THE BUG

Sniffles and stuffy noses are common during this season. Many are doing their best to avoid microscopic bugs that could cause them to join the crowds of red-nosed, tissue-bearing zombies. One of the most cunning and contagious little bugs of this season is...the love bug. His favorite time of the year is approaching. Why, said bug even has a sidekick named Cupid. Folks are less likely to avoid the contagious phenomenon this duo can create.

I have to admit that many Cricut users of all ages are doing their part to promote the warm fuzzies caused by Mr. Love Bug and Cupid. Pink and red hearts, lace, and a plethora of frills are being applied to clever Valentine cards and crafts. You've simply got to love it!

This week, be sure to enjoy Crafty Kimber's in-depth cartridge exploration of the Best of Pixar cartridge. As always, I wish you well in your crafting adventures.

**Header project made by Mary MacAskill using the A Child's Year cartridge.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• Love is in the Air
• CAC - I Stick You're Sweet
• Acrylic Tumblers
• Let's Hang Out Valentines Card

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Leah Pagliaroli
About: I am a stay at home mom of a special needs child who is the gem of my heart. He loves to Cricut right along with me. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we've been married 22 years now. I have been crafting for over ten years. When I got my Cricut, I fell in love right away. I also purchased Cricut DesignStudio, then the Gypsy. My husband and I try to do something special at Valentine's and that's how this card came to be.

Leah's Project: "Let's Fall In Love" Heart Valentine Character Card

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's tip comes from our very own Chris at ProvoCraft. Thanks Chris!

Follow this link to find RGB colors for each Imagine cartridge.

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

I was too excited and couldn't decide which cartridge to explore, so I closed my eyes and picked one at random. The winner was Best of Pixar! I was excited to focus on this cartridge because it's so cute; I can visualize so many projects when I look through the handbook. I just wish I had children so I could cut some of these images with vinyl and decorate their rooms.

The creative features are: Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, Icon, Icon Layer, and Shadow. Please note that this cartridge is just like any of the other Disney cartridges: you need to cut the base layer in black first, then cut out and place the rest of the layers. I find it easier to use a bunch of different strips of the different colors all on one 12x12 mat. That way I can just move my blade around to the correct color and cut out all my layers all at the same time.

You can cut characters from your favorite Pixar movies, and I'm particularly excited about Finding Nemo. You can do so many projects with the Finding Nemo die cuts: cut Marlin, Nemo, Dori, Sheldon the seahorse, Tad the butterflyfish, Bruce the shark, Bloat the blowfish, Peach the starfish, Crush the sea turtle, and his son Squirt. You can also cut sea shells, coral, seaweed, waves, treasure chests, water bubbles, and palm trees. These would be perfect for beach photos, water park photos, bulletin boards about the ocean, and vinyl images to decorate a child's room in a marine theme. You could even do some wall art for a bathroom, just be sure that you use a spray sealant over the images to protect them from moisture. Amber from the message board created this Nemo journal book (see pic or click here).

From A Bug's Life, you can cut Flik, Atta the princess ant, and Dot the baby ant. You can also cut out the title of the movie, the phrase "I am the Princess", and a tiara. Monsters, Inc. has quite a few images as well: the door, an "M" symbol, Sulley, Mike, Boo in three different poses, as well as one in her purple monster outfit, Celia, Randall, Roz, and Mr. Waternoose. You can cut the sign "Screamer Wanted", a monster background, flowers, and the name "Boo". Any of these would be great for a little boy or girl's birthday party. You could use them on the invitations, to decorate around the room, and even with Cricut Cake to make the birthday cake. Afterward, use the cartridge to decorate the scrapbook pages you make to commemorate the party. Steph108 used the character Boo in this adorable thank you card (see pic or click here).

The Incredibles (Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash, Jack-Jack, Syndrome, and Frozone) and WALL-E (WALL-E and EVE) are also included on this cartridge.

Well, that wraps up this week's exploration. Don't forget to upload any projects you make with your Cricut cartridges to www.cricut.com. Happy Crafting!

Crafty Kimber

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here's the word from customer support this week:

- Remember that customer support is often very busy on Mondays. Your call will be answered as quickly as possible by one of our awesome customer support agents.

- The Circle support line is for Circle issues only. Calling the Circle support line about your Provo Craft products will not help your issue get resolved, and vice versa. Be sure you call the correct number (see numbers below).

- Product Development loves to get your ideas! You are welcome to forward your ideas to AdminBecky (becky@cricut.com), and she will get those sent to the correct team.

- There have been a few message board issues (i.e. not being able to post). If this is happening to you, take a screenshot and send it to AdminBecky. She will get this information to the correct department so we can get the issue resolved.

- We are enjoying your creations on the message boards! It's so much fun to see what you are making and how great you all are to share the ideas and instructions with each other!

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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

"Dreams are...illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you."
~ Marsha Norman