Cricut Cartridge -Create a Friend, Svgcuts.com and FCCB Challenge

This week's challenge on the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog is called Spring Cleaning which asks you to create a project using a cut or a cartridge that you have never used before.  How fun is that?!

I have been infatuated with the relatively new Cricut cartridge "Create a Friend" (which is included with the $9.99 subscription to over 25,000+ Cricut Images) so I made this adorable little clown:

He consists of a lot of layers and colors - 9 if you cut via Cricut Design Space and 10 if you use the cartridge.

Just a side note...The gray shadow- see below (S+F+35) doesn't show up on the Design Space mat when you select the image via the subscription. I didn't even know it was an option until I started writing this post.  Because the balloons are not mounted onto the surface of my card (at the top), I wanted that extra support so when I assembled my little die cut, I welded the balloons and the black shadow (S+35) together to create a base of my own.

It is worth mentioning that I originally cut this clown at 3.5" but no matter what setting and material I tried (paper/ light cardstock/ cardstock), Cricut Explore was unable to cut the intricate details without tearing edges (I wasted a lot of paper on this one). The blade is near new, so dullness had nothing to do with it. When I bumped the size up to 4.0" however, my little clown cut fine.

Once I had my clown I had to figure out how to incorporate him into a card or layout.  After much deliberation, I decided to use him in a card I purchased from svg.cuts.

 

One of my favorite features on the Cricut Explore is that it allows you to cut svg files by uploading them into your Design Space image library.  I have purchased a number of svgcuts.com's project collections which I will showcase in future posts. The card above came with a collection called The Carnival Collection.

To learn how to upload svgcuts.com project files to Design Space and cut entire projects watch the video below.

Folding this card is a little tricky as it is not intuitive- it took me a good 20 minutes to figure it out the first time I folded it together.  I must have watched the folding portion on the assembly instructions a dozen times before I got it.

Ta-Dah! I adore the cute clown die cut from the Create a Friend Cricut cartridge and while it may be over-shadowed by the card design from svgcuts, the combination really came together well.  What will you do for your entry into the FCCB challenge?
This week's sponsor is Mark's Famous Paper and Stamps and the FCCB challenge winner will receive a Silly Shells Stamp Set. Give it a go - I hope you have as much fun as I did!!