Hello all and Happy Day Before InterNational Scrapbook Day! Today I'm sharing a layout I created with a new digital cut file I created especially for
Creative Scrappers called Butterfly Frenzy. Creative Scrappers is a fabulous scrapbook sketch and inspiration site founded and coordinated by
Kristine Davidson. I have been a fan of her sketches for a long time and I was even a sketch designer for her design team in the past. I recently learned that she was starting her site back up and I'm really looking forward to all the great sketches and inspiration that will be coming in the very near future. To help Creative Scrappers celebrate InterNational Scrapbook Day, I created the Butterfly Frenzy Digital Cut File. Below you will find a link to download the file for free.
Now, read on for a tutorial on backing die cuts with patterned paper using the Butterfly Frenzy cut file.
As you can see, I backed some of the butterflies with a variety of patterned papers. I love this look and it's a great way to dig into your paper stash.
Backing Die Cuts Tutorial
First cut the Butterfly Frenzy image from your desired piece of paper. Remove it from the cutting mat and lay to the side. I used simple white cardstock. Now it's time to have some fun and decide which papers to use to fill the openings.
I don't know about you, but I'm a very visual person, so it really helps for me to see what I'm thinking about doing before I cut into my papers. To help me decide which papers to use, I used the following technique:
1. Open the Butterfly Frenzy Cut File in the Silhouette software.
2. Right click on the image and select Release Compound Path.
(You will notice a couple of sections that are filled that that you might not want filled in. These won't impact the final cut design, but if you want to remove them here is what to do: Select those sections and the piece that is the background together, right click and then select Make Compound Path. Some of the butterflies may disappear, but they are just behind this piece. Select the image you just made, right click and select Move to Back and all the butterflies will reappear.)
3. Open the Fill Color Window or the Fill Pattern Window.
4. Select each butterfly and fill it with a color or pattern similar to the papers you are thinking about using.
Feel free to play around with the colors and patterns until you like the position of them. I used patterns and color similar to ones I thought I wanted to use that are from Elle's Studio Little Moments collection.
5. Once you are happy with the colors/patterns and their positions, group each of the colors/patterns together. Move one group of colors onto the Silhouette cutting area. Place the other groups off of the cutting area.
6. Select the group, right click and select Offset from the drop down menu. The Offset Window will open.
7. With the objects still selected, click on Offset. Set the distance to 0.1 Round. Click on Apply.
8. Select the images and their offset, right click and select Weld. This will make each butterfly just slight larger and the perfect size for backing each of the openings.
9. Send the images through the Silhouette and cut them out of your desired paper.
10. Repeat steps 6 - 9 with each group of colors/patterns.
This is the back side of the cut file with the offset images in place. As you can see, the offset images perfectly fit to fill the openings. I know a lot of people hand cut their papers to fill the openings, but to me, this process is much faster and easier.
Here is a view of the cut file from the front. I really do love how the butterflies look filled with the different papers. I even decided to leave some of the butterflies empty and let the background paper show through.
This free cut file can be used with a variety of electronic digital cutting machines to create a full range of projects, including cards, home decor, scrapbook pages and more. The only limit to what you can create using this cut file is your own imagination. This digital file is available in SVG, PNG, DXF and Studio formats and you may download this digital cut file for your own personal use. If you have questions, concerns or comments about my free cut files, please feel free to leave me a message in the comment section or contact me on Facebook.
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Happy Eve of International Scrapbook Day! I hope you'll stop back by tomorrow for another fabulous digital cut file created just for you.
Silhouette Supplies:
Where available I use affiliate links on the products I purchase and use. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This allows me to continue creating and sharing my digital cut files with you for free. Thanks so much for your support!
