Imagine That Plus

URLs you can go to filled with free backgrounds and some tutorials

2010-11-19T04:16:00.000-06:00

12-11-09:blogs with free backgrounds & other such goodies*http://www.mystylebackgrounds.blogspot.com/
*http://bloggerblogbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
*http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/
*http://www.shabbyblogs.com/backgrounds.html and http://shabbyblogsblog.blogspot.com/ for some great tutorials
*http://hotbliggityblog.com/
*http://www.keepandshare.com/ free stuff and tutorials--great site for learning how you can add cool stuff to your blog & make it look likeyou want it to.
*http://simplyblogitbackgrounds.blogspot.com/
*http://www.pyzam.com/bloggertemplates (I'd use this service only with new blogs, as adding their backgrounds may erase some of your gadgets)
*http://www.scrapmyblog.com/
*http://www.blogaroozer.com/
*http://simplychicblogs.blogspot.com/
*http://restored316designs.com/ /category_40/Freebies.htm (some free throughout site and blog, some not)
*http://cottagecollections.com/shopping/free_graphics/page_1.aspx (free graphics)
*http://www.theinspirationgallery.com/
*http://www.coloursforyou.blogspot.com/
*http://planetblogtemplate.blogspot.com/
*http://www.sharealayout.com/index.php
*http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/ and lots of great tutorials at http://www.theshabbyshoppe.com/tutorials/software_tutorials.asp

Creative Memories consultants to get your exclusive carts & more from

2010-11-19T04:13:00.000-06:00

Here's some info I previously published in a post, put here so you can find easily. You can get those 2 Cricut carts or any of their other wonderful products from these ladies.

*I have been a CM consultant for 5 years now. You can visit my website at www.mycmsite.com/shagen to order the exclusive cartriges offered by Creative Memories. They are great! - Thanks! Sarah Hagen

*These are fantastic cartridges! I have pictures of some layouts and cuts I made with them on my blog at http://lisasworkshop.blogspot.com/ I have been a CMC since 2001 and live in SE Michigan. You can visit my CM website at http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/lisagraham -Lisa Graham

*Hi! I am also a consultant and you can visit my site at http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/marylawrence . If you live in South Florida and want to learn more about Cricut or Creative Memories please contact me! -Mary

*I am a CM Consultant, I would gladly be your go to gal for you CM products!!! http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/scraphappygal -Paula Armbrust

