Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Cricut Cartridges Lessons Learned

Do you have one of these?  This is my box of Cricut "learning opportunities."  These are the cuts I have made that didn't work out.  Sometimes the paper color combinations where out of whack or the layer sizes were off.  Once in a while my mat wasn't sticky enough so the paper moved or I didn't set the pressure / speed/ blade correctly.  There were times when the cute little image didn't work with the font or the awesome layered font didn't work with the image.  I could go on and on about potential Cricut boo boo's but everyone has their own kind of "happy accidents" since they are part of the design process.  What I have learned is to keep track of common errors in a little notebook I keep next to my machine.  I call it my "Lessons Learned Journal."

I know it seems like a hassle to jot down information while you are in the creative zone but I must tell you it is one of the most powerful tools I have to use with my Cricut.  What happens for me is that I go into a trance when I am creating and I start to make unconscious decisions.  When an idea doesn't work, I move on to the next and then sometimes, later on, I try the same idea again not realizing that I had already tried it once before. Or, sometimes I do something and it works fabulously but I cannot remember how I did it and have to goof around a while until I am able to figure it out.  By jotting down little tidbits of information, I become more conscious of my process and I continue to move forward with ideas rather than getting stuck in a loop.

These notes do not have a formula nor do they require a logical organizational system.  They are thought doodles - shorthand for artists - and, in my opinion, a must for the regular Cricut crafter.  Below is a brief list of the kinds of information I record:
  • project name or descriptive identifier
  • date
  • cartridge(s) used, page number(s), and creative feature settings
  • types of paper
  • SIZE, SIZE, SIZE - how tall, how wide - don't forget to write down the size!
  • Margins and placement measurements
  • pressure, speed, blade
  • best way to remove the cut from the mat (important for highly detailed cuts)
  • colors best for matting and inking (ie - black, white, dark brown, etc.)
  • best method for adhering image (xyron, glue dots, tape runner, liquid glue, etc.)
  • font width, welding and layer information
  • alternate options on other cartridges
  • how all the layers work together and if each one is necessary to create the look you want.
Any detail that you learned while working with a cartridge is worth noting and sharing.  Whether you post it on the Cricut message board or in the comments section of the cartridge overview on my blog, share your knowledge if you can.  There is no point in another person ruining a sheet of Bazzil cardstock if it can be avoided.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned while using the Enjoy the Season's cartridge on my last project:
  • clean your Imagine heads regularly while printing out your images or you will get streaks.
  • if you create images that are going to go off the page, print the same image again only flip it horizontally so you can adhere it on the back of the original image.  This way, when you turn the page, you won't see a white die cut jetting out but rather a continuation of the previous design.
  • look at the selected image on your virtual mat before cutting to make sure the size is relative to the other cuts you have made. 2.5 on one image can appear much different on another.
  • when you are trying to figure out the right size for an image, you can change the Imagine setting to "cut only" so you can tinker without wasting ink.
Do you have some valuable information to share about working with the "Enjoy the Seasons" cartridge?  Please post it in the comments section of this entry!  In fact if you have tips for any of the cartridges I have covered, please share them with that entry.  Your experiences might save someone else a ton of time and keep them from that frustration that comes with learning something knew!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Comprehensive Overview of Cricut Imagine Enjoy the Seasons

Today we are looking at the Cricut Imagine cartridge Enjoy the Seasons.   In this post you will get:
  • a close look at the papers/ patterns included on the cartridge
  • a sample view of the cartridge images
  • a look at a handbook page with some explanation of the possibilities
  • a link to the PDF of the handbook
  •  a look at the cartridge icons
  • a spreadsheet with a list of the images, words and phrases, cards and projects with their pages numbers including a link to download the PDF version.
First lets take a look at the papers and patterns available on the cartridge.   You can print these patterns into any size paper all the way up to 12 x 12 inches or you can use the patterns as fill for objects, fonts and shapes.

Below is the sample of the images included on the cartridge that Provocraft prints back of the box.

This is just a preview of 15 images - there are 40 complete images plus phrases and icons (shown further down the page) and when you add the isolated image layers, you have a lot to play with! I love the flexibility you get with the Imagine because each layer is a stand alone image that can be used on it's own. If you are not familiar with Imagine Cartridges, this probably is confusing so let me explain further.

