A CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Next week, many people will travel to cemeteries and pay respects to those who came before them. Flowers and gifts will adorn final resting places, and family plots alike. It's a day of remembrance and celebration. A day to pay tribute to the lives of loved ones who lived, loved, and worked so diligently to build and provide the lifestyle and blessings we enjoy today and fallen heroes who have paid the ultimate price to preserve liberties and freedoms.

There is a saying that comes to mind, "Scrap it or lose it...in an old shoebox gathering dust in your closet." What about those old photos of family picnics with family members and friends gone by? Craft a tribute to their legacy. It's never too late to arrange them in a proper display. Your Cricut pals will be happy to help you with this task. Worried that you won't quite know how to go about scrapping your old photos? No problem! With the plethora of shapes and fonts available on our Cricut cartridges, an unlimited array of ideas and possibilities are available right at the touch of a button. It's all at your fingertips! Ideas will come flowing and pretty soon you'll have those special memories preserved in a keepsake scrapbook with your very own special touch of class.

Happy Crafting!

**Header project made by Chrys Allen using the Songbird, Celebrations, and Simply Sweet cartridges.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Say hello to our new cartridges:

Cindy Loo
Wall Décor and More
Mini Monsters
Freshly Picked
Disney/Pixar's Toy Story®

Download your Cricut DesignStudio update here.

Also, say goodbye to:

Christmas Cheer
All Mixed Up

They're retiring, but you can still get yours before they're gone!

Follow this link to see the email announcement.

FEATURED PROJECTS

MESSAGE BOARD HIGHLIGHTS

This week's highlighted threads are:

• Photo Mosaic Layout
• All Dolled Up
• Mr and Mrs Vintage Layout
• Treasure, Always...(not so boring) GEORGE
• my quilt - flowers cut with cricut!

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

Name: Penny Light
About: I am a work from home wife, currently living in Modena, Italy for a two year tour. I get to play with my Cricut all day and share the cards I make with Italians and the Cricut Card Fairies. The Lord has blessed me and I hope to share that with others.

Penny's Project: Under the Sea Charm Bracelet

YOUR NOTABLE TIP

Today's Tip is for everyone who has the new Cricut Cake!

Q. "What causes my frosting sheet to slip when it's being cut?"

A. "You may have too much shortening. Use a pastry brush to apply the shortening and brush until all the white is gone. You should see transparent brush marks where you've applied shortening to the mat.

The shortening may be too warm. Since shortening turns to liquid at high temperatures, this can cause the frosting sheet to slip. Always start with a room temperature or cold mat (not hot) and, if possible, work in a room that is 80 degrees F or less. If necessary, place mat with frosting sheet applied in the freezer for about 2 to 5 minutes. Leave it in there just long enough to firm up the shortening, but not so long that the frosting sheet becomes cold and brittle."

CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION

This week I was able to spend more time with my Cricut Cake machine, I didn't realize how much time it would take for me to get everything ready to play with the Cake cartridges. I was wishing that I had a reason to make a birthday cake so I could really get into my machine. Oh well; I made cup cakes instead and had fun decorating them with my gumpaste. Since I am new to this cake decorating stuff, I had to learn how to color my gum paste. Wow, what a chore that was--but I am proud to say that I made three different colors to experiment with. In today's exploration I played with the Elegant Cakes and Birthday Cakes cartridges.

Elegant Cakes is a great cartridge for making wedding cakes or a really special cake. The creative features on this cartridge are: Font, Font Shadow, Plain Base, Plain Font, Plain Font Shadow, and Shadow/Plain Shadow. I love that you get two different fonts, numbers, and some symbols that are included on this cartridge. All of the designs on Elegant Cakes are fun different shapes and boarders that when repeated make a project or cake look so beautiful. Other images that are included in this cartridge are: roses, flowers, a bird, paislies, a variety of lace borders, and some phrases. The image to the left is an example of some of the designs and the letters that come with this cartridge. This is a well rounded cartridge that gives you images, letters, and phrases to help you with whatever project you are creating. Try cutting sugar cookies, melting chocolate on top and adding gum paste on top. It makes such a nummy treat. For more ideas or recipes, make sure to check out www.cricut.com/cricutcake or click here for the Cake message board forum.

Birthday Cakes is the next cartridge that I explored this week. I so wished that I could have made a cake and decorated it with my new little machine! The creative features on this cartridge are: Font, Base Shadow Blackout, Font Shadow, Plain Base, Plain Phrase, and Plain Shadow Blackout. You get a great a selection of images on this cartridge: from castles to a font, plus numbers and some symbols. The font on this cartridge is squarer and easy to read instead of something that is really curvy. Other images that are included are: cowboy, butterfly, bunny, dinosaur, dragon, palm tree, robot, hearts, swirls, stars, and flowers. Some phrases are: "Birthday Greetings", "What a Circus", "Dino-Mite", "Celebrate", and "Make a Wish". A thing I learned in rolling out the gum paste is if you make it too thin, it's really hard to pick the design up off of the mat. So, to fix problem, keep the design on the mat and put it back in the freezer for a few minutes, then remove it and place it on your project. If you don't experience a clean cut, then your gumpaste is too thick. You will notice in the cupcakes in the picture to the right, I didn't roll out my gumpaste thin enough and so the blade dragged some. I point this out in case any of you are experience this same issue. Now you know if the design doesn't cut clean, try rolling out the gumpaste a little thinner. In order to create the 3-D designs, you need to lay your designs on top of a something that holds the gumpaste in position, and then leave it there overnight to harden. Another tip: use corn syrup to hook your glumpaste designs together.

I hope you enjoyed this exploration. I had a ball playing with the Cricut Cake machine. I am making plans to use this in two weeks for an event that I am working on. Check back next week as I start exploring some of the new cartridges that are out in the market. Happy crafting!

Crafty Kimber

WEEKLY SURVEY

Don't forget to take this week's survey!

Click here.

HELP FROM THE EXPERTS

Here are the top questions in Customer Support this week.

From Brittany:

Regarding the Cricut Cake:

When you cut using the Cricut Cake, it will leave a little trace of the image on the mat. That is normal and shouldn't affect the cutting ability of the Cricut Cake for many cuts. Eventually, with wear and tear, those cuts in the mat will make it harder to get the products to stick down and not have any air bubbles, but again you should be able to get many cuts from the mat before needing to replace it. If you notice that the machine is cutting so far into the mat that it is almost cutting through, then you will need to lighten the pressure. If you are still having problems or concerns then please feel free to call into Cricut Customer Support for some troubleshooting help to see if anything is defective. That number is: 1-877-727-4288 Monday through Friday, 7 am until 6 pm MST.


From Brightly:

Q. Which cartridges are retiring?

A. Here's a list:

- Blackletter
- Christmas
- Sans Serif
- Street Sign
- Stamped
- Tags, Bags, Boxes and More
- Printing Press
- Paper Pups
- All Mixed Up
- Christmas Cheer


From Becky:

Q. How can I find out where to see Provo Craft products demonstrated?

A. Follow the "Get Locations & Times Now" link on this homepage banner:




From Mark:

Nothing to do with Cricut, but a good tip nonetheless:

Don't ride a 4-wheeler while wearing flip-flops.


Have a great week!

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Perfect valor is to behave, without witnesses, as one would act were all the world watching."
~ François de la Rochefoucauld