Cricut Design Studio Welding

Here's an easy way to weld all the letters of a word together in the Design Studio:

1) With the DS open and your cursor set on the mat where you want it, type the first word (all the letters) with no spaces between them. Then, in the kern box, type "-0.25" (without the quotes) and hit the apply button. This will overlap the letters. If they overlap too much, experiment to see what overlap you like by changing the kern number.

2) Then, highlight each letter and click weld.

Here's a tip: To highlight a letter or object in DS, click on a line segment of the letter or object. This will bring up the bounding box (the one with arrows). I spent many frustrated hours trying to get the letters to highlight.

Also, another tip: If you can't get the cursor to move on the mat, adjust your double click speed. It doesn't seem to handle super fast double clicking well. Slow it up a little bit and see if that helps.

One more thing, the DS program only allows ONE computer to cut your creations. So, if you have DS, you can load it on multiple computers, in order to create things, BUT you may only cut with one of them. I assume it is the FIRST one you load DS onto. I am really cranky about this because a day after I loaded DS onto my Windows laptop, it decided it wouldn't take a charge from the power cord anymore. Arrrgghh!

Making Paper Stars...

Here are directions for making 3-D paper stars, courtesy of Jessica at Lost Button Studio...I've been searching the internet for this info and these popped up! Enjoy!

Click for directions HERE!

Reindeer Card

Reindeer is from the new Cricut Christmas Noel Solutions cartridge, stamped with UTEE embossing powder and mounted on the music Cuttlebug embossed card. Created by Denise on the Cricut Board and my favorite card of the Christmas season this year! Isn't it fabulous?

Elegant Cricut Vinyl Christmas Design

Isn't this gorgeous?? This is done using gold vinyl and adhered through careful burnishing.

Over on the cricut message board, I found the above image that JenC created in the Design Studio program using Storybook and Plantin Schoolbook cartridges. The actual design is inspired by a Pier One Christmas wall hanging. JenC is always so kind and gracious in creating .cut files (aka Design Studio files) for people and has made many incredible things using Design Studio. Check out her work at: Jen's Brain Things blog. She has the above .cut file available and explains how to get it from her (no charge involved!).

The gold vinyl was found on the internet at Vinyl for Cricut. I have not ordered from them personally.

The original message board thread with this project in it is located HERE.

Another word book tutorial

Another word book tutorial for the Cricut Design Studio:

Cricut Word Book Tutorial

Even More Cricut Tips!

AngieDuran on the cricut message board posted these incredible tips!  Lots of good info here!

Cricut Tips


Paper Help

When I use normal weight paper I set my machine to speed 2, pressure 3 and blade 4. So far things have worked out great for me.

I use all paper when building objects (ex. Mickey, Minnie) ...but usually start with thin cardstock as my base layer, or any 12 x12 patterned paper for scrappin. To keep my order...I place my pieces on a white paper and stak as I go.

I usually cut on speed of 1 or 2. In terms of pressure - I usually use 3 or 4 for actual paper, and 5 for cardstock. Blade depth may also
be a factor - I usually use 4-5 for paper, and 6 for cardstock.

Paper & speeds

Thin paper
speed - 1
blade depth - 3
pressure - 3

Cardstock
speed - 1
blade depth - 3
pressure - 3 or 4

Thick Cardstock
speed - 1
blade depth - 3 or 4
pressure - 4 or 5

 
Mat help

Not sticky enough:

I've posted this a bunch of times on the message board, but it's a great idea so I'm gonna post it again. The best thing I have found to make the mats re-stick is Krylon fast tack spary. It is $5 a can at Michaels. Tape the edges of the mat and spary a light coat on. Let it dry for 5-10 mins. I like it better than the original stick that comes on the mat and it stays stickier longer. Hope this helps.

I posted this in another spot, but it works! Spray the mat with stamp cleaner (Stampin' Up! mist or Close to My Heart is what I've used) wipe with a clean towel and fan to dry, it works amazing well!

I use a stencil spray also just like you described. I also use Zig repositonable glue on my mat. I've had my Cricut for a year and a half and have only bought 4 mats. I prefer the stick I get over the original mats, too.