There are a total of four images in the first row of the handbook page below.  The first is the complete image printed without layers.  The second image is just the sky which you can turn sideways and use as a cloud if you wanted to.  The third image is the hot air balloon with a bunny in the basket.  You can use this image alone or you can stack it on top of the second image to create dimension.  Use foam squares or pop dots to adhere the two layers together and you have a 3-D embellishment.  The fourth image is a scroll on which you can write or adhere a word or expression.  You do not have to use the scroll when you print and cut the images as separate layers, but if you decide to use the first image, the scroll will be included.
Above, is another row from the handbook.  The first image is a darling camping scene (one of my favorite on this cartridge!).  The second image is just the background.  The third image is a cluster of trees which you can layer on top of the background or use on their own with, or without the tent and camp fire.  The same is true for the fourth and fifth images.  Layer them all together to make the first scene with dimension or use them on their own to make your own designs.  To see all of the pages in the handbook click here.

 Enjoy the Seasons is the cartridge I used to create this 6 x12 inch album.  When it is done there will be 12 pages (24 front and back) for photos, journalling and more. 
photo removed to be published in cricut mini albums
I wasn't able to work on it while I was on vacation but I will finish it this week so you can see each page on its own.  All of the embellishments were printed and cut with the Cricut Imagine.  I have added it to scrapscene WIP (work in progress) http://www.scrapscene.com/tag/wipmonday.html  just for fun.  I have never done this before - have you?

Below are all of the complete images on this cartridge:

And these are all of the icons included on the cartridge.  These icons do not have layers.  They are flat images but make fabulous borders.
Last but not least, here is a list of all of the images and phrases on this cartridge with their page numbers.  If you find any errors in the spreadsheet, please let me know so I can correct it. If you would like to share this information on your blog, instead of copy and pasting this info, please paste a link to my site. The spreadsheet below is saved as a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Enjoy the Seasons here:



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Cricut Cartridge posts interrupted by a slice of heaven

I am sorry for the lapse in blog posts.  I am on vacation in a magical place called Arnold, CA.  It is truly a slice of heaven but internet connectivity is spotty and very slow when available.  I have already been at it for 45 minutes just to post the photo above and write these few sentences.  I just wanted to make sure I let you all know that I haven't abandoned my posts about Cricut cartridges nor the promised series about the Cricut Imagine cartridge "Enjoy the Seasons".  I will try to post prior to returning home but if I can't get the internet to cooperate, I'll be back in business on Sunday, July 29.  We are off to the lake... I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Cricut Imagine Cartridge "Enjoy the Seasons" Preview

I have been up to something today and it isn't housework. I decided that my next Cricut Cartridge overview should be accompanied by examples of my own work so I pulled out the Cricut Imagine Cartridge, "Enjoy the Seasons" and waited for an idea. 

It took most of the day to put together this 12 x 6 inch mini album.  There are 24 pages total, 2 (1 front /1 back) for each month in the year.  All of the images were printed and cut from the "Enjoy the Seasons" cartridge. Once its complete, I will spend some time showing you what this awesome cartridge is capable of.
Over the next couple of days, I will posting several entries about the cartridge and this project including:
  • a comprehensive overview of the Enjoy the Seasons cartridge
  • instructions for making this album
  • tips, tricks and lessons learned when working with this cartridge
  • and I also want to do a write up about things like inking, creating dimension, choosing adhesive, when to use titles, procrastination via perfectionism and the inevitability of Cricut boo boos.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Cuttin Up - an oldie but goodie!

Today we are looking at an oldie but a goodie Cricut Font cartridge - Cuttin' Up.  I probably use this font more than any other.  It's weight and whimsy seem to match my scrapbooking style better than most.  Below is the cartridge sample sheet Provocraft prints on the back of the cartridge box. It is pretty comprehensive compared to most samples.
Cuttin' Up has both an upper and lower case alphabet, numbers 0-9, most of the punctuation marks and symbols, 3 cards, 10 sentiments and a few images. The handbook creative features include: Cartoon, Holy Cow, Serifs, Short Stack, Shadow, and Cartoon Shadow.  Below is a page out of the handbook showing each of the creative features:
The "A" on the left side of the page in the green box in the primary image / letter.  The Cartoon version of "A" is a little more playful. The Holy Cow version has a round hole rather than a triangle (example in the capital "A"). The Serifs version has serifs. The Short Stack version has a smashed appearance.  The Shadow can be used alone as a bolded letter or underneath the primary "A" to create dimension. The Cartoon Shadow works the same way for the Cartoon version of the font.

This handbook page shows one of the three card options available on the cartridge. Each card has the primary card option plus six additional card styles to choose from.
This handbook page shows one of the ten sentiments on this cartridge.  Each of these phrases is welded together so you do not have to worry about adhering the letters in a straight line or maintaining the correct spacing.  The six versions of the phrase can be created by selecting the corresponding feature key.  Add shift to your selection and Cricut will cut the party hat image above that phrase.

To view the entire handbook and see all of the options available on the cartridge, click here. 

