Twitterpated Workshop Cutting Instructions for Layouts #1 - #3

First let me tell you how I work. I'll give you the first cut of the 12 x 12 paper and from there, we'll turn the paper 1/4 turn - "like a hamburger" (flat and wide, like it would be when you take a bite out of it) - or we'll leave it as it is - "like a hot dog" (long and skinny across your trimmer blade, like it would be when you take a bite out of it!) Yeah, I know. Just go with it - it really does help to get the bearings!

So, lets get this started. We'll also be labeling every piece of paper with the layout number and an L or R for the left or right sides of the layout.

Start with the green print paper. Make a 4-inch cut across the length of the paper and discard that piece. Take the larger piece that is left and turn it like a hamburger. Make an 8-inch cut, creating an 8 x 8 square and label it 1L. Label the other piece (4 x 8) 1R.

Take your other green print paper. Make a 3-inch cut. Turn the 3-inch piece like a hamburger and make a 9 inch cut, creating a 3 x 9 piece. Label it 3L. Take the 3 x 3 square that is leftover and cut off 1/2 inch off of one side, making a 3 x 2 1/2 piece. Label it 3R. Take the large sheet that is left and turn it like a hamburger. Make an 8 inch cut. Discard the 4-inch leftover. Turn the 8 inch piece like a hamburger and make a 6 inch cut, creating an 8 x 6 piece. Label it 3L. Take the 3 inch piece that is left and turn it like a hamburger. Cut off 1 inch, creating a 7 x 3 piece. Label it 3R.

Take out 1 piece of brown cardstock. Make a 5 inch cut. Turn the 5 inches like a hamburger and make another 5 inch cut. Label the 5-inch square 2L. Label the 5 x 7 piece 2R. Turn the leftover cardstock like a hamburger. Make a 1-inch cut. Make another 1-inch cut. Discard the rest. Take the first 1-inch cut and turn it like a hamburger. Cut it to 5 1/2 inches and label it 2R. Cut the other strip (like a hamburger) to 3 1/2 inches and label it 2L.

Take 1 piece of the plaid paper and cut it down the middle making 2 pieces that are 6 x 12. Label 1 of these 2L and the other 2R.

Take 1 piece of the polka dot paper and make a 2 inch cut. Label it 2L. Keeping it like a hotdog, make a 1-inch cut (1 x 12) and label it 2R. Turn the leftover like a hamburger. In order to make your final layout (the one from the brochure) we have to use this paper sparingly. So this time we're going to cut a specific piece rather than just cutting all the way across. With your paper sitting like a hamburger, you're going to make a 2 inch cut, but only cut it 4 inches long. We're creating a 2 x 4 piece, so once you've made the 2 inch cut, turn your paper so that you can finish it off with the 4 inch cut. If you can't figure out how to do this (and believe me, I KNOW how complicated this can be!) just measure a 2 x 4 inch piece with a ruler and cut it with scissors. Label it 2R.

Get out your stripe paper. You can make your own choices with this paper. I used 4 1-inch strips for these layouts. Two of the strips went across the lines (where the lines make a short design across the 1-inch width of the strip) and two of them were long lines going the 12-inch length of the strip. The ones that were long-ways were necessary to give a ribbon effect, but if you want to save paper and like the look it gives, you can make them all like that. I'll give you the directions on how I did it, though. First, you're going to make a 1-inch cut, going with the stripe (so that they run the length of your trimmer) on the side of the paper that DOESN'T have the blue edge to it. Label it 1R. Turn your paper 1/2 way around so that the lines still run the length of your trimmer, but your cut WILL have the blue edge to it. First, cut the blue edge off! (About a 1/4 inch cut) Now make another 1-inch cut the length of your paper. The two cuts should be VERY similar! Label the second one 1L. At this point you can make two more 1-inch cuts (with your paper like a hotdog) down the length of the stripes for our 3rd layout. OR you can change to the other striped paper. I like the look of the short stripes running the 1-inch width of the paper better than the long ones, so I switched to the other paper. Make a 1-inch cut ACROSS the lines (with lines of "latitude" going from left to right on your paper cutter) and then do it again, the same way. The strips should be almost identical. Label the first 3R and the second 3L.

Take one piece of the acorn paper. Turn it in your trimmer so that you'll be cutting ACROSS the lines (with lines of "latitude" going from left to right on your paper cutter) and make a 4-inch cut. Turn this piece like a hamburger and make another 4-inch cut. Discard the 4 x 4 square and label the 4 x 3 piece 1L. Take the large piece you have left and turn it like a hamburger, making another 4-inch cut. (This time the lines should go the length of the paper) Label that 4 x 8 piece 1R and discard the rest.

Take the tree trunk paper. The first cut will be across the bottom of the tree trunks, so again the paper needs to go into your trimmer with lines of latitude, the tree trunks running across the cutter from left to right. Make a 1-inch cut and lable it 2R. Make another 1-inch cut. Turn this piece like a hamburger and cut it to 9 inches, making a 1 x 9 strip. Label it 2L. Take the left over and turn it like a hamburger. Make a 4-inch cut and turn that like a hamburger again. Make another 4-inch cut and label that 4 x 4 square 2R. Make another 4-inch cut. With that piece, we want to make a 4 x 3 piece, but it is mildly important that the tree trunks run from left to right across the shorter way instead of the longer way. You will need to cut 1-inch off of 1 side, but you'll have to figure out which way to do that, getting the trees sideways across the 3 inch width. Label that piece 2L and discard the rest.

Take out the other piece of the tree paper. This time, with the trunks going longways, parallel to the blade of your trimmer, make an 8 inch cut. Turn the cut portion like a hamburger and make a 10 1/2 inch cut, creating a large piece that is 10 1/2 x 8 with the tree trunks running longways across the cut. Label that paper 3R. Discard the 1 1/2 inch piece. Turn the leftover piece (4 x 12) like a hamburger and make a 4 1/2 cut, creating a 4 x 4 1/2 piece. Label it 3L. Still with the leftover like a hamburger, make a 3 inch cut. Turn it like a hamburger and cut it to 3 inches again, creating a 3 x 3 square. Label it 3L and discard all the rest.

You'll use some of the leftover paper on the layout in your brochure along with 2 of the pieces of Colonial White as base pages, so don't throw anything away. For my extra layouts, you'll use the 2 Sweet Leaf card stocks for the base of #1, the other 2 Colonial White card stocks for the bases of #2 and the Sorbet card stocks for the bases of #3.