I have been using a lint roller to remove small particles from my cutting mats,(the ones for pet hair work best) and found that if you roll them over a old mat it brings back the stickeness to the mat.
Have to say, the best stickiness results I see are from the Krylong Tacky spray. Easy to use also.

Ok, I have to add my tip here. I really did a number on my first mat and hopefully I will be able to keep it going a lot longer. To clean and restore tacky surface I first use liquid dish soap undiluted. I just use my fingers, no cloth, to rub the soap over the whole surface. Then I start rinsing with warm to hot water and keep gently rubbing surface. You'll see all the lint and paper bits just rinse off. If I am in a hurry to use again I will dry the mat with a blow dryer. Works for me!

Too Sticky:

Never put lighter weight paper on a new mat. I use it for heavier cardstock only for the first several cuts. Then, when it's not so sticky, I start to use if for the lighter paper.

Place the mat on your shirt, pants, some piece of clothing, then peel off, the lint/fuzz from the material will take some of the tackiness away. Don't do it on anything thats says knitted, you'll get too much fuzz. You can do the same thing with the Heidi Swapp masks, sometimes they're too sticky also.

When cut is not all the way through the paper:

1. WITHOUT unloading the paper, press the button
Mat will return to starting position

2. Press

3. Press

Obviously, this will only work if the cut you want to repeat begins at the mat starting position. It would be a bit more complicated if the incomplete cut were in the middle of the paper. Or...you could just follow the above steps and let it repeat all the cuts on the page. Just remember to check you cuts BEFORE you press .

Vinyl

I found some at acmoore and lowes hardware. It is called wall pops. It cuts beautifully. I am going to try to cut the fairy's from the princess cart out of vinal today I will post when I am done and it did not dull my blade at all I cut very slow at 5 depth

I got my vinyl at Meijer in the kitchen area...it is actually shelf liner. You can also use Wall-pops, which is available in the wallpaper section at Lowe's, or at Target.com. I found out about the wall-pops after doing my kitchen, but the Wall-pops didn't come in the color I needed, anyway. The shelf liner has just a little tackiness to it, and the letters seemed to be sticking just fine, but I ran them through my Xyron 150, just to make sure they stayed in place.

Just a little FYI...I have been cutting alot of vinyl for my scraproom. I have used the wallpops, the cricut vinyl and vinyl from a local sign shop. They all vary in thickness, and they are all stuck to textured walls. I dont think it shows through really at all. I have not tried contact (shelving paper, couldnt find the color I wanted), but as for these three I say if you have textured walls go for it. Some of mine have been hanging for a week now and none of them are falling down or coming off either!

If you only have the baby bug you can still cut 11 1/2" letters if you have the software, it allows you to rotate your letters so you can turn them and make them big!!!

Beware of the Vinyl from ScrapbookDieCutters.com - it's permanent!

Can I suggest something? DON'T cut through the paper, that makes it 10 times harder. Cut just deep enough to cut the vinyl, leaving the backing paper intact. Then pull away the excess vinyl and use transfer tape to remove from the backing and onto the wall.

Check out www.vinyloutlet.net and look at their "helpful hints" link on the home page, this will show you how to use it. You can also purchase vinyl and Transfer tape on the site, you will LOVE it!

Design Studio with small cricut from Susanuncle
http://susanbluerobot.blogspot.com/2007/12/playing-with-my-cricut-designstudio.html
Miscellaneous



Maybe everyone knows this and I am just slow, really slow. I took the blade out of the holder put it in upside down and drew my designs. It put marks on the paper without cutting it. I will use this ALL THE TIME. For someone who cant draw a straight line and likes stickles this is the coolest thing ever. So I can "draw" the design or letters or whatever on the paper then have a guideline to put the stickles or anything else I can come up with.

