Sunday, September 14, 2014

Big News Is Coming from Cricut!


Tomorrow afternoon {mountain time}, Cricut has some big news to share with all the Cricut Lovers out there! It's so exciting! I can hardly wait to share with all of you! Some of you may think you know what it is and it's always fun to guess. . .but prepared to be surprised and amazed with what Cricut has done!

Be sure to check back tomorrow tomorrow for the BIG news and be sure to check out these Trusted Cricut Product Experts for more information!

Narelle at The Non-Crafty Crafter 

Christopher at Christopher Alan Designs

And as always, come join us in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

New CTMH Artfully Sent Cart Released Today ~ See the Handbook!



Close To My Heart released the much anticipated Artfully Sent Cricut cart today! Here is a link to the handbook so you can view the images:

Artfully Sent Images

Friday, September 5, 2014

Free File Friday ~ Monster Hugs!

 It's Free File Friday in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group! Today's file is this cute little treat wrapper! I initially made him, or her, in CCR and shared them HERE.

I've recreated the design in Design Space using free shapes from the Craft Room Basics image set. Only his mouth is from a different cart, Bump in the Night.

 Once you cut your little monster, give him or her some eyes, nose, mouth, glasses, hair bow, moustache or whatever you want. Then use a glue dot to stick the candy to his body,


And wrap his arms around it and use the little slits at the hands to interlock  them so he is hugging the candy! That's all there is to making your own Monster Hugs!


If you'd like the Design Space file, come join us in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space group on Facebook! And, if you do make your own Monster Hugs, email me a photo! I'd love to see what you create!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Seashell Thank You Cards

A friend's daughter had a beach wedding and she wanted some unique cards to use as Thank You cards. The Beach Folded Card from the Anna Griffin Summer Soiree cart was perfect! I sized it approximately 3 x 5 in Design Space and used a shimmer gold paper for the card base and an ivory cardstock for the liner. And that's all I had to do! The design is so beautiful. Everyone loved them!


Sunday, August 31, 2014

Easel Back Post It Note Holder with Pen Compartment



Back in March, I posted about a Design Space file for an Easel Back Post It Note Holder based on a CCR file I had created several years ago. It was quite the "hit" in my Facebook group, Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space. Several members suggested a version with a pen holder and lots of ideas were suggested like a ribbon loop or a velcro dot on the holder and pen. I decided it would be great to have the pen held with the post it notes. So I tweaked my file and did a test cut. The sample shows the pen on the left side of the post it notes, but the little insert can be glued to either side.


The file pieces are basically the same as the post it note holder without the pen. With the Explore, you can cut and score. The long piece on the left is the easel stand. The middle piece is the post that holds the post it notes and the pen. The "mystery" piece on the right is a "cover up" that you may not need depending on your paper choice. And the little piece in front is the insert that makes the pen compartment.


Fold the easel stand piece so it looks like this from the side.

Add glue to the long, thin edge.

Fold the top of the long piece back to match up with the glue edge to create the stand.

Fold the box along the score lines and bring the bottom up to the top. Don't glue it yet. This picture will show you what your box looks like if you use paper that has a different design on each side or if there is a different texture/color. That's where the mystery piece comes in!


The mystery piece slides into the box to cover the "back" of the box so it looks pretty! If your paper is the same on both sides, you don't need this piece. Again, don't glue it yet!


 The small piece has 2 score lines in it. Fold along the score lines so it looks like this.


Decide which side you want the pen holder on. This photo shows the mystery piece glued to the back of the box, but notice the sides are not glued yet and the pen compartment insert going into the box on the left side.


But, I wanted the pen compartment on the right side of the box. All you need to do is apply glue to the front or the back of the insert and line it up along the inside edge of the right or left side of the box. Then glue the other part of the insert. Then glue the box sides together and glue to the box to the easel back.


And, decorate any way you want! I got the chalkboard idea from one of the easel back post it note holders, without the pen, that Jeannie had posted in the FB group.


If you'd like the Design Space file, come join us in the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group! Hope to see you there!

Friday, August 29, 2014

Paper Doll Facial Expressions with the Cricut Explore!


Did you know the Cricut Paper Doll Carts {Paper Doll Dress Up and Everyday Paper Dolls} have cute little facial expressions on them? Most people use just the blank face doll and then hand draw or stamp faces onto them because your Cricut could only cut the detail lines of the facial expressions. Once you drew over them, you didn't always get a "cute" doll. Until now! The Cricut Explore has a dual head to hold a pen for writing and drawing and one to hold the blade for cutting. And Design Space {the powerful software that runs the Explore} allows you to change lines from cut to write! This means, you can have the Explore draw those cute facial expression and then cut out the doll!

Here are a few of the dolls from the Paper Doll Dress Up cart. I'm working on the others and will also do the ones from Everyday Paper Dolls. I've put them in one Design Space file that you can get from my Facebook group. . .Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space. Then all you have to do is select the one you want to use, set the size and use the pen of your choice. I used the Cricut fine tip Midnight pen for these examples.

When you are ready to cut the clothes and other accessories for your paper doll, set the size the same, ungroup the image and then use the eye in the Layers box to "hide" the body layer that loads onto the canvas with the accessories. Or, you could just delete the body.

Come join us on Facebook for this file and many others that are always shared. . . for free!

Free File Friday ~ the Magic Card


Narelle has done it again for Free File Friday in our Facebook group . . . Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space! It's a beautiful card and the cutting file for Design Space is shared, for free, with the members of our Facebook group. If you have an Explore, come join us and get this and other free files, tips, troubleshooting help and inspiration overload from thousands of Cricut Explore owners!