Medina Ice Festival
Designing with the Circle Center Frame Die
A quick and simple layout with the 3×3 Circle Center Frame Die that frame some highlights from our adventure on a freezing cold afternoon to the Medina Ice Festival.
With this pinwheel pattern #197, also a mostly squares pattern, I’ve focused in on the 3×3 spots to feature this die. We also have dies in this series that are 2×2 and 4×4 and also could be incorporated in this pattern.
The use of color with the die cuts provides a design element to frame the center photo of each square and is carried around in a circle from dark to light in each of the 3×3 spots.
I’ve chosen to use only the center portion of the photos and replace the outside sections with color cardstock pieces. The 3×3 Circle Center Frame Die made cutting the portion of the photo I wanted to use quick and easy and fits into the spot nicely.
I’ve begun with a Medium Spring Green Grid paper and added shades of aqua die pieces. It’s a nice combo reflecting the day, an emerging spring green with the frosty event.
A dark teal cardstock acts as base to the center photo; the surrounding 3×3’s are cut in the medium aqua with half of the pieces remaining in the die cut. I’ve used a lighter aqua to fill the other two sections. The medium aqua mats the 2×2 squares and the outside 1×2’s are in the lighter aqua.
TIP: I used the 4×6 1” grid die to cut my photos for each of the corners in the layout. I began by cropping my image to the size I needed for the page, 2”x3”. I then used the contact sheet setting with 2 columns and 2 rows to print all four on one 4”x 6” photo. Then using the die, all photos are cut to the 1” sections I need. Quick, easy, precise!
The Grid Cut Die 2.125” x 2.125” that cuts 6 squares at a time gives me the mats for the 2×2 squares in the pattern and a few extra. The 1”x 2.125” strip die can be used to cut what you need for the 1×2 sections.
The bitter cold of the day kept our visit a bit shorter than I intended and there was a lot we did not see, but there were many ice carvings that the kids enjoyed seeing as well as some of the tools the artists used to create their carvings. Putting some of their favorites together on this page will help them remember what they saw and maybe not how cold they were!
The 3×3 makes a nice overlay for your whole photo or to focus on one particular section of a photo. Add color, add texture and see how many ways you can use the 3×3 Circle Center Frame Die on your layouts!
Andrea Fisher