Instructions for Cricut Pic:
Bunnylover: I was having a VERY quiet day and thought I'd play around with the shapes on George and see if I could make our cute little bug friend....and here's the result with instructions

Head: 4" Oval
Smile: 2" moon silhouette
Eyes: 2" circles (white) and 2" circles w/shadow (green)
Eyeballs: 1" sign w/circle
Feelers: 4" circle silhouette and 4" oval silhouette
Feeler ends: 1 1/2" sign w/circle

For the smile and feelers you need to fiddle a bit getting the right length but I found it easy when looking at the picture on my machine. The lettering underneath is Base Camp

Websites for quotes & phrases: http://www.scrapbook.com/quotes.php www.verses4cards.co.uk http://www.dennydavis.net/ www.scrapsayings.com

Cutting Fabric

I cut quite a few letters, from 2 1/2" down to 1" today. I used tightly woven cotton that had Heat N Bond fused to the back of it. Before I place the fused cotton, Heat N Bond side to the mat, I removed the backing paper. I've found that the fusing process loosens the paper, in some places, from the Heat N Bond and the fabric shifts in those areas during cutting. Once the fabric is down on the mat very smoothly, I use a bone folder or the flat side of a table knife would probably work too, and sort of burnish the fabric into the sticky on the mat, especially all around the edges. Every once in awhile the blade will sort of skip a little and not cut a very little bit. When I take the fabric off the mat I just carefully snip that uncut area or use my Exacto knife. The hardest letter to cut is the dot on the 1" letter i. I think I'll use a very small paper punch to cut the dot. I used a broad font like Learning Curve. I don't know how some of the thinner letters would cut. Heat N Bond recommends washing and drying the fabric first to remove the coating normally found on new fabrics. Its also important that the mat has "good sticky" and the blade is sharp. My setting were: blade 6, Pressure about 5 and speed 4 or 5. A little tweaking of the settings may be necessary. Hope this helps.


Operation

1. Pressing the ON button of your Cricut lightly opens the machine without turning it on.

Blades & Markers

2. The blade housing should have the arrow marker facing forward so that you can change the depth of the blade without removing the blade housing.
3. Setting the blade depth to 1 will allow moving the blade around the paper without cutting it.
4. To recut images that did not cut all the way through, do not Unload Paper. Instead Load Paper, then Repeat Last, then Cut.
5. To use the Markers and cut images, replace the blade with the marker, set speed and pressure, and draw the image (Cut). Do NOT Unload Paper. Replace the Marker with the blade, reset speed and pressure, then press Load Paper, then Repeat Last, and then Cut.
6. In a pinch, sharpen the blade on a stone sharpening slab or knife sharpener.

Cartridges

7. Turn off your Cricut when changing cartridges.
8. Register all cartridges and machines at Cricut.com.
9. Use the shadow feature to make any font fatter.
10. The cylinder shape on the George cartridge makes a great dog tag.
11. The Silhouette feature on George makes great picture frames.
12. The shadow feature on any cartridge makes a great base for the paper piecing.
13. Cut letters first, then shadows. Letters can be mounted on shadows before the shadows are removed from the mat.
14. To make items or letters smaller than 1”, use the Creative Features on some cartridges that enclose letters or shapes inside larger shapes – i.e. the Sign feature on George.
15. If you know characters of a certain height should fit the paper size, but have a “tail” like the letter “y” on font cartridges, turn on the Paper Saver option.
16. To make proportionately smaller items larger, turn on the Real Dial Size option.
17. Create a Unifont from lower case alphas by turning on the Real Dial Size option.

Mats

18. Cricut mats can be loaded from either leading end.
19. Load mat aligning left side with flat edge of casing to allow the mat to load straighter.
20. Roll a brayer over your paper and mat several times to help it stick better. You will not have to clean it as often.
21. Date the back of your mats when you start using them so you know which one to get rid of first.
22. Use a lint roller over the mat to remove dust and particles from a mat.
23. When cutting a 3x3 piece of paper or smaller, use a newer or tackier mat.
24. When a mat starts to lose its tackiness, move the blade in 1/2 inch (1 move) and over 1/2 inch (1 move) before making your first cut.
25. If you press "Load Paper" without unloading the mat, the blade will move to the start of the mat.
26. When cutting thick or heavy paper, use a newer mat. When cutting thin paper, use an older, less tacky mat.
27. Add a sticker to or mark the transparent cover of a mat so you know which way it lays on your mat.
28. Cover your mat with the transparent cover when not in use.
29. The mat cover can be used like a transparency after the mat is thrown away. The cover can be cut by your Cricut.
30. When using a new mat your paper will not curl when you remove it from the mat if you roll the mat and remove the mat from the paper while holding the paper taut.
31. Every now and then, move the Cricut blade to the CENTER of the mat so that portion of the mat gets used. Saves paper and the mat.
32. Use an old mat to hold letters you have cut to keep track of them. It also comes in handy when gluing letters to their shadows.
33. You can use Repositionable Spray Adhesive like Quilter’s Spray, 3M Spray Mount Adhesive, Excel Stencil Spray, Krylon Repositionable Glue Spray, etc. to make your mat tacky again. (Will nullify warranty.)
34. Many tools work to “scrape” the built up lint and paper fuzz off the mat including a spatula, putty knife, art palette knife, dummy credit card, Pampered Chef scraper, etc.
35. Use warm water and “scraper” to squeegee the water, lint, and paper off when cleaning a mat. Let dry thoroughly.
36. Use a “scraper” to dry scrape the mat when it starts to lose its tackiness to remove much of the built up lint and give you a better surface to use.

