Create Your Heart Out

I recently joined a Paper Doll Swap. What is this you ask?

It’s a fun way to get ideas, create new projects and meet new people.

For this swap, the subject was Paper Dolls of the World. Everyone was assigned a country, and had to make paper dolls of that particular nationality using their Paper Dolls cartridge. I got Mexico.

Each person designs and makes enough paper dolls to give each other person involved a set. They are then mailed to the host of the swap by the due date set by the host. After she receives all of the dolls, she then mails out large set containing one of each of the sets of dolls sent in by each participant. The end result is you get a variety of designs and projects for your one.

The deadline for this swap was August 30. I finished mine and have sent them already. Now I’m just waiting excitedly for my package of Paper Dolls of the World. I’ll post more when the swap is finished, but since mine were done, I just couldn’t wait to share with you.

Keep an eye out for Part 2 of this series where I’ll show you all the other dolls from the other countries.

If you can think it… you can Cri-cut!

For my Cricut Club in September, I have decided to use the Stand and Salute cartridge and do an Exloding Box.

What’s an exploding box you ask?

It’s a 3-D photo frame. You can decorate it anyway you want, I chose a red, white and blue patriotic theme.

I’ll be doing several classes in September. Check the events page for more details.

For this project you’ll need:

• Xyron adhesive
• Bonefolder, Score-pal, or Scor it
• 2 way zig glue
• Tape runner

If you can think it… you can Cri-cut!!

If you’ve been keeping up with me (it’s hard I know, so if you are, bless you!), you know that my favorite projects are greeting cards.

After thinking about it and going back and looking at the other posts, I noticed that I showed you a few of my cards, but thought maybe you’d like to make your own, and a little easier. So I am giving you all one of my card designs. This is a cute card that has lots of possibilities. As you can tell, you can use it upright or sideways, it’s cute either way.

This is a simple card that I think is best used in the spring for obvious reasons, maybe like a spring birthday or I would use it for an Easter card, but you can use it anytime, especially if you just want to send someone a card to cheer them up.

I got the idea behind this, because I was drooling over the new cartridges available on the Design Studio software. I liked tri-fold card feature on the Picturesque cartridge, Read the rest of this entry »

If you knew me, you’d know that my favorite thing to make with my Cricut is my greeting cards. I have a large collections, some that I’ve made, some that others have made me, I keep them all.

I’ve even made some I thought were so cute I didn’t want to give them away. Or like on one occasion, I made my husband a Valentines Day card that he had to turn around and give back so i could put it on display. He was okay with it though. His exact words I believe were “Did you make this for me or for you?” He knew the answer. But it’s the thought that counts right?

Am I the only one who has to spend hours on a greeting card before we can make it to the party?

One of my favorite things to do with my Cricut is make greeting cards. I love giving my family and friends my creations and seeing the look of delight when they find out that I made the card by hand.

I’ve made cards for birthdays, and Christmas of course. My favorites though are for weddings or graduations where I can really make it personal and sentimental.

This month I made some Ohio State Buckeye cards in honor of my 50 States class and the fact that it will soon be Buckeye fever around here. Those of you in Ohio know that the OSU Bucks are one of the biggest things around. Which is perfect for my class.

This is a perfect example of all the great things you can do with your Cricut, and also with your 50 States Cartridge.

Keep an eye out, because I am going to be posting more of my handmade greeting cards.

Until next time…..Happy Cutting!

I don’t know about all of you out there, but I love my coffee. It used to be a morning thing, where I would grab a cup, down it before I ran out the door. Now, thanks to a friend of mine in Reynoldsburg, I can take my coffee wherever I go with style. Cricut style that is.

I got this great green travel mug as a gift, and turned it into a Cricut masterpiece. Now I can have my coffee, and be reminded of how much I love to use my Cricut to decorate all things green!

This is just another great thing you can do with your Cricut!

Also make sure to keep checking back, as I am currently designing a new free file, to be posted in the next couple days!

As always, happy cutting everyone!

After learning the Cricut myself, I have found that there is always information you need to have at hand. After listening to my students I came up with the idea to create a handy guide so that you’ll always be ready to cut. I created my own little booklet, and give it out to everyone who takes my Cricut Basics or Design Studio class.

Inside you’ll find standard information such as what the various buttons do, as well as a few tips I wanted to throw in that you might always want to remember.

There’s also a listing of the cartridges so you can keep a written inventory of all the cartridges you have or want, as well as a place to keep any notes you have about a particular cartridge.

My students who have these think they are really handy, and I am happy that they have one less frustration to worry about when trying to cut. And the best thing, as I think most of you will agree, is that it has a Cricut on the front!

Happy cutting everyone!

Did you know that in addition to cutting out shapes for greeting cards and such, you can also choose a design and etch it onto a piece of glass?

It’s a bit different than what you’re probably used to using your Cricut for, but it’s a new technique you’ll be glad to have in the back of your mind the next time you need a unique personalized gift or just want to jazz up an interesting plate you picked up at a garage sale. The end result will look like something you took to one of those fancy mall shops and had custom made, but only you will know that the cost and effort were a mere fraction of that.

For this project you’ll need:

• Your chosen piece of glass. It can be a plate, a drinking glass, or a mirror. It doesn’t have to be expensive, as the etching will add a look of elegance as well as value. I am always looking for good deals. I scored a bunch of flat glass wine bottles at a local pottery store on clearance. That’s what the mouse and cheese are etched on above. I’ve used several for gifts, they’re great to just have handy.
• Adhesive vinyl to cut your image out.
• Etching cream and a brush to paint it on your glass.

First thing you need to do is pick a piece. This is easiest on a flat surface such as a plate or just plain piece of glass. You can do it on drinking or wine glasses, christmas ornaments or virtually anything that is made of glass, but it’s always easier the first time if it’s just a flat piece of glass. Mirrors turn out beautifully, but they are a bit trickier than glass.

Next you want to pick your design. I recommend choosing something simple without a lot of intricate details at first, just to get yourself used to the technique.  It’s not hard, but if you take it slow, you’ll be much less frustrated with your results.

When you start this project, it might seem like any other. You’ll cut your desired shape to fit your piece. I usually test it first on a  scrap of paper, so that you don’t waste the vinyl that you’ll use to actually complete the finished project.  Make sure your final cut is the right size for your piece. Once you’ve tested, you’re ready to start etching.

What’s different about this particular approach is that you’re going to cut your shape out of a piece of  adhesive vinyl instead of paper. Then instead of using the image, you’re going to take the image itself out of the vinyl and use the negative on your glass.  You want to stick it to the glass so that empty area where your shape used to be is where you want to place it on your glass. It takes a bit of patience and maneuvering to get it smooth, which is why a flat piece is always a good place to start. Once you have it on smooth, you’re going to take your etching cream and cover the empty spot. Let it dry, scrape off your excess cream, rinse and you have your finished project!

If you are interested in taking a glass etching class, please check the events page or contact me for more info on scheduling this class.