A COZY, WARM, AND CRAFTY HOME

Winter's deep freeze has set in and I, not unlike many of you, am spending much of my time staying warm and cozy indoors at home. Home. Kind of a funny sounding word isn't it? My dictionary defines the word home as: "a house, apartment, or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household." Another definition reads: "the place in which one's domestic affections are centered." The listing for synonyms was as such: "1. abode, dwelling, habitation; domicile. See house. 2. hearth, fireside. 3. asylum." Some of us even name our homes. Each is unique in its shape, size, color, and location.

Ah, the crafter's abode...our very own personal castles complete with our very own personal touch. Decorating your dwelling, hearth, or fireside is easier now than ever with Cricut products! Whether you are the super organized decorator or just making it up as you go along, Cricut has something for you and your own personal taste and style. Enjoy the process of decorating with ease and class! The possibilities are endless!

This week, be sure to enjoy clever crafty tips on cutting crafting foam and check out Crafty Kimber's cartridge exploration of the Ornamental Iron, Four Legged Friends, and Twinkle Toes cartridges. As always, I wish you well in your crafting adventures.

**Header project made using the Home Décor cartridge.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• January
• Series of Cards Using Quarter Note
• Have an Ice Day
• Party 'Til the Cows Come Home
• Birthday Card for 4-year-old
• 3D Castle

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Chris Wooten
About: I am a 53-year-old grandmother of three. I love anything to do with the outdoors and crafting. I love paper crafting and all things Cricut. I started this past March 2010 and started my blog too. Just give me paper and my Cricut and I am in heaven.

Chris' Project: Paper Roses

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's tip comes from message board member britmckenzie1. Thanks for sharing your tip!

"To cut craft foam, I use the Deep Cut blade and also put the blade depth on 6 to ensure a good cut. I also use multi-cut at 2. It is best to use a sharp blade and a clean mat, and after cutting, you will need to manually remove the foam ever so carefully. It takes a few minutes of time, but they turn out great. Hope this helps!"

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

I can't believe it's the start of a new year! Time sure flies by fast, but no matter how busy I get, I always make time to play with my Cricut. This week I was fortunate to explore the new Ornamental Iron, Four Legged Friends, and Twinkle Toes cartridges.

When I first got Ornamental Iron I was really excited to see how the images would cut. Yes, they can be somewhat fragile, but once they are glued to the complimenting shadow the die cuts become stronger. The creative features for this cartridge are: Window, Font 1, Font 2, Base Shadow, Window Shadow, and Font 1 Shadow. The Font 2 creative feature is the same images as Font 1, but you can cut the letters separate from the box outline. You can cut out uppercase letters and numbers 1 through 0. you also receive ten fun images under both Font features. For example, you have chess pieces, a fleur-de-lis, a cross, and a leaf. With each of these extra images, you can also cut out the compliment layer to help give your cut some dimension. There is also a feature that lets you cut out a Shadow layer for each of the letters in the creative feature Font 1. When I look at the images on this cartridge, they remind me of the rustic iron gates or fences that people put up around their house. All of these images are designed to be mixed and matched. Just think, you can cut one of the iron gates with a solid white middle and create a party invite. CraftySentiments from the Cricut message board made some great examples of this cartridge (see pic or click here).

Four Legged Friends is an adorable Cricut Lite cartridge designed around your favorite animals. This cartridge comes with forty images and 10 phrases. A few examples of what kinds of animals you can cut out with this cartridge are: ten different designs of cats, ten different kinds of dogs (schnauzer, poodle, chihuahua, dachshund, etc.), horse, bunny, hamster, bird, hedgehog, turtle, mouse, fish, snake, frog, doghouse, paw print, dog/cat food dish, bird cage, fire hydrant, dog toys, cat toys, and fish bowl. A few examples of the phrases are: "Man's Best Friend," "Wet Nose Warm Heart," "meow," and "Animal House." Each of these images and phrases also come with the layers. Too bad my dogs already had their doggy birthday party, because this cartridge would make the cutest invitations. You could also use them on your scrapbook pages, or little boy party invitations. Use this cartridge with Cricut Cake and cut out some fun animal shapes to decorate cookies for a birthday or whatever party. Kathysalido from the Cricut message board created this cute animal card (see pic or click here).

The last cartridge that I played with this week was Twinkle Toes, also part of the Cricut Lite collection. The images and phrases are designed for the dancer that is deep within us. You will just love this cartridge, so you better get one while you can! There are nine little girls all holding different ballet dance poses. Some other images that you can cut with this cartridge are: baby grand piano, music notes, crown, stage with curtains, tap shoes, ballet shoes, dancing animals (elephant, flamingo, owl, mouse, dog, and fish), and flowers. A few examples of the phrases on this cartridge are: "All Star Dancer," "Dance Team," "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," "Dance," "All that Jazz," "Cheer," and "I Heart Dance." I have plans to use the piano in a party invitation project that will be coming up in February. I can't wait to get the cards made--they will look so great!

This wraps up another exploration. I hope all of you have started making those New Year's resolutions. Make sure to put spending more time with your Cricut on that list! See you next week!

Crafty Kimber

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Regarding the Cricut Cake:

When you cut using the Cricut Cake, it will leave a little trace of the image on the mat. That is normal and shouldn't affect the cutting ability of the Cricut Cake for many cuts. Eventually, with wear and tear, those cuts in the mat will make it harder to get the product to stick down and not have any air bubbles, but again you should be able to get many cuts from the mat before needing to replace it. If you notice that the machine is cutting so far into the mat that it is almost cutting through, then you will need to lighten the pressure. If you are still having problems or concerns then please feel free to contact Cricut Customer Support.

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Need some help? Provo Craft Customer Support is here for you! Never hesitate to call in (1-888-922-4725 or 1-888-92ccircle for Circle questions); we have people ready to help you! We are currently open Monday through Friday 7am to 6pm Mountain Time. If these hours do not work with your schedule, please send an email to support@provocraft.com.


Have a great week!

From your Customer Support Sweeps:
Mark, Colby, Brittany, and Becky, "The Floor Sweeps"

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."
~ Charles Dickens