Bunches of places to get free fonts from

2010-11-19T03:52:00.001-06:00

typOasis: http://www.moorstation.org/typoasis/typoasis1.htm 1001 Fonts: http://www.1001fonts.com/ DaFont: http://www.dafont.com/ OFFSite: http://freefonts.fateback.com/ Font Garden: http://www.fontgarden.com/dingbats/ Tack-O-Rama: http://tackorama.net/Fonts/dingbats/1.htm The Dingbat Pages: http://www.dingbatpages.com/ FontCo: http://www.fontco.com/ Simply the Best: http://simplythebest.net/fonts/ Abstract Fonts: http://www.abstractfonts.com/ Acid Fonts: http://www.acidfonts.com/ Lord Kyl: http://lordkyl.net/ (was moving hosts at time of writing) Maxfonts: http://www.maxfonts.com/ Urban Fonts: http://www.urbanfonts.com/ Decomania: http://www.decomania.org/police/dingbats/page1/page1.htm Dingbat Depot: http://www.dingbatdepot.com/ Disney Experience: http://www.disneyexperience.com/customize/fonts.php Dog Hause: http://www.doghause.com/fonts.asp Chrissie Eksten: http://eksten.net/webgraphix/ Famous Fonts: http://famousfonts.smackbomb.com/ Font Buff: http://www1.neweb.ne.jp/wb/font/font/Dingbats1.html Fontz.ch: http://ch2.fontz.ch/browse/cat/dingbats GoldenWeb.it: http://fonts.goldenweb.it/ NetFontes.com.br: http://www.netfontes.com.br/ PackRat Fonts & Drop Caps: http://lavplourde.tripod.com/fonts/ MyFonts.com: http://www.myfonts.com/ High Fonts: http://www.highfonts.com/ DESIGNERS 4YEO: http://www.4yeo.com/fonts/ 24 Hour Fonts: http://www.24hourfonts.co.uk/ Aenigma Fonts/Brian Kent: http://www.aenigmafonts.com/ Alien Fonts/Tommy of Escondido, Mike H Lee & Josh Dixon: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/4965/ Altemus Creative/Robert Altemus: http://www.altemus.com/ Apostrophic Lab: http://apostrophiclab.pedroreina.net/ Astigmatic One Eye (AOE)/Dan Zadorozny: http://www.astigmatic.com/ Carol Brooksbank: http://www.caroluk.co.uk/fonts/ BV Fonts/Jess Latham: http://www.bvfonts.com/ Chank: http://www.chank.com/ The Claw: http://www.empire-of-the-claw.com/ Darrian: http://westwood.fortunecity.com/cerruti/445/ Digital Magic/Helen Duggan: http://www.graphicdesignplus.com/Helen/DigitalMagic/ Divide by Zero/Tom Murphy: http://fonts.tom7.com/ Font Environment/Sam Marcius: http://www.fontenvironment.com/ Font Freak/Ole Larsen: http://www.fontfreak.com/ FontMenu/Michael Bujardet: http://www.fontmenu.com/ Fonts & Things: http://www.fontsnthings.com/ FreakyBunny: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/24/fb/ Freaky Fonts/ck: http://www.freakyfonts.de/ Harold's Fonts/Harold Lohner: http://www.haroldsfonts.com/ Matthew Hindson: http://www.hindson.com.au/wordpress/index.php/free-fonts-available-for-download/ House of Lime: http://www.houseoflime.com/ Iconian Fonts/Dan Zadorozny: http://www.iconian.com/ Jeff's Fonts/Jeff Levine: http://www.geocities.com/jeffsfonts/ Lady Timeless: http://graphxgonewild.com/ Listemageren/Klaus Johansen: http://www.listemageren.dk/ London's Letters/London Stokes: http://www.londonsletters.com/ Su Lucas: http://www.sulucas.net/ Manfred Klein Fonteria (to 2007): http://moorstation.org/typoasis/designers/klein/ Manfred Klein Fonteria (2008 onwards): http://manfred-klein.ina-mar.com/ MG Fonts: http://mgfonts.netfirms.com/ Tom Mouat: http://www.mapsymbs.com/fontstuf.html Mr. Fisk/Mike Larsson: http://www.fontorama.net/ David Occhino Design: http://www.davidocchino.com/ Ouvrez Police!/Claude (Chloe) Derieppe: http://clofont.free.fr/Police.htm PizzaDude/Jakob Fischer: http://www.pizzadude.dk/freefonts.php The Scriptorium/David Nalle: http://www.fontcraft.com/ TTD Fonts: http://www.ttdfonts.com/ Typephases/Joan M Mas: http://www.vectoralia.com/typephases/ Unauthorized Type/Ben McGehee: http://uatype.faithweb.com/ Urhixidur Fonts/Daniel Thibault: http://www.angelfire.com/pq/Urhixidur/ Web of Dreams/Sue Ralston: http://www.web-of-dreams.com/ ZonoArt: http://www.zonoart.com/freebies/

See a semi-custom background you like?

2010-06-30T23:55:00.002-05:00

Pick a background (pick as many as you want, you can rotate them at any time in the future), email me at saigegrace@live.com with the name of the background(s), and that background is yours & yours along....no one else on the Internet will have it. Price on these is $35.00-$75.00 depending on level of customization..

Click HERE for a look at some semi-custom backgrounds. Email me for the current special--trust me, it's a good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Want something customized on your blog?

2009-10-25T23:35:00.003-05:00

I design custom blog backgrounds, "grab" buttons (your blog logo with code below so others can put your logo on their blog with your url embedded in the logo), blog headers, signatures for your posts, dividers...you name it. Email me at saigegrace@live.com for more information.
Below are samples of my work; please click the refresh button so that you can see all of the images (there's some quirk that won't allow you to see all of the images unless you do). When you find an image you like, hover your cursor over it and a number will appear in the middle of the slide show. Email me that number.

Cricut Links of Interest

2009-08-04T17:16:00.004-05:00

-LIST OF ALL CRICUT CARTRIDGES TO DATE

-Unbelievable list of Cricut video tutorials

-Bunches of Places to get FREE FONTS from

-Free cut files designed by Everything Cricut

-Websites that have free cut files for your Cricut ...

-Design Studio Help

-How to Convert American Design Studio Cut files for European use

-Design Studio Important Links - including free tri...

-Design Studio for Cricut- shadowing welded objects...

-Basic Cricut Maintenance

-Sure Cuts A Lot Demonstration

-Cricut Expressions for beginners

-Engraving on your Cricut machine

-Another great video to help you get started on Cri...

-Cricut Expressions for beginners

-Cricut (original or baby) Demo

-For SCAL users: How to download fonts

-How to cut fabric transfer on your Cricut

-Another GREAT video about how to cut fabric on Cricut

-How to cut and make a stamp using Cricut (not Prov...

-Best Sources of Cricut Info

-Cricut Tips for a New User

-Great Places to buy your Cricut products from (service and selection are good)

-Best Place to Buy Paper -- service & selection are...

