Did you miss the opportunity to go on a summer vacation? Are you itching to just get away and enjoy the wonders of another place? Do you feel it is time for a little extra fun in your life? Well, here's an opportunity you won't want to pass up. You have heard about the new Gypsy and how compact, convenient, and portable it is. Now, you can roam around and design anywhere with the amazing Gypsy! Crafters are just itching to own one! Cricuteers can actually win a Gypsy by purchasing one of the four newest Cricut cartridges, that just might contain a winning card! We have added even more options to the Cricut line, so there's no limit to what you can create and take away, thanks to Gypsy!

Now you could be one of 221 winners of the new Gypsy just by purchasing one of our newest cartridges from a participating retailer. What in the world are you waiting for? Come check out the details of this fabulous promotion and see what all the excitement is about!

Here is a list of the newest Cricut cartridges which could contain winning tickets:

Everyday Paper Dolls

Sweethearts

From My Kitchen

Winter Woodland


Happy Cricuting :-)

A. Gypsy is the hand held DesignStudio for Cricut. It lets you design anywhere, whenever inspiration strikes. Gypsy stores all of your Cricut Cartridges and offers a wealth of design features--all in the palm of your hand! And when you're ready to cut your projects, simply connect to your Cricut and press a button. It's that easy!

Click here to learn more.

In today's Cricut exploration I choose to explore the new Cricut Cartridge Ashlyn's Alphabet. This font cartridge that will make a wonderful addition to the Cricut Family. It's slightly different than some of the other font cartridges in the collection. I love the angle and sweep lines of each of the letters; they have a nice smooth look to each of the alphabet letters, numbers, and symbols.

This Cartridge comes with a full set of upper and lower alphabet letters, some symbols (this includes the European symbols), and numbers. You will receive four different fonts and then some phrases and images. The creative features are: Block, Cursive, Skinny, Icon, Base Shadow, and Icon Shadow. Obviously the Icon shadow fits the creative feature Icon. Now you can layer the images or the phrases that come with this feature. Some examples of what comes with this cartridge are: tall swirl, cup, tea pot, sugar bowl, tea cup, and rose. Curvy frame, rectangle, and oval frame are some other images that come with this cartridge. The oval with swirls is a wonderful frame that would be perfect for any dog or child photo. This is perfect way to draw attention to that special area on your scrapbook page. Other images that come on this cartridge are: butterfly, bird, tall magical swirl, tall tea pot, leaf with swirls, vertical swirl, fancy fan with design, holly flower, snowflake, two different styles of bow, tall and wide crowns, three different diamond designs, star, heart, tag, and card template. There are a variety of different languages (see example).

To find different ideas or see what is in this cartridge check out the message board area on the Cricut web site. There you can find some great ideas on cards, scrapbook pages, or even other projects that you can create on any of the Cricut cartridges. A wonderful Cricuteer (aka Nilda, Message board fan) took pictures of every page of the handbook to help you see what was on this cartridge. Click on this link to check out her post. If you have created any project with this cartridge don't forget to post your projects on the website for everyone to check what you have created. I love to see new ideas, styles, and projects that are created using the Cricut cartridges.

Check me out next week as I continue to explore this or some of the many new cartridges that are currently in the stores. I have so many cartridges to choose from that I wish my fingers could type faster and I had more time to explore. I would never leave my craft room! Oh what would my life be like if all I did was craft? My poor dogs would be really lonely and probably never get fed or watered, and my whole life would be run by my Cricut. Hmmm, I don't think that would be a very healthy environment, but this would be a great way to lose weight--craft those pounds off. Of course, the trick would be to eat healthy foods while you craft--hmmm, something to think about. Happy Cricuting and see you all next week!

Crafty Kimber

A. Possible Solution 1 - The first and easiest solution would be to increase the cut pressure. Do this with the "Pressure Dial" found on the left side of the Cricut machine.

Possible Solution 2 - The blade height may need to be adjusted, particularly if you are trying to cut through thicker stock. Refer to "Adjusting the Blade Height" in the Cricut User Guide.

Possible Solution 3 - The blade may be getting dull. The biggest key to a great cut is a sharp blade. Try replacing the blade. Refer to "Changing the Blade" in the Cricut User Guide.

Possible Solution 4 - Is the blade 'sticky' when trying to remove or insert into the blade housing? - It could be a defective blade. Try another blade to see if it is smoother.

Possible Solution 5 - The blade housing could be the problem if every blade sticks. Another blade housing should be tried.

If you're still having trouble, contact Cricut Customer Service toll free at 1-877-727-4288 or e-mail them at support@cricut.com.