Paper

37. To cut multiple colors, put 6x6, 3x6, or 3x3 pieces on a single mat, and then move your blade to the top corner of the next color without unloading the mat.
38. Add a shim (piece of paper) under the mat to help cut thicker paper like Bazzill.
39. Use negative space for a stencil for chalking or other special effect.
40. Keep a list of settings for your Cricut that work with different types of paper.
41. If backing paper with Xyron before cutting, tape Xyron backed paper to mat to keep it from slipping.
42. Use junk paper from packaging for making sample cuts to see how they will work.
43. You can cut on a 12 x 12 paper by folding it in half and sandwiching the mat in the fold. The same thing can be done to cut on a card of any size.

Cutting Chipboard with the Cricut

Found this post by Loves2Smock on the Cricut message board and thought others might want to this! I am working on a "word book" project using Design Studio that I hope to have finished soon to show you. I will be using this chipboard info to make my covers strong.

Here are the details about cutting chipboard with the Cricut:
Finally! A handy dandy chipboard cutting guide! Now YOU don't have to go to the trouble and expense of finding out what will work, and what wont! I went thru and test cut several thicknesses (gauges) with and without the clay coat (white shiny-ish side) and here's the skinny!

*A new blade and mat work best!*

.022- this is like a med-heavy cardstock, blade:5-6, pressure:max,
speed: 4, multi cut:2
.024- think cereal box- same as .022, if clay coated, multi cut:3
.028- IDEAL for cricut usage! blade:6, pressure:max, speed: 4-5
multi cut:4
.032- depending on the way your blade was cut (some are cut with a deeper bevel than others) this will work with the above settings. A long bevel works better, than a shorter one. With a short bevel, the blade on some sections of the cut did not make it all the way thru (like you'd see cutting cartstock with a dull blade) and I needed to go around it lightly with my craft knife. It was just barely attached. I did get a very clean edge running around it with the craft knife though. Compared to the .028 the difference in thickness is nominal.
.040+ is too thick, the blade depth is insufficient to make it through the thickness. It will go thru the machine, but you will have to hand cut it the rest of the way. ANYTHING thicker than .040 is too thick and will damage your machine rollers! I do NOT reccomend anything thicker than .032! It's just not worth damaging your machine and voiding the warranty.

Other info: I prefer the look of plain chipboard, but the clay coating really does make a difference in the stability of the peice. It makes it more rigid, and is ideal for tag books/word books where you want the strength. The grain is finer, and smoother and is also easier to adhere papers to. Stamping/inking and writing on it will vary depending on the specific product.

The good news with the "way too thick chipboard" is it works beautifully with the Bind-it-All machines, and works well for making your own hard-bound book bindings. You can watch a video and download printable instructions on hard binding here:
http://sbl.tvweekly.com/player.php?43030134c9d51a817d55521d538909d5y1268

I hope you all can use this information! Chipboard is really very fun!

*update* The above depth and pressure settings do NOT change because of the new blade housing and blades. You may be able to get away with fewer passes though. You still can not cut anything thicker than a .040! It simply will not feed thru the machine, and you run the risk of breaking it. This has NOTHING to do with the new blade housing's capabilities. This is simply the limit of the machine.

