Create layers and shadows without layer feature keys...

Here is how you can create layers and shadows when a cartridge does not have them (Solutions cartridges and feature keys on other cartridges)

In Cricut Craft Room I added two of the same BEE, I got is from Sesame Street Seasons. I loved it but it did not have a layer feature and I wanted a yellow bee with a black behind it.... so I had to make it myself....

I made one of them Yellow just so you can see it better and it will make it clear which bee I am talking about. The yellow bee is on the left and I will refer to the bee on the right as the 'black bee" In this step all I did was add color for the tutorial.

When I clicked on the black Bee a square goes around it and there is a box below it that says HIDE CONTOUR. Click the little green box on the bottom left.

Then when you hover over a line it turns red, if you want to make that line disappear when it turns red, click your mouse. It will no longer cut that line. I used this process to get rid of all of the inside lines so it would just cut a bee outline.

Here you can now see that I clicked on all of the red lines, they are now a very light grey. If I clicked on one that I didn't mean to I can always hover over it and it will turn red again and if I click it will return to my image and it will cut as normal.

On the top left of craft room I clicked EXIT on the top left of the mat. I have now returned to my main screen and it now shows me what it WILL cut.... My yellow bee and my black bee outline.

Here you can see that I flooded it with black.... just to show you when you put your paper in how it will cut.

Here I put them on top of each other to show you how it will look when you cut it with paper and then add your one bee to the top of another.

You can use this process for most images that don't have a shadow or second layer, but you want to make it into a second layer. I also used this process for the Monogram feature. The font only had one layer, but I needed two, so I just added two of them to my cutting mat and used the same process to take out the inside cuts and I made two layers. This is a great way to really get what you want out of the bonus features on cartridges and another way to make EXACTLY what you want.

Cricut says "create what you want, where you want."

That is exactly what I did! I LOVE Cricut Craft Room!

Here is how I made my letters which were from the monogram feature key on A Child's Year.

The basic monogram feature makes and oval, but I wanted a circle, if I were to push SHIFT and the MONOGRAM key, it gives me balloons, so again I must make my own base so you do not see the patterns behind where the letter will cut out.

Here is the B oval monogram as it is on the cartridge.

Here is the shift monogram feature... obviously this will not work as the base for my scalloped one, so I deleted it. I just added it to show you that this cartridge does NOT have a layer feature for the scallop B

Here it is as an oval.

If you touch the button I have circled, that will expand this image's width and nothing else.

After it was properly expanded and it used the little squares on the cutting mat to make sure it was a perfect circle. I then selected COPY from the toolbar at the top and then paste. If you know short hand or quick keys. Hold down CRTL and C at the same time and it will copy the image, provided it has the above grey box around it so it know what you want to copy. Then hold down CTRL and V at the same time to paste and you can see below I now have two (If you are a MAC user use the COMMAND key instead of CTRL)

now on one of them I select the HIDE CONTOUR that I have circled

I went through the process of clicking on the lines that make the letter B as I did before....

I have circled the EXIT button to push when you are done editing it.

Now once I exit, it will then show me what my cricut will actually cut.

I added color just to show you when you put colored paper on your mat this is what it will look like.

Another tip if you want to move a shape UP-DOWN, or LEFT-RIGHT Use the buttons I have circled. If you want to expand it LONGER or WIDER use the other two arrows.