-My favorite non-Cricut, non-scrapbooking sites

-My favorite scrapbooking companies (wholesalers, many have their own retail site as well)

Some of my favorite non-Cricut and non-scrapbooking sites

2009-02-09T00:42:00.004-06:00

http://www.trekearth.com/ -- a million gorgeous photos all in one place -- all sorts of photos from all sorts of people
http://tips-for-new-bloggers.blogspot.com/ -- a great site to help you set up your blog, or tips on how to keep it going
http://about.openoffice.org/index.html -- if you can't afford MS Office, this is a fantastic, free alternative
http://www.petfinder.com / find a pet, learn how to train a pet, learn how to care for a pet, learn which pet is best for you & your situation....a fantastic site for pet lovers.
http://www.quotationspage.com/ quotes in every subject
http://www.wiki.scrapfriends.us/index.php?title=Special:Allpages -- cool quote place--you'll land on a page with tons of different subjects to choose from

Favorite Scrapbooking Wholesalers (most have their own retail site/store as well)

2009-02-09T00:13:00.004-06:00

http://www.creativityinc.com/autumnleaves (Autumn Leaves & other companies under the Creativity Inc umbrella)
http://www.basicgrey.com/
http://www.bazzillbasics.com/
http://www.chatterboxinc.com/home/DefaultHomePage
http://www.creativeimaginations.us/
http://www.cropinstyle.com/
http://www.diecutswithaview.com/
http://www.fiskarscrafts.com/
http://imaginisce.com/
http://www.kandcompany.com/
http://www.mylyb.com/ (Little Yellow Bicycle)
http://www.makingmemories.com/
http://www.mymindseye.com/
http://www.rangerink.com/
http://www.rustypickle.com/
Scrapbour
http://www.techniquetuesday.com/
http://www.timholtz.com/products.html
http://www.weronthenet.com/ (We R Memory Keepers)

Best Place to Buy Paper -- service & selection are good

2008-09-29T13:56:00.001-05:00

Paper Addict. Note: you often need to look under the name of the collection for what you want in addition to the actual name of the company that sells what you are looking for

Great Places to buy your Cricut products from (service & selection are good)

2008-09-29T13:52:00.003-05:00

Cutter's Creek --Kim is fantastic to work with & has great prices -- no shipping over $20
Kim's Korner -- fantastic customer service, great prices -- she ships international!
Memory Miser -- she's a member of the Cricut Cutter group & has free shipping over $35

I wanted to make a special note about Your Scrapbook Stash and Paper Addict. They are two outstanding online stores that don't generally sell Provo Craft products. Check them out for great prices & great selection on your papercrafting needs.

Replacement parts available at Cricut.com

2008-09-29T13:45:00.001-05:00

Adapter Cord
Binders for Respective Cartridges
Blade Housing
Handbooks for Respective Cartridges
Overlays for Respective Cartridges
Quickstart Guide
Trimmer Blade & Scoring
User Manual

Non-Cricut items that have been recommended for Cricut

2008-09-29T13:39:00.000-05:00

Dust Covers, mostly on Ebay--for both models

Sure Cuts A Lot-software that enables you to cut True Type fonts

The small Plano #3750 tackle case from Walmart. You can fit 24 cartridges & keypads in it, and it's great for travel. You can print out the handbooks in 8.5 x 11 size & bring them with too (in a binder or whatever suits you); the adobe files for the handbooks are at cricut.com

Tutto Machine Bag-for the Expressions model

Cartridges - complete list of current and announced as of Oct 2010

2008-09-28T20:13:00.039-05:00

The 7 more "Lite" cartridges debuting at WM Black Friday 2010 will be added soon.

1. 3 Birds on Parade

2. 50 States cartridge - they will even fit together correctly if you cut out the size consistently!

3. A Child's Year

4. Accent Essentials cartridge- 2nd of 2 cartridges that comes with Cricut Expressions in the original configuration

5. All Mixed Up cartridge – being retired June 2010

6. Alphalicious cartridge

7. Animal Kingdom cartridge - features include bookmarks and words (sounds) that the respective animals make

8. Ashlyn's Alphabet

9. B is for Boy -- Lite cartridge

10. Base Camp cartridge

11. Baseball - one of the "two feature" cartridges; (solutions) the shift key will give you layers for some of the 50 shapes

12. Basketball solutions

13. Batman – DC Comics

14. Beyond Birthdays cartridge - perfect if you want a cartridge for greeting cards

15. Billionaire – Lite cartridge

16. Birthday Bash

17. Birthday Cakes cartridge

18. Blackletter solutions font cartridge

19. Block Party – Lite cartridge

20. Bloom – Lite cartridge

21. Boys Will Be Boys – full cart

22. Botanicals – Lite cartridge

23. Cake Basics (even a new color Cricut made for the occasion)

24. Calligraphy Collection

25. Camp Out - another "two feature" cartridge; with the shift key, you get either layers or items such as footprints for the animals

