Having Fun With the Cricut

I have led a couple of classes on Cricut basics in the last few weeks. During these workshops, everyone gets a chance to make three projects, cutting out each piece themselves and thereby truly learning the Cricut. I hear about far too many people who say they have a Cricut but it sits in the box since they can't figure out how to work it. That is a shame. The Cricut can really make paper crafting easy if you learn to use the machine.

The first project using the Artbooking cartridge is above. The Artbooking cartridge is set up to help the paper crafter make scrapbook pages easy. Page 86 of the Artbooking booklet is set up for a 12 x 12 birthday page.

I want to use that stack of presents on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card. I can simply set the Cricut on 4 inches with real size dial. But since I also want to use flip and layer the presents, I decided to not use the real size dial. I set the machine on 8 inches and used Sarita paper. (Setting it on 8 inches will coordinate the stack to properly fit an 8 inch scrapbook page. If I wanted an actual 8 inch piece, I would press the real size dial button.)  Press "icon" and the "happy" button. Then I have a nice set of presents. Without taking the paper out of the Cricut, I turned on the "flip" button to get the mirror image. Press "icon," "shift," and "happy" and cut the paper. The paper is removed and the present stack is perfect.

Next, I used lagoon paper. I set the Cricut at 4 inches, clicked  "real size dial," "photo mat 2," and "little toes," and then cut. This photo mat was on page 85 of the booklet. A 1 1/4 inch circle was cut from colonial white paper.

Add another piece of Sarita paper, the Perfect Fit- Birthday Stamp set, Lagoon ink, and a little glitz and the card is set.

Our project using the Artiste cartridge, was this box. I love the Huntington paper. Of course, I do love fall colors so this is perfect for me.

I set the Cricut up with the Artiste cartridge. This project does need a 12 x 10 piece of paper so a big machine is needed. A Create machine will be too small.  I used a piece of Huntington paper. I set the machine at 4 inches. Using page 37 of the Artiste booklet as a guide, I clicked on  "3-D Object" and "7."  I changed the paper to Colonial White. The size is 3 inches. I clicked on "accent 3" and "7" to cut the tag.  Quick, easy cuts.

I decorated the box using the You Are My Happy stamp set. This is the National Stamping Month special set and only available this month. I also used Jute Ribbon, hemp bakers twine, and a wooden shape.

My final project uses the Art Philosophy cartridge.

I made this one on a Cricut Create machine which can only take 6 x 12 paper at a maximum. Using Cocoa paper, I set the size at 5 1/4 inches. I opened page 35 of the Art Philosophy booklet as a guide, and I clicked "card" and "rectangle 5." It cut a very nice card base. I also cut leaves at 1 1/2 inches from barn red and huntington paper. Click on "shift" and "leaf2." Using New England Ivy paper click on "shift" and "leaf 4." I added a little burlap ribbon and the outside was all done.

Inside the card, I used the September stamp of the month. I only used part of this stamp, masking out the bottom to fit the card. I then used a little liquid glass on the word "FALL" as a highlight. I also used liquid glass to glue the burlap down. Liquid glass is a strong adhesive that is great for ribbon.

Again, the card was quick and easy. Using the CTMH Cricut cartridges always makes paper crafting easy.  Each cartridge has a different strength:

     Artbooking-- Scrapbook pages and mini albums
     Artiste-- 3-D Objects
     Art Philosophy-- basic shapes and patterns used in card making

But all three can be used with all aspects of paper crafting. I have made cards from all three, scrapbook pages from all three, and 3-D objects from all three. Each one is amazing! With over 700 images each, I never need to go to any other cartridge. My paper crafting looks more professional when using the cartridges and I spend less time fighting with my paper to make an object look right. I really love my Cricut and the CTMH cartridges.  They make my playtime with paper even more fun.

Another Great Expo!