Below is a spreadsheet with all of the images and phrases on this cartridge with their page numbers.  Cuttin' Up has a very short list since it is primarily a font cartridge, but it may come in handy just the same. If you find any errors in the spreadsheet, please let me know so I can correct them. If you would like to share this information on your blog, instead of copy and pasting or embedding this information, please paste a link to my site. The spreadsheet below is saved as a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Cuttin' Up here:






Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Reading Cricut Cartridge Handbooks & Cursive 101



I thought before I wrote about the Cricut font cartridge Cursive 101, I would spend a few minutes talking about the handbooks and overlays that come with each cartridge.  Even though the handbooks include instructions in the front (often in many different languages), I have often been puzzled about what I actually have to work with.  So I thought we would review the instructions provided by Provocraft and fill in any blanks that might become evident.  
Below is an introduction to the overlay and how you can use the shift key to switch from the bottom image or lowercase letter to the top image or the uppercase letter. This process is the same as we use on our computer keyboards including the option to use shift for one selection or shift lock for multiple selections.
 This next page talks about Real Size.  I'll be honest, I have avoided using this feature because A) I don't need it; and B) I'm afraid if I toggle it, I'll never get back to the uniform sized setting where lower case letters are smaller than uppercase letters.
The page below is important because it shows you how to multiply your cartridge potential from the visible choices on the overlay keyboard by 12. I didn't quite understand how to work with the feature keys when I first started cutting with my Cricut so I am going to spend a little bit of time elaborating on this section.  Before I get started, take a second to look at the instructions included in the handbook below.
To expand on their description of the feature keys I want you to look at the handbook page for "A" in the font, Cursive 101, below.

 The primary image on this page is in the red box on the left on the handbook page as shown in the graphic below.  This is also the images you see on the overlay keyboard button. You cut the lowercase by pushing this key.  You get the uppercase by pushing this button with shift.
In the handbook, the first box to the left, in the top row, is the "Puzzle" feature box. To cut a lower case "a" puzzle piece, you need to push the "Puzzle" feature key and the "a" key.  Add shift, and you get an uppercase "A" in your puzzle piece.
To the right of the puzzle square, is the "Instruction" square which can be cut by pressing the "Instruction" feature key or feature + shift keys.  What is the instruction feature you ask?  This image is used to teach children the correct way to write letters.  The arrows indicate how you form your letter from the point your pencil touches the paper. K-3rd grade teachers and parents might find this useful but others may not use it so much.


 The last box on the top row is the tile box.  You can use the letter tiles to create fun titles on scrapbooking pages or as building blocks to learn how to spell new words. Once again, to cut a lower case "a" tile piece, you need to push the "Tile" feature key and the "a" key.  Add shift, and you get an uppercase "A" in your tile piece.

On the bottom row of the page starting on the left you have the "Notebook" box.  This feature cuts out a sheet of notebook paper with the letter "a" in the right corner.  This feature could be cut small to use in a page title or large - maybe for a page in a mini album.

 The next two boxes are font shadow and font shadow blackout. They are used as layers to create dimension and are interchangeable with the primary letter "A".  You can use all three together or a in a number of combinations with just two. For example, Shadow on Blackout make a bolder letter than the letter on shadow.

This last instruction page is an explanation about the foundation keys. The foundation keys are like shadows for the puzzle and notebook features. .
I hope this information was helpful for those of you who have wondered how to really use the other keys.  I know there is a lot of redundant instruction but I wanted to be thorough.

On to the cartridge content of Cursive 101.  Here is a look at the sample Provocraft puts on the back of the cartridge:
These are the letters, numbers and symbols in the Cursive 101 font in upper and lower case. Here is an important tidbit of information; Cursive 101 is one of just a handful of font cartridges that include the "+" sign and the "=" sign.

  There are a handful of images on this cartridge and they also have puzzle, notebook and tile options. 
 Click here to view to the Cursive 101 handbook in PDF format

And finally; the list of all of the images and phrases on this cartridge with their page numbers.  Cursive 101 has a VERY short list but it may come in handy just the same. If you find any errors in the spreadsheet, please let me know so I can correct them. If you would like to share this information on your blog, instead of copy and pasting this info, please paste a link to my site. The spreadsheet below is saved as a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Cursive 101 here:



Monday, July 16, 2012

Comprehensive overview of the Cricut Lite Cartridge "Chore Chart"

Today I am posting a comprehensive overview of the Cricut Lite Cartridge "Chore Chart." This cartridge does not have a handbook like the full cartridges.  Instead you receive a laminated tri-fold to show you the layers and various cuts. In this post, we will be looking at:

