Welcome to It's Hip to Be Square Day 7: Cricut Cuts

Welcome to Day 7 of It's Hip to Be Square! Today is the last day of this series and I'm kind of sad to see it come to an end. I've gotten so much positive feedback and I'm so happy to know that it has given you new ideas.

My guest today is my friend, Alicia Giess. Not only is Alicia one of the sweetest and caring people I know, but she is one talented scrapper too! Her cut work is extraordinary, as is her photography. Of course it doesn't hurt that she has four gorgeous kids to photograph. :) Alicia currently designs for My Creative Scrapbook and Creative Imaginations and is a contributing artist for Scrapbook.com and Scrapjazz.com.

Let's take a look at the layout Alicia is sharing with us today. She created everything on this page entirely from the 6x6 paper pad that is part of Creative Imaginations Oceanside collection!

Alicia put her Cricut to use by cutting 5" circles from 6x6 papers and using them behind her photo. The scalloped edging you see around the page and the palm leaves are also Cricut cuts made from the same paper pad. Alicia hand cut the remaining embellishments — the seashells, starfish and butterflies — from 6x6 papers in the collection as well. Isn't it amazing how you can create such beautiful layering with a variety of cuts? I think so!

You can see more of Alicia's gorgeous work on her blog, Inspired and Blessed.

Now it's time to recap the different ideas we've seen over the past week. What can you do with 6x6 paper pads?

1. Make a banner using a 6x6 chipboard album as a base.
2. Create custom blocked backgrounds for a layout (or card) using either machine stitching or washi tape to cover the seams.
3. Punch shapes to use as embellishments.
4. Use a 6x6 piece of paper as the back drop for a large or long title, quote, etc.
5. Tuck a tag into a pocket created with two small strips of 6x6 paper.
6. Layer 6x6 papers on 8 1/2 x 11 pages.
7. Emboss the edges of 6x6 papers.
8. Create a grid design by cutting the papers down a bit and adhering to a cardstock base.
9. Make an easy photo corner.
10. Use as a photo mat.
11. Make a variety of cuts using a Cricut (or other die cutting machine) and then layer them for dimension and interest.

But you know what? That's not all...

12. What if you folded a 6x6 paper in half and created a pocket or file folder of sorts (you could even use a full sheet if you needed a larger pocket). The edges could be machine stitched, hand stitched, sealed with washi, etc. It could hold additional photos, memorabilia, artwork, etc. The possibilities are endless!
13. The rest is up to you...:)

So there you have it, seven guest artists sharing a week's worth of inspiring projects and more than 10 ways to use your paper pads. Are you ready to USE your 6x6 paper pads and not just hoard them? :) If you create something based on any of the ideas you saw in this series, I'd love to see! Drop me a line or send me a link through the "Contact Me" tab on my home page. In the meantime, I've created a tab on my home page that links to all of the posts from this series. Nice to have it all in one place, don't you think?

I will close out this series with a big, huge thank you to all of my guests over the past week. I couldn't have done this without you. :)

Remember I mentioned on Day 1 that there would be a prize involved at the end of the week? One lucky reader will receive a box of goodies from me. :) I will be using a random number generator to choose a winner from all of the comments left during this series. The more posts you comment on, the greater your chance of being chosen. I will choose the winner on Sunday, 10/28 at 12:00 p.m. EST. :)