Get perfectly straight and centered scrapbook letters

When I work on scrapbook pages, I usually add the photos, some memorabilia, then the embellishments. The finishing touch is often a title made up of individual letter stickers. Those stickers are always the trickiest part, because they are usually not re-positionable, so you only get one shot at getting them exactly right. There is nothing more frustrating then ruining your otherwise perfect layout by messing up your title because you misjudged the spacing or put the letters down in a crooked line. My sister, in particular, always has trouble with this, so I came up with a technique for her to use to get perfectly lined up titles every time.

All you need to do this technique is a simple ruler! You can use any metal or plastic ruler that you already have, but I like to use a clear acrylic ruler, which allows me to see through the ruler to my project underneath. (These wide, clear rulers are also incredibly useful for all sorts of crafting projects.)

To start, take the first letter sticker, peel it from its backing paper, and stick the very tip of the bottom edge of it onto the ruler. Then take the second letter sticker and put it right next to the first on the ruler. Continue with the remaining stickers, taking care to put equal spacing between each of them and getting them lined up as well as you can (Fig 1). You’ll find that because you are only sticking a tiny portion of the letter to the ruler, you can easily remove it and reposition it if you need (especially on an acrylic ruler).

When all the letters are on the ruler, hold the ruler just above your layout and move it back and forth and up and down until you get the title centered exactly where you want it (Fig 2). Set the ruler down and use your finger to press the top of each sticker down in place on the paper (Fig 3). When all the stickers are secure, remove the ruler (Fig 4) and press the bottoms of the stickers in place with your finger. Voila! The title is just where you wanted it! (Fig 5)

I did initially develop this technique for my sister, but I find that I use it all the time. It has saved so many layout titles from certain disaster!