? for those who use brads and/or nails

[hilltopfamily]

Lately you posters have "tempted" me and I keep going to my LSS eyeing the eyelets. Then yesterday I saw brads and nails there hanging on the wall next to the eyelets! Didn't know about these before, so here's my question (I'm embarassed to ask! ) Do you use a hole punch and then insert the brad, then just spread apart the back of the brad? And do you use the same hole punch you would use if you had the eyelet setting tool kit? Does the same go for nails? (BTW: I think "nail" is a confusing name for them, since they look nothing like nails!)

Next question....what about the look you've now created on the back of that page? I mean, flip it over and you're looking at holes and spread apart brads or eyelets, aren't you? Do you just cover over that with paper and no one knows the difference? I can't see what else you'd do, so that must be the answer?! Thanks guys for any input on these.

 

[cobbler]

I use brads and I bought a paper piercer. Its a small tool that you can poke a hole in the paper with to put your brad in without ripping the paper. I guess you can use a small paper punch too.

As for the backside, I don't have any issues with that myself as I usually add brads to like borders that are going on the page. For example I have a border along the side of the page and then I add a brad to the top and/or bottom. Or I have a border on the page and I use circles to decorate the border and add brads to the circles to look as if they are adheared to the border. Hope that makes sense.

 

[Spinning]

I have a very high end model for paper piercing. Cost me a mint, blew my scapping budget right out of the water
I use a push pin/tack. So far it is has worked fine for all of my brads, But I mainly use the small ones. I sometimes have to punch few times.!

 

[justjulie]

I second the push pin technique!

 

[hilltopfamily]

"AHA" she says, smacking her forehead with her right hand~!!!

Now why didn't I think of using these costly brad-setting-hole-punching tools before!!!!??? And ooooooh, NOW I get it....you're decorating or embellishing the decorative paper that you're ADDING to the page, not to the actual white page that comes in the book. Yikes, I feel really silly. Thanks for setting me straight guys. Feel free to keep the good ole common sense suggestions coming my way. Definitely appreciate it here! (perhaps I'd better keep from operating any heavy machinery til my head clears a bit!)

 

[kaygela]

Sometimes, when I'm really lazy, I use the point of the brad itself to make the hole. Hush, don't tell anyone.

 

[clh2]

I'm a stamper...not a scrapper...but if you don't mind a comment or two - I love using brads. I just make a tiny slit with an exacto knife. And, I find the exacto knife useful in helping to separate the prongs enough that I can use my fingers. Hope that makes sense!

 

[hilltopfamily]

Continued thanks, guys! And yes, the explainations make perfect sense to me! I have a Coluzzle knife.....wonder if that would work the same way? I'll have to give it a try. It may be to "wobbly" but I'll give it a go, once I buy some brads. Thanks to you guys explaining how to use the brads, it looks to me as if I can use them for less of an initial financial output than if I decide to use eyelets. Looks like with the eyelets I need, at the very least, the punch, the setter, the hammer, and a mat to do all the banging on. And maybe a set of tweezers. Whether I get them individually or in a set, it is still going to cost a minimum of $20-$30 to get that stuff before I ever buy an eyelet. But with the brads, I don't need that stuff, right?! (sounds pretty cheap of me, doesn't it!) Thanks for the input!

 

[Spinning]

Must say I love my eyeles! Worth every penny! I have used the punch for all kind of things! You know when you need a hole but can't find a hole punch!

 

[4greatboys]

I use a sewing needle to make my holes and in a pinch you can use your scissors to make a hole for the brad.