If you are having problems with the edge shredding it can be due to a number of reasons.
-your blade may be dull
-your stock may not be of appropriate quality or density not all chipboard is meant to be cut in this manner
-you may have bits of chipboard debris in the blade housing preventing the blade from swiveling perfectly. How to fix this will come a little later in the post.
-your stock may have shifted slightly
-the mat may be warped or just plain worn out.
-the blade did not line up perfectly on multiple cuts. This can be an intermittant problem, or a flaw in the machine. Try letting the machine rest a while, cut something else, and then changing mats and blades. I find the more times I cut the same thing in the same spot, this is more likely to happen.

I have been using a 60 degree blade (Cricut calls this the deep cut blade) for several months now to cut .028 chipboard. It makes a HUGE difference. They will work in the green blade housing to improve your cuts. They can be purchased from vinyl sign suppliers under the name "roland compatable 60 degree blade". These are not a new item. They have been in use in other plotter machines for many many years.

To remove debris from the blade housing you will need a toothpick, and some tape style adhesive.
-remove your blade and remove any debris you can easliy with your fingers
-add adhesive about 1/4" wide around the tip of the tooth pick and gently poke it into the blade housing. This will stick any paper bits to it. You can pull the bits off and do it agian. Just make sure you aren't ramming anything down into the housing.
-lubricate and reinsert blade into housing

To lubricate the blade and housing you will need a tiny bottle of sewing machine oil.
-remove the blade
-make sure the housing is clean
-add a tiny drop of sewing machine oil to the non sharp end BLADE SHAFT. DO NOT put it into the housing!
-spread it around and wipe any excess off with your FINGERS and wipe your fingers off. You don't want it all drippy, you just want a nice light coating. This will also help keep your blades and housing from rusting if you live in a high humidity climate.
-reinsert blade

All this being said, keep trying. It works. It may take some practice, and some individual adjustments for your own machine...but it does work! Oh, and since I do not work for PC or any other entity, this is all SUGGESTION. I will not be held responsible for anything you choose to try. Every machine is different, as are the users.

< Message edited by Loves2Smock -- 10/4/2008 3:40:48 PM >

This post may contain affiliate links, which help subsidize my diet coke and coffee intake, necessary to run this blog.

Free Digital Collages & How to Videos

Scrapbook, Etc.  has produced LOADS of free downloadable collage templates in square, rectangular and photo sized (4x6, 5x7, and 4x8), along with video "how to" lessons on using these digital templates.  Also, they have samples that show how each template was used!  Fantastic free resources!

Go to: Scrapbook Etc collage templates

and Video Lesson on collage templates

They also have free printable directions and templates for gift boxes RIGHT HERE. 

The site is really amazing, with lots of great, free ideas and resources - check it out!

Cricut Design Studio - How to Make Word Books

Ok, Cricut Design Studio software is on sale at Michaels this week for $60.  And, it is one of the easier ways to create those word books that everyone loves (see photo above).  So, I have been doing some research on exactly how to make those word books and as usual, the internet tells me everything I need to know.  (I love people who are willing to share their knowledge!)

For starters, I found these sites with tutorials on exactly how to make word books.  The end result is a little different amongst the different tutorials, so make sure to look at the photos on the site and see if that is what you want.

Tutorials on Creating Word Books Using Cricut Design Studio:

Susan Blue Robot blog

Jack Russ

A Cherry on Top Tutorial

Now, the blog Everything Cricut and Brandi Gore make a good point of saying, "Hey, as long as you give credit, why not use all the free cut files everyone posts on the internet?  Why reinvent the wheel every time you want to cut something out?"  So, I wondered not only where to find these already designed cut files but also how to download them and get them into the design studio.  Here are some links to help you:

How to download cut files into Cricut Design Studio and Use them - by Brandi Gore

List of sites that have free files

That list of sites with free files is very comprehensive.  It may take me the next week to really look through all those sites.  I'll let you know if I find more goodies.

3-D Card

I heard about this cute card over on 2 Peas in a Bucket....there are full instructions RIGHT HERE.

Enjoy!

