Cricut Winter Mystery Box ~ Grab It Now!

See What's Inside Cricut's Winter Mystery Box!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.  Get your box here. . .  Winter Mystery Box! Purchase it for yourself or as a gift! And don't miss your last chance to get incredible deals at Cricut expiring next week: Offer: Take an extra 20% off new sale items at Cricut.com with code NEWSTUFFROCKS Valid: NOW-12/31/2015 Offer: Shop the five relaunched Sesame Street cartridges at Cricut.com Valid: NOW-12/31/2015 Offer: Free shipping on all orders with code FREESHIPDEC at Cricut.com Valid: NOW-12/31/2015 Offer: Get 10% off on Cricut.com with code DOORBUSTERS Valid: NOW-12/31/2015

Decorating Muslin Bags with Cricut and Yudu Ink

If you're a die-hard Cricut fan, you probably remember the YUDU machine. It was a great machine for screen-printing. Unfortunately, it was never very successful and was discontinued a few years ago. The Yudu inks were a very good quality. And if you can find them, they are now generally very inexpensive. I happen to have some of the inks and decided to do a little project with my niece and nephew. 

They each chose a Cricut image and we sized them to fit some 6 x 8 inch muslin drawstring bags I had left over from another project. The bags came from Stateline Bag Company. We cut their chosen images in vinyl and removed the image. We placed the negative piece on the bag. We put some cardstock scraps pieces inside the bags to prevent any bleed through to the back of the bag.

We squirted a blob of ink onto another scrap piece of cardstock and used a foam brush to paint over the stencil.

Before painting, make sure your stencil is stuck very well to the bag. And while painting, make sure you do use too much pressure against the edges of the stencil. I showed them how to pounce the ink onto the bag and then we lightly brushed the excess. The ink on the stencil will generally not dry.

 Once the ink was dry, it only took about 15 minutes, we removed the stencil and revealed their creations!

Their bags look great! So if you happen across Yudu ink, buy it and use it for your fabric projects! I don't think you will be disappointed.

November Cricut Mystery Box Sells Out!

Cricut sent me a November Mystery Box to help promote it. However, it sold out almost as soon as it was posted for sale on cricut.com! Savvy Mystery Box shoppers know, if the description sounds like something they want, to grab the box as soon as they can! And with a description like this:

A new Mystery Box is here and it is literally the biggest mystery box yet. With very limited quantities you won't want to wait to purchase this! All Mystery Box sales are final. $209.97 $59.99

Who wouldn't want it? And look what those shoppers with the fast fingers will be receiving:
A reconditioned E2 with a one year warranty and two Anna Griffin carts ~ Sophisticated Soirees and Splendid Soirees! I've made projects using images from both of these carts and absolutely love the Anna Griffin images!

A new feature on the Cricut Shopping pages is to sign up by email to be notified when an item is back in stock. You can do that HERE. Since quantities were limited, there are no guarantees the box will become available again. But if you're signed up for the email notification, you'll be the first to know!

And don't worry if you missed the Mystery Box, we'll be giving this one away in Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space on Facebook. So come join us!

Which Accessory Works with the Cricut Explore?

In my Facebook group, Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space, I often see questions about all the different Cricut accessories. It can be a little confusing as to which accessory goes with which machine. So I made a handy dandy little chart to help!

***note: all the Cricut blades will fit in all the Cricut blade housing units. The newest Cricut blade, the Premium German Carbide blade is the most durable and longest lasting. But if you have extra blades from older Cricuts, they will fit in the Explore blade housing unit. {click photo to enlarge}

Want more great tips like this? As well as inspiration, tutorials and a true Cricut crafting community? Then come join me in https://www.facebook.com/groups/CricutLoversGuide/.

