During her thirty-five years of teaching, the author has found that starting an introductory course with lessons that almost always guarantee success creates a strong foundation on which the course can be structured. It builds confidence and repairs the damage that may have been done to students who are timid or afraid of failing in their creative endeavors. In this article, the author presents a cut-paper assignment that is composed of two cut layers of construction paper backed by a third solid layer that has not been cut. Much of the success of this assignment depends not only on the intricacy of the cuts, but on contrasting color selection. The success of the assignment brings smiles to just about every student.