26. Carousel – Lite cartridge

27. Cars (Disney/Pixar) cartridge

28. Celebrate with Flourish-- Lite cartridge

29. Celebrations cartridge - balloons, party hats

30. Cheerful Seasons -- full

31. Cherry Limeade – Lite cartridge

32. Chore Chart – Lite cartridge

33. Christmas Cards -- seasonal

34. Christmas Cheer cartridge - just what it says—being retired June 2010

35. Christmas solutions – is being retired

36. Christmas Village -- seasonal

37. Cindy Loo

38. Country Life

39. Cricut Sampler - another cartridge that was part of a custom bundle - originally for the infomercial they are running late 2007 early 2008

40. Create a Critter cartridge

41. Cupcake Wrappers – Lite cartridge

42. Cursive 101 cartridge

43. Cuttin Up cartridge - originally offered with a QVC bundle

44. Daisy Chain cartridge - this was handed out at CHA in Feb 2008; It has one feature key

45. Daisy Chain International -- pretty much the same as Daisy Chain except for some added symbols including monetary

46. Designers Calendar

47. Destinations cartridge, offered second week of Oct 2009 as part of new (2nd) Gypsy bundle at HSN

48. Dinosaur Tracks

49. Don Juan -- at least through Jan 09 is only offered with the Cricut Create. In the US, the Cricut Create is currently only sold at Michaels for the next 6 months (early 09) update: now offered as a Cricut rewards cart

50. Doodlecharms cartridge

51. Doodletype cartridge - originally offered with a QVC bundle

52. Dreams Come True cartridge - another Disney cartridge aka Princesses Dreams Come True

53. Dude! – Lite cartridge

54. Easter (50 images only, seasonal specialty cart)-spring 2010

55. Elegant Cakes cartridge

56. Elmo’s Party aka Sesame Street Elmo’s Party

57. Everyday Paperdolls-image cart aka Paper Dolls for Everyday

58. Fabulous Finds cartridge - has hinges, notebook shapes, ribbon slides - and respective inserts. Very cool cartridge!

59. Feeling Groovy – Lite cartridge

60. Forever Young

61. French Manor – Cricut Circle exclusive (full cart)

62. Freshly Picked

63. From My Kitchen

64. George cartridge - comes with original Cricut

65. Give a Hoot

66. Going Places cartridge

67. Graphically Speaking -- words and phrases, but no alphabet. It's categorized as a font cartridge although it's really shapes since you can't manipulate the letters

68. Gypsy Font (only on Gypsy)

69. Gypsy Wanderings (only on Gypsy)

70. Happy Hauntings (actually a full 6 feature cart & not “seasonal”)

71. H2O – Seasonal cart, 50 images only

72. Handy Man – Lite cartridge

73. Hannah Montana (2009) -- Disney

74. Happily Ever After cartridge - another Disney cartridge aka Princesses Happily Ever After

75. Hello Kitty font cartridge -- Sanrio

76. Hello Kitty Greetings cartridge -- Sanrio

77. Heritage

78. Holiday Cakes cartridge

79. Home Accents cartridge - another "two feature" cartridge. The shift key will get you layers for the original 50 shapes.

80. Home Decor -- kind of a sequel to Home Accents -- is a solutions cartridge; was once available only at Wal-Mart.

81. Hoot 'n' Holler – Lite cartridge

82. Independence Day seasonal cartridge

83. Indie Art cartridge - the skull & crossbones, the big lips, the radioactive symbol, Crusaders Cross, Zeppelin, etc., etc. - another "two feature" cartridge

84. Jasmine cartridge - very popular when the original set of 12 cartridges came out (12 does not include George and Doodletype since they were exclusive at the time)

