A CAMPAIGN FOR SMILES

Every February, The ADA sponsors National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. The typical person is born with the potential to have a mouth full of teeth. As babies and toddlers, we and our parents endure the tumultuous teething process to obtain our first set of 20 baby teeth. Later on in childhood, some of our teeth fall out, we lose the ability to whistle for a while, and learn how to whistle again when the permanent replacements grow in. Molars break threw to join the party and by the time all is said and done, we have somewhere around 32 to 28 teeth in our head. Those of us who have 28 teeth have endured the trial of having our ?wisdom teeth? extracted.

Children are taught to develop good habits to be continued throughout their lifetime and regular dental visits must be endured to ensure a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums. For a society that takes our teeth so seriously, you would think we would display them more often! A beautiful showcase of calcium can be revealed when the upper corners of the mouth are raised and the lips part. Smile for goodness sake!

Let's sponsor our own neighborhood smile awareness month! It's a well-known fact that Cricut products have the ability to promote smiling. Your Cricut machine could be the very source which instigates a contagious exchange of good will, hope, and smiles - which are inexpensive gifts and always come right back to the giver. Human beings just look better when wearing a smile. Some breeds of cats and dogs can smile as well. (By the way, it is also dental health month for pets.)

Create a card or craft with Cricut and begin a friendship with lots of smiles. Share a Cricut card...share a smile.

This week, be sure to check out Crafty Kimber's cartridge exploration of the Playtime and Disney Classics cartridges. As always, I wish you well in your crafting adventures.

**Header project made by Sue Helfrich using the Groovy Times cartridge.

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• Serenade Thank You Card
• Uniquely Me
• A Cup of Coffee
• Thank Ewe Card
• Relax

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Dana Hopkins
About: I'm a stay-at-home mom. I received my Cricut Expression as an anniversary present. Let's just say I spend a lot of time in my craft room.

Dana's Project: Party Invitation and Favor

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's tips come from several message board members. Thank you for the awesome tips guiltfrog, BoomerKnows, and momof_4!

Q. "Does anyone know if there is a tool to remove newspaper clippings from the old photo album style books without tearing the article? I have a friend redoing a book she did in school and she's having trouble getting the articles off the pages. Any ideas would be welcome."

A1. "If it is one of those old 'magnetic' types, the trick is to heat the adhesive. Use a hair dryer or an embossing heat gun. Turn the blowing power down if possible, so it is warm/hot but not a tornado. Start on one edge and work slowly. Use the little Cricut spatula to help lift the article off the page. I think this might work for some other types of adhesive, too." ?guiltfrog

A2. "I would take a picture of it and throw out the original after I print the new copy." -BoomerKnows

A3. "Put it in the microwave for a few seconds and it will lift off. I know it sounds strange, but it works! I have done it plenty of times." ?momof_4

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

This week the weather has been really weird; it keeps changing and I think spring is around the corner. I can't wait for spring! Just the thought of spring flowers peaking up through the ground makes me giddy with delight. I also spent some time exploring the Playtime and Disney Classics cartridges.

Have you ever wondered what to do with those fun park pictures of the kids? Now you have a special cartridge called Playtime, full of the things kids love to do. This cartridge is part of the Lite collection available exclusively at Wal-Mart and is a wonderful addition to the Cricut library. Some of the images that are included with this cartridge are: child in a bubble bath, piggy bank, child playing the piano, child with dog, child on a timeout chair, child dressed up for Halloween, child sleeping, frog, child playing with toys, child praying, and train. You can also cut some phrases: "Cute," "Princess," "Play Time," "Sugar and Spice," "Having Fun," "Kids Stuff," and "Boys Toys." Cut the base layer then cut the extra layers to help your cuts stand out.

Disney Classics was the other cartridge that I explored this week. I love Disney characters and when I first discovered what characters were included, I fell in love with this cartridge. To start off, the creative features on this cartridge are: Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, Icon, Icon Layer, and Shadow. On page 15 you will find a great layer formula to help you get started on building each character. I find that the first time I start playing with one of these kinds of cartridges, I keep that formula marked till I have worked my way through the first image. Then it's a lot easier to cut the other images I want because I am in the groove. The movies that this cartridge covers are: Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Bambi, and Pinocchio. Some of my favorite images are Thumper, Wendy, the Cheshire Cat, and Jiminy Cricket. Cut out the base layer in black cardstock, and then your first layer will be with the Shift key on your base layer. The Icon feature provides you with extra fun images that will compliment any of these fun character images. Some examples of the images you can cut under the Icon feature are: Top hat, wood sword, umbrella, teddy bear, pirate map, painter kit, apple, butterfly, trees, bird, flower, cuckoo clock, mushroom, face card shapes, tea cup, and a crown. Nilda from the message board created this adorable Valentine?s Day project. She used Disney Classis to make Thumper and simply filled the wood log with candy (see pic or click here).

This wraps up another week of exploring cartridges in the Cricut collection. Check back next week as I continue to discover the new cartridges that are constantly popping up. Happy Crafting!

Crafty Kimber

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here's the word from Customer Support this week:

- Remember that the Seasonal cartridges are limited. Once they are gone, they are gone. We don't want you to miss out on getting those cartridges that catch your eye!

- We continue to urge you to always register your Provo Craft products. This helps Customer Support to better assist you.

- A great way to build your cartridge library is to submit a project to the Chirp newsletter! A free cartridge is given out each week to the winner. Submit here!

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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 Cricut 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

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
~ Leo F. Buscaglia