-it Board to make curved paper to wrap a gift or cover a can when I could use a crimper?
A - The decorative embossing and de-bossing possible on a Scor-it Board give you many more options. With a crimper you get evenly spaced lines or repeat patterns. With the Scor-it you can create randomly spaced lines, customized repeat patterns and progressions, or combine embossed (raised) and de-bossed lines in the same project. You can also move away from the ruler, set the paper at an angle and create diagonals, diamonds, rays, and other effects. Here are two links to view Altered Can projects by Sharon Johnson and Joan Fricker
Q - What’s the difference between the Scor-It Board and other scoring tools?
A - This is one of our favorite questions. The Scor-it Board is the ONLY scoring tool on the market that allows consumers to make professional-quality hinge score lines, just like printers provide when they do machine scoring. Hinge score lines crease, but do not break or damage the fibers in paper, card stock and chipboard up to 24 pt. - whether you score with or against the grain! The difference is easy to see. The Scor-it brochure, available on our website in the
A - Move your cardstock or paper away from the centering ruler to create diagonal lines for folding, or emboss or de-boss starbursts and the rays from the sun, random diagonals that crisscross to create an interesting background, and so on. Experiment! We’d love to see what you come up with!
Learning Center, goes into more detail about the importance of a quality score.
Q - Could you compare the 12” Board with the Mini?
A - Both boards are quite popular and we’re discovering that many people want both. Those who make cards and smaller projects favor the Mini for its portability and small size. Those who want to score decorative embossed borders, create journaling lines on 12” scrapbook pages or make larger cards and accordion books like the original 12” Scor-it Board.
Q - How should I store the Scor-it Board when I’m not using it?
A - Stand the board upright, like a book. It will take very little space on a shelf, less than two inches. Or store it in a tote bag or box like that in which scrapbook papers are kept. Check out our new Mini Tote bag. One creative friend stores hers in a plastic zipper bag that she’s attached to a skirt hanger!
Q - How do I use the Scor-it Board to score envelopes and boxes?
A - Move your cardstock or paper away from the centering ruler. Using a pencil, lightly mark the starting and ending points of the line you want to score on the INSIDE of where you want the fold line to be (the back of the paper or cardstock). Position the two points along the scoring rule. Use one hand to hold the project firmly in place and with the other hand use the scoring tool as always - start at the notch at the center of the ruler and pull the tool toward you. Turn the project and repeat for as many lines as you need to score. REMINDER: Sometimes no marks are needed. If you’re scoring one of Teresa Collins’s die-cut envelopes, the corners are clear and obvious.
Q - I can’t decide whether to buy the 12” Scor-it Board or the Scor-it Mini. Can you help me?
A - Many people choose the Scor-it Mini because of the smaller size, lower price, and because they make almost exclusively standard size cards, place cards, gift tags and such. However, if you want to score and fold larger cards, boxes and envelopes or if you want to emboss decorative lines on 8” x 8” or 12” x 12” scrapbook pages then the 12” Scor-it Board is the way to go. Both can be stored upright in little space, both are lightweight and portable. We hear that a lot of people who start with one of the boards add the second one later because they want more options.
Fun with the Scor-it Board
 Wall Pockets By Judi Kauffman
My neighbors' children love paper crafts. Their mother would like a little less clutter. Because I provide the supplies for our creative adventures and contribute to the mess, I felt it was up to me to find a solution. I wanted to devise something that would be easy and appealing to use. Folders immediately came to mind.
Rather than turning to office supply store folders, however, I decided to make decorative ones, turning them into Wall Pockets meant to be kept on display. If you don't have room to hang them side by side or prefer to store the Wall Pockets in a closet rather than on the wall, simply hang a grouping on a split key ring or hook.
 The Wall Pockets shown hold paper dolls, but they could hold stories and drawings, supplies like origami paper and stickers. Add a calendar and use Wall Pockets as a family message center. There are endless possibilities.
I chose a long vertical format to fit the paper dolls stored inside - the tall dolls will remain visible - but your Wall Pockets can be any size or shape to fit other size folders. I cut 6" x 12" pieces for my background (two backgrounds from each sheet of 12" x 12" solid color cardstock).
The Scor-it Board makes it so easy to create folders. So they would be durable, I made my folders from two sheets of cardstock glued together. Even with a double thickness, it's no problem to create score lines and precise folds for the base of the folders.
Instructions and Design Strategy:
 1. Choose a size for the folder and the background from which it will hang. As shown - the background is 6" x 12", folders measure 7.75" x 5" x .5" deep. Folder dies are available in a variety of sizes. The folder extends past the right edge of the background in the Wall Pockets shown, but you may prefer it otherwise.
