LEARNING AS WE GO

When it comes to scrapping, we all learn as we go. That's just the way it works. We see a layout or think of an idea and try our hand at it. Many fine layouts are produced as we scrap along our way and refine our individual talents and crafts.

Upon reviewing our work from past years we occasionally come across a page and exclaim, "What in the world was I thinking?!" When faced with such an issue, do not panic. You have options: Option 1: You can leave the page as you found it and simply put a "disclaimer" paste-it note on the layout which states that the page being viewed was created by your evil and scrapping impaired twin.

Option 2: You can re-scrap the event using the same theme and pictures but with a much more refined and skilled approach. Put your scanner to use if you are worried about removing the pictures from the old layout. Simply scan old photos from the inferior layout if you don't want to ruin it for sentimental reasons. The scanned photos from your old layouts can even be re-sized or doctored up.

It is fun to display both the "before" (I saw the light) layout and the "after" layout in your scrapping or memory books.

This week, be sure to read Crafty Kimber's cartridge exploration of the Sans Serif and Christmas cartridges. You'll also enjoy practical advice on using felt as well as construction paper with your Cricut and glean savvy wisdom in "Help form the Experts". We hope you enjoy this week's newsletter and, as always, wish you well in your crafting adventures.

Happy Crafting!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Don't miss the opportunity to see the Cricut and new cartridges and consumables in action! Here are are the dates and locations for the next month:

Kirkland, WA ~ 3/12-3/21
Sandy, UT ~ 3/12-3/21
Silverdale, WA ~ 3/26-4/4
Lehi, UT ~ 3/26-4/4

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• HOT cocoa
• Family, Not Luck, But Love
• B is for Baby
• M for Minnesota LO
• You've Got Mail
• Just for Fun

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Tomi Ann Hill
About: I'm a 31-year-old mother of three and a certified Cricut addict. I've been papercrafting for about 13 years, but it's only been a passion since I first got my hands on a Cricut nearly four years ago. Now I can't get enough, and I've expanded from papercrafting to using my Cricut for all sort of fabric crafting as well!

Tomi Ann's Project: Fabulous Felt Clippies

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

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

"Q. I am new to the Cricut. My husband bought it for me for Valentine's Day (best gift ever) to use in my classroom (I teach Kindergarten). I'm already addicted.

I hope you all can help me with this question. Can you use it to cut construction paper? I haven't had good results. It doesn't cut cleanly and the paper rips. I get results with scrapbook papers, but construction paper is what I have available at school. Any suggestions?"

"A. Some people laminate the construction paper first, before cutting. I use construction paper all the time for school stuff and have found that some construction paper cuts better than others. Sometimes changing the speed or pressure helps to get it to cut right. Otherwise, I just make sure the paper is really stuck to the mat.

I have found that older construction paper rips more. What I call "older" seems to be more fibrous too. I set the speed at 2 (low), pressure at 3 (med), and blade at 3."

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

This week my crafty projects kind of sat on my crafty table waiting to be finished. I'm sure you all know what I am talking about: starting a project but not being able to finish it, so you have to put it down for a bit. In this exploration I will review two Solutions cartridges that are being retired Christmas and Sans Serif.

If you haven't picked up the Christmas Solutions cartridge then you had better grab one fast, because it is being retired and the images are so adorable, it is a must for your Christmas collection! Images on this cartridge include: trees, church, lodge, old fashioned lamp, leaves & branches, old fashioned candle, reindeer, star, train, old fashioned sign, Christmas tree ornaments, angels, snowflakes, and a sleigh. As I look through the images, I thought that the trees, church, lodge houses could be used for cards or other holiday scrapbook pages. The old fashioned sign and lamp would make wonderful accents to any scrapbook page, no matter the time of year. The toys and train would be great for any boy scrapbook page or party invite. So this cartridge could be used for a bunch of other purposes besides Christmas. NancyRyan from the message board created adorable Christmas layout (see photo or click here).

Another cartridge that is being retired is Sans Serif; this Solutions cartridge is part of the font category. I used this cartridge to create a poster for a social that I am helping to organize. The letters are great for this kind of project. The two creative features included on this cartridge are Shadow and Shadow Blackout. This font is thin straight lines and comes with an upper and lower case alphabet, plus some symbols. Check out the poster that I created with this font (see pic). I love that you can cut out the letters plus the Shadow feature to make the letters stand out and fully planned to do just that. I cut letters and the shadow letters, but as I was laying out the poster I decided I didn?t want the shadow so I didn't use them!

Well the time has come again to wrap up an exploration. May all you crafters pick up those once started projects and finish them. Let your imaginations run wild!

Crafty Kimber

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here are the top questions in Customer Support this week.

From Brightly:

How to use Etching Cream

1. Clean the glass or mirror thoroughly to remove all grease, dust, and fingerprints. Avoid cleaner solutions that advertise that they are "finger print resistant" as these cleaners leave a film on the glass that hinders the etching process. Dry glass or mirror completely.

2. Choose the design from the Cricut machine of your choice using a cartridge and cut it out with vinyl. Carefully take the outside of the cutout of the vinyl and place it where you want.

3. When placing on the mirror or glass, make sure there are no bubbles in the vinyl.

4. Watch when you are applying the vinyl; be careful not to overlap any part of the design. This overlap prevents the etching cream from contacting the glass and etching unwanted areas. If there are areas of glass that you don't want the cream, you will need to protect it. Cover that with pieces of tape.

5. For best etching results we recommend that the etching cream be temperature and the object you are etching be over 70 degrees. Shake the etch cream thoroughly. Work in a well lighted and well ventilated area near a water source. Wear plastic gloves and protective eyewear if you would like. When applying, dab the etching cream on with a brush. You must apply a thick layer of etching cream in order for the chemical to react properly on the glass or mirror. Stay within vinyl area.

6. To know how long you need to leave the etching cream on, please read the bottle as some creams are different. Immediately wash off all the etching cream under luke warm water; you do not need to scrub. After all traces of the etching cream are washed away, remove all the vinyl, clean the glass using window cleaner, and dry completely.

From Mark:

Q. What is Cricut DesignStudio? What can you do with it

A. Bring Cricut designs to your own craft studio! By using the on-screen cutting mat, you can design your unique cutting layout by moving, reorganizing, rotating, resizing, skewing, and welding letters, shapes, and phrases from any Cricut cartridge available. Easily save your one-of-a-kind layouts for later use or to share with others! This program will better utilize your Cricut machine and will open up your freedoms to the cutting world.

Have a great week!

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
~ Japanese Proverb