Cuttlebug Tutorial –“Negative” Space Mini Medallion (Part 2 of 3)

(Note: Click on an image for a larger view)

I hope you liked my tutorial on the Filigree Medallion created with Cuttlebug®’s Vintage die set. I also hope you took my suggestion to save the larger cutout pieces because, as promised, I am going to show you how you can put those normally discarded pieces to creative use. Using those scraps, you will be able to create a simple motif that can be used as the basis for many others. By the end of this tutorial, you will agree that negative spaces can be positively beautiful.

The scroll corner used in the filigree medallion has a cutout that looks like two canes attached head to head (“double cane”). For the purpose of identification, I will refer to the two parts of the double cane as swirl and tail. This simple piece can be combined in so many ways that you can spend hours just contemplating the possibilities. In this tutorial we will create a mini medallion (four of them pictured above) that can be used in a variety of papercraft projects.

Materials list:
• “Vintage” 2 x 2 Cuttlebug® die set; (37-1201), scroll corner die;
• “Squares” 2 x 2 Cuttlebug® die set (37-1216, largest square) or a piece of cardstock 1 ½ inches square;
• Cuttlebug® or any other die cutting/embossing machine that accepts CB dies;
• Pencil and a soft eraser;
• Spray adhesive.

1. Punch out four of the scroll corners. Remove and save the large “double cane” cutout from each corner and set the rest aside for later use. (If you saved your pieces from the last tutorial, skip to Step 2.)

2. Punch out one 1-½ inch square with the Squares die set. If you don’t have this set, simply cut out a 1-½ inch cardstock square in a contrasting color to the double cane pieces.

3. Very lightly mark the center of each side of the square.

4. Position one double cane piece diagonally on the square, placing the tip of one tail on the center mark on one side and the other tip on the adjacent center mark. Make sure the swirls are facing the center of the square. Repeat this positioning for the remaining sides. When correctly positioned, the four double canes form four heart shapes in the center of the square. Refer to the photo above.

5. When you are satisfied with the positioning, glue the pieces down using the spray adhesive. These pieces are so slender and delicate that most other adhesives are liable to leave telltale residue. If the pencil marks are still visible, lightly erase them out with the soft eraser.

Ta-da! You’re done! You have just created a “mini medallion” using the negative spaces from the Scroll Corner die. Now it’s time to show off your creativity. Send me a picture of what you have created using what you have learned in these last two tutorials. I will create a photo album of all the entries and let you all see them.

In the next tutorial, I will show you some die cut combinations using the Vintage die set that I guarantee will blow your socks off. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Click here to go to Part I of this tutorial series.
Click here to go to Part III.

Did you like this tutorial? Please leave a comment and send me some feedback. I’d love to hear from you.

(Cuttlebug is a registered trademark of Provo Craft and Novelty, Inc. All rights reserved.)
(The individual dies in the Vintage set were given names to facilitate identification. See the Filigree Medallion tutorial for more information.)

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva