Cricut® shape cartridges tips and tricks

Cricut® shape cartridge tips & tricks


Words & Phrases
baby (two different layouts), Baby Shower, bath time, congratulations, For, date, time, Place, RSVP (invitation bullets), for you, i am big, i am small, It’s a Boy, It’s a Girl, Little One, Love, new arrival, name, date, time, weight, length, parents (announcement bullets), Sweet, Sweet Pea, thank you, twins, and welcome.


Words & Phrases
a bunch, be, for you, friends, from:, happy, love, of you, smile, thanks, thinking, and to:.


Non-Christmas Cuts
This tip comes to us courtesy of message board member Patty from West Virginia. Way to think outside the box, Patty! “Just a few ideas for making Christmas Cheer oh so much more versatile. I have included ideas for basic cuts, but there are more possibilities using the creative feature cuts. I hope someone finds this useful. God bless.” lc = lower case uc = upper case 1. SANTA lc: elf uc: mustache, socks, mittens, strip for misc. uses 2. SCROLL lc: towel uc: bird head 3.SLEIGH lc: flourish (remove sleigh body) uc: antique baby buggy (add Wheels) 4. RNDR1, RNDR2, RNDR3 lc: Chihuahua or other dog (remove antlers and round off hooves) uc: tree branches, shrubs, dog or cat collar 5. TREE1 uc: woman's flared dress (remove bottom set of branches and add head and legs), misc. star embellishment 6. STAR uc: flourish 7. STCKG1 lc: sock (remove cuff and loop), use cuff and loop as tag with loop uc: tack/nail, rough-edge rectangle, leaves 8. STCKG2 lc: cornucopia (cut cuff off diagonally uc: tack/nail, skirt 9. STCKG3 lc: sock (remove cuff and loop), use cuff and loop as tag with loop uc: tack/nail, rounded rectangle 10. HEARTH lc: flourish (top of fireplace), fancy front door (add double door to cover fire) uc: campfire, torch flame (remove top of fire and put it on top of a "stick") 11. SUIT lc: dress (alter as desired with paper piecing) uc: hanger, belt, boots/socks/shoes, "fluffy" pieces for embellishments 12. ORNMTS uc: flourishes, star embellishment, bells (bottoms can be rounded) 13. PRSNT1 lc: generic present uc: flourish, abstract flower 14.BULB lc: olive, lemon, avocado (remove bulb base uc: hat 15. HOME lc: generic house (trim roof piece to straight edges), photo window (trim house away to make rectangle) 16. CANDY lc: generic candy uc: embellishments, spiral clip 17. SNWFLK lc: generic embellishments uc: generic embellishments (To be continued…)


Babies and Cards
It’s here! The highly anticipated delivery from rob and bob studio, New Arrival, is here and it’s wonderful! Joining the Cricut™ family of cartridges, this shape set has almost every conceivable design for your creative projects. Name: New Arrival Date: November 2006 Weight: Countless possibilities Length: As long as you use it Parents: rob and bob studio & Cricut™ Every shape has the distinct artist style we’ve come to love, and most of the shapes can be used in far more ways than for baby layouts. Have you seen the animal aspects of this cartridge? What about the transportation designs? Of course, the overwhelming appeal of New Arrival is the collection of baby shapes and sentiments. The pregnant mommy, the stroller (pram), the bassinette, and the baby clothes are indicative of the detail and thought put into this set. There are the traditional inclusions of phrases with ‘It’s a Girl’, ‘It’s a Boy’, and ‘twins’, to name a few. Finally, to whet your imaginative whistle, there are three different card options in the Creative Features to give even more variety in card-making. You could cut almost 300 cards without ever duplicating a single one by using every card option for every design. What a great way to use up that stash of cardstock you’ve been accumulating!

More than Pups

Being an animal lover, I was excited to see that one of the new cartridges had different dog breeds in it. Like some of you, I wondered if I would ever use enough canine die cuts to justify owning it. Now that I’ve seen and played with Paper Pups, I’m here to say, “You’re going to love it!!” There’s something for everyone and every kind of project.

While they’re drawn in a clever cartoon style, using the Solid Creative Feature changes the shapes to a more classic look. As many of the shape sets, Paper Pups has a Card Feature that takes the guesswork out of the measuring and hand-cutting of traditional card-making. Can I get a big “Boo Ya”?

In addition to the dog breeds and situations, the set includes:

Words/Phrases:	hi (on a box), puppy love, sleepy, woof, Happy Birthday, Yappy Easter, Boo!, Miss You, hug?, love (in a heart), smile, happy (under a box), Bird Dog, Water Dog, Huntin’ Dog, Sick as a Dog, Hot Dog, Walk?, Show Dog (with a star), Relax, Wag-o-meter (in a gauge), Best in Yard (in an oval banner), Best Friend (in a banner), I love you (in a banner), All Bark (in a cloud banner), Bow Wow (in a talk bubble), and finally, Yum (in a dog bone)
Other Shapes:	Scottish tam (hat) and sweater, bath accessories, daisy, crown, butterfly, bow, gifts, party hat and present, balloon, heart, umbrella, hat and bone, bag of dog bones, a paw, an award ribbon, moon and stars, sun, clouds, hydrant, tree, birds, doghouse and food, airplane, dog carrier, dog bone, dog collar and buckle
Events:	Mommy dog and puppies, sleepy dog, bathing dog, bunny dog (Easter), witch dog (Halloween), stocking dog (Christmas), Santa dog (Christmas)

But wait! There’s more! Using the Foundation Keys (dog tag and card/envelope) will add even more versatility and value. These dogs are cute, expressive, and even holiday-appropriate, and come from the talents of David Walker Studios.


Words & Phrases
all Bark, (variation = Bark), Best Friend (variation = friend), Best in Yard (variation = Best), Bird Dog, Boo!, Bow Wow (variation = Wow), happy, Happy Birthday, Hot Dog, hug?, Huntin dog, i love you, love, Miss You, Puppy Love, Relax, Show Dog, Sick as a Dog, sleepy, Smile, Wag-o-Meter (variations = wag, waggy), Walk?, Water Dog, woof, Yappy Easter, and yum.


Time for Gardening
In every Cricut cartridge, there are treasures just waiting to be found. I’ve been using one of the new releases, Walk in My Garden, and discovered a treasure that I’m excited to share with you. Being a Northwest girl, I’ve grown up seeing expansive, well-kept gardens and specifically, lush, colorful hydrangeas. The hydrangea in this cartridge is so beautiful and intricate that people will be amazed that you made it! This kind of cutting brings a whole new phase of professionalism to your projects. Cross-creating (combining cuts from different cartridges) will bring even more value to your cartridges. After cutting out the flowers in Walk in My Garden, use the individual stems from this cartridge with flowers from other ones to make your bouquet more full. Using all of the cartridges that have insects in them will give you a bug collection that would make an amateur entomologist proud. Use your imagination and create… you can do it! One of the cutest things I’ve made from this set was a friendship card. Along the bottom of a card blank I adhered various sizes of the grass. I cut a large leaf (*leaf 1) and glued it on top of the grass. Then, I cut out small ladybugs (ldybg1* and *ldybg2) and glued them inside the cutout circles. Finally, I cut a caterpillar and the phrase thinking of you* and put them on the card. It was a simple but eye-catching project that looks like I spent hours on it. There are a total of nineteen different flower shapes in Walk in My Garden, as well as vases, a flower pot, a darling wheelbarrow and watering can, garden tools, leaves and stems, a beehive, ten bugs and animals you might find in your yard, and a sign and seed packet. When you add the sentiments and words found in this shape set, you have a wonderful collection of garden whimsy you’ll cherish. The designer, Brenda Birrell, is the founder of Pebbles in my Pocket and Pebbles, Inc.


Complementary Cartridges # 1
CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION - Complementary Cartridges # 1 By now, many of you have had the happy opportunity to play with the new releases. With the addition of these sets (2 fonts, 2 shapes) to your library, there is so much more to choose from when laying out a new project. One of the things I love about the Cricut is the great balance of font and shape cartridges. Every set has at least one other cartridge that, when used together, increases your creativity exponentially. Whether it's a font and shape set, two font collections, or two shape sets, it's so easy to find cartridges that perfectly complement one another. Let's take a look at two shape cartridges that, IMHO, go as well together as chocolate and ice cream, Fabulous Finds and Tags, Bags, Boxes & More. How many of you have discovered the harmonious compatibility that exists between this couple? The paper clips, pogs, and luggage tags from FF are a terrific embellishment for the purses and shopping bags in TBBM. This is the perfect time to use your paper kits; having several papers in the same color scheme cut in a variety of shapes and sizes adds the POW! factor you want. Tabs and hinges in FF add dimension to the tags and hangers in TBBM. Using different ways to adhere the tabs and hinges, such as eyelets, snaps, and dots will add to the visual effect of your projects. Use the slide holder (FF) to hold a name tag or photo on the darling boxes (TBBM) to personalize them. The slides (FF) are an easy yet clever augmentation for the boxes and matchbooks (TBBM), too. Of course, you can always reverse the process and use the buttons, heart, and flower (Tags, Bags, Boxes & More) on almost anything from Fabulous Finds. Mix and match components from both sets 'til your heart's content and these two cartridges will become constant companions. The fun awaits. By the way, have you tried using the file folders (FF) as gift card holders?


Do you Doodlecharms?
As I was planning a couple of spring craft projects I pulled out Doodlecharms to see how I could use it. Although I've played with this cartridge many times, I'd forgotten just how fun it is! IMHO, it's one of the must-haves for everyone that has a Cricut. While each shape is perfect at face value, if you look at them, flip them over or turn them around, you'll soon see other uses for them. Here are some alternatives I've found for the shapes in this set: Use the one of the snowflakes (cut in multiples) and circles as a bouncy ball and jacks game Turn the waterglobe upside-down, flatcut the rounded bottom and you have a shapely vase or pot Cut multiples of either heart and layer in a circle for a 3-D flower Trim the bunny ears to a point and your bunny looks like a cat (not to be confused with the cat on page 113) Trim the handle off the Easter basket for a pot o' gold or flower pot Cut 4 bugs (page 92) and line them up in a row, all facing the same direction. Cut off the antennae of three bugs and glue the heads of those three underneath the bottom of the bug in front of it. You should end up with a centipede-like creature. If you use brads instead of glue, you'll have a bug with a movable body. Turn the scoop of ice cream upside-down, add ribbon handles, and you have a darling cinch sack for your layout. Cynthea Sandoval, the designer behind Doodlecharms, has given us a fantastic collection of shapes that is versatile and inspires creativity. Do you have your Doodlecharms yet?


Features
Who let the dogs out? David Walker STUDIOS, that is. Paper Pups is one of the cutest cartridges released to date and has something in that will appeal to almost everyone. Here’s a great example of what you can create: The “Puppy with Leash” was first cut in its natural (outline) shape from brown cardstock, then, out of white cardstock using the Blackout feature. Added to it are a few touches of chalk to add some color. Voila! You have a sweet, expressive puppy guaranteed to make you smile. One of the Creative Features on this cartridge is the Border. Each of the shapes are arranged in a single row, in either twos or threes of the same shape. Some of the borders have extra little shapes added for more dimension and charm. As a final thought, have you looked at the fire hydrant in Paper Pups? What a lovable little robot it would be using the Solid feature or maybe an artichoke or leaf when the Shadow key is used. What else do you see? Care to share? Go to the Paper Pups Message Board Forum and add your input.

What in There

Every holiday season, we go out driving as a family to see the light displays found in many neighborhoods. One of the games we like to play is to determine what kind of decorating style was used on the homes and yards we see. The categories we use are: All-in-the-box (no set style... they used everything they had), Next-in-the-box (everything is concentrated in a small area), Not-enough-for-a-box (only one strand of lights or one inflatable used), No-box (a home with no decorations in a very decorated neighborhood), and finally, my favorite, Outside-the-box. This particular category is used when we would see a display that truly shows its owners’ flair for decorating that is worth a second or third look.

Doodlecharms is a cartridge that inspires us to create “Outside-the-box”; but first, it helps to identify what is in the box. Here is the way I organized the shapes so I could remember what I have to work with:

We have the four seasons represented:

	Winter:	Snowman, Snowflakes, Globe
	Spring:	Flower 1, Flower 2
	Summer:	Sun, Popsicle, Watermelon
	Fall:	Acorn, Leaf, Basket

We have special events:

	Baby’s Birth:	Baby Face, Ducky, Baby Bag, Teddy Bear, Bottle
	Back-To-School:	Bus, Apple, Backpack
	Birthday:	Ice Cream Cone, Cupcake, Present, Hat, Confetti
	Christmas:	Tree, Reindeer Head, Santa Head, Stocking, Star
	Easter:	Bunny, Easter Basket, Egg
	Halloween:	Pumpkin, Spider, Candy, Bag
	Thanksgiving:	Turkey
	Valentine’s Day:	Heart (scalloped edge), Heart (clean edge), Envelope, Mailbox

Finally, we have other fun stuff:

	Bug, Dragonfly, Ladybug, Jar, Stick & Leaves
	Castle
	Seahorse, Palm Tree
	Dog, Doghouse, Cat, Mouse

Sometimes, just looking at the pictures on the box doesn’t tell the whole story so it helps to identify and separate what is actually there. In order to use these shapes outside the box, remember, for example, that while I listed the Ice Cream Cone under ‘Birthday’, it can also be used for other projects, such as a ‘Summer’ one. The Bag and Basket can be used for so much more than something ‘Halloween’ or ‘Fall’.

Doodlecharms, by Cynthea Sandoval, is a fun, well-balanced shape set we can all enjoy.


Features Explained
Recently, my daughter came to me for help in asking a young man to her Sadie Hawkins Dance at school. She wanted something rather clever with an Australian theme. After looking through the Cricut cartridges, we saw the kangaroo and her little joey in Animal Kingdom. They were perfect for what my daughter had in mind! Artist Marie Cole has included 48 animals, reptiles, and birds in this wonderful set. When you add to that the 2 bookmark foundations and the fishbowl, it’s easy to go ‘ape’ and find something to use almost every time you pull out this cartridge. Some of the more unique things about Animal Kingdom are the Creative Features. You can cut out the head of the individual animals or the words/sounds that the animals make. Some of the animals don’t make a sound that can be written (i.e. the moose or the skunk) so words associated with that animal are used (“cabin fever” and “wildlife”). The Border option could be the most creative of all the features. Pressing the Border key prior to cutting your animal out will give you three of those shapes, in different sizes and facing opposite directions. As a result, you can have a family of frogs or a gaggle of geese for a school report. Keeping the negative (the paper you cut the shapes out of), you’ll also have a stencil to use for another project. Whether you’re down on the farm, living in the Outback, or your life is a zoo, Animal Kingdom is a shape set that will bring a smile to your face and adorable fauna to your projects.

Flexibility Through Combinations

On their own, each cartridge is a playground of shapes with a single theme. When you combine two cartridges to create something, you open up a whole new set with which to play! Let’s see what happens when we use Christmas Cheer and Celebrations together. They are both by rob and bob studio so the styles work in perfect harmony.

Obviously, you can use the gift box shapes from either set for Christmas, birthday, or other special days interchangeably, but have you noticed the candy shapes in both? Those are interchangeable, too. How about using the stars in Celebrations on a Christmas layout?

Other ideas might be to use the numbers and tags from Celebrations in combination with some of the tags in Christmas Cheer to create a fun and unique Advent calendar, or to cut out the words “celebrate” (from Celebrations) and “Christmas” (from Christmas Cheer) to make a headline for a layout or a party invitation.

You could even cut out the birthday cake stand and use it as a Christmas tree stand for the various trees found in Christmas Cheer! Cut out the balloons (without the ribbons), turn them upside down and you’ll have even more Christmas balls to put on some of the whimsical trees.

Go ahead, pull out these two shape sets, some great paper, and experience the joy of cross-cartridge explorations!


Deeper Than You Think
Once in a while, a product comes along that has so many components you might ask yourself, “How will I ever find the time to use all of these?” Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More is exactly this kind of thing! After looking at the back of the box or flipping through the handbook, you might even ask, “What can I use all of these for?” Well, this cartridge is a smart, innovative, and handy compilation of various tags, bags, and boxes (that was easy), plus some pockets, door hangers, and loads of fun embellishment elements. What makes Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More all the more appealing is the *Hole* Option (you can turn it on to insert a hole in the shapes) and the *Mirror* and *Window* Creative Features. When you start playing with the tags, also cut out some of the pockets to see how well they fit together. Add on an embellishment or two that you’ve cut and you’ll see a piece of art taking shape. You’ll be able to create many different combinations without ever repeating them, if that’s what you want. Try cutting the same shape in varying sizes to continue a theme such as graduating-sized boxes or bags for a gift (i.e. pieces of jewelry) or a place setting (fill with nuts and candy for Thanksgiving). Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More is a set that is perfect for scrapbookers of every kind, card makers, gift givers, and clever folks everywhere. What ideas can you come up with? Please share them on the Cricut Message Board or submit them to the newsletter. The artist behind this amazing shape group is Heather Lancaster. She also created the sets Base Camp, Stamped, and Tear Drop. One last question: How does she do it?


Bread Tags
Have you gone for a Walk in My Garden lately? One of the cutest combinations of a Creative Feature and Foundation/Companion is found in it. The Bread Tag is such a fun and different kind of tag that it’ll bring a smile to your face and a lift to your heart. Put it inside the Companion enclosure (fldcrd) and you have an easy thank-you card, a great invitation to a party, an interactive element for a scrapbook page, or even a sweet love note (think Valentine’s Day). When you use the Bread Tag Creative Feature, you can combine it with any of the regular shape keys. That gives you a tag with a shape (i.e. ladybug or flower) cut out of the middle. Using the Bread Tag Foundation Key (brdtag) gives you the basic, solid shape of the tag. FYI, the largest size you can use the combined shapes (tag and enclosure) is 4.0 inches. Using the tag on its own would be a unique addition to a bouquet of flowers when fastened onto a bow. What a thoughtful thinking-of-you gift that could be! There’s even ample room on the tag to write a sentiment around your cutout (i.e. ladybug or flower) shape. Other uses for the enclosure (fldcrd) could be to hold Post-its or as a gift card holder. It has a stylish scalloped edge that gives the enclosure a finished, classy look. If you have Walk in My Garden, pull it out and challenge yourself to come up with something new to work on and share it with us. If you don’t yet have it, take a peek at some of the brilliant projects posted at www.cricut.com (search Walk in My Garden or WIMG) and you’ll be inspired to put it on your wishlist.


More Ideas
Currently, there are no expectant mothers in my family but I was compelled pull out New Arrival and re-acquaint myself with the great designs. Here’s what I came up with in order to use it for Christmas. I found enough printed paper and cardstock that coordinated with my gift wrap to make forty Christmas tags. Using my Cricut, I cut out 40 ‘for you’s (combined with the Circle Feature) from the printed paper. Then, I cut out 40 circle charms (Foundation Key) of the cardstock, using the same size. After adhering the ‘for you’ circles onto the charms, I cut out 40 bows (bootie-s) and, using the tail of the bow, hooked and glued it onto the top of the charm, making the project look like a Christmas ball with a hanger. Handwriting the names of the recipient around the outside of the balls and putting my name on the backside finished the tags. When I had them done and taped to the packages, I realized that I could’ve used REAL ornament hangers for a fun look. Next time, I’ll chalk in highlights and lowlights and maybe even put some detail lines with metallic gel pens. Looking for some other ideas using New Arrival? Heads of the safety pins (sftypn-s) - cute beehives or igloos Top part of the bassinette (bssnet-s) - a deepsea helmet Bathtub overlay (tub-s) – soup bowl, flower pot, witch’s cauldron, St. Patrick’s pot of gold Hat from the crescent moon (moon-s) elf hat There are lots more things you can do with this awesome set. Take another look at it and see what you come up with!


Ideas for Any Holiday
After spending the last month making Christmas-related placecards and tags, I thought I’d share with you some of the fun and timely treasures I’ve found. Feel free to change these projects to fit any holiday or theme. Tag-making: With Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, I cut out six different tag shapes, all of them at 5.5”. Then, with Printing Press (and a coordinating paper), I used the Clip Creative Feature to cut six of the word “to:”. I attached each of the ‘to:’ paper clips to the tags, which left room for me to handwrite the name of the recipient. Flipping the tag over, the Cricutted paper clip leaves the perfect little frame to write “from:” and my name. Adding star brads, ribbon, and some gel pen squiggles finished off the tags. Placecards: Using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, I cut twenty 5.5” square boxes out of acetate (I used clear transparency sheets). Then, with Printing Press, I cut the monogram (of the gift recipient), using the Character Shadow Creative Feature. I used gold and silver posterboard for the monogram since it has a rich, metallic look. Finally, after gluing the letter to the front of each box and filling it with Almond Roca, I tied a gold and silver ribbon around the box, with the bow at the top of the box. It’s the perfect placecard for our holiday dinner table; small enough to fit nicely on the charger plate and big enough to hold a yummy treat! Last idea: As a little gift to the neighborhood kids who carol at our home and using Tags, Bags, Boxes and More, I cut out a bunch of the ‘crayon’ boxes at 5.5” (I used Christmas print cardstock). I glued the sides and bottom of the boxes closed but left the top open. I filled each box with a regular-sized Hershey’s bar. The kids’ Cricutted names were glued on the front of the boxes and were finished off with a miniature bow. If you want a really neat look though, you could tuck in 5 or 6 candy sticks of different flavors (the candy cane type without the hook on top) in place of the chocolate bar. What creative ideas have you come up with? Have you adapted an idea you’ve read about in the Chirp? Please post them in the Cartridge Explorations Section at the Cricut Message Board. Happy Holidays, Lori Baer


Frame Feature
Trying to find the right words to relay a message might be frustrating at times. To quote the cartridge box, Beyond Birthdays has “inspirational phrases and icons to create personalized handcrafted cards for every occasion”. There are so many more applications for this shape set than using it only for cards! Here’s a personal example: A few months ago, our son flew home after spending two years in northern Italy. As we wanted the airport experience to be as photo-worthy as it could possibly be, we made several posters to wave as he came down the escalator. We cut the words “Bravo”, “you did it”, and “The Big Day” from cardstock. Then, we applied glitter to the words using the colors of the Italian flag. We glued the now-sparkly sentiments to the posters and drove to the airport. Finally, the long-awaited day was here. With family welcoming him home, tears flowing, and cameras flashing, we had our ‘Kodak moment’! As I look back at those photos, the emotion of that time is still powerful, but it’s those eye-popping posters that actually tell the story without having to journal a thing. Getting back on topic, one of the things I love about this set is the Frame Feature. Did you know you can cut a frame for each of the words? All the frames can be cut in either a squared or circular shape and are sized to fit the words perfectly. Be sure to flip through your Beyond Birthdays handbook, (pages 90-137) to see how they work together…you will love it, too! Creating cards, layouts, and posters from scratch can be a daunting experience, but Beyond Birthdays by *Cecelia Harris* gives us a great start to our projects. It’s worth exploring.


Animal Kingdom Sayings
Here is a sample of some of the many silly sayings you can make using the Animal Kingdom Cartridge: Good "Moo"rning. Life can be "Ruff". Sorry you're having such a "Baa"d day. I'm "Quack"ers for you. Welcome "Neigh"bors. Thanks for being such a good "Neigh"bor. You are so "tweet". You're such a "tweet"ie pie. Home "tweet" home.


More Than Meets the Eye
It’s August, which means we have 20 or so weeks until Christmas! It’s time to pop in our Christmas Cheer cartridge and get working on cards, gift tags, place cards, and whatever else we might need for the holidays. With the whimsical shapes from the artistic duo rob and bob studio, there are three reindeer and a sleigh reminiscent of the Grinch and Whoville fame. Add to that nine different trees plus their ‘Shift key’ counterparts. Then, with stockings, ornaments, gifts, snowflakes, and a snowglobe, we can cut to our heart’s content! But wait, there’s more! Check out the six Creative Features as well as the eight Foundation shapes (and the other shapes not mentioned above). While Christmas Cheer can keep us cutting all the way through the holidays, many of the shapes can be used for other things, such as using the trees for a camping layout or using the house for a ‘we’ve moved’ card. So many choices, so little time.


Cartridge Overview
All of the cartridges have two Creative Features in common. They are Shadow and Blackout. The function of these two keys are exactly the same in all circumstances: Shadow perfectly mats the original graphic and Blackout gives you a general shadow of the original but with no interior cuts (such as the two holes in a capital letter B). Discovering the rest of the individual cartridges Creative Features is like embarking on a scavenger hunt where you shriek "ah ha" every time you try out a new one. Doesn't it make you excited to find out what new ones the Cricut team will come up with next?


Key Height Character, Revisited
In relation to a font set's Key Height Character, there are uses of Key Height found within the Shape Cartridges as well. One example is within Doodlecharm's Card Creative Feature and the respective Envelope image. When an image is cut using the Card Creative Feature, it will cut smaller, in proportion to the larger and associated Envelope Image (found in the lower right corner of the Overlay). This is so the larger envelope, when folded down, will enclose around the card (see picture). This is the basis of Foundation Shapes and their associated Companion Shapes. A Foundation Shape is the base shape of a Creative Feature. In this example, it is the plain card in the very bottom right corner of the overlay. A Companion Shape is any image that is specifically "linked" to that Foundation Shape, such as the Envelope in this sample.


Tricky
Beyond Birthdays can be a little tricky but always remember that one of the core purposes of the set is to build a card. All of the features and images work together to do so. We know manuals may not be very appealing to read, but the samples for this week's exploration are best illustrated on page 18 and 19 of the Beyond Birthdays handbook. We encourage you to take a few minutes and carefully review them.


Shifted Layers
Animal Kingdom is a great example of the "Shifted Layer" images found in many of the Shape Sets. These Layer images are sized perfectly to fit it's base shape. For instance, cutting the shifted version of the Penguin image will cut out an exact set of penguin "wings" and feet. Just cut these in a different color and you have an instant 3-dimensional creation! Keep in mind that you need to keep the size dial the same and NOT select Real Dial Size with each cut to make sure the sizing stays proportional. So keep in mind that there are often combinations of images within a cartridge that are meant to be used together, just like the example above. It's fun and rewarding to discover these as you dig deeper into each collection.


Samples
This week, I decided to share with you a trick I use to find the perfect font set for a specific project. Much has been said on the message board about how to keep track of what you have in your library from keeping the handbooks at your fingertips to printing 8.5 x 11" copies of the individual handbooks. Here's what works for me. Instead of printing the entire graphic set from the online font handbooks, I chose four different letters (E, G, T, W). From the online handbooks, I printed out only those pages. Then, on those pages, I wrote what set it was from. I inserted the pages into sheet protectors and organized them by putting all "E" pages together, all "G"s, and so forth. Since I have all the font cartridges (except for the much-hoped-for, rare Doodletype!), I did this for all the sets. If you choose to try this method of Cricut library organization, decide for yourself what letters of which you want samples. I chose "E" because it is an oft-used letter and for it's single-line height when lower cased. The "G" was picked for its 2-line height (below the main line) and because the lower case letter comes in many different appearances. The "T" was used for its 2-line, (above the main line) look and its frequent use. Finally, the "W" was used to identify clearly which font sets have rounded, sharp, classic, or funky features.


Features in Common
Many Cricut users have purchased all of the cartridges currently on the market. Using coupons, sales, the internet, LSS’, and TV shopping shows, the country’s going buggy in a big way! Not including the special cartridge available through QVC or George and Basic Shapes, there are six font cartridges and six shape cartridges. The fonts include: All Mixed Up, Base Camp, Jasmine, Mini Monograms, Stamped, and Teardrop. The shape cartridges are Animal Kingdom, Beyond Birthdays, Celebrations, Christmas Cheer, Doodlecharms, and Tags, Bags, Boxes & More. All of the cartridges have two Creative Features in common. They are Shadow and Blackout. The function of these two keys are exactly the same in all circumstances: Shadow perfectly mats the original graphic and Blackout gives you a general shadow of the original but with no interior cuts (such as the two holes in a capital letter B). Discovering the rest of the individual cartridges’ Creative Features is like embarking on a scavenger hunt where you shriek “ah ha” every time you try out a new one. Doesn’t it make you excited to find out what new ones the Cricut team will come up with next?


Don't Forget About
Okay, it’s the cartridge we all have, but have we really taken a look at what’s in it? The letters are the perfect all-around font, but it’s the shapes that are intriguing. At first glance, it appears that the shapes are repetitive. It’s the second look that shows what’s really there! On page 15 of the George handbook is a graphic of the key overlay. Looking at the grey shapes, you’ll notice there are 2 squares (R and T keys), two rectangles (Y and U keys), two skinny rectangles (I and O keys), and two triangles (A and S keys). The difference between each of the two shapes is the same for each set. The first shape has squared corners and the second shape has rounded corners. It’s just that easy! The designer of this cartridge is Cecelia Harris, and it seems she has thought of everything necessary to complete George and Basic Shapes and to save us time while using it. The rounded corners on oft-used geometric shapes as well as the traditional squared ones are just a couple of the great ideas found in George.


So Versatile
There are so many different things you can do with each cartridge, and Celebrations is about as versatile as it gets! The Creative Features, as shown on page 78 of the Celebrations handbook, show various ways the shapes can be used. One of the most-used elements of those features is the Card Creative Feature. When planning out what size of card you want to cut, keep in mind whether or not you want an envelope to go with it. Since the maximum size of shape cut out is 5.5”, remember that is the total height of the envelope shape (Foundation Shapes, handbook page 17) you will have; the card shape will be half that size in height. What does that mean? If you set your shape size to 5.5”, your actual card shape will be 2.75” in height so that it will fit in the finished envelope. The envelope (bottom right hand corner of the overlay) will be 5.5” before you fold it. If you want your card shape to be 4.5” in height, then set your shape size to 4.5” and turn on Real Dial Size prior to cutting. Think of the cute card/envelope combinations you can make with Celebrations, and then think of all the different sizes you can make them in... oh, the possibilities!


Imitating Stamps
Stamped Cartridge is a font cartridge designed to imitate the look of letters or shapes that have been stamped onto a piece of paper. Do not be alarmed if the lines of your letters or shapes are not completely straight or if they have little divots or squiggly-looking lines here and there. These lines create the look of ink as it absorbs into paper.


Shaping Up
Now that we have a plethora of shape cartridges to sort through, it's time to find a way to organize them. It takes precious crafting time to flip through each handbook, looking for the perfect piece to finish a project when we can have that information right at our fingertips, in a single binder, box, or maybe even a cd. I love simple organization ideas, and for me, that starts with big, black binders. With each shape set, I looked through the handbook to find a single page that shows the Creative Features for that cartridge in full use, such as page 102 (elephant) in Animal Kingdom. Online, under the products tab at Cricut.com, I found the corresponding page from that handbook and printed it out. This gave me a brief overview of the artistic style and content from the cartridge, as well as an example of the Creative Features. On the bottom of the page, I wrote the title and artist name as a reference for that page. In my binder is at least one printed page (8½ x 11") for each shape set. The next step in my quest for simplification included cutting out samples of specific shapes, using Linda Scott's Cheat Sheet by Alpha. She and others have posted about this list often on the MB and I find it a valuable organizational tool. Using the list, I chose items that I would be using a lot, such as bookplates, butterflies, cards, hearts, and "I love you". Setting the size at 3", I cut samples of each one, some with shadows or other Features. On a single page, I glued all of the bookplates, referencing the cartridges used, the Feature, and the size (3"). Then, I inserted it into a page protector and added it to my binder. Repeating these steps for the other items previously cut, I ended up with over 20 pages of frequently used shapes. When I have a couple of free hours, I'll add pages that show shapes that I think are particularly awesome, such as the 'hydrangea' in Walk in My Garden to this section in my binder. There have been several posts on the Cricut Message Board about alphabetizing precut shapes, keeping a running list of all the Cricut shapes, and even cutting out ALL the shapes a cartridge has available, gluing them onto paper and filing them away. Find what works for you, then adapt and streamline as your library grows with each new cartridge. Feel free to share your ideas and pictures with us - we'd love to see what you do for craft spring cleaning!