85. Joys of the Season cartridge- shapes for many holidays (full cart)

86. Jubilee

87. “Just Because” cards cartridge

88. Keystone cartridge - only available in certain special "bundles" – onefeature key, nothing when you press shift lock

89. Keystone International -- pretty much the same as Keystone except for the monetary symbol

90. Lacy Labels – Lite cartridge

91. Learning Curve cartridge

92. Life's a Beach

93. Live Simply – Lite cartridge

94. Locker Talk cartridge- geared towards tween and teens

95. Love Struck (50 images only, seasonal specialty cart)-spring 2010

96. Lovely Floral – Lite cartridge

97. Lyrical Letters

98. Makin the Grade cartridge – being discontinued as of June 2010

99. Martha Stewart All Occasions Cake cartridge – full, can be used in non-cake machines as well

100. Martha Stewart Elegant Cakes – full, can be used in non-cake Cricut machines as well

101. Martha Stewart Seasonal Cake Cartridge – full, can be used in non-cake machines as well.

102. Meow – Lite cartridge

103. Mickey and Friends cartridge

104. Mickey Font - one of several Disney cartridges

105. Mini Monograms cartridge - being discontinued as of June 2010

106. Mini Monsters (not a "mini" cart, though, --it's a full one like Mini Monograms)

107. Mother’s Day (50 images only, seasonal specialty cart) Spring 2010

108. My Community cartridge

109. My World cartridge

110. New Arrival cartridge - all about babies

111. Nifty Fifties

112. Nursery Rhymes cartridge

113. October 31st – Seasonal cart, 50 images only

114. Office Help cartridge – aka Cricut Office Help

115. Old West

116. Once Upon a Princess

117. Opposites Attract cartridge - both regular and cursive writing on the same cartridge

118. Pagoda Passion

119. Paisley

120. Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge - very popular as of early 2008

121. Paper Pups cartridge - yep, all puppies

122. Picturesque-excl to champagne Cricut at present; some who purchased it through Custom Crops when they offered it by accident (they stopped on Jan 12, 2010 I think) and PC honored all orders before the date they stopped offering it, delivering those orders in May '10.

123. Pink Journey, excl to new Pink Cricut Expressions, currently only at M's; solutions cart

124. Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge - 1 of 2 cartridges that comes with Cricut Expressions original configuration

125. Pooh and Friends shape cartridge -- Disney

126. Pooh Font cartridge -- Disney

127. Potpourri Basket Cartridge -- a solutions cartridge that is in the same spirit as the Cricut sampler, in that it has items from a number of other cartridges--offered with Cricut infomercial

128. Preserves

129. Printing 101 cartridge

130. Printing Press cartridge

131. Pumpkin Carving – Seasonal cart—50 images only

132. Reminisce Accents – lots of elegant flourishes—also has borders, frames & monograms

133. Robotz Cartridge

134. Rock Princess

135. Sans Serif Solutions font -- very plain print font –is being retired

136. Savory – Lite cartridge

137. Sentimentals

138. Serenade Solutions shape cart

139. Sesame Street font

140. Sesame Street shape (& friends)

141. Shall We Dance -- Cricut Circle exclusive

142. Simply Charmed

143. Simply Sweet-font cart

144. Slumber Party – Lite cartridge

145. Smiley Cards – download to Gypsy only, part of promotion that ends Oct 31 ‘10

146. Snow Friends (ltd edition seasonal cart-50 images only) Dec 2009

147. Soccer solutions cartridge

148. Songbird

149. Speaking of Fall cartridge - "speaking of" carts are fonts that are made of shapes—ex: leaves.

150. Speaking of School cartridge

151. Speaking of Winter cartridge

152. Splish Splash – Lite cartridge

153. Sponge Bob -- Nickelodeon

154. Sports Mania – Full 6 feat cart. Has soccer, baseball, football, golf....

155. Stamped cartridge-font

156. Stamping Solutions-image, part of a kit meant to be used with stamping material

157. Stand and Salute-image

158. Stone Script - this is one of the "two feature" cartridges; it has both an upper and a lower case

159. Store Front cartridge - another cartridge that isn't currently widely offered

160. Storybook cartridge

161. Straight from the Nest

162. Street Sign - another "two feature" cartridge (solutions cart); upper and lower case alphabet with street signs (imagine that) on the bottom row

163. Stretch Your Imagination cartridge- a good "variety" cartridge. My favorite is the feature key for frames to go on the cards. Use real dial size and make some nice large frames for whatever your heart desires

164. Sugar and Spice – Lite cartridge

165. Summer in Paris seasonal cartridge

166. Summer Vacation seasonal cartridge

167. Superman -- DC Comics

168. Sweet Treats

169. Sweethearts

170. Tags, Bags, Boxes & More cart - retired. You can make bigger boxes, purses, popcorn boxes

171. Tear Drop cartridge

172. Thanksgiving – seasonal cartridge

173. Tie the Knot

174. Tinkerbell & Friends -- Disney

175. Toy Story (Disney/Pixar)

176. Varsity Letter – Lite cartridge

177. Very Merry Tags (ltd edition seasonal cart, Christmas themed-50 images only) Dec 2009

178. Walk in My Garden cartridge - various flowers, grass, vases, etc.

179. Wall Decor and More

180. Wedding cartridge - "two feature" cartridge; shift key will give you layers for original 50 shapes

181. When it's Cold Outside—Seasonal cart Dec. 2009

182. Wild Card cartridge

183. Wildlife – Lite cartridge

184. Winter Frolic – full cart

185. Winter Woodland

186. Word Builders 1 Word Party cartridge - parts of words that can easily be put together

187. Word Builders 2 Garden of Words cartridge

188. Word Builders 3 Oceans of Words cartridge

189. Zoo Balloo cartridge

OK, there are:

• Full 6 feature cartridges; if the cartridge doesn’t have what type it is next to it, it is a full cartridge.

