Take what you need and leave the rest

I finally had a little free time to work on a layout for my mom's birthday.  The photos are so darn cute so I've been obsessed with making a layout while I am feeling enthusiastic.  I didn't use a sketch nor did I draw from a vibrant color palette within photos.  

 

I just put this, there and that, here and the design grew organically.  It ended up being a hodge podge of sparkle and lace and doodles and flowers which all came together in a way that makes me smile.  

 

The issue I wrestled with the most, was which font to use in my title.  I couldn't find a Cricut font that would work as a muse for the layout sentiment.  I went to my handy, dandy cartridge database and used the 'sort' tool to locate cartridges with birthday phrases. Among the many birthday messages, I found "Birthday Wishes" on the Cricut Imagine Cartridge, "All Wrapped Up".

I wasn't crazy about the "wishes" portion but I loved the way the "birthday" looked so I print and cut the phrases in layers rather than a single flat image (furthest left) and used what I needed.which was:

The cursive writing was perfect for the Laura Ashleyish part of my layout.  Then I used some doodle font stickers to spell out "fun" which has sort of an allegoric effect because the word "fun" is in a "fun" font.

I often weed phrases and images on my Cricut cartridges to get the perfect cut. The table of contents that I post with each cartridge is the tool that allows me to do this.  Here is how:
When you download a cartridge table of contents PDF from my blog it looks like this:

Depending on the program you use to view PDF files you may have the option to save the database as an Excel spreadsheet.

If you are able to do this then you have the ability to make a MASTER database with all of the cartridge's phrases and images including their page numbers.  You do this by converting all of the cartridge cheat sheets you've downloaded into Excel spreadsheets.  Then, open a new spreadsheet and create 2 worksheets.  One will be for phrases and one will be for images.  You can then cut the phrase sections from each of the cartridge spreadsheets and paste them onto one workbook page.  Do the same thing for the images.  Now you can sort your MASTER database by cartridge or alphabetically and you can use the "Find" tool on Excel to locate specific phrases or descriptive words.  Let me know if you have any questions or problems doing this and I will help you make it work.

Have a great weekend!

Comprehsive overview of Cricut Imagine Cartridge Country Carnival

Today we are going to get to know the Cricut Imagine cartridge "Country Carnival"!  Country Carnival is one of the two fonts in the Imagine Collection.  Below is the Sample they print on the back of the box which shows a portion, but not everything, you get on this versatile cartridge.  So let's take a closer look:

To begin with; below I have provided a better look at all of the patterns/paper you are able to print or use as a fill, from this cartridge.

Sometimes it is difficult to appreciate the papers because in the marketing materials, they are cascading on top of one another and the images are small.  The samples above are not superb as I pulled them from the handbook PDF, but at least you can see that there are 2 newspaper print patters and a gorgeous red pattern that would be great to fill a mat or boarder.

For those of you who do not work with an Imagine, one of its many awesome features is that you can fill images from regular cartridges with patterns you get on your Imagine cartridges.  For example, I  selected the phrase "Read" and its shadow from Kate's ABC's:

First I selected the shadow image, then I clicked on the edit button (Imagine feature) and filled the shadow with the newspaper print with red flowers pattern.  Next, I selected the word "Read" (by adding the shift button)  then I clicked on the edit button (Imagine feature) and filled the shadow with the red pattern.  I hit print and cut and this is what Imagine gave me:

 I apologize for the photo quality.  I used my phone to take these photos. Yuck!

Alright, alright...enough with the Imagine Ra, Ra Ra!  Sometimes I get carried away. Back to the Country Fair cartridge.  In addition to the font which we will discuss in a moment, you also get a few icons and some bonus materials.  Lets take a look at the icons first:

I could see printing/ cutting the butterfly 2 or 3 times; layering the copies and adhering them together down the center only.  Bend the wings inward a little and you have a dimensional vintage butterfly to put on a card.

Next lets look at the mats on the cartridge. 

You could print/ cut these frames small and use them as journalling blocks, medium for photo mats or large to layer on a 12 x 12 layouts.  