Paper Ornament Ideas

Cheryl so graciously posted her ornaments over on Paper Artists Online and I thought they were so gorgeous that I had to feature them today! She linked to another Stampin' Up rep, Katie, whose paper ornaments are shown in the second photo. If you head over to her blog, listed below, Katie includes step by step instructions. Interestingly, she put her cone pieces SEAM side UP and it looks fine. My seams are likely to be a holy mess so I can tell you I would go seam side DOWN.

Here are some links to see how to make the ornaments above!

Katie's Paper Haven
Martha Stewart Photos and Directions

Originally, from Martha Stewart, although Martha persists in using very UN-Christmasy colors, which is a little strange, in my opinion. You'll see what I mean if you go out to her link.

Someday soon, I am going to make these ornaments...I just need to get through a Holiday Auction I am in charge of that is scheduled for TOMORROW!

Blackberry Lou's FREE Christmas Album Class

This talented scrapper called Blackberry Lou is hosting a class FOR FREE on her blog. To see the details, CLICK RIGHT HERE! The photo above is the cover of this album and she is providing step by step instructions on making this super cute, clever album! Her creations are always fabulous and eye-catching so head over to her blog and see for yourself - she really is amazing!

More Cricut Learning....

The lady mentioned in the previous post also has a site calledLearning the Cricut whereby latest Cricut information is located, with some video and screen shots of how to do different things with Design Studio and the Cricut. Be sure and check it out! VERY informative!

Cricut Design Studio Software HELP

Learning the Cricut Design Studio Software is a website that is offering an e-book for sale, full of step-by-step screenshots of how to use the software and links to over an hour of video tutorials, further explaining the different techniques. Also included is a cheat sheet of sorts, showing shortcuts to create the items you want. This e-book was created by Brandi Gore, who has taught sold-out classes at CK Conventions and her local scrapbooking store (LSS). The people on the yahoo cricutcutter group recommend this book since the manual that comes with the Design Studio does not begin to fully explain all the wonderful things that the Design Studio Software can do for you. The e-book is $37 and has a 60 day money back guarantee. Click HERE to go to the website and read all about it.

I don't usually promote things like this on my blog, since a lot of times much info can be found for free on the internet. BUT, I do know the frustrations of trying to figure out the Cricut in general (hence all the message boards and yahoo groups). I do not receive any monies or such from this post. It is purely informational in nature and may save you a lot of time and frustration.

OUTSTANDING Cricut Tips about Cutting Different Materials

LaRae from the Yahoo CricutCutter Group has shared some fantastic tips below:

I had most of this posted on the SCAL users but thought I would pass this on
to the Cricut board too. This a long email with ideas that I have come up
with. Have fun!

First of all, someone was asking about contact paper and cutting.
I did do some experimenting and what works for my machine is Pressure 2 and
Depth 2. BUT...these are the settings to cut only the top of the contact
paper. I wanted the back to stay on and intact. If you want to cut all the
way through you might want to put the pressure to 3. I just wanted to make
some stickers for my niece and nephews and thought I would keep the backing
on it for them.

What also works is to use double sided carpet tape on the back of any paper
and stick it to the mat. Do not peel off the backing...just stick it the
paper as it comes off the roll and put it on the mat as you would any other
paper. You will have a wonderful sticker that has a backing on it for later
use in a scrapbook or a card. I put that on the back of some paper and cut
several flower petals out and then was able to just peel them off and stack
them on a card for a dimensional look...no glue needed! I also did the same
with leaves...just cut a bunch and you are ready to use them when you need
them. I have always used the double sided carpet tape for making my own
cards and stickers and tons of things I don't want to wait for glue to dry.
Don't buy the expensive stuff, that is not smooth, the cheaper stuff is nice
and smooth and very sticky.

I also started a file of how my experiments turn out on different mediums.
I am writing the speed, pressure and depth on each blank 4 x 6 card and also
attaching a sample piece to it. I've always done this for my sewing
projects so I know it saves me tons of time when I want to do a project I
don't have to experiment to get it right. I just look in my "recipe box"
and pull out what I am looking for.

I did try fun foam...wouldn't do it for me anyway. I might get a deep cut
blade and see how that goes.

