A very versatile design tool

I have a tendency to like things to be symmetrical and often do scrapbook layouts in a grid style. I have used paper squares as "fillers" but got to thinking that I could make decorative "blocks" to fill in my layouts according to season, mood, message, etc. So, off to my trusty Design Studio software to try a system for making these.

Thanks to the talented Cricut message board members who figured out early on how to weld items within a frame - and having become an expert at "burping" my designs, I developed a grid with four 4x4 inch square, four 2x4 inch rectangles and one 2 inch square. Then I tried filling them with items that I could imagine using for layouts and cards. This is a fun project to work on while watching TV - once you get into the rhythm of adding in the center and deleting and then adding back one side of the block you can do lots of these. I made my grid and then I can do a "save as" to start a new group of blocks. I put them at a small distance from each other so I could use blocks of different colors for the items as I wanted them.

I tried first without markers in a dark orange ( at the top of this post) and then went back and did more in a lighter orange with the markers. The results are nice both ways but, in most cases, I think I prefer the marker outline - it makes the designs pop. Here is an example with the marker outlines - here they are on the mat:



and here you can see them on a light background:



If you cut a full sheet of 12 x 12 paper you will have a frame left when you take these off the mat.


Placing this on a black page and adding back the first elements I cut gives this result - but what about your photos?



Remove some elements in any combination leaving some space for your photos and journaling.



This idea can be adapted for various photos sizes. You can also lay out your photos without the full grid and use these as page titles or to even out your designs.

Grid Fillers - Autumn