Below are the four bonus projects included on this cartridge:

And now, the font.  It is so much fun!  I love the shadows and the opportunity to use multiple colors on each letter.

You can download a PDF copy of a Country Carnival font quick reference sheet below:

COUNTRY CARNIVAL FONT REFERENCE PDF 

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 If you take a look at a page from the handbook, you will see that there are 5 "complete letter" layers and 2 accent layers.  You have the option of printing and cutting the first letter -i.e. the completed letter as a flat image or, all the layers and stack them to make a dimensional letter.

You may also elect to just use one or two of the layers for a simpler look.  You can also turn off the print feature so the machine only cuts, and then use some of your patterned paper for the fill design..

In the front of the handbook, Cricut shows some sample designs that were done with the cartridge:
I am in love with the Family book.  It is too stinkin cute!  

There aren't a whole lot of images to put into an image table of contents with page numbers (there aren't any phrases on the cartridge), but I did one anyhow.  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 Country Carnival here:

COUNTRY CARNIVAL PDF 

5 scrapbook complications that chap my hide.

I don't know about you but sometimes when I scrapbooking I'll have an issue with a tool, product or situation and it occurs to me that this has happened before.  In fact, it occurs more often than not, yet I neglect to address it because, "Hey, I'm busy scrapbooking!" and then I forget about it until the next time it happens.  I decided that today I would take a look at my top 5 scrapbooking annoyances and some ideas on how I might avoid them.

1. ANNOYANCE: This drives me MAD! I will be working on a project and I need to run glue along the edges of a piece of paper or photo with a tape runner.  In my effort to get those edges glued, I leave a side trail of adhesive on my work surface.  Next thing I know, I've set my photo or an embellishment face down on top of the glue and now I've got a tragedy. I've either ruined the photo or torn off the top layer of the paper/ embellishment.  Man that drives me CRAZY!  And yet, I find myself in the same predicament time and time again.  SOLUTION:  Get yourself a little pile of old magazines and when you lay down adhesive, do it with the magazine underneath.  When you are done gluing, turn the page of the magazine and the mess is gone. 
2. ANNOYANCE: Oh, this one is so irritating!  Sometimes when I am inking the edges of paper, photos and everything else we scrapbookers ink, I get "ink rub" on the front of my card, layout or project.  Sometimes I call it a happy accident and roll with it, but when I am creating a clean, crisp layout and I get "ink rub" I just about lose my mind.  SOLUTION: Okay, so I 'll mention the obvious one; slow down.  And when that doesn't work because you only have 45 minutes before the kids get home from school, try dabbing the edges lightly rather than running the ink pad along the rim of the paper/ picture, etc.  If that doesn't work, you could try to cover up the messy spot with journalling or an embellishment and call it "whimsy." I welcome any other ideas on this one because I don't see myself slowing down or dabbing on a regular basis.
3. ANNOYANCE: This is a real stinker of a dilemma and it has a pretty simple solution.  "Infecting" a layout/ project with messy hands.  It is inevitable (and quite honestly, my right, as a crafter!) that my hands will get soiled with ink, paint, glitter, glue or some other creative medium.  I know I should stop what I'm doing and clean my mitts but sometimes its difficult to get to a sink or else, I am unaware that I rubbed the side of my palm with a cats eye.  SOLUTION: This one is easy peesy cotten cheesey - stash baby wipes everywhere.  In your scrap tote, paint storage cupboard, desk drawer, in your tool bin, everywhere.  Get 4 or 5 travel packs and scatter them where you do your work..  Then make a habit of wiping your hands regularly.  Also, this practice is a good habit for removing germs - sort of a win/ win..
4. ANNOYANCE: Maybe its old age, maybe its mommy brain, it doesn't really matter why.  The fact is that I seem to loose everything that I had in my hand 2 minutes earlier.  A photo, a button, my scissors, a sheet of paper - you name it, I've lost it right in front of my own eyes.  SOLUTION:  Make a "hot plate."  Grab a paper plate and put it to your direct right before you start scrapping.  Every time you set down photos, buttons and many of the other things that seem to vanish, place them on the hot plate.  Disclaimer: In my experience, this method works for most things but scissors seem to know how to crawl off of the hot plate and under scraps.  I usually pull out 2 or 3 pair when I'm scrapbooking and even then, I have to hunt them down.  Them scissors are tricky.
5. ANNOYANCE: This one doesn't effect everyone but it sure is a problem at my house.  I call it "cat crinkle."  No matter where I work, my cat seems to hone in on my projects and just when I least expect it...Bam!  He jumps on top of my paper and wrinkles it or leaves a wet paw print or scatters an un-adhered design all over the place.  I love you kitty, but this is unacceptable.  SOLUTION: I'm afraid there isn't one friends.  Unless you are willing to put kitty in a crate or lock yourself in a room, kitty will always go for your artwork.  It is how they are hardwired.  Its in their DNA.