Pattern Scale and Image Info from the Beta Preview of the Changes to Design Space

Beta Preview * * * subject to change before release

With the new pattern fill, you will be able to scale the pattern to fit your project. Here is an example of the same image, with the same pattern just with the scale of the pattern adjusted. Once you have selected your pattern, you select edit at the bottom of the Layer Attributes panel and then you can adjust the scale of the pattern. Pretty neat!

There are also some other features that members of our group have been asking for and that will be included in the update {the release date has not been announced}. One is that when you go to the design canvas, the grid lines are automatically "On". You can turn them "Off" by clicking the same little white square in the corner of the canvas.

The other is being able to identify what cart or font was used in a project. You will be able to click on the "I" for the image number and cart name. Kudos to Cricut for listening to their users! 

Even More Info on the Beta Previews of Changes Coming in Design Space

Remember * * * Everything we are showing you is from the Beta Test version and changes may be made before the actual release

My crafty friend Narelle, who calls herself the NonCrafty Crafter, has posted a great video showing more of the changes coming to Design Space. Be sure to visit her blog and check out her video!

The Non-Crafty Crafter

You can also view her video and see all our screenshot sneak previews in our Facebook group. . . come join us!

Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space on Facebook

More on the Beta Preview of Pattern Uploads for Design Space

Beta Preview * * * changes may be made before the updates are released

So what can you do with these patterns? Fill your images and text! 

You just add your image to the design canvas or type your word. Then click on the image/text like you normally would to change the color and you get the new screen to add a pattern! Change your image/text to Print and the Pattern options will open. choose your pattern and BAM! Your image or text is filled! 

Beta Preview of New Features for Design Space!

Beta Preview Information * * * Changes may be made before release

So many exciting upgrades are coming to Design Space! Although there is no release date set at this time, Cricut said I could share with you some of the changes you can expect. You'll see from this preview, Cricut has been listening to it's customers! 

There will be some changes to the way the design canvas looks when you open Design Space. You'll notice the Layers Box has changed. It's more than "a pretty new face" but I'll get to that in a minute! The big change is in the Upload Images button. It looks the same but when you click it. . . magic!

You now have a different upload screen. There is one button for Image uploads and one for patterns! Yippee! The Image upload takes the guess work out of uploading images. You no longer have to choose between basic upload or vector upload. You choose Image and Design Space "knows" what type of file you are uploading by the file extension. And Pattern upload is for patterns! All those digital papers and such you been getting for free and never really got to use in Design Space.

When you choose image upload, you still browse your computer to find your image. You "clean it up" with the wand and eraser. But when you get ready to save your image. . .you now get a preview of your image as a Print then Cut file or a Cutting file! No more unchecking that little box on the save screen!

With pattern uploads, you also search on your computer for your pattern and when you get ready to save, it is saved in the Layers Attributes for you to use with images and text.

I've got so much more to show you! But doesn't this look great so far?

If you're wanting to go ahead and start gathering digital patterns, check the Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space group. We'll have info on a trusted site that has 2 bundles of 100 patterns each . . . for FREE! How cool is that?

Land of the Free because of the Brave design

The Design Space file for this design is available in my Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space Facebook group. Come join us!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CricutLoversGuide/

I've seen a similar design all over the internet and have been unable to find the original designer. Since several people have asked for the file, I decided to use the original as inspiration and design my own file in Design Space. I use the Eyes Wide Open Font and an arrow and flower images from the Cricut Image Library and a heart from the free Insert Shapes option. I was able to use the Hide Contour feature in both image sets to use on the single arrow and the flower I wanted. I use the Slice feature to cut the arrow in pieces and the Weld feature to the words to make them cut as one image.

I've often seen members of my Cricut Lovers Guide to Design Space FB group asking for various designs they have seen. And I've wondered why they don't just jump into Design Space and make their own. I hope this will encourage and challenge people to try their hand at designing!

Even though it's too late to use this file for this 4th of July, I'm sharing the file. If you would like the file, become a follower of my blog {if you aren't already following me} and post a comment with your email address. Remember, you will need to have the cutting rights to the Cricut images, either by owning the cart and having it linked to your account or purchasing the individual images. File share ended.