Another thing I tried was cardboard. Not sure how thick "chip board" is
supposed to be but I cut stuff that was about twice as thick as a cereal
box. I had to do Pressure 6 and Depth 6 and cut it twice. I then moved the
mat out a bit to get the cardboard off and then I used some paper I had put
carpet tape on the back of. I cut the same exact design. I then took the
sticky backing off the design and stuck it to the cardboard. It looked
like those thick scrapbook items we can buy. It will give some depth to a
card or scrapbook. I loved the look!

I don't bother even taking out the mat all the way out from the machine. If
you are cutting from SCAL it will always just go to where you put the design
and that is where I put the paper. I recommend moving the paper around the
mat so you don't wear out one area.

Whoever gave the idea about cleaning the mat with Baby Wipes did give us an
excellent tip. It worked great! I mucked mine up pretty good tonight but
that cleaned it off and the sticky is all back again! Thank you! I always
used them to clean my stamp pads which works just great and now another use
for them! WooHoo

Now for fabric. Oh, this was too cool! I put the carpet tape on the back
of a piece of cotton fabric. By the way, you can use several strips if you
need a bigger piece. I only made a strip to use on a card. I used
Pressure 5 and Depth 5. WOW...it cut like butter and you don't have to go
through all the hassle of ironing on a backing. The carpet tape will keep
it stiff and when you pull off the backing, it is an instant sticker so it
is ready to be stuck to a card or whatever. Again...instant gratification!
Love that carpet tape! If I was going to actually use the fabric for a
sewing project I suppose I would have to iron on the correct backing but for
those of you who don't sew...this works great! Come to think of it...you
could make an entire wall hanging by cutting out letters and designs and
whatever. It will LOOK like you sewed it. You could even take a permanent
fine tip marker and draw in stitch lines if you really wanted it to look
like you did it.

If you are using very lightweight paper, just iron on freezer paper to the
back of it. I do this with tissue paper. DO NO USE STEAM! Just use a very
warm iron and iron it to the back. I also did this with tissue paper. I
like to crumple up tissue paper first and give it that really crinkly look.
I then iron it to smooth it out...don't worry, the wrinkles stay in. (or
else I would iron my face!) I then iron the freezer paper to back of it and
treat it as one sheet of paper. Believe me...there are some really cute
tissue papers out there and this crinkle look gives it a very vintage feel.
I like to use the light brown tissue paper and crinkle it up. That looks
like real leather! Place it on your sticky mat with the freezer paper side
up or it will scratch off the tissue paper.

Speaking of brown paper. I cut a piece of brown paper bag with the Cricut.
Very nice cut. Pressure 3, Depth 3. Will really add to a vintage looking
card. Maybe even stain it a bit with antiquing dyes first.

The freezer paper can be found in the grocery aisle where you find foil,
plastic wrap and parchment paper. ALL of which I always have on hand in my
craft studio! Along with many different colors of duct tape.

Foil, yes I use this on cards, again, with the carpet tape on the back. I
also wrap it around a piece of cardboard for a nice backing to the front of
a card. Crinkle it up first for texture or draw something with your glue
gun on the cardboard and smooth the foil over it. Looks just like
embossing! I also use duct work tape. This is a silver foil that comes on
a roll and has a sticky back like tape. Yes, for actually taping duct work
together. Again, home improvement store, in the heating and ductwork
section. Kinda spendy but worth it. This can also be embossed and put on
cards. Really cool stuff. You have to put it on parchment paper while you
are embossing it so it doesn't stick.

Which brings us to parchment paper. (supposed to be for baking) I haven't
found a thing that sticks to parchment paper. I brush glitter paint on my
cards and put this over the top of it and iron it. It dries the paints very
quickly and I can go on to the next project. Glue won't stick to this
either. I actually put my duct tape on it while I cut it to the shape I
want then peel it off and put it on my project.

Freezer paper. Now this has been a staple in my craft studio for years. I
iron it on the back of fabric to cut out patterns because you can draw on it
so easy. Use it as a paint palette. Iron it to the back of tissue paper
to make it stronger or any lightweight paper. There are numerous reasons to
use this stuff.

