cut shapes out of digital paper

[kbrown2509]

Hi, I am very new to GIMP and I am wanting to use it for digital scrapbooking. I have downloaded some papers and elements and can add them to my photos to create a page.  What I want to do now is to create a shape (flower) or trace an existing one and then cut it out of my exisiting digital papers.  Can anyone advise how this can be done.  Cheers