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Because everyone needs a Cricut rainbow kind of day

With the Cricut Maker everyday items like white t-shirts become works of art in minutes – well that’s what everyone tells you right? And normally I would agree but today, well that rainbow kind of day turned into a what the heck was I thinking kind of day! When multicolored balloons seem like a good idea, but you decide to abandon 5 different colours of Heat Transfer Vinyl for the much easier Rainbow option – well lets just say things can escalate quite quickly to a not so colorful day.

I mean it looks awesome but what nobody will tell you is that cutting it is the easy part and my Cricut handles that perfectly, weeding it is another story and well application can be tricky at times to put it nicely.

It cuts really easily on the Cricut Maker – and once you remember to cut it the right side – nothing much can go wrong! Or can it? So that all important test cut and scrap cotton ironing test was essential.

Weeding was, well challenging at times – so find a better light source, move to a brighter spot with natural light and well get those glasses. Yup one can say when reaching a certain age – weeding is not for the fainthearted.

And when you still don’t own a heat press that works {yet} you resort to going elsewhere to borrow an iron and ironing board because who owns that – and besides does anyone still bother since not having left the house in like forever – asking for a friend?

Well now all that’s left is hoping the client will love these t-shirts before they get totally trashed and full of dirt at go-kart day for 7 year olds. And did I mention how finding short sleeved white t-shirts is nearly impossible as we head into winter – asking for hens teeth was easier.

So when all is said and done – the remainder of this Rainbow Starflex can find its way to the bottom of the drawer for a very long time! My Cricut Maker and I will find some other rainbows to bond over for the remainder of the week.

So there you have it – if rainbows were made of Starflex alone we would be in trouble – but thankfully my Cricut Maker handles each and every challenging situation with grace and style and zero complaints. As for me, well I am working on paper rainbows and balloons with far less drama. Until next time keep ironing friends – because rainbows really do make each day much brighter.

Sketching out some line art with my Cricut Maker

One can only fully appreciate the Cricut Maker when you start playing around and actually using all the wonderful features of the machine. Initially it takes a while, because you can be so intimidated by the sheer beauty of this beast. But once you get in line with its sheer awesomeness and start gelling with the process it becomes pure magic.

My initial thought regarding the draw function of the Cricut was one of intimidation. But once that pen clicks in place it is pure magic. Best of all is that the machine does it all for you. With a single click of a button selecting ‘draw’ a whole new can of possibility is opened.

I used a background I create a while ago using Kaisermists on technique cardstock. I made sure I used a background that was really dry since I didn’t want to take any chances with the ink of the pen bleeding or reacting with moisture left in the paper. A simple line drawing is pure magic on this colourful background.

With a variety of pens and nib sizes you can achieve a myriad of different effects and end results. This 0.4 tip is ideal for line art and handwritten fonts on any number of projects and designs.

So here’s to many more ‘draw’ projects using this wonderful tool in my craft space. Experimenting and trying all the things using this amazing function. What have you ‘drawn’ using your Cricut machine?

See the machine in action here

Cricut Magic

It’s still February and if you missed out on being treated on Valentine’s Day, then spoil yourself and take the leap in getting yourself a Cricut Machine. Even more specific the Cricut Maker – There’s nothing quite like it. From the simplest of projects to the more complex ones – the Cricut Maker makes crafting so much easier and so much fun!

Take for instance this quick card I made – now given that I think everyday should be filled with love and not just once a year – this card is meant for every other day not just Valentine’s day, and so easy to make.

Step 1 – Cut some hearts out of pink vinyl. In Design Space {DS} I created a new canvas and used the shape tool to insert a heart, sized it to the size I needed those hearts and then space them evenly across my canvas in a tile format.
Step 2 – Cut the hearts using the ‘Matt vinyl’ setting form my favourite materials list.
Step 3 – From there you simply follow the prompts and cut your hearts.
Step 4 – Once I unloaded my mat from the Maker, I weeded the surrounding vinyl. Surprisingly this came off in one piece. I then place it onto my cutting matt sticky side facing up and placed a piece of white cardstock down onto it.
Step 5 – I smoothed it out, trimmed into the right size for a card front.
Step 6 – Dressed up my card with an embossed chipboard word and stamped sentiment.
And in a few easy steps, using my vinyl negative I had an awesome card.

I try never to trow away anything that I can use again – but I challenge myself to also use it within a week – otherwise I am just hoarding it! So go on make some magic with all those left-overs.

Products used:
Cricut Maker
Pink Matt Vinyl
Chipboard: Celebr8
Stamps: Altenew
Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne, Brilliance
Embossing Powder: Tsukineko

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