• Solution cartridges that have two feature keys, shadow & blackout

• Seasonal cartridges which have no feature keys-these will be offered once and when they are gone they are gone is my understanding. 50 images only.

• Lite cartridges have one feature key but have new images when you press the shift key both on the main keypad and the feature key keypad, making for 4 total keypads. Right now excl to Wal-Mart.

• Other “special” carts like Accent Essentials (came with original Expression bundle and still in many Expression bundle configurations) and Daisy Chain (offered at a CHA in low quantities, also a Cricut rewards cart) have only one feature key.

• European Décor Solutions & Kitchen & Bath Decor solutions carts have been removed from the list as Provo Craft has announced that it will not be producing them as expected.

• All carts fit in all machines (Cricut, Cricut Expression, Cricut Cake, and Cricut Create), & work with Design Studio and Gypsy.

List of Cricut Accessories

2008-09-28T19:59:00.004-05:00

blades, regular
Bowling Bag for Baby Cricut (also grey)
Cartridge Storage Binders - one for fonts and one for shapes (different colors to help with organization) - each holds four carts & their overlays
Color Inks - currently 4 varieties
Cricut (original)
Cricut roller tote
Cricut Expressions
Cricut Expressions Shoulder Bag/duffel bag
Cricut Expressions roller tote
Cricut Jukebox - this plugs in to your Cricut; it enables you to plug in 6 carts at once (more if you purchase and want to "stack" the Jukebox's); excellent for Design Studio as well as for storage! - pic is in the slideshow
Cricut PLSS's
Cricut Vinyl tape - to help you get your creation on the wall
Cutting Mats, 6 x 12 for the small Cricut and 12 x 12 and 12 x 24 for the large Cricut
Deep blade housing
Deep blades
Design Studio Software
embossing kit and refills
Essentials Kit (called Cricut Essentials)-has spatula, tool kit, trimmer, pack of 2 replacement blades, pack of 2 cutting mats,2 packs of Cricut paper
Fabric Transfer
GoBe -- portable power supply for the Cricut
GoBe solar pack
Grey Messenger Bag
Paper-6 x 12, and the 12 x 24 vinyls as well as cardstock
Regular blade housing (really more of a replacement item since it comes with the Cricut)
Regular Replacement Blades
Spatula Tool
stamp kit and refills
Stencil Magnet Material, 12 x 12 -- this is not the Plaid I mentioned in a post but actual
magnetic stencil material made for the Cricut that retails for about $9
messenger bag (grey with green trim) - not made to hold a Cricut, but has the logo
Storage Tote for Baby Cricut
Tool Kit-items in the tool kit are also sold separately. Has scoop, knife, scraper, hook, scissors,
ruler, & bone folder. Also has a place to store your blades.
Trimmer

Design Studio Important Links - including free trial software & manual

2008-09-28T17:15:00.002-05:00

Design Studio FAQ's
Design Studio Manual
Design Studio Trial Software link

And click HERE for all of the Design Studio Help posts on Imagine That, the parent site.

Design Studio for Cricut- shadowing welded objects

2008-09-28T17:09:00.002-05:00

Basic Cricut Maintenance

2008-09-28T17:07:00.001-05:00

Sure Cuts A Lot Demonstration

2008-09-28T17:04:00.001-05:00

Cricut Expressions for beginners

2008-09-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

Engraving on your Cricut machine

2008-09-28T16:59:00.001-05:00

Sylvia Gallen demonstrates what you can do with Cricut in every room in your home

2008-09-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

Another great video to help you get started on Cricut

2008-09-28T16:42:00.002-05:00

Cricut Expressions for beginners

2008-09-28T16:40:00.002-05:00

Cricut (original or baby) Demo

2008-09-28T16:24:00.002-05:00

For SCAL users: How to download fonts

2008-09-28T16:17:00.001-05:00

Install Fonts in Windows XP

Method 1. Go to the Start Menu, then Control Panel. Double click on Fonts. Choose File menu, then Install New Font. From the Add Fonts dialog box, navigate to the location of your font and click OK.

Method 2. Navigate to the Windows\Fonts folder. Drag and drop the fonts to install onto the Fonts folder.

MAKE SURE YOUR FONTS ARE UNZIPPED BEFORE INSTALLING FOR EITHER PLATFORM

Install Fonts in Windows Vista

Method 1. Go to the Start Menu, then Control Panel. Choose Appearance and Personalization. Then choose Fonts. From the File menu, chose Install New Font (If you don't see the File menu, press ALT). From the Add Fonts dialog box, navigate to the location of your font.

