How to use basic shapes and fonts to create page layouts

Below are layouts that I have done using basic shapes and fonts. These can be achieved with any number of cricuit cartridges that have squares, circles, rectangles or stars. Tese are alot easier to do if have either design studio or sure cutz a lot so you can manipulate the shapes easily, but you can still do them with the circut machine alone. With the machine only you will just need to use the arrow keys to get other cuts into the right place. It is important to remember not to remove the paper from the mat.

 In this layout I cut 3 large circles and with two of them I cut out a D from a block font in the same position. You then glue these together with a glue stick as this gives a firmer circle, which is necessary due to the fact the circle rotates around and where the D is cut out you can see different photos as it spins around. I just used a couple of washers and a large brad in the centre so it would spin freely, I then cover the brad with paper so I could put the larger photo on top. Anything you put on this rotating circle must not get stuck down to the background page. The tags that hang over are also used to turn your circle.

Using tags, bags and boxes or from my kitchen cricuit cartridge cut out a tag that will fit behind a 7x5 photo. Remember not to stick the left side of the photo down as this is where the tag will slide in and out from. You then use one of the cricut cartridges that has stars on it, for example; plantin schoolbook, accents essentials or George and Basic shapes. I used  accents essentials .

 In the above layout you will need either design studio or sure cutz alot as you will need to weld letters to a larger square. Very simple but extremely effective. You could even do this on other shapes. to create an original border that will frame your photos.

You will have to forgive me as I can not remember which cartridge holds the film strip. Again with the stars (afterall my boys are stars to me), there are alot of cartridges that have them. I used a combination of solid stars and outlines. I then dressed some of them up by punching some holes and threaded ribbon thru them. The glossy accents was used on some of them to give the layout more depth. I wanted this layout to show my son what was happening on the day he was born, so I looked up his starsign, top ten alums, movies and songs for that day (love my google).

This one again is straight forward. I cut out a tag from tags, bags and boxes and then using Mother's Day Bouquet I cut flowers of different sizes. Being a girls page you have to use bling and kindy glitz.

Well I hope I have managed to give you some ideas on what you can do with even the basic of shapes.