Well that is all of the wisdom I can muster today, but I eagerly encourage you to share your own.  Please, if you know a solution to these 5 issues, leave a comment so we can benefit from your experience.

Meet the Cricut Cartridge, "Paper Play"

 
Today we are going to look at one of Cricut's newer cartridges, Paper Play.  This is not your standard Cricut cartridge in that it is project oriented rather than image oriented. To elaborate, this is the description on the Cricut website:

"This cartridge is filled with fun little projects such as puppets, dolls, and a cootie catcher. With Cricut Projects cartridges, you can create unique and customized projects for your home, family, and friends.  The versatility of the cartridges will surprise even the most imaginative crafters"

I agree that you get very unique projects with this cartridge and they really are darling. There is a randomness to the cartridge however, because they are not within a single motif, but because I have kids and work with kids, almost all of the projects are relevant for me. 

I'm a big kid at heart so immediately after bringing this cartridge home, I created the car.  My kids were really impressed and said I was the best artist in the whole world.  I just love that!

 I used my Imagine so instead of cutting out each element with different colored pieces of paper, I just told my machine what colors I wanted and it printed and cut the entire project on a white piece of card stock.  I do not recommend using a heavy weight cardstock as it can be a little too bulky for some of the folds.  I used a heavier weight cardstock on the car and it had problems holding its shape.  I scored all of the fold lines and I used Tombow glue to adhere it together but the paper still had some "bow" to it and eventually some of the seams came apart. The middle weight cardstock is much easier to manipulate while still be durable enough to support itself.

Above is a view of every one of the projects on the cartridge.  

The first 19 pages of the handbook show each of the projects and the layers you need to cut to construct them.  Pages 20 through 51 offer picture instructions on how to assemble the projects.  The instructions are very similar to the ones you get with furniture from Ikea.  There are no written directions, just a graphic of each stage of the assembly as you can see below:

Above you see an image of the Nestling Doll project (R) and the different layers you will need to cut to construct it (L).  Below each picture of a layer is a picture of the cartridge overlay with the key you will need to press to cut that layer, highlighted in red.  Below are the step by step instructions on how to assemble the Nestling Doll project

 

 I found these instructions fine for assembling all of the projects except for the darn cootie catcher.  I've been trying to figure that one out all summer and I still cannot make it work.  There are 6 year old kids out there whipping cootie catchers together with binder paper and I can't seem to assemble one with step by step instructions!  In my own defense, these cootie catchers have bits and pieces glued on them so the bulk makes the folding a little more disagreeable.

This is a link to the PDF version of the Paper Play handbook on the Cricut website.

Last but not least, here is a list of all of the images (there are not any 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 a JPEG but you can download a PDF version of Paper Play here: 

  PAPER PLAY TABLE OF CONTENTS PDF

Comprehensive overview of Cricut cartridge "Kate's A B C's"

Kate's ABC's might be the "cutest" cartridge out there.  It is full of adorable things: kittens and bows and hats and purses and butterflies and flowers and so many girly things that I couldn't resist buying it!  As soon as I got it home I cut 10 teacups and made note cards.  In this post we will look at:

• a brief list of themes that this cartridge would work with
• a Sample view of the cartridge images
• a look at the font and a PDF reference sheet download
• a look at all of the phrases offered on the cartridge and a PDF reference sheet download
• a look at a handbook page with an explanation of all of the Creative Feature Keys
• a link to the PDF of the handbook
• a spreadsheet with a list of the cartridge images, words and phrases with their corresponding pages numbers and a link to download the PDF copy.