Method 2. Select and right click on the font you want to install. Select Install from the context menu.

How to cut fabric transfer on your Cricut

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How to cut and make a stamp using Cricut (not Provo Craft's stamp kit)

2008-09-28T15:55:00.003-05:00

Best Sources of Cricut Info

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CricutLovers Yahoo Group - this is the one the I would recommend joining if you only want to join one. Great moderators, great discussion, great people.

CuttersCreek Yahoo Group - an extension of the store that sells Cricut items at some of the best prices around. She'll keep you up to date on all the latest Cricut products.

Brand New German Cricut Yahoo Group!

Cricut Cheat Sheet Yahoo Group - very low chatter; very helpful, very instructional as far as where to find what on the different cartridges. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND JOINING THIS GROUP, especially if you want the initial set of 2 comprehensive documents telling you exactly what image, word, etc., is on which cartridge. It's very nice to have all of that information in one place.

Cricut Cutter Yahoo Group - largest Cricut group with active daily conversation on Yahoo with SEVERAL THOUSAND members. The moderator only allows Cricut-specific messages to be posted, and all posts are at her disgression.

Cricut Official Site-cricut.com; NOTE: cricutexpressions.com is a retail site not affiliated with the company that produces Cricut

Cricut Scraplifters Yahoo Group - specifically for those who want ideas or want to share their ideas - low chatter; great for those of us who want to look at photos to inspire our scrapbooking talents!

DS Chatter - for Cricut Design Studio enthusiasts

Dutch (Netherlands) Cricut Group - see geography lesson below...

Dutch (Netherlands) SCAL Group - geography lesson: North and South Holland are 2 of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands; therefore, only 1/6 of those who live in the Netherlands (provincially speaking) are actually from Holland!

Sure Cuts A Lot Yahoo Users Group

Want to know some different things you can do with the "same old cartridge"? - Looking at a cartridge but not sure it's worth the price? This official Cricut site will tell you just some of the things you can do that you may not have thought of before...

Websites that have free cut files for your Cricut Design Studio Software

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NOTE: If someone wants this list of sites, we thank you for directing them to this blog. It took quite a while to compile this list, as we went through hundreds of blogs & tried to find cut files if they were posted. It's just a courtesy we'd appreciate. We ask for you to not copy & paste items from this blog for public view.
Thank you for understanding.

These are some of my favorite blogs with cut files:

http://everythingcricut.blogspot.com/ - yeah, yeah, you're actually on this blog. Just scroll down to the posts and you'll see cut files for lamps, tons & tons of borders & frames, a flower book, and some 4x6 perfed mats. I put this here so no one would forget to look at the cut files on this blog -- I promise I'm not that vain (OK, maybe a little). I'd sure appreciate comments especially if you decide to download a cut file. I'm sure those listed below would also appreciate a comment as well. THANKS!!!!

http://dscrapbookingroom.blogspot.com/ These are actually SVG fles for SCAL, and if you have SCAL you will want to visit this blog ASAP - there are SO MANY wonderful files to download!

http://mesharingwithu.blogspot.com/ The ribbon flower is one of the most beautiful, unique creations I've seen in a long time

http://christyscricutcreations.blogspot.com/ Cute mesh files and borders

http://livelaughscrap-leedle.blogspot.com/ Cute Under the Sea files using George

http://candyscreations.wordpress.com/ -- Elmo, Hello Kitty, photo tabs -- and you have to check out the pic of her kid in the toybox!

http://scrappincricut.blogspot.com/ -- her Christmas stockings are just adorable

http://spartansusscraper.blogspot.com/ She has the most adorable house warming invitation!

http://cindyscreations-cinmfoster.blogspot.com/ Elegant taste, to say the least - check out her version of the felt ribbon you've seen around.

http://www.cdsts.blogspot.com/ - click on this one, trust me!

http://turins.blogspot.com/ CS files - she is amazingly talented; check out the Statue of Liberty!

http://handmadebyjade.blogspot.com/ Her cards are stunning - and she decorates cakes too!

http://capadiadesigns.blogspot.com/ CDS Files - love her style

http://froggysfroggaritaville.blogspot.com/ - food designs, an absolutely adorable Tigger ticket book; wonderful Aladdin file

http://cricutbutterflies.blogspot.com/ CDS Files - great with the instructional

http://alices1derland.blogspot.com/ -cute mug, great cardmaker

http://megascraper.blogspot.com/ She's got a cut file for the cutest onesie!

http://www.jackiescraftroom.blogspot.com/ Her borders are gorgeous

http://just-a-scrappin.blogspot.com/ She's a spectacular scrapper, check out her fancy edge "word" book.

