APRIL SHOWERS...BRING DESIGNER UMBRELLAS

April rain reminds me of my childhood and umbrellas. My sisters and I had fancy, overhanging, transparent umbrellas with decorative designs. We loved our umbrellas and used them frequently regardless of the weather. Every morning we trekked two blocks to school twirling our umbrellas and stomping in puddles along the way. By the time we arrived at school, our pant legs were wet and muddy, but everything was dry from the knees on up to our piggy tails. Scrapbooking with umbrellas--my personal icon of April--is a delightful experience.

This week, be sure to read the tip about cutting a shape around an image using the original Cricut and check out Crafty Kimber's cartridge exploration of the Damask Décor and Elegant Edges cartridges. As always, I wish you well in your crafting adventures.

**Header project made by Kimber Jepperson using the Home Décor cartridge.

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• Mother's Day Card
• Kate's Bunny Easter
• A Spring Card
• Make Lemonade
• Another Sailor Chick

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Brenda Becknell
About: I've always enjoyed crafting in my spare time, but all my other crafts have fallen by the wayside since I took up scrapping! I love using my Cricut Expression machine for titles, embellishments, and for home décor items.

Brenda's Project: Spring Wall Hanging

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's helpful tip comes from message board member and Bug Guide, Scrapalette. Thanks for the tip!

Q. "I have a Cricut Personal Electronic Cutter, so I don't have a Center Point button. How do I cut a shape around an image (keeping the image centered)?"

A. "What I would do is get some cheap cardstock and cut the image you want. Do not remove the paper from the mat yet, just pull off the image. Take the image and slide it under the paper you just cut. Hold the paper in place on an opposite corner or tape the paper on. Center your image and cut. It's really easier than it sounds!"

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

This week I explored the Damask Décor and Elegant Edges cartridges. I think I'm in love with Damask Décor! I love the style of the designs, plus the way the layers are developed I can add all sorts of different colors to my projects.

Damask Décor is a cartridge that is designed around a variety of flourishes with other odds and ends added into the mix. The creative features for this cartridge are: Layer 1, Layer 2, Silhouette, Tag, Card, and Envelope. It's hard to describe the different types of designs that come on this cartridge, but a few examples of images that have flourishes mixed in with them are: birds, a cupcake, a tea pot, keys, a butterfly, a heart, a pumpkin, a snowflake, and a Christmas tree. Not only can you use these designs for scrapbook pages or other projects, you can also cut them out in a card or tag. Don't forget that you can also cut out envelopes to match the cards. With the Silhouette feature, you can use the Cricut Color Inks and your Center Point function to cover your paper with lovely, elegant designs. When you are finished, you have created your own adult coloring book! I always have one that I use to keep me sane when life gets crazy. Make your own for when you want to relax and get away from the stressful moments. HappyHappyJoyJoy from the message board created this card (see pic or click here) using Damask Décor. How beautiful is that!


At first I wasn't sure what Elegant Edges was all about, but once I looked at the images, I thought of a few projects that I would love to make with these designs. I can see making some fun placemats for a birthday dinner party! You could also use these for journal tags on those scrapbook pages, or use them like frames for your photos. The creative features that are included with this cartridge are: Frame, Border, Oblong, Oblong Frame, Book, and Shadow. I was really excited to see the Book feature on this cartridge because I love making little books! Here is an example from message board member Fayrai. She created an adorable book with this cartridge (see pic or click here). The Book feature lets you cut a book with each of the images that are included on this cartridge. A few examples of those images are: butterfly, flowers, squares, stamp shape, circle, and more. This cartridge will make a great addition to your Cricut library; pick one up in your local craft store.

That wraps up my exploration this week, check back next time as I continue discovering new cartridges in the Cricut family.

Crafty Kimber

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here's the word from Customer Support this week:

- We know many of you have questions regarding the recent news of third-party software and Provo Craft. As a creative company, it's important for us to both protect the intellectual property of Cricut machines, as well as protect the community of independent artists, designers, and programmers we work with.

Click the following link to read the official statement from Provo Craft: http://www.cricut.com/statement/

- Need help on the message boards? Watch for Provo Craft's awesome Bug Guides. What's a Bug Guide you say? They are in the wings and ready to help you!


Need some help? Provo Craft Customer Support is here for you! Never hesitate to call in (1-888-922-4725 or 1-888-92ccircle for Cricut Circle questions); we have people ready to help you! We are currently open Monday through Friday 7am to 6pm Mountain Time. If these hours do not work with your schedule, please send an email to support@provocraft.com.


Have a great week!

From your Customer Support Sweeps:
Mark, Colby, Brittany, and Becky, "The Floor Sweeps"

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson