A Cut Above Design Team Reveal for August

 Welcome back to my creative corner. This month, I’m excited to share my latest layout for A Cut Above Blog Challenge. If you’re not familiar with this fantastic blog, it celebrates the art with a special emphasis on die cuts. Although many creations are cards, the versatility of die cuts makes them perfect for scrapbooking, journaling, junk books, and so much more. 

You can check out A Cut Above here.

For my August layout, I captured a delightful summer moment featuring Bronte, Paige, and one of their friends. While the weather didn’t quite feel like summer, that didn’t stop them from paddleboarding in the basin at Sanctuary Point and enjoying ice cream. Initially, I bought this patterned metal die cut, thinking it was a decorative border. However, I discovered it was actually a confetti die cut, which only cut out circles and dots. You can see the recess of the cut-out pattern on the paper behind my hand in the photo. By the time I realised this, I had already created most of my layout, so I had to rethink my approach.

I ended up tearing around the leftover recess of the patterned paper to separate it from the paper that didn't have any cutouts on it.  To my surprise, it looked good. I then tucked the recessed torn paper around my photos, adding interest and texture to the page. Waste not, want not, right? I used the confetti cutouts just like I would usually use enamel dots, but with the added joy of knowing it was essentially free. This allowed me to use them generously, without the usual hesitation that comes from wanting to stretch out a packet of enamel dots.

One of the great things about metal die cuts is their vast range of shapes, sizes, themes, words, and numbers, they literally come in just about everything you could want or think of. Which opens up endless creative possibilities; it does, however, create a few problems. How do you store all of them, and when are too many metal dies too many?? At a craft show a few weeks ago, I couldn’t resist purchasing a few more metal dies and one of my new dies wasthe word "Summer," which I jsut had to use in the title of my layout. In Australia, we often experience days where the sun beats down and the temperature feels like summer—even when it isn’t. This "Summer" die will definitely make frequent appearances in my future layouts.

Tip: When removing fine cutouts, like scripted words, from metal dies, using a fine pair of tweezers makes it much easier. They allow for a gentle grip and can get closer than fingers can, ensuring a clean separation.

Thank you for stopping by to check out my latest creation. I hope it inspires you to dive into your own projects and explore the wonderful world of die cuts. Happy crafting.