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Monday, October 1, 2012

So much Cricut and Blog Information AND a giveaway!!! So.... grab a cup of coffee for some nice reading.

So much Cricut and Blog Information.... 
grab a cup of coffee for some nice reading. 


Also don't forget to come here EVERY Hello Thursday when Cricut announces the newest Cartridges. 
I have projects already waiting to share them with you! 
This weekend on the web .....


BLOG HOPS 

(click on the words to go to the event)


Friday Sept 28- A BEARY Special Blog Hop



SATURDAY CHALLENGES





Current GIVEAWAYS

Zoe/Crafty X is hosting a Giveaway on her blog to celebrate 1,300 subscribers.
Please go follow for a chance to win :)

SVG Sunday Blog Giveaway on http://svgsundayblog.blogspot.com/
Through September
$500 Prize Pack (Cuttlebug and folders and MORE!!!)
You get extra entries by sharing this!!!

Kathy's Double K Krafts: Thank You Giveaway (1 Yr. Anniversary and 10,000 Page Hits)
ENDS 9/30/12 WINNER ANNOUNCED 10/01

Amie McFarlin Kiger - I am having a giveaway on my blog to try to reach my goal this month
all orders to gain entry into the giveaway must be placed by September 30th

Tara Barnes Bruening
I have a 500 Follower Giveaway - You can Win a $100 gift card to Joann's
Ends at 500 followers





These events are down the left side of my blog are all of the current blog hops 
and challenges. If you would like your events added to my daily posted list, 
please join our 


You can add blog hops, 
challenges (even if it is not yours you can add your favorites)
You can even find people to be in your blog hops, 
you can list giveaways or anything crafting. 
We will add it to the list.
Just go to the group and post what you want on the list.
You can also post design team calls there. 




Here are some people looking for crafters to be in thier blog hops..... 
You can find ALL of this in our Crafting Blog Events Facebook group. 

HOPS TO JOIN
Per Member ROBIN SCOTT 9/06 @ 9:00 pm, EST
I have a "Scraps to Treasures" team that is always looking for crafters. We have a hop every 3rd weekend of the month. Most are one day hops but some will be 2 days. The link to our page is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/123681651102970/
OR you can send me a message and I"ll add you to our group.

Per Member MELISSA PINTER 9/14 @ 3PM EST
Altered Journal Blog Hop Oct 22 https://www.facebook.com/groups/205095209622134/
JOIN GROUP!

Per Robin Lane 9/15 @ 10:57 pm EST Robin Lane I am planning my first Blog Hop and would LOVE for you to join me. http://www.facebook.com/groups/180710168731001/




Looking for Design Team calls???


We are looking to add ONE person to our Design team for the year.
This is NOT the seasonal design team call. This is just a fun project!  (please scroll down to see ALL of the other Design Team calls. 

Please make it a FALL themed project 



Design Team Calls....

Added to document 9/28 @ 6:48 a.m. EST
Love 2 Create Challenge Blog - DT Call
Ends 10/6/12
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Added to document 9/24/12 @ 9:07 a.m. EST
SNR (Scrapbook News and Review)
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Added to document 9/20/12 @ 9:00 p.m. EST
Bearly Mine is looking for a few more members for the Design Team, for a Six Month Term.
Design Team Term runs from Oct 30th 2012 - April 30 2013
If you are interested in being part of this team, please put DT beside your name in the current challenge.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Added to document 9/15/12 @ 9:30 a.m. EST
VLVS! Is having a Design Team Call!!
Are you familiar with VLVS! ? - We are the world's LARGEST rubber stamp manufacturer with over 19,000 DIFFERENT images on file. Get the scoop @ http://vlvstamps.com/
and get all the info on how to submit for the DT here : http://vivalas.blogspot.com/2012/08/design-team-call.html
Spread the word! Invite your friends :) -- I thought an event would be a great reminder for the deadline! https://www.facebook.com/events/169165299886734/
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Added to document 9/10/12 @ 7:54 p.m.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/03/12
The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog
Ends 9/30/12
New Members will be notified 10/10/12
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Creative Paperclay® Design Team call Nov 2012 – April 2013

Creative Paperclay® is looking for a few awesome PaperClay Artists who can showcase Creative Paperclay® products! If you LOVE PaperClay, are able to utilize Creative Paperclay® on scrapbook layouts, cards & Mixed Media projects then show us what you love to do!!
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I am so excited.... 
I am SO proud of myself!!!!! 


When I was in Utah in July I was a 
guest at Provo-Craft.
 I have always loved the company and everything that they stand for. It is a small company that you would think has several thousand employees, but actually has less than 200! It is amazing how many people you would think do all of the work that we see and help us to craft. 

I had spent 2 days there with the Vice-Presidents, CEO and tech staff, as well as some who do graphic design, the actual paper crafting and basically everyone who works there! They were such wonderful hosts to myself and my daughter. While I was there I was a 'crafter' an actual person who sits down with the handbook and wanted to create something. It totally simplified things how I would teach my daughter (4 years old) and my Grandma (we can say 70+ years old) 
I wanted to convey to them what crafters think about from the time they see and image that they want to the time that it takes to make it. 