  • the "Sample" that Provocraft prints on the back of the cartridge box
  • a closer look at the pages in the tri-fold "handbook" with detailed explanations
  • and a spreadsheet that includes each phrase, word and image with the corresponding page number
When this cartridge first came out I headed straight to the Walmart web site and purchased it in their cricut lite cartridges value bundle with Boys will be Boys.  I was certain that this cartridge would finally bring order to my household!  The children would know what their jobs were and when to do them and I would never have to nag again.  Hey, a girl has to dream.
This is the sample sheet they put on the back of the cartridge box.  They kind of "had me at hello" because I am such a sucker for this kind of playful style, I love the color palette and because that little baby on the right in the 2nd row from the bottom just had to be in my arsenal.
This is the front and back of the tri-fold.  It shows all of the layers for each key on the overlay. I not a big fan of the tri-fold.  I like to get a good look at the images so the bigger, the better.  I have a harder time imagining the possibilities of the images when the layers are not spread out more. Below is the instruction guide they provide on how to cut the layers:
Too me, this is not very helpful. I'm not being sarcastic - I bet there are a lot of crafters who get the handle on cartridges quickly.  I am just not one of them. I really wish there were better instructions with all of the cartridges.  There are lots of videos on Youtube but I like step by step direction.  I did a lot of searching on the web and solicited help from the Cricut message board and that was helpful.  My hope is that my blog will become a resource cricuteers can turn to.  But I digress...

Below is a look at the chore chart skeleton.  You will need to select 4 different colors for the 4 layers used to make this image. I tried to use my own color scheme and was very disappointed with the end result.  Selecting colors that make the title legible  is not as easy as it seems.  Plus, once you have changed the color scheme of the chart, you will have to think carefully about the color scheme for all the other elements.
I am sorry this image isn’t larger because it will be the largest piece you will cut with the cartridge.  I used my 12 x 24 inch cutting mat and paper and I still didn’t feel like the chart was large enough.  I recommend making the actual chart on a piece of display board and then using all the other cuts to make it come alive.  If you do decide to make the chart yourself, you will need to tinker with the sizes of the other elements so that they fit the scale of your chart.  Even when I used the chart on the cartridge, I still had to fool around with the element sizes.  Make sure you have lots of scrap paper to work with.

Below is a look at the days of the week to use on your chart:


Below is a look at one of the chore squares you can assign to your "chorees."  This one is for getting the car serviced - in our house, it would be for Dad.  You could also use it for washing the car or driving carpool.


This next graphic is the overlay which indicates which button to use for each image.  The overlay's are placed on the Personal Cutter and the Expression but if you have a digital interface like the on Expression 2, Gypsy or the Imagine, you can keep the overlay in the box. The same is true if you use Design Studio and Cricut Craft Room since they have virtual overlays.

And finally; the list of all of the images and phrases on this cartridge with their page numbers.  If you find any errors in the spreadsheet, please let me know so I can correct them. If you would like to share this information on your blog, instead of copy and pasting this info, please paste a link to my site. The spreadsheet below is saved as a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Chore Chart here:




One last thing... I'm hoping that some of you reading have had some experience with this cartridge because there is something that bothers me about the arrangement of the chore chart if you use the layout the provide.  Where do you put the "choree" names?  The front of the box gives a loose example:
I'd love to hear how you or someone you know designed their chart so that it included the names of family members or roommates.  Perhaps each person in the family has their own chore chart? Maybe you create a column to the left of the chart where you put the chores for one person and then you put stars under the day's of the week they were completed?  Please share what you know so that this post is complete!





Sunday, July 15, 2012

Content Overview of Cricut Imagine Buccaneer Cartridge

Ahoy mateys- today I will be providing a comprehensive overview of the Cricut Imagine cartridge, Buccaneer.  This cartridge can only be used with the Cricut Imagine which means that it prints out artwork and then it cuts it.  Buccaneer has a very different style than any of the other cricut cartridges.  In fact it is this uniqueness that motivated me to buy it.  In this post, we will be looking at:
  • the "Sample" that Provocraft prints on the back of the box
  • the papers and patterns that come on the cartridge
  • several pages out of the handbook with detailed explanations
  • a sneak peek of all of the layered images
  • the included projects
  • and a spreadsheet that includes each phrase, word and image with the corresponding page number


Above is the "Sample" that Cricut prints on the back of the cartridge box. Unfortunately, it shows only 9 of the layered images out of the 40 on the cartridge.  That number does not even include the individual layers for each image, the phrases, projects and icons.  Below you can see all of the layered images included.

To see the images and their layers take a look at the handbook by clicking here.


Next you will find 2 more pages from the handbook: 
These are the Projects - perfect for a pirate party:
These are 4 of the 10 icons:
And last but not least,  here is a list of all of the images and phrases on this cartridge with their page numbers.  If you find any errors in the spreadsheet, please let me know so I can correct them. If you would like to share this information on your blog, instead of copy and pasting this info, please paste a link to my site. The spreadsheet below is saved as a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Buccaneer here: