You may have noticed that many of my most recent designs are based inside a circle. Do you ever wonder why I do that? Is it creative block? Do I REALLY like circles? Is it my trademark? Well, no. None of that. There IS a reason for the circle and it actually acts as a key function in many of my designs. I strive to make my designs as easy and as user friendly as possible. The circle gives me a place to anchor design elements so that you don’t have to deal with a mess of fragile separated pieces and so that delicate cuts can have more stability. Look at some of the layers on my “spring” design, for example. Cutting these delicate flowers without the circle could get pretty dicey if you aren’t careful especially if you are a beginner.
The circle simply makes the project easier for you. I do love the framed finished look that the circle adds, but the functionality is it's main purpose.