Tearing

1. For rougher edges lay the piece you wish to keep down and pull the piece you wish to tear off up towards you. In many cases this will create a white edge but not always with card stock. For smoother edges or so there is no white edge hold the piece you want to discard down and pull the piece you want to keep up towards you.
2. To help create a straighter tear you may place the paper you are tearing under the clear carriage arm of your trimmer or you may hold a ruler down along the edge to be torn. When tearing a shape you may draw the shape lightly with pencil and then tear along the pencil mark (kind of). Often people will chalk and/or curl these torn edges. To curl just roll it up with your fingers. The worse the job, the worse the edge looks, the better it is. It's sort of like buying bleached out, torn up, brand new expensive designer jeans only you ruin the paper yourself and it is way cheaper.