Make your own Simple Shape in 7 Steps

Long before I started using cutting machines, I was a stamper. Even though I don't stamp much anymore, I still like to collect rubber stamps, especially those by Ali Edwards. Today's project is inspired by her story cards and by LD's 2012 Simple Shapes.

I don't make a lot of projects with intricate cuts so I wasn't confident that what I had in mind would work. The word is only about 1.35" tall. The Cameo didn't disappoint and I was THRILLED when it cut the design out beautifully. Sadly, the letters ripped as I was removing the cutout from the mat. *sob*  I tried again using a used eClips mat and this time I managed to remove the card with no incident. Success!

By playing around with the Cut Style and cut lines, I realized that I could make the design into a "Simple Shape". I replaced the cutting blade with my white gel pen and pen holder to draw a frame for the main design. Just like how I used the LD bonus pen-layer for their 2012 Simple Shapes.

Making this "Simple Shape" is actually pretty straight-forward. For those of you who are interested in making this card, here's a step-by-step:

1. Using the DB What-Nots and Notes doodlebat *, type the letter "N". Right-click and Release Compound Path. Delete away everything except the freehand rectangle

2. Make a 0.12" offset of the rectangle, select both shapes and Make Compound Path.

3. Using LD Cotton Candy, type "lhello" **. Weld.

4. Draw and rotate a rectangle and place over "hello"

5. With both the text and the rectangle selected, use Object>Modify>Crop.

6. Position the word over the freehand rectangles and Weld.

7. The design is done and ready to be cut out!


* A doodlebat is LD's version of a dingbat. Just use it as you would a font.

** Instead of typing "hello", adding a "l" would extend the tail of the "h"thus making it easier to position and weld to the freehand rectangles.

To use the design to make today's card, just place it over a 5.5" x 8.5" rectangle (card base) and cut/draw. You have to right-click and Release Compound Path before you are able to set the Cut Style. Use the Cut Style to set whichever layer to be cut out or drawn. It'll be just like when you use the LD Simple Shapes, i.e. set the draw lines to "cut" (draw) when using a pen and pen holder in the cutter, or set the cut lines to cut when cutting with the cutting blade. DO NOT unload the cutting mat when you are switching out the blade for the pen so as not to mess up the position of the cut lines.

This is an easy tutorial and I hope that you will give it a try. Let me know what you think and as always, feel free to post your work on my Facebook wall.
 

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Files used:
 DB What-Nots and Notes
 LD Cotton Candy