The Santa Clara Expo is now in the books. I had a great time. A few years back when I started my Close To My Heart business, Expo scared me. I stood in the corner of the booth wondering what I should do. At this Expo, I was so excited to see so many people I knew. I was greeting people, talking about projects, laughing with other vendors. At the end of the day, I was tired-- really tired-- but really happy too. I was wonderful to see all my friends and customers. I enjoy my Close To My Heart business. I get to play with paper and ink and visit with so many friends. Expo is just one part of it.

Our booth had three great make and takes over the two days of Expo.

For my make and take, we made a 4 1/4 square card.  I cut the goldrush paper using the new Artbooking cricut cartridge at 4 1/4 inches. The strips of paper under the overlay is the Sarita paper and I used the All In the Details stamp set. The flower accent is an acrylic flower from the Base and Bling Teal Jewels set.  Other items used are outdoor denim and colonial white paper and cotton candy and lagoon inks. This card was really quite easy to put together. The part that took the longest was cutting the overlay. The Cricut takes a few minutes to cut out such intricate cuts. Make sure that you have a sharp blade and turn your speed down to the slowest setting when cutting something like this. 

This gift tag was Mary Wood's  make and take. She used the Cricut Artiste Cartridge to cut out this tag out of the new Frosted paper pack. The stamp set is the Perfect Fit- holidays and the accent is a small flourish.

Jeanette Matthews made a fun treat card for her make and take. This uses the Pro Player paper pack and the stamp set in the ProPlyer Scrapbooking kit. Jeanette added a treat cup with a pull tab to reach those treats without destroying the card.  This is the card opened. 

Such a fun card. I will be trying this with a card soon.

All in all, Expo was a great success. I wish I had the energy to attend the crop last night but I really just needed to go home, see my kids, and go to bed. Today, I am up and ready to play with paper.

Snow Layout? On Memorial Day Weekend?

Snow? Really? yes, here it is. I'm in the wrong season again. I should be scrapping layouts involving BBQs and picnics. But instead, I grabbed some photos from last December and scrapped those. Of course, sunny California may be sunny right now but it is also a bit cold. I have been wearing sweaters all week. So, maybe my body just thinks it is still winter so I just naturally gravitated to the snow pictures.

 I used the Avonlea paper pack for this layout. The Yosemite title was cut using the Arstiste cricut cartridge. A must have cartridge but not for the font-- for the 700 images you can make with this cartridge. This nice looking font is just a bonus. The flourishes are from an old stamp of the month set that is no longer available.

I wanted to write a lot about the trip. My kids have seldom seen snow. We spent three days hiking and playing in the snow so I wanted to make sure all the details were written somewhere but I didn't want to take up an entire page of the scrapbook on just words. So I hid the journal box.

There is a pocket on the back of the paper that holds a 8x10 sheet of writing with a tab at the top that says "pull me." Our whole trip is documented down to the last detail including my middle child falling asleep on the bumpy shuttle bus in the park.

We took over 300 pictures on this trip. A two page layout just doesn't give me enough room for all these pictures. But once again I must stick to my rule-- no more than a page per day in the album. I ended up with two pages to represent three days. So, to show off the rest of the pictures, I created a mini album which I will share with you tomorrow.

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend. And have fun with paper today!

Cricut Tips

Take a look at this video for more tips on using your Cricut.

I love all the things you can do using the Cricut and the Artiste Cricut Collection. Click here to order your own.

A Couple Cards with Claire Paper

I have been playing with the Claire Paper pack. They are all pretty quick and easy to put together.  The one above uses a flower cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge.

Different size circles from leftover pieces of paper turned out to be a great look. I added a color ready wooden butterfly with some sparkles to finish the look.

This one uses Close To My Heart's April stamp of the month. I love that bird. I am getting a lot of use out of this stamp of the month.

Great images that coordinate with cuts from the Artiste cartridge. Order one today for just $5 when you spend $50.  Or you can get it free when you join CTMH.

Have fun with paper today!

Projects on the Cricut

I hosted a beginning Cricut class this morning. At this hands on class, everyone made two projects learning to use the Cricut and the Art Philosophy and Artiste cartridges.

