Gone Wild for Digi Stamps Tutorial (Part 2)

	Anyone who visits my Craft Blog will recognise this card. I did a pictorial for the background which is (Part 1) and now I will show you how I did the decoupage of the Flower Girl by Victoria Case that was cut out with Craft Robo.
What you want to do is either purchase a digi stamp or use a freebie that you find on the web and save this to your computer.  The idea is that you then use a Vector Graphics Editor Programme, such as Inkscape that is free to download and open the image in the graphics programme to work on it to make the decoupage cutting file.	To do this, I want to draw a cutting line round the outside of the image and send the file with the graphics digi stamp and cutting line, to my Craft Robo to print and cut the image.  This tutorial will hopefully tell you how to do that.
How to prepare the Inkscape to cut out a digi stamp with Craft Robo
	You will need to set the page size within Inkscape so that the digi stamp that you import into the programme will be scaled to the correct size to be cut with the Craft Robo.  Follow the settings given by CardsuLike in this excellent Pictorial here in my version I have made the cutting margin red and put it on the bottom layer.  Make sure that you lock the padlock so this layer is not altered by accident.
Preparing the Layers to work on within Inkscape
	I have created several layers that I will either work on or lock as I work through the process of creating the cutting line. The bottom most layer you can see, like I mentioned above, I created a guideline for the Cutting Margin for Craft Robo.  I closed the padlock so that the layer is protected. The layer above, I have named “Image Layer” this is where I will import the JPEG of the Digi Stamp that I want to work on.  I can resize it and place it anywhere within the red cutting margin guidelines and know that it will print and cut accurately.  Again, I will lock this layer, because I do not want to change the image I just want to use it as a guide so that I can vectorise the cutting line. The topmost layer I will use for the cutting line.
	I have imported the digi stamp that I want to use.  Ctrl+I > find the image you would like to use > Open. When it came into inkscape, it was much larger than I wanted, so I reduced it to the size of an ATC and placed it in the lower left corner of the red guidelines.  There are various ways of reducing the size of the image but I just selected the image, which showed up the grab handles, and reduced the size of the image by 50% to get the size I was after.
	I then reduced the Opacity to 50% this will help to make the cutting line stand out as the digi stamp will dim slightly (remember to reset the opacity to 100% before you print the image), and then I protected the digi stamp layer by putting on the padlock. The next step is quite a basic technique and there are lots of tutorials on the web to show you how to do this if you don’t already know.  I make sure that I am on the layer that I previously named “Cutting Line”.  It should be highlighted in the Layers pallet.  If you are not on the layer but on a locked layer, you will wonder why nothing is happening.  Which should give you a clue.
	Choose the Bezier tool and start to draw the outline around the image keeping fairly close to the outer edge, by clicking with the tool.  It will be like stretching an elastic band round the image to produce the cutting line.  This is your cutting line which I have highlighted in red to make it easier to see for this pictorial.  The more accurate you are here, the less you have to trim up with the scissors later.  This is the bit that takes the time, but it is worth it because each image you purchase will only need to be vectorised for cutting once.
When you need to cut your file you follow this excellent Pictorial from CardsuLike that tells you how to cut your vector file directly from Inkscape instead of having to go through Craft Robo’s DesignMaster programme.  I’m all for streamlining, the process, less room for errors that way.	When you reach the last page in CardsuLike’s tutorial it is then that you select whether to print the image with the printer, in order to get the cutting registrations marks or it you choose the cutting option.
Initially you will want to print the digi stamp onto your preferred paper and have the registration marks printed around the image.  You have already decided on the size of the image when you brought it into inkscape and placed it within the cutting margin.  I then take the page off the printer and place it on the cutting mat that came with Craft Robo.  I then watercolour the image on the cutting mat which stops the paper from curling when you watercolour the image as the mat is sticky.  I use laser paper instead of watercolour paper so every trick helps.	If I don’t flood the image the paper will not buckle too much, and when it dries it will dry flat against the sticky cutting mat.  After the image has been coloured and is thoroughly dry then I follow the Cardsulike tutorial again, but this time I ask the Craft Robo to cut the image.  Since the cutting registration marks were printed out prior to watercolouring the image, the Craft Robo locates the cutting lines round the image and cuts accurately to the red lines that you drew round the digi stamp with the Bezier Tool within Inkscape.  Then you can layer up the image onto your background (see Part 1) with decoupage squares in the normal way.

Authors Update: You may also like to have a look at this excellent tutorial using Paint Shop Pro.