 

A Sample view appears on the back of each cartridge box and usually shows a portion of the images that can be cut with the cartridge however Kate's ABC's shows all of the primary images in its Sample.  That the artwork on this cartridge is not limited to sugar and spice and everything nice.  You can embellish a lot of different subjects including:

• baby
• garden
• tea
• home
• Easter
• Mother's Day
• Love
• nature
• girlfriends
• shopping
• Get well soon
• Thank you
• invitations
• relaxation
• birthday
• summer
• picnic and more....

In addition to the primary images shown on the sample above, you also get a font and it's shadow.  The font includes both upper and lower case letters, numbers 0-9, punctuation, assorted symbols and 13 icons.

I have a hard time judging how a font will look as a word unless I see the letters next to one another so I created this Font Quick Reference Sheet. You can download a PDF copy of the Kate's ABC's Font Reference Sheet by clicking the link below.  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:

KATE'S ABC'S FONT REFERENCE SHEET PDF

This cartridge also includes 26 phrases that coordinate with the letters of the alphabet.  I can't think of how you would use those phrases other than in a alphabet book or in a decor project.  Fortunately there are additional layered phrases like "BFFs," "Playtime" and "Tea Party". Many of the layers include artwork that is designed to create dimension but many images can also be used on their own.   Below are all the phrases that are included on this cartridge with their page numbers.

It used to take me forever to flip through the handbook to find that perfect phase to use in a card or to title a layout but then I created this phrase reference sheet which has made the process a lot easier.  You can download a PDF copy of the Kate's ABC's Phrase Reference Sheet by clicking the link below.  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:

KATE'S ABC'S PHRASE REFERENCE SHEET PDF

 

This is a page out of the handbook.  On the left you see what you can make by pressing the red key on the keypad below.  You use the various Creative Feature keys to build the final image.

 

I have added letters to each of the squares to explain how to build the primary image, the phrase and the font(s).

• A - this is the primary image plus a copy of the overlay/ virtual keypad highlighting the key the page references in red.
• B - this is the base of the primary image .  All the other layers will be stacked on top of it so only the bonnet, cats and buggy tires will show through. The example is cut with brown paper but you can use whatever color you would like.  For example, cutting B in white would create a white bonnet, cats and tires.  Cricut will cut B when you select the red key on the key pad.
• C - this is the grass layer and should be stacked on top of B.  Cricut cuts this when you select the red key and shift
• D - this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Layer 1 creative feature button. D cuts the girl's jacket, the bonnet ribbon, the creases on the stroller sun shade and the flowers on the grass and her bonnet. 
• E - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Layer 1 creative feature button and shift. E cuts the stroller, her jacket pocket and the stroller tire rims.
• F - this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Layer 2 creative feature button. F cuts the skin of the little girl (face, hands and feet).
• G - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Layer 2 creative feature button and shift. G cuts the girl's hair and the cat's collar. 
• H -  this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Phrase creative feature button. H is the base layer.
• I - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Phrase creative feature button and shift. I is placed on top of H to create dimension and add contrast (you would cut this layer with a different colored paper than H).
• J - this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Baby Girl Font 1 creative feature button. This is the cartridge font "negative" inside a scalloped square.
• K - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Baby Girl Font 1 creative feature button and shift. This is the shadow of cartridge font "negative" inside a scalloped square and goes under J.
• L - this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Baby Girl Font 2 creative feature button. L is the lower case.
• M - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Baby Girl Font 2 creative feature button and shift. M is the upper case.
• N -  this layer is cut by selecting the red key and the Baby Girl Font 2 Shadow creative feature button.  N is the lower case shadow.
• O - this layer is cut by selecting the red key, the Baby Girl Font 2 Shadow creative feature button and shift. O is the upper case shadow.

To download a copy of the Kate's ABC's handbook visit the Cricut website here or you can click below:

 

KATE'S ABC'S HANDBOOK PDF

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 Kate's ABC's here: 

 

 KATE'S ABC'S TABLE OF CONTENTS PDF