Welcome! If you are looking for bargains, use the navigation over on the right to track down great deals on Cricut cartridges and more. Or, if you are looking for project ideas using your Cricut, check out my blog below for ideas, new product information, and more. Thanks for visiting!
Who's ready for the big Super Bowl game this weekend? I know we are - big Colts fans here! Anyway, I thought I would put up a quick post about the pair of helmets I made with the Cricut Sports Mania cartridge. First things first, here's a picture...
My twelve year old needed these for a school project, and of course, his mom (yep, that's me!) looks for *any* reason to go play with her scrapbooking tools. Anyway, these were super simple to make, and my son and his classmates were thrilled with how they turned out. Read the rest of this entry »
If you are just getting started with Cricut scrapbooking, I would love to invite you to join a challenge that I am participating in on the message board.
In January, I was browsing through the Cricut message board, when I came across the Lay It Down challenge. Each week, one of the members posts a sketch or two, and anyone who wants to participate can make a layout based on the posted sketches. When finished, participants post a picture of their finished layouts.
There is a new challenge posted each week. To participate, just go to the layouts section of the message board (here's a link: http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tt.aspx?forumid=6), and search for the thread titled "Laying It Down (LID) Weekly LO Challenge". Take it from me, it's not only a lot of fun, it's a great motivator!
I haven't finished this week's project yet, but here's the layout for the first challenge I participated in...
That was not only my first project for the challenge, it was the first layout I have completed - ever! Read the rest of this entry »
Have you heard about the QuickStik Tool? If not, I have included a little picture of it over on the left, and I have a short post here to fill you in on all the details.
Although I love my Cricut (don't ever take it away from me!), one of the things that I dislike is all the paper piecing that is necessary to make some of the more detailed die cuts. I usually just use my tweezers to pick up all the little paper pieces and glue them down, but I have always thought there should be a better way. Well, there was - I just didn't know about it!
You may or may not have heard of QuicKutz. They are another manufacturer of scrapbook tools and die cut equipment. They have a handy little item called the QuickStik Tool. Here's a link to the QuicKutz website, where they sell it: Read the rest of this entry »
In case you have not heard the news yet, the Provo Craft company is coming out with another new machine - the Cricut Cake Personal Electronic Cutter! Instead of being stowed away in your craft room, this machine is meant to be used in the kitchen. It cuts fondant, which can be used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and candies. Here's a picture of it...
It comes with an exclusive Cricut Cake Basics cartridge. However, you can also use your other cartridges with it too. The machine and Cake Basics cartridge will retail for $399.99.
In addition to the new machine, Provo Craft will be releasing 100 new cartridges this year! Yep, you read that right - one hundred! Crazy, huh? Read the rest of this entry »
Have you added the Cricut Sweet Treats cartridge to your collection yet? It's packed full of goodies, and even has creative features which can be used to cut individual party favor and cupcake boxes. How perfect for Valentine's Day!
Of course, Valentine's Day isn't the only celebration it's perfect for! In fact, it makes an even better birthday cartridge. With all the cakes and cupcakes, ice cream cones and hats, presents, and flowers that it can cut, it's ideal for making die cut shapes for handmade birthday cards, decorations, and scrapbook layouts.
Here's a quick (less than a minute!) video from Provo Craft for even more ideas...
In addition to the shapes, it has a good variety of phrases that can be cut with it too: Read the rest of this entry »
As much as I love my Cricut, I am always intrigued when I hear about new die cutters hitting the market, and on that topic, I have been hearing a lot of talk lately about the new Sizzix Eclips. It's making its big debut later this week (January 15th, to be exact), and I suspect after that date, we will all know a little more.
However, here is what I have found out so far:
First things first, here's a picture of it...
Like the Cricut, it's a cartridge-based electronic die cut machine. The cartridges will retail for $39.99 to $69.99. What will be on these cartridges? I'm not really sure, but Sizzix gives us this hint on their website: "Wouldn't it be great to have our award-winning designs electronically?"
The Cricut Designer's Calendar cartridge is perfect for anyone who has ever thought about making handmade calendars. Personally, I have always thought about making these as gifts for friends and family (and for myself!), but the idea of creating a page for every month of the year was a little overwhelming. Not anymore! With this cartridge, you can let your die cut machine do all the work, cutting out the names and days of the month and week, as well as making die cuts for the special occasions and holidays that happen throughout the year.
Quick side note: CLICK HERE for instructions on how to make the August layout on the left.
In addition to making calendars, this cartridge has many other uses. The creative features include two different fonts and coordinating shadows, which can be used as titles for scrapbook layouts and other projects.
Speaking of scrapbook layouts, this cartridge is also perfect for that use! Instead of making a calendar to keep track of all your activities for the month, you can use it to create layouts commemorating all the special events that happened throughout the year, complete with photos. The calendar grid cutout is also perfect for creating photo and journaling mosaic layouts. Read the rest of this entry »
I'm just taking a quick break from all the festivities to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! May you have a safe and happy holiday, and if I don't post again until the new year, have a happy New Year too!
As we have less than two weeks left until December 25th, I thought I would share with you a couple of Cricut Christmas crafts I have been working on...
The first is a stuffed two liter bottle. I wish I could take credit for this clever idea, but I actually scraplifted it from Scrapalette on the Cricut message board. She made hers as a teacher appreciation gift, but I think it works just as well for Christmas too! Anyway, here's a picture of mine...
My sixth grader is giving this one to a classmate for Christmas. He is her "Secret Santa" and this is the main gift that she will receive on Friday (their last day of school). Anyway, it's stuffed mostly with her favorite candy, but there's also gel pens and other school supplies and trinkets hiding inside. I wish I could be there when she tries to figure out how to get her gifts out. Nope, they won't come out through the cap opening, but if you keep reading, I will let you in on the secret! Read the rest of this entry »
Well, my craft area looks like a tornado hit, and instead of cleaning it up (like I should be doing), I decided to get online and find out which Christmas cartridge for the Cricut is everyone's favorite. I know, it's tough to pick just one, isn't it - especially after all the additions that the Provo Craft Company has made to the collection just in the last year!
I think if I had to pick my favorite, it would be the new Winter Woodland cartridge. I keep reaching for it when I have something to make. Here's a picture of one of three tags that I made with it last night...
The other two tags look much the same - just the snowflake cut and the initial are different. I'm using these tags on my nieces' presents. They were super simple to make. I just used Winter Woodland's tag and font creative features, did a little embossing on the top layer, glued everything together, and added a heart fastener for a little bling - that's it! Read the rest of this entry »
Have you heard about the QuickStik Tool? If not, I have included a little picture of it over on the left, and I have a short post here to fill you in on all the details.