We used the Artiste to make this purse. Go to page 41 of the Artiste booklet to find this cut.  Paper is the For Always. The stamp is from this month's stamp of the month and coordinates with the cut on page 51 of the Artiste. I used Hook and Loop Dots (item #Z1805) to close the purse and sparkles as an accent.

We used Art Philosophy to create this lovely card. The card is cut using the card on page 65 of the Art Philosophy booklet. It is a 5 1/2 inch card. The flowers are from page 39 of the booklet. The flower coordinates with the stamp set that comes with the Art Philosophy collection. I used the flower from the Claire Assortment as an accent.

Both cartridges are wonderful and filled with so many cuts. You can bring your paper crafting to a new level with these cartridges.

Get out your Cricut and have fun with paper today!

Last Cards From Crazy For Cards

My apologies for those waiting for my final post on Crazy For Cards. Early Easter morning before heading out, I quickly posted the cards and ran out the door. Well, I thought I posted. That post has disappeared into cyberspace. I guess I was in too much of a hurry. I apparently didn't save anything. That's what I get for rushing.

I have two cards designed by Jeanette Matthews. Jeanette loves playing with different card bases. She seldom uses the standard base. Instead she cuts different cards using the cricut.

This card was cut using the Artiste cartridge (page 53 of the Artiste guide). Paper is Chantilly and the stamp set is Fashionista.

Another card cut from the Artiste cartridge ( page 67 of the guide). The paper is Claire and the stamp set is Girl's Rock.

Make some of these cards yourself. Click here to find the paper or stamp set you would like.

I have now posted 14 of the 15 cards made at our Crazy For Cards Event. It was a fabulous event. So many ideas and a lot of fun. Our group will be hosting an All Day Crop on June 8. In preparation for the holiday season, we will be hosting a Holiday Extravaganza on October 12. Please let me know if you are interested in either of these.

In the meantime-- Have fun with paper today!

2 Birthday Cards and a Thank You card

Yes, I am still posting cards from the  Crazy for Cards event from last weekend. It does take a while to post 15 cards. Today's cards are designed by Shawn O'Neill.

Look at those candles! Those are paper candles. Roll up paper using Liquid Glass as an adhesive to keep it together. Liquid Glass is a very strong adhesive-- perfect for this sort of thing. A little bit of hemp is added at the top as the wick. Background paper is Surf's Up. The stamp set is Just A Number.

This is a card made from Cricut cuts. Use the Cricut Artiste cartridge. The cupcake is on page 69 of the Artiste booklet. Paper is Claire and the stamp set is Joyful Birthday.

The paper is For Always but it has been sponged with honey ink. What a great idea to entirely change the paper. The stamp set is Thanks and is accented with some starlight glitz.

Tomorrow, I will post the last 3 cards from the Crazy for Cards event.

Have fun with paper today!

Card, Card, and Another Card

I have some more cards here from our Crazy For Cards event this past weekend. These three cards were designed by Kristina Baldwin of  http://sunnydaymemories.com/. She is a wonderful artist, and I am always excited to see what she  brings to our events.

Paper is For Always, Daisy White, and Slate. Stamp set is the Happy Couple (D1539). Ink is slate. Accents are glitter paper and buttons- black assortment.  Love the cut of this card. I will have to do some like this.

Another different card style. And a cute little dog! This is from the A Bowwow stamp set (A1126). Paper is Buzz and Bumble. The dog was colored in with water color pencils. Other accents are hemp and buttons.

The final card for today is one that uses some cuts from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge. Yes that mustache is on the Artiste. The stamp set is Perfect Fit- Dad (#C1542). Paper is part of the Tommy collection. Accents include Hemp Twine and buttons. 

More cards from another artist tomorrow. Have fun with paper today!

Making a Mini Album With the Cricut

Learn how to make your own mini album using shapes cut with the Cricut Artiste Collection.

Chantilly Birthday Card

Here's a quick birthday card using the Chantilly paper pack. The banner is cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge. The stamp is part of the Artiste collection. I used twilight ink and a strip of twilight paper.

Framing You Sweet Treats!

Put your Cricut to use when getting ready for a party. Here's a little info on showcasing your treats:

Don't let your Cricut sit on a shelf. Use it! The Artiste and Art Philosophy cartridges make it easy to use your Cricut for everything.

Join “Cricut*” Club CTMH today!

        

Enjoy:

  Ø  An incredible Welcome Package filled with nearly $200 in Brand New and Innovative products!

  Ø  Spending time with fun scrapbooking and paper crafting friends!

  Ø  Discounts on awesome products every day!

  Ø  Sneak peeks and early ordering of new products!

  Ø  Exclusive access the Club CTMH website including bulletin boards with access to thousands of fellow club members; and video, slide and written creative ideas plus lots more!

  Ø  Exclusive Monthly Club Meetings!

  Ø  Exclusive Annual Club Expo featuring hundreds of dollars worth of free products, meals and creative workshops with your fellow club members!

  Ø  Join today for $49, plus receive a ½ price Artiste or Art Philosophy Cricut Bundle!  A $240 value for just $98.50*!

 

 

Sign up for Club CTMH today by clicking here.  Click on Let's Get Started. Once you are a Club member (AKA Consultant), you can order the Artiste or Art Philosophy Cricut Bundle at half price through me.

 

Questions? Call me (510-207-2976) or email me (cathryno@gmail.com)  today.

 

*Club Cricut CTMH is only offered through Silicon Valley Stampers Club CTMH until Dec 31, 2012 or while supplies last. Taxes and shipping and handling will be added to the price.

 

 

 

Making Cards and Envelopes With the Cricut

Have a lot of fun with paper using the Cricut making

Advent Calendar

I spent a fabulous weekend crafting with friends at Scrapbook U Creates weekend retreat.  Monica and Veronica offer wonderful and relaxing retreats. Check out their schedule at http://www.scrapbooku.com/class_descriptions.html. I spent the weekend working on a couple big projects, scrapbook layouts, and a few cards. Mostly, I spent the time talking and laughing with my friends. That was the part that made this weekend amazing for me. Friendships like these are a gift.

Taking a weekend away from the family and home responsibilities is difficult but well worth it. I returned home last night relaxed, happy, accomplished. I feel I can be a better mother, wife, and all around human being because I am no longer ready to snap. I truly recommend that we all take a little time away and regroup. Not sure about a whole weekend just yet, try just a day crop. Do get away and take time for yourself.

I am very happy to report that while I was relaxing I was productive. I completed the Advent Calendar offered as a kit through Close To My Heart.

The kit includes the cubby, a stamp set, 15 sheets of yardstick, a package of bitty sparkles, 2 sheets of dimensional elements, and an instruction booklet.

You do need to have ink, blocks, and adhesive which you probably have on hand already. You will also need the Cricut Artiste Collection. This cartridge cuts the card stock to make the boxes.  Also you might want a bone folder to make your folds crisp and tweezers to help place those teeny, tiny sparkles.

It took me about 3-4 hours to complete this project. I was talking with friends quite a bit though. I did it in one sitting which was fine since I was at the retreat. However, working at home, I would have probably broken up the project.

I followed the kit exactly. Doing it again, I might make a few changes. I think it needs more red. Personal preference, yes. But I like red. I think I would add a couple more cranberry boxes.

I had trouble getting my numbers centered. I am always crooked. If my project is completely straight, I had help from a friend. I tend to do things to compensate for my crookedness in crafting. I might try cutting out the shape of the number on the Cricut. Each shape is on the Artiste with the dimensions listed on the stamp sheet. Then I can stamp the number on the shape and glue it on to the box. I can make the center a different color than the box which might add a little more dimension.

Even with my thoughts of changes, I love this calendar. I'm looking forward to finding little treasures to put inside for my kids. December is getting close.

If you would like one of these kits, just click here for an online order.

Now that I have made one of these, I have the instructions for making more. After I have finished with my Christmas creations, I am planning to make another one of these but not as a calendar. I will order another cubby --  just the cubby, not the kit. Then choose papers to match my craft room. I am going to make a little cubby to store embellishments. It will sit on my desk and have easy access to buttons, brads, ribbons, or whatever I was to keep right in front of me.

Hope you have fun with paper today!

Pumpkins!

I love pumpkins! I love fall colors! So I was very excited to be in charge of the Thanksgiving projects for last weekend's Holiday Extravaganza.

The So Grateful stamp set is perfect for Thanksgiving. I used it in two projects. The first one, I did a similar card as Close To My Heart put on the website shown above.



The pumpkin is stamped twice. I stamped the solid pumpkin in autumn terracotta on the 3x3 piece of bamboo paper. Then without re-inking. I stamped it again on another piece of bamboo. I then stamped the pumpkin with words in the same ink. The pumpkin (with words) is cut out and placed on top of the solid, darker pumpkin with 3-D foam tape to give it a raised look. The leaf and swirls were stamped in New England Ivy on the solid pumpkin piece.

Supplies:
So Grateful stamp set (B1395)
Papers: Flirty, New England Ivy, and Bamboo
Natural Hemp (Z280)
Antique Copper Designer Brads (Z1410)

 My second project using the So Grateful stamp set was a box. I cut out the pieces of the box using the Cricut Artiste Cartridge. The 1 inch size makes a very nice size box. The box is found on the Mother's Day button on the Artiste Cartridge. It is very simple to cut out and put together. When making these 3-D objects, I always fold on the scored edges first. Then I ink up the edges. I usually like to decorate it before I glue the sides together. But with the box, I needed to put the box together to see which side is the top before adding the decoration.

The top is decorated using a piece of Flirty paper cut to match the top of the box. This was cut at 2 1/4 inch with the real size button pushed. If the real size is not on, the piece will be huge.

The pumpkin is stamped in the same manner as the card above. Stamp the solid pumpkin on a piece of scratch paper first. Then, without re-inking, stamp the pumpkin on a piece of Colonial White paper. Next stamp on the words. The stem and leaf are stamped with Olive ink. I kept the stem attached to the pumpkin but the leaf was cut out separately.

Supplies:
Papers: Flirty, Saddle, Olive, Colonial White
So Grateful Stamp Set (B1395)
Burlap Ribbon (Z1760)
Chocolate Waxy Flax (Z1088)

It is amazing how easy boxes like these can be to make. If you have the Cricut Artiste, you can use any supplies on hand to quickly make a small gift box or bag and not go out to the store and spend $10 on one. Give it a try. Make a box or two and see how you like it.  You will be amazed with the results.

Christmas Card Workshop Coming Soon

Ready to start making your Christmas cards? If you do a lot, like me, it's best to make them in November. Early December, you then are able to write your notes and mail them out, having more time for holiday fun.

With that in mind, I am starting Christmas card workshops just next week. I have one on October 28 and one on November 9. I'll be happy to bring the workshop to you if you would like to host a day for you and your friends. During the workshop, we will be making 15 cards- 3 each of 5 designs.

I have had a lot of fun playing with my paper, trying to decide which designs to use in the workshop. Close To My Heart offers so many holiday stamp sets and I love the Pear and Partridge paper pack. Plus using the Cricut allows for even more options. Time to get my fingers inky and figure out what I want to do.

Here is a card that I made as part of the Heart 2 Heart Challenge:

The base is a 6x6 kraft die cut card which gives you a different look to the card. When the card is opened, there is a large area for my family picture and Christmas letter. It was a quick card to make, thanks to the Artiste Cricut cartridge. The only disadvantage of sending this card out is that I will need extra postage since it is a square card. It is 65 cents to mail a square envelope. But since that is the only disadvantage, I have decided that this card is a yes for the workshop and probably a yes for my family cards.

Supplies:
Kraft Die Cut Cards (Z1474)
Pear and Partridge Paper Pack- using green print, cashmere, and cranberry (X7162B)
Merry and Bright Stamp Set (C1510)
Cranberry Ink (Z2116)
Red Sparkles (Z1326)
Cricut Artiste Collection (Z1790)

Have fun playing with paper today!