Hope everyone has had a happy and safe 4th of July this year!

Cricut Releases an iPhone App for Design Space

It's ready and waiting for you iPhone users! A new Cricut Design Space app for your phone!

And, there is an update to the Design Space iPad app that adds 3 new features! Hide Contour, Insert Shapes and the camera to project your design onto your project!

Don't wory android users, Cricut is developing android apps as well. Here is a video from Ashish Arora  giving an update on what's happening with Cricut :

Cricut Update Video

Self Closing Treat Box

Once again, I have to say I love my Cricut Explore! A friend sent me a photo of the cutest little box {and you know I have a thing for boxes} and asked me if I could make it. She called it a Self Closing Box and said someone told her it was from Stampin Up but she couldn't find it. So off to Google I went and I found that indeed there were some videos on how to make the box by cutting and scoring by hand. I watched one of the videos made by Linda Parker and then went to work in Design Space. The little box is adorable but what makes it so clever is the way it opens!

You just grab it on each side and squeeze it! And it pops open and when you release it, it closes. All by itself!

The box in the video was huge. You could easily fit gift cards and such in it. But I thought it would be cuter as a smaller treat box. No problem. Once the design was complete and all the score lines and cut lines attached to the base image, I could easily re-size it! This box is just over 2 inches wide.

I used all free shapes in Design Space to make the box. The flower and leaves are from the Flower Shoppe cart. The rolled flower is so easy to make and I clipped the left image since there were five leaves and I only wanted a couple.

If you would like to have the Design Space file, just become a follower of my blog and
leave a comment with your email address and I'll send it out! And if you make any of these little boxes. . .or even big boxes because you can size it to fit your needs, I'd love to see photos!

Yet Another Dollar Tree Cake Carrier!

OK, this is the last one. . .for a while! I'm sure there will be more because I really love using the images from the Suburbia Cricut cart to decorate this Dollar Tree Cake Carriers! For this one, I only added the bow and the pearls to the image. A cute little saying and it was done!

Quick and Easy Floating Frame Wedding Gift

I love that my Cricut allows me to create such great gifts! The young waitress at a restaurant my hubby and I go to often {and by often, I mean almost every week!} for lunch recently got married. We chat with her every time we are there but she's still more of a causal acquaintance. Even so, I wanted to give her something to commemorate her big day.

A floating frame was the perfect gift! I've made lots of floating frames for weddings that we were invited to and lots of variations of the design based on the couple. Usually I use a big 10 x 17 frame. For this gift, I choose a smaller 8.5 x 11 frame. I used the letter "C" from the Regal font that Narelle had split {so easy to cut since she took the time to clean up all the little "bits"} and uploaded it to Design Space. I then added the names. I used the Milkshake font for both names and the wedding date and I used Times New Roman for the last name. {I did use a different font for the "&" as it looked like the "E" in the Milkshake font! }Then I selected all of the images/text and attached them. The Explore cut the vinyl like butter! Once I weeded away the excess pieces of vinyl, I used transfer tape to move the entire design to the glass. In less than one hour, I had the design completed, cut, weeded, applied,  {photographed} and wrapped!

I gave it to her when we went in for our usual Wednesday lunch and she was thrilled! She immediately went to show the others and then was taking pictures with her phone to send!

If you want to make nice projects like this, Narelle has split all the Regal font and has shared her files in our Facebook Group. . .come join us!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CricutLoversGuide/

Another Dollar Tree Cake Carrier

Had so much fun decorating the top of the other Dollar Tree Cake Carrier that I decided to decorate another!

Once again, I used an image from the Suburbia cart. I did alter it a bit to give the apron a belt and bow and I added the pearls and cupcakes. The cute saying is the Armonioso font. The hot pink and green vinyl are from the Cricut "Brights" Vinyl Sampler pack.

I have one more of these cake carriers and I think I will decorate it too!

Wedding Flower Petal Keepsake

The daughter of our long, long time friends got married a couple of months ago. I kept lots of "things" from the wedding and reception to make keepsakes for the bride {and her mom}. One of the things I kept was roses from the tables at the reception. Once they were dried, I knew I wanted to make a little framed keepsake, but couldn't quite find the materials I wanted to use. Rachel is a more down-to-earth girl and I wanted the keepsake to reflect the colors and textures she used for her wedding. Then, Cricut introduced Printable Fabric!

I purchased a cute little 4 x 4 inch square from at Michaels {only $3.99} and was able to quickly design my project in Design Space. I use a free square and heart and sized and positioned them on the canvas. I added the text using Lavanderia Sturdy font. And then, with the help of my techy son using Gimp, he got the hex color code from her bridesmaid's dress. I inserted the hex color code in the color picker for the square and choose a darker share for the text. Then, it was off to print on my home printer and loaded onto the mat to cut with my Explore. Not only was I able to get the fabric texture for my project, but I was able to get the exact color I wanted!

The fabric cut beautifully! The edges were clean and crisp. It is a nice weight and has an adhesive backing which makes it each to get a smooth application to your projects. I did cut 2 from the one 8.5 x 11 sheet so her mom could have one too!

Then I took a 4 x 4 piece of cardstock and covered part of it with my ATG. I randomly stuck the flower petals to the tape.

And then covered the flowered cardstock square with the printed fabric square and placed them in the frame. The results were too cute. The reflection from the glass distorted the color but in person, it looks cute and you can see the texture of the fabric. I can't wait to give these to the bride and her mom!

And, a little bonus. . .I have he two fabric hearts, from the cutouts, to use for another project! Whatever will I make with them?

Dollar Tree Cake Carrier Gets Dressed Up

My daughter loves to bake and not only do we love that, but so do the people at her office! She often will bake just to try new recipes and take them into to her co-workers. She had been using left-over bakery containers. I found the somewhat elusive cake carriers at Dollar Tree and decided to get her one. But. . . it was so plain!

Never fear. . .a little vinyl and my Cricut Explore took care of that! I logged into Design Space and began searching for images. I found the {almost} perfect image on the Suburbia cart. It was a two layer design but with the slice feature, I was able to make the note pad more prominent. My daughter is a big list maker and always has a grocery list and notes with her recipes!

I also added the pearl necklace. . .just to make it a bit more retro! I found the saying on a kitchen towel set while surfing the net and it was perfect! I was able to use a circle the size of the top of the carrier and plan my design. The Explore cut the vinyl, including the small letters, without a problem. Then it was just a matter of weeding away the unwanted vinyl, using transfer tape and applying the design to the cake carrier.

My daughter loved it and her co-workers got a big kick out of it too! It's amazing what a little vinyl can do to a one dollar item!

Black Pen Variety Pack from Cricut

A big request from Cricut Explore owners has been for good quality black pens to use with the writing feature. Cricut has releases a Variety Pack of black pens today! These packs have been popping up in various Michael's stores for the past weeks, but they have officially been launched on cricut.com today.

The package contains 5 black pens. Two fine point, one medium point and two calligraphy point pens.

And here's a sample of the different pens writing the same sentiment.

The card sentiments from the Anna Griffin carts look great when written with the calligraphy pen!

And with the features of Design Space and the Explore, you can use multiple pens in one project. You can set some of the text to different colors and Design Space will prompt you to change the pen or you can pause your Explore as desired and change the pen. This example is from the Word Collage cart.

You can also use the pens to draw your images. These examples are from the Pretty Packages cart.

Overall, I found the pens to write/draw nicely and having a selection of different pen tips allows more creativity when using the pen feature. And of course, black pens tend to be the color ink I use the most, so having a pack of all black pens makes this a must-have for me!