Tutorial: Custom Paper Cuts for Silhouette Cameo

I’ve shared several product ideas for Silhouette Cameo and Cricut small businesses: Paper portraits, wood grain ornaments, tooth fairy dishes, and more. Today, let’s look at another one: paper cuts. You can think of paper cuts as a paper collage of shapes. I love paper cuts because the supply costs are low and the results can be stunning. I’m giving you a step-by-step to create custom paper cuts below.

Supplies

• 2 sheets of cardstock – any color. You’ll need one to cut and one for a background.
• Shadow box frame – any size. I picked up one on Amazon, but your local craft store and IKEA have cheap shadow boxes.
• Commercial use clipart pack (Optional – you can draw your own if you’d like, or purchase from the Silhouette Design Store.)

Custom Paper Cut Tutorial (Silhouette Version)

1. In Silhouette Studio, draw a square (or whatever shape your frame is) the same size as your frame. 
2. Using the Offset tool, do an internal offset to make your square into a frame. The size of your offset will vary depending on the size of your frame. 
3. Select both squares and divide them so that you are left with a frame. (“Modify”, then “Divide”.) Delete the inner solid square. 
4. Next, open a graphic from your clip art pack (“File”, “Open”). I’m using an Autumn commercial use download I picked up on Creative Market a few weeks ago for free. 
5. Using the trace tool, trace the clipart. (Go to “Object”, then “Trace”.) 
6. Copy and paste your traced clipart into your frame. You’ll want to make sure that it overlaps your frame slightly. 
7. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to fill in your frame completely. Be sure to overlap each shape onto all the shapes beside it. 
8. Once your frame is completely filled, select everything (“Edit”, then “Select All”) and weld it (Right click, then “Weld”). Your shapes will become one piece. 
9. Cut your design on cardstock.
10. Cut a square the same size as your frame to use as a background and frame it. My finished paper cut is below.

Tips and Tricks for Paper Cuts

• Use a worn mat that isn’t too sticky. Overly sticky mats will make the paper cut hard to remove.
• Remember to peel away the mat from paper, not the paper from the mat. This will prevent any paper curling.
• I used spray adhesive to mount my paper cut on the background.
• The possibilities are endless with paper cuts! You could make custom ones for birth or wedding announcements or gifts, add vinyl to the outside of the frame, or use specialty cardstock.

Interested in doing this with a Cricut in Design Space? Check back tomorrow for the step-by-step tutorial and see the baby themed paper cut I created.

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