Easel Card Place Settings and My Observations~

One protoytpe down, 19 to go~

It's time to make the place settings for Thanksgiving this year. I thought mini easel cards would be fun and embarked on the prototype this morning. I used the OCL Nuts for You set for the Happy Thanksgiving sentiment as well as for the 2 leaves. Names are generated on the computer and then punched out with an oval punch and are matted on a larger oval. The other shapes are Nestibilites Dies in scallop circle and circle shapes. I'll use assorted stops - rhinestone brads, buttons, and jumbo brads - as well as various ribbons to bring a bit of variety to each one. Don't tell anyone but the patterned papers I am using are from a Halloween collection by My Mind's Eye! The colors work perfectly for fall. Gina K's Pumpkin Spice, Fresh Asparagus, and Neenah Natural White round out the cardstock choices. Memento Bamboo Leaves, Potter's Clay and Versafine Vintage Sepia are the inks used.

If you'd like to create a smaller easel card just remember this simple rule, the base needs to be double the size of the easel panel. For this place setting, the base is 2-3/4" x 5-1/2" and is scored at 1-3/8ths and 2-3/4". The easel panel is 2-3/4" square.

Speaking of scoring, there is a new board on the beach. There's much talk on various paper crafting forums about a new scoring board out on the market, it's produced by EK Success for the Martha Stewart line. I did purchase one to compare it to the Scor-pal, my scoring tool of choice. I'm not sure of its availability in stores; Michaels is where I found the one I bought to make my comparison.

Features:

• Molded plastic form, off white Martha signature color
  
• 1/8" score lines across the bed of the board
• A top fence and left fence with screen printed numbers and lines
  
• Hinged door at the top to house the companion scoring tool; inside of the lid is a quick reference guide for cards and boxes
• Envelope guide with storage on the backside

My observations:

• Low price, especially when combined with a coupon
• Lightweight
• Score channels are shallow due to their proximity to each other
• Score tool is skinny and uncomfortable to use, reminds me of scoring with a plastic knife
• Score tool already wearing down after trial use
• Tool, for the most part, stays in the track for light and medium weight cardstock, the same can't be said for thick (Gina K) paper, the tool has a hard time finding and staying in the track.
• Tool jumps tracks on many paper types if pulling the tool fast (as accustomed to with the Scor-Pal)
  
• Directions for cards/boxes that are inside the hinged lid are cumbersome to read due to lid angle and small font
  
• Horizontal ruler is accurate, vertical ruler is not.
• Envelope guide creates envelopes that are larger than industry standard for those sizes. And in one instance, top and bottom flaps exceed the heighth of the envelope, so it will need to be trimmed after initial scores and cuts, eliminating the desired pointed flaps.
• The screen painted number 2 on the envelope guide is already rubbing off from sliding in/out of the backside holder
• As a righty, I am accustomed to using the right fence on the Scor-Pal for those smaller scores that are less than 1.5" This board has no right fence to secure the paper.

Happy Monday!
V.~