Plastic wrap, (for covering food, etc) iron this onto napkins or tissue
paper to make it stronger. I also like to sprinkle glitter on paper and put
a sheet of plastic wrap on it, put it on a piece of parchment paper and also
cover it with parchment paper and use that as a pressing sheet to keep the
plastic from sticking on the iron. Once the plastic is all melted over the
glitter, just peel off the parchment paper. Sure is an easy way to put
glitter on your paper! This also works for AFTER you have cut out your
piece on the Cricut. It doesn't matter if the plastic has wrinkles in it
while you are ironing it, they will all melt anyway.

Have any of you ever used Shrink Plastic? Well, it has been around for
years. I think it started out as "Shrinky Dinks". Anyway, it cuts very
well on the Cricut. Pressure 5, Depth 4 and cut it twice. Speed 5 also.
Then you heat it with a heat gun or you can use an oven, it will shrink down
to about 1/4 of the size it was cut at. I also stamped it first and the
words shrink right down with it. Be sure to cut holes in it first if you
plan on stringing it on ribbon, thread or wire! It starts out as a thin
plastic sheet like a page protector and ends up about as thick as a nickel
when heated and shrunk.

Very cool stuff and I hadn't used it in years. I had to dig it out to
experiment with it. This will be so cool to cut out intricate things and
shrink them down. Everyone will wonder how you did it! I have used this
stuff in the past to make buttons to match an article of clothing. It gets
that thick and durable!

OK...now be sure to stamp whatever you want on it first because it doesn't
stick very well afterwards. You can color this stuff with paint, color
pencils or permanent markers...of course...all before it is shrunk.
Also...don't forget to punch in any holes you may want but remember...they
will shrink too!

Cut out little Christmas ornaments...cut them about 2 inches on the Cricut
and then shrink them down to 1/2 inch. You will of course have them all
colored or stamped before that and a hole cut for hanging. How about 1/4
inch ones for on cards? WooHoo! Stars? Hearts? .................intricate
little flourishes, flowers, leaves?
It just never ends!

Oh, wait...how about a whole frame. This stuff gets like a hard plastic and
thick when heated. A very ornate frame could be made with
it...............or maybe a Christmas ornament?

Oh, hey, jewelry...cool intricate cut baubles for a necklace or tiny bits
for a bracelet?
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Everyone who has a Cricut should be on this board - the Yahoo cricutcutter group (do a search)! This is where I heard about using a baby wipe to "re-sticky" a mat. It's a very active, friendly, informative board!

Two Amazing Christmas Ornaments - 3-D Scene & Coaster

Melissa (sesmom) at 2peas created the ornament below and posted the instructions on how to make it on her blog. I thought it was so beautiful and clever that I wanted others to see it! Note that she used ornaments that open up.



Melissa says: For this ornament, I gathered tiny things from the craft store. Look where they have items for mini trees. I used a tiny wrapped gift, snowman, tree, candy cane and snowflake for the tree star topper. The tiny hearts on the tree were from a tiny garland - just clipped them off the garland and glued them on the tree.

Don't glue down, but place the gift inside the ball and guestimate how big your picture needs to be. You can place a ruler behind the ball to get an idea. My image of Em is 2.25" tall and about 2.5" wide at the longest points. Print and trim your photo.

I did a Google search and found this lovely site, karenswhimsy.com - she had free images of wings. Use some wings from the scrap stash, stamp them or use feathers or iron-on appliques of butterflies, butterfly wings, whatever strikes your fancy.

These wings I printed out onto a patterned paper, covered in glitter and then Stickled around the edge. They measure 1.25" x 1" each. Attach to your photo. I used a liquid adhesive for this.



For the ornament above, I placed her on a tiny gift box. The ribbon has a touch of glue behind it to hold it up in front. The back of the photo is supported by a glue dot cut in half and placed as shown below:



Same idea for the tree, cut the glue dots so it stands straight inside the curve of the ball:



Arrange your little scene. I used hot glue to adhere everything inside, with pop/glue dots to make them even and stand up straight inside the curve of the ball where needed. See Melissa's blog for further instructions!

Here are two coaster ornamenents that Anne House made. You can find her directions at her blog PaperCutz and Praisez. I thought these were so clever! And she is altering a tree and posting new things everyday!