Most people see a cute... PIG and just want to make the Pig and put it on a card. They might not want to learn all about Craft Room and everything else. They just want to ENJOY making a card with a pig on it! VERY SIMPLE. I think people like myself (and the tech people there, over analyze things) Sometimes we just need to take a step back and make it OVERLY simple. No one I know wants to spend an hour trying to figure out HOW TO make the pig..... They just want to make the pig! 

My first suggestion was for those who have never used Craft Room have a video pop up and just get them started (they have that now) 
Next the man who does programming with Craft Room showed me an app in his I-phone to make a card. He finds the shape he wants, clicks on the picture he wants, moves it into the window and for $1.99 it is printed and MAILED to the recipient..... I said why can't you do that.....  
Let's say in Create a Critter, i just want to make the pig. I want a ONE TOUCH button to make the silly little pig! Why can't craft room do that. I also suggested to make it in color so we knew what  each part of it looked like in color. SO........
I hope you have seen the single images or small groups of images that you can get instead of the entire cartridge. Other die cutting machines allow you to buy ONE image.... I said why can't Provo-Craft do that.... SO............ here it is!!!
I might not always have paper crafts to show..... 
but this is why.....
I would rather teach than to just display! 


In this first view you can see the little pig there called CAC-5 And he is there in all of the correct colors.... no thinking needed! The light purple ring shows you what to click on to make the images bigger so you can see them better :) 

Here is the smaller pig, click at the light Purple circle to make the images bigger (this works on all cartridges not just those in color right now. 






So just click on the pig and drop it on the virtual cutting mat. 
There is my cute little pig in COLOR!!!! 


 





 Now click on it the see the grey box around it. at the bottom of that is a green box that says 
EDIT IMAGE. Click on it. 




Then on the far right click SEPARATE 






You will then see it expands it all out into each of the colors that you will need to cut. 



Next select UNGROUP.  






Then I love the pieces around so I can put a 6x6 piece of paper in each square







I like to have the image cut as the base for me to build on as well. 
So I added another piggy to my mat. 






Then I select what machine I am using. I was currently using the IMAGINE, you do not have to cut with the Imagine..... but that is how you can see and work with the colors.  Then you can see my purple circle on the left where I selected Expression as my machine that I wanted to cut with.  




Now you can see it took away all of my pretty colors and instead of printing in color, it will now just cut. BUT at a later time if I want to go and use the Imagine.....  You can always go to the Machine and Mat section and select IMAGINE, and it will put your color back in! 








There is it, this was ONE of the things I proposed while I was there.... and they did it!!!!!
I am so proud of myself and that I can share all of this with you. I hope I spoke for many crafters and that this concept will make your Cricut crafting easier and less frustrating!!! 

ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS?????? 


Here is also the link to help you if you want to learn more about Cricut Craft Room


Also don't forget to comment here and 
share with a friend.....
 if a friend comes here and says that you sent them, YOU get a point and an entry to win the BRAND NEW.... Create a Critter 2. 

Don't forget to check out my webstore for Cartridge sales and SPECIALS on paper! 



Don't forget to come back here each 
Hello Thursday 
as I am already working on projects with next month's cartridges and I cannot wait to share them when Cricut announces them!!!
SO CUTE!!!! 












FROM THIS SUMMER>>>>>> July posting.....

How great of a Cartridge Handbook would this be????

Well I am headed to Provo Craft now for this below. My proposal for the handbooks. I have many of them done. Wouldn't you LOVE to see all handbooks done like this so you know EXACTLY how to make each image? Wouldn't you use your Cricut more?
Wouldn't you buy more cartridges if they were all this easy to see HOW to put it together???
Please comment on this post as this post is going to Provo- Craft and they can see your feedback!!!
This shows you which color of paper to use and which buttons to press.




5 comments:

V Perkins said...

Thanks so much for trying to improve on the Cricut products and CCR. I will be trying the CCR and see if I can use your new tools. And I love the idea for the books. It is very frustrating sometimes trying to figure everything out. Most of work a job all day and just want to relax and cut something, now spend an hour just trying to figure it all out. Thanks for trying all of us.

Jessica Buffa said...

Love all the upcoming changes, events, and awesome suggestions! Can't wait to see all the fun projects linked up in the DT Call for MCCR!
:O)
Jessica S

Craftin Desert Divas said...

Thanks so much for all this information.

Tara

Unknown said...

Hey Erica,

When can we expect the craft room to be ready with these new awesome changes??? I just tried and its not ready yet on mine I guess!

Becky Dunham said...

Congrats Erica! This is so exciting! I remember when we met here in Utah and you were just bubbling over with how much fun you and Bella had at Provo Craft :) You should be proud of yourself - this looks great! I must confess I have not done much over on CCR as my crafting time right now is minimal, but now when I go over there, it will be MUCH EASIER thanks to your suggestions! Way to go Erica!