Love Corner Flourish

Here is the little design you saw sitting on the scalloped square page in my post a couple of days ago (here is a LINK to that post).



I made this a long time ago and discovered it as I was trying to "clean up" my folders of .cut files. I have a habit of doing a "save as" at various stages as I design something complicated in case the file suddenly corrupts (so I don't lose all my work) and, once the files are completed, I should be deleting these backup files. However, I usually get interested in the next project or idea and end up just leave them all sitting around - so every so often I spend some time reorganizing the "projects" folder and find little things that have been overlooked!



I designed this as a corner ornament for a scrapbook page - I did a few test cuts in both red and pink which you can see in the photos above and below. It is interesting to see how various color combinations can give a very different "feel" to the design.



I haven't used my Cricut markers for ages so I decided to get them out and use the red to outline this cut on pink. I usually do the cut first and then, without removing the mat from the machine, take out the blade housing, put in the marker and repeat the cut. If you use the marker first, be sure to let the ink dry a bit before you cut so the paper does not tear.

Below you can see the design on the mat after cutting and drawing with the marker.



You can actually use the markers to simply draw on your paper and skip the cutting - this creates interesting custom papers for your layouts or cards. I this case, I positioned the design in the upper portion of the mat so it could be cut with the baby bug and I would need to move it lower on the page to use it as a corner drawing.



Above you can see the cut after it was removed from the mat - it will fit on a 5 x 7 card if you tilt it into a "V" shape. The markers add a nice outline around the entire design, giving it better definition and a bit of dimension. Below you can see the comparison between a plain cut and a cut with the markers used as a second step.



Designs like this can be difficult to shadow in Design Studio if each element does not have a shadow option on the cartridge. One way to get around this is with a "faux" shadow. Cut the design twice in two different colors and then layer the two cuts, offsetting them a bit. The shadow this produces is not an outline shadow but more like the shadow from a light source and can be quite effective as you can see in the photo below.



I haven't actually finished the cards or layout but have simply taken photos so you can see the relative size of the cuts. I'd love to see a finished project you make using this design.

Love Corner Flourish

Alligator frame (more about the markers and frames)

Since I was not entirely happy with the results on the blue baby frame I decided to try the markers again but to do the outside of the frame as well - thinking that this might make the thick lines that fall with in the frame bars and are not cut less noticeable.

I had designed this little frame for our Florida vacation photos (there were alligators there - something we don't have up North!). So, I did the same thing that I did on the baby frame (see last post) - copying and pasting the interior elements on to a separate mat and "unchecking" the weld box.

First I used the original mat and the marker - the result looked like this (still in the machine).



Then I went to the second page - the mat with just the four alligators - and used the markers again, returning the mat to the "load paper" position to be sure the lines would be in exactly the same place.



Finally, I returned the mat to the "load paper" position again, removed the marker, inserted the blade and cut the first page of the design.

My first attempt at this did not include outlining the frame and it looked like this on the mat after cutting.



The little kitchen scraper was very handy again in removing this from the mat - just started with a new mat and it is sticky! Also this frame has only a few small "connectors" so it is a bit harder to remove.



Here is the first version with markers only on the alligators - something looks "off" to my eye.



Here is the "full marker" version.



And here are both versions side by side - I vote for the markers all around the frame if you use markers - I think the look is neater and helps distract from the thickness of the element lines that cross into the frame bars. Of course this might not be the most attractive example since the alligators mouth full of teeth turns totally black from all the marker work!



Alligator frame (with page for adding markers)

I think each design just takes some experimenting to get the best look. Have fun with this - if you do an alligator layout or card using this frame I'd love to see it!