That friend who told me to use a ruler instead of a stencil for my monthly spread was actually right

I spent a year fighting wonky lines from cheap stencils because I thought a ruler would look too plain. After she handed me her own journal with this clean, custom box borders I had to admit my spreads looked messy. Now I wonder if I wasted a year fighting the obvious fix how many of you just use a ruler straight from the beginning?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel51123h ago

I've been using a cheap 6 inch ruler from the dollar store for about two years now, and I never bothered with stencils at all. The one thing I will say is that not all rulers are created equal. Have you found that the clear plastic ones are better for seeing your guide marks underneath, or do you prefer a metal edge for cutting? I'm genuinely curious because I've gone through three plastic ones that cracked at the end after a few months of use.

abby_king2219h ago

Three cracked plastic rulers in a row is basically a rite of passage at this point. I swear the dollar store ones are made of the same stuff as those cheap sunglasses that snap in half the first time you sit on them. I got tired of that game and finally bought a metal ruler with a cork backing so it doesn't slide around. Sure, you can't see through it, but I just mark my cut line with a pencil first and line up the edge. Plus, it doubles as a weapon if anyone at the craft store tries to grab the last roll of washi tape.