WATERMELON MEMORIES...SOMETHING TO SPIT ABOUT

Summer and watermelons are closely associated for me. I remember learning the "proper way" to spit watermelon seeds as a youth while sitting on the wooden steps of my grandpa's guest house. My cousin was an expert tutor. He had such technique and was very generous in sharing his expertise! I had many delicious opportunities to hone and refine my skills that summer. What fun...what a swell cousin.

I've always wanted to steal watermelons from a water melon patch but have never done so because my moral compass won't allow it. Since when do watermelons fit into a guilty conscience? People say that a "hot" water melon taste "so much better than a purchased one." But alas, I'm sure I would get a bellyache caused by guilt. Sooo...this good citizen has come up with a semi-sensible solution to said dilemma. I'm growing my own watermelons! That's right! I have my very own melon patch in my backyard. Though not an expert, most of my neighbors are veteran gardeners so I'll try to glean from their knowledge and experience. I look at it as a gradual project to craft about and chronicle as the summer progresses onward. I can hardly wait to taste the first ripe melon from my garden.

My melon eating skills are much more sophisticated now and I shan't be caught spitting seeds...in public.

This week, be sure to read Crafty Kimber's cartridge exploration of the Meow, Dude!, Handy Man, and Slumber Party cartridges. Enjoy a tip about an alternate use for the "&" from George and Basic Shapes and glean savvy wisdom from our customer support Floor Sweeps as they share technical advice about Cricut products. As always, I wish you well in your crafting adventures.


Happy Crafting!

**Header project made by Shirlene Jordan using the Block Party cartridge.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Say hello to our new cartridges:

3 Birds on Parade
H2O
Pumpkin Carving
October 31st

Follow this link to see the email announcement.

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• Cricut Garden
• Summer LO
• A VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY
• Swimming Layout
• Sowing the seeds of love--layout made with Freshly Picked
• Summer Reading Totes
• Summer of 1928
• 24/7 Summertime

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Gina Cajas
About: I am a stay a home mother of five, currently working from home. I purchased the Cricut Cake to save money by making cakes for my kids. All my friend loved my cakes and now I'm starting to make them for my friends and family. I'm teaching my 16-year-old son to decorate cakes. Hopefully he will learn enough to start his own business.

Gina's Project: Hello Kitty Cake

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's clever tips come to us from messageboard member SusieQx2. Thanks for sharing your tip!

If you are looking for an awareness ribbon (Our Troops, Breast Cancer, etc.), look no further than George and Basic Shapes. Cut out the ampersand, and with a few snips of your scissors, you have a ribbon! Hopefully the picture will tell the story:

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

This week I finished painting my room and trim. Wow, it feels great to finally have that project finished! Now to finish a few other craft projects so I can relax and breathe better. Does anyone else always take on new craft projects and wish they had somehow said no? I fall into the category, and I can't resist a new craft project, so I stay really busy! This week I got a hold of some of the exclusive Wal-Mart cartridges. They are called "Cricut Lite" and I will explore the Meow, Dude!, Handy Man, and Slumber Party cartridges in today's exploration.

These cartridges have a new plastic case and trifold design. Each of these cartridges also come with reward points that you can collect and redeem on the rewards website. The handbook is a trifold with each of the images and the complete layer feature shown, so you know exactly how to assemble the artwork. For examples, click here.

The Meow cartridge is full of images of cats: drinking water, playing with yarn, playing music, with friends...and a mouse. You also get a few tag designs and a few phrases, for example: "cool cat", "9 lives", and "the cat's pajamas". HappyHappyJoyJoy from the messageboard created this cat card (see pic or click here). It's so cute!

Slumber Party is a girly cartridge full of images that will be perfect for anyone with little girls. This cartridge comes with 50 images plus 4 different 3d objects. Some examples if the images on this cartridge are: polka-dot shorts, polka-dot eye mask, bunny slippers, cell phone, television and microphone, nail polish, crown, skull, clock, guitar, and cupcake. Ameri-brit-gal made this great card (see pic or click here).

Dude! is a cartridge designed for boys scrapbook pages, cards, invitations. This cartridge is designed around skateboarding, surfing, and bicycling themes. Some examples of the phrases are: "skate", "extreme", "BMX", "wrong way", "wicked", and "stop". Images include: surfer on a wave, stop sign, snowboard, ski hat, skate ramp, and skaters jumping the skateboard. These images would be fun to use with the Yudu machine; I can see many designs that will look great on a t-shirt. HappyHappyJoyJoy also created this motorcycle card, it's a great example of the images in this cartridge (see pic or click here).

The last cartridge that I explored this week is Handy Man. What little boy doesn't love to play with daddy's tools? That's what this cartridge is all about. You have power tools, a paint brush, a flash light, a tool kit, and screw drivers. There is also a variety of houses and phrases that are included. A few examples of the phrases are: "Fixing Up the Place", "Our Remodel", and "Our 1st Home". These images would be perfect for a boy's birthday party decorations or the invitation. Leslielawter created an adorable Father's Day card using the toolbox from this cartridge (see pic or click here).

That wraps up this week's exploration. Make sure to stop by your local Wal-Mart to pick up these new cartridges--they are a must for your Cricut collection! Don't forget to upload your projects to the message board on www.cricut.com. Happy crafting!

Crafty Kimber

WEEKLY SURVEY

Don't forget to take this week's survey!

Click here.

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here are the top questions in Customer Support this week.

From Brightly:

Tips for Organizing your Scrapping Area:

Ever step into your scrap area and wonder if a bomb has exploded? Click on this link for some suggestions. This is a great place for organization tips and ideas!


From Becky:

Q. Is there any way to renew the life of the cutting mat to get more "sticky" on them and get them to last longer?

A. Each mat should last anywhere from 25 - 50 full-page cuts and oftentimes more, depending on the size of cuts and what kind of paper/cardstock you use. This equates to hundreds and hundreds of actual individual cuts.

Just as added information, and regarding a non-defective mat, here are a few tips that will help prolong its life that you may find helpful:

1) Rotate your mat and insert it in the other direction. You'll notice that a full 6x12" piece of paper is centered squarely in the center of the mat. So even though the printed text indicates one direction, we designed it to be rotated as well.

2) We recommend that you use and rotate a number of mats at the same time. This seems to extend the overall life of each mat.

3) Be sure to store them with the plastic film over them. Without them, your mat can collect dust or debris and not last as long. It is also a bad idea to store mats with a sheet of paper on them.

4) Don't cut too deep. Make sure the blade height is set just enough to get through your stock. If it cuts deeper into the mat it just wears it our faster.

5) Don?t use a full sheet of paper is you are cutting something small. Every time you put a piece of paper on the mat and lift it up, it will leave fibers behind and take adhesive with it. Limiting the number of sheets pressed into different areas of the mat will greatly expand the life of your mat. (It may also be a good idea to sometimes place these smaller pieces of paper in areas of the mat that get less use--such as the middle or the corners opposite the blade.)

6) You can usually squeeze out a good handful of additional cuts by pressing the paper or cardstock down extra firmly when the mat is placed on a soft surface like carpet.

7) Take care not to expose your mat to extreme heat, particularly leaving it out in the sun. Under these conditions the adhesive may melt and, in some conditions, the mats may curl.


From Mark:

Q. Are the Cricut Cake cartridges interchangeable with all the different types of Cricuts?

A. Absolutely! Isn't that great? All Cricut cartridges work in all Cricut machines.


Have a great week!

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"When one has tasted watermelon he knows what the angels eat."
~ Mark Twain