Cricut Tip - Paper is Curling Up

Have you ever pulled cardstock off of a REALLY sticky Cricut mat to have it curl up on you?  Below is a photo of some cardstock I used for a recent project, and you can see how the portion that I peeled off of the mat has a curve in it now.

Yes, I can place it between some heavy books and get it to lay flat again at some point, but I also found something out . . . it is all about how you remove things that causes that curve/curling to happen.  

Most of us would use our spatula to pull up the excess paper, as shown in the photo below, and peel that away leaving the image we cut on the mat.

I found out recently that this is not the best way to remove the cardstock when that mat is SUPER sticky.

The BETTER way is to peel back the mat.

Below is a photo of two pieces where I peeled back the mat instead of the cardstock . . . see how the remaining cardstock is still nice and flat!  If you are making very large cuts it is also better to peel the mat away so that your cuts do not curl up. 

I plan to do another post about this showing the exact same cuts side by side, but peel the cardstock back on one and peel the mat back on the other.  I think that will really show the difference in the technique.

Keep following me and join my Teach Me Cricut Design Space group on Facebook!

Thanks!
Shawn's Teach me Cricut Design Space Group
Crafty Chic's Blog on Facebook //  YouTube  // Instagram  //  Crafting Pixie