Layered Bird Gift Topper

For this project I’ll be turning a bird design from  Jamie Koay into a little gift topper using some patterned cardstock I had on hand and Silhouettes’ Printable Adhesive Kraft Paper. If you haven’t gotten a chance to play with this kraft paper yet, please do! The color and texture are great, and IT’S ADHESIVE! Sigh, the things my heart beats for. Ha!

For this project, you’ll need:

• Silhouette CAMEO®/Portrait® or the Silhouette Curio™
• Silhouette Printable Adhesive Kraft Paper
• Patterned Cardstock

Let’s get to it!

• Once design downloaded into your library, locate the design and open it up in Silhouette Studio®. From there, open the offset window. This will create an extended version of the bird, essentially creating a background to layer it atop. I have my offset set to 0.066, but play around with what you like most.

• Once your shape is offset, you will notice that not only did the outer edge of the bird offset, but so did the internal bits. No worries. With your offset shape selected, locate the modify window and select release. This will create individual shapes, allowing you to delete the internal parts completely while keeping the “background” in tact.

• With the internal parts deleted, you can now separate your original bird shape and the offset “background” shape and set it to cut. Luckily, the cut settings are the same for Cardstock and Kraft paper, so you won’t need to switch your blade in between materials.

• With your cardstock or kraft paper place on your cutting mat, insert the cutting mat into your Silhouette CAMEO® or Portrait and send to cut!

• Once you cut both your cardstock and kraft pieces, you can simply peel off the kraft paper “sticker” and easily lay it atop your cardstock backings.

• And, that’s it. Tie them on top and give yourself a pat on the back for adorning your gift so adorably in the matter of minutes!

Happy crafting!