Halloween Treat Boxes

Ready for your Halloween party? Or maybe you need to bring a treat for your kid's class? Here is a fun craft to hold those treats.

Yes, they are paper coffins!

Using the Cricut Artiste, these boxes are quick and easy. You will find the coffin on the first Halloween page of the booklet (page 76). Just select your size, press 3-D Object and the Eek button for the bottom. Press 3-D object, shift and the Eek button for the top. Make all the folds (use a bone folder to make a crisp edge) then decorate the paper. You do need to decorate before glueing the edges. But I like to make the creases first so I know where the sides are. After it is decorated, glue the tabs. The Cricut cuts makes it easy to put together.

This one is really big. It is 7.5 inches on the Cricut dial. This takes a lot of paper and will take a lot of candy to fill. If you need to make a lot of treat boxes, don't use this one.

This coffin is I think the perfect size. I used 5 inches on the Cricut dial. The skeleton is also from the Artiste. The size is 4.5. Press accent 2 and Eek. Then press accent 2, shift and Eek for the head. Don't change the size for the head. The Cricut is set to coordinate the skeleton body and the skeleton head. If you want just the skeleton head and 4.5 inches, then you need to click the real size dial. When cutting out the skeleton, turn your speed dial to the slowest setting and make sure your paper is down. Because of the detail of these cuts, the paper might tear if it going too fast.

Here is the littlest coffin. The Cricut was set at 4 inches for this one.

Decorating the coffin, I sponged the paper lightly with slate and black inks which gave it a bit of texture. I also made sure the decoration went over the edge of the coffin.

Supplies:
Slate paper (X5930)
Slate Ink (Z2173)
Black Ink (Z2105)
All Hallows Eve Stamp Set (C1462)
Grey Wool Bakers Twine (Z1701)
Black sparkles (Z1754)
Red Sparkles (Z1326)
Cricut Artiste Collection (Z1790)

Fall Box

Here's a little box I made with the Fall Favorites set.

I used Cocoa paper with the Artiste cartridge. Cut at 4 inches, the box is the 3-D image on 7 key of the cartridge (page 37 of the Artiste booklet). The box is easy to put together-- no adhesive needed! The burlap ribbon (Z1760) is great on everything!  I used the Fall Favorites set is stamped on colonial white paper. The Fall Favorites set is the September stamp of the month.

A great set that is only $5 when you place a $50 order and only available during September.

Have fun with some fall projects today!

GIft Card Holder

I was playing with the new Artiste Cricut Cartridge and came up with this fun gift card holder.

A ticket comes out of the pocket

The Artiste Cricuit Cartridge (Z1790) cuts out the pocket and the ticket for you. So easy.
Here are the settings:

Cocoa paper  -  3 inch, card, shift M (p 67) (3 inches may seem small but it ends up pretty big. This is the biggest you can make it with a 12 inch sheet of paper.)
Colonial White paper - 3 inch, card, M (p 67)
Ruby paper - 1 inch, accent 1, M (p 67).  misc size stars, accent 3, birthday boy (p 68)
Outdoor Denim paper- misc size stars, accent3, birthday boy (p 68)


The card base is also Colonial White with dimensions of 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 folded.

The 4 is from the Memo Assortment (Z1766)
The flags are from the Noted Canvas Shapes pack (Z1773). I stamped it using outdoor denim and the Cocktail Alphabet (E1015). The flags are hung on cranberry twine (Bakers Twine- Harvest Assortment Z1751).  It looks like I used a lot of product on here. But in reality, I used very little. I used a piece from this pack and that pack and still had tons left for other projects.

The gift card will be placed on top of the stars on the ticket. Unfortunately, I didn't have a movie gift card handy. I will be picking one up next week before I mail out this card to my friend.

Inside the card is a row of red and blue stars.

There are so many fun projects to play with using the Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I would love to see what you have done with it. Show me your projects.