2. Decide on a color scheme. Choose cardstock, stickers, cord or ribbon.
3. For added durability, glue patterned and solid color cardstock together and die cut the folders. Using the Scor-it Board, score two parallel lines to create the base (thickness) of the folder. Fold along the score lines. The patterned paper is the outside of the folder; the solid color is the lining. Remember: Place the folder face down on the Scor-it Board when scoring - the raised ridge you create with the scoring tool is the INSIDE of the fold.
 4. Decorate the front of the folder and add a small accessory pocket. Use alphabet stickers, pens or markers to spell out the contents of the Wall Pocket or the name of the child for whom you're making the pocket. Note: The name on each Wall Pocket shown is the name of the paper doll stored inside.
5.To make the accessory pocket, cut a 4" square of contrasting cardstock. Place face down on the Scor-it Board and score at 2", fold in half and glue along left and right sides (fold is across the bottom). Add a tab to the front of the pocket. Glue the open-top pocket to the front of the folder.
 6. Glue the decorated folder to the 6" x 12" vertical cardstock rectangle. Punch a hole through the background and both layers of the folder at the top left of the folder and tie with a piece of cord or ribbon.
7. Decorate the top section of the background, making sure to reinforce the top edge of the rectangle with stickers or additional layers of patterned paper. Punch a hanging hole at the top center as shown.
OPTION: Enhance the paper dolls and their clothing and accessories with small bows, flat-backed buttons and other embellishments. Use the appropriate glue to attach them - see supply list.
 Supplies:
-Scor-it Board
-Beacon Gem-Tac, Kids Choice and Zip Dry Paper Glue www.beaconadhesives.com
-The Six Little Steppers paper dolls - Paper Studio Press www.paperdollreview.com
-Hanger Hole and .25" Round punches - McGill
-"That's Amoré" Collection cardstock, paper, and My Stickease stickers - Close To My Heart
-Folder die - AccuCut (cut on the Grande Mark Machine)
-Craft knife, straight edge and cutting mat, or paper trimmer
-Scissors or craft knife and cutting mat (to cut out paper dolls and clothing)
 Holly Craft's pop up card is easy to make, with the help of your Scor-it. Besides your Scor-it (any size), you will need a piece of cardstock for the base cut 4" x 12", a photo or heart or other shape for the focal point, a strong tape such as a red liner tape, a craft knife, stamps or embellishments as desired. If you want to decorate the base, stamp on it before you begin the scoring process. The directions on the photos will help you have a card in just a few minutes. Adapt the design of the card for any season or occasion! Finished size of the flattened heart card is 4.75 x 6.25, but the dimensions would vary according to the focal point used. Click here for detailed instructions.
Press
Sharon Johnson's No Time To Stamp Blog: I live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior, where I have been rubber stamping for close to 10 years. It was a pleasant hobby for about 6 years or so, and then became a passion that I have been totally obsessed with ever since!!! My first love is making simple, but elegant, greeting cards, often in sets, with gift boxes to present them in. I LOVE to deisgn, make and decorate boxes!!! It is so much fun to take some relatively simple cards and turn them into a a really WOW gift item by merely creating a beautiful box for them!!! I love to create, teach and share my passion with others!
Scor-it at Winter 2009 CHA Trade Show
Did You Know?
You can score a wide variety of surfaces on the Scor-it Board. In addition to scoring with and against the grain of cardstock and paper, you can score board up to 24 pt. weight (light chipboard, shirt cardboard), Mirricard and other coated cardstock that would crack with any other scoring method, lightweight papers like vellum and mulberry paper, many transparencies and films, and more.
Tips:
Practice on scraps so you get the feel for the surface you want to score. Heavier weight board and transparencies require a bit more hand pressure on the scoring tool while soft fragile papers require very little.
To get a crisp crease when folding heavy weight surfaces and transparencies, use a bone folder after you’ve created the score on the Scor-it Board.
Resources:
Mirricard available in 10 colors - Marco's Paper > pricing guide > Corrugate, Mirricard & Petal Card
Transparencies - Hambly Screen Prints > products > overlays
Great Finds!
Teresa Collins's (http://teresacollinsdesign.com) brand new die-cut file folders, die-cut envelopes & cards, The Scor-it Board (www.scorit.com) and the Bind-It-All (http://www.binditall.com) go together like a well-made deli sandwich! Teresa’s new line was a huge hit at the CHA winter trade show. People were lined up all four days to create a make-n-take using all three products. Click here to view instructions for her fantastic new Documented Envelope Book Kit. Click here to see Teresa's new line of die-cut of papers
Tip: To create a base for the folder so it will accommodate tags, recipes, notes or dimensional memorabilia, score two parallel lines and two folds (like an office folder). The distance between the score lines is determined by the thickness of what you want to place inside the folder. For a folder-style card or folders in which you're planning to tuck a single item, only one scored fold is needed.
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