question about brads

**Daphne** · 03-05-2003, 01:25 PM

I am making some gift tags for some favors for a baby shower this weekend. I bought some silver heart brads. I'm not sure how to apply them to the card stock or the paper I'm using for the tags. Do I just push them through? I have tried that but it wrinkles the paper some. Do you guys have a simplier method for this? Thanks!!

**Missy** · 03-05-2003, 05:04 PM

Carolyn, you make me blush!

Daphne, yes I would use a hole punch. There are a few kinds. First is the kind everyone is familiar with. the kind that you squeese the handles of. These are great, but you are limited in where you can use them on a paper. The second kind, and my favorite kind, are the "anywhere" hole punches. Which, as the name would suggest, you can use anywhere on the page. You put the tip where you want to punch a hole, and tap the other end with a light hammer. Do this gently (even if you need to do it a few taps) but firmly. And use this hole punching method over a cutting mat, you could otherwise scar the work surface (he, he, he DH still not gotten over the mark i made on the table....) Most brads, unless they specifically say mini or mega, have legs that fit through a 1/8 sized hole punch. Which is one of the sizes of the punches that the anywhere hole punches come in.

Otherwise, if you don't have the punches you might want to concider slicing a little slit in the paper with an exacto knife to allow the legs to go through, with out having to force the legs through the paper.

Hope that helps. I am attatching a pic of what the two types of punches i mentioned look like.

(A) is what everyone is familiar with for hole punches. (B & C) Are the anywhere hole punches. They come in many sizes, two of which I have shown here. (B) is 3/16 and (C) is 3/32. I have many sizes. Where the letter (B) is is where you will generally find the sizes.