http://hipmonkeylisa.spaces.live.com/ Here's your Elmo cut file

http://cricutsoftcuts.blogspot.com/ - CDS Files - the lace doily is a work of art, and that's only the beginning

http://amkscrap.blogspot.com/ - CDS Files- teddy bear, beehive, bandaid, etc., etc.

http://wyattsscrappingmommy.blogspot.com/ - Wonder Pets and Harold the Helicopter

http://okieladybugsscrapnmore.blogspot.com/ -CDS cut files mainly with the George cartridge. Love her slider card! Check out her recipes as well...

http://www.pbase.com/bugsafe/cricut_cuts&page=all Vehicles made with CDS

http://invinciblesummer.typepad.com/my_weblog/cricut_design_studio_cut_files/index.htmlWord Books made with CDS

http://www.flickr.com/groups/cricutdesignstudio/ -CDS files from a Flickr group

http://ruelysicreativecards.blogspot.com/ cute Russian doll file; cute purse, adorable graduation card...she's got the magic touch!!

http://myfaqcricutds.blogspot.com/- another awesome DS blog

http://www.hookedonstamping.com/index.php/cricut/cricut-cut-files/ flourish cut files

http://www.paperscissorsinc.com/ She loves borders like me

http://samm-l.blogspot.com/ -a great cardmaker from the UK

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cricutcutter/files/DSS%20.cut%20Files/ -direct link to Cricut Cutter Yahoo Group's folder of cut files. You may have to be a member of the group to peak in to the folder.

http://susanbluerobot.blogspot.com/ Very popular site for cut files

http://www.fun2cricut.com/photo.htm Nice because you click on one link for all designs

http://www.esnips.com/_t_/cricut beautiful cards

http://mardenz.blogspot.com/ Pokemon, flipflops, glasses...

http://smoothiesspot.blogspot.com/ New Blogger, cute firetruck with the file to go with it

http://mariabrownsblog.blogspot.com/ Another new blogger, has some word books posted--I love how she put them together

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/article.ihtml?index_field=2083 Has several cut files from Erin Lincoln

http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tm.aspx?m=2763755 Many word book files are posted to this thread

http://www.wishingstardesign.com/cricuts/ Cup cake wrapper, kleenex box, gorgeous borders...

Cricut Tips for a New User

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Cricut Tips to get you started

Paper Saving Tip

Many Cricuteers want to know the dimensions of a shape before cutting it out. For instance, if you set the size dial at 3 inches, you can be sure that the shape will be 3 inches. However, does that mean that the shape will be 3 inches wide or does it mean the shape will be 3 inches long? To get around this issue, some have cut out each shape in each size and saved it in a book for future reference. This can be fun, but it is not necessary. To avoid wasting expensive paper, it is wise to know the orientation of the shape you desire to cut out and what its dimensions will be. To avoid an unexpected outcome, try cutting an "air shape" before you cut the actual shape on the paper of your choice.

Here's how to do this:
Set the blade depth to 1.Set the pressure dial to 1.NOTE: The Cricut blade will not cut anything if the blade depth is turned to 1 and the pressure dial is set to 1.Load the cutting mat into the Cricut machine with the plastic cover, some regular computer paper, or the paper you are planning on using.Select the shape you want to "air cut" and set the size dial to the size you desire.Press the CUT button and watch the outline of the blade as it moves in the air above the mat. Make a mental note of the dimensions of the cut and how much area the blade moved over on the mat.If the shape was not big enough or small enough, simply adjust the size dial only and cut another "air shape". Watch the Cricut blade and make mental notes again.Once you have found the desired size, set the blade depth higher to the appropriate depth for the paper you are using and set the pressure dial to a higher setting appropriate for the paper you are using.Load your mat with the paper you desire to use and position the blade where you wish to commence cutting.Select the shape you wish to cut and press the CUT button.Paper Saver ModeWith all the swooshes and extended lines of Jasmine, you may want to cut it with Paper Saver Mode on. If not, you may type in a 4" "Ty" or the like and get an error message claiming "Character(s) won't fit...". At first thought this doesn't seem right. But with further investigation it's actually correct (see picture).The top of the capital "T" all the way to the bottom of the lower-case "y" is well beyond the 6" maximum width the Cricut can cut. If you don't need the "negative" space of the cut, simply select Paper Saver Mode and try again. The result will be the "y" moving up, to fit well within the 6" width.
Another mode you may want to be aware of, especially with Jasmine, is Real Dial Size. If you need an exact sized cut, you'll need to turn this on. Otherwise, you'll engage proportionate sizing to the set's Key Height Character. And once again, Jasmine has a lot of swooshes and curves that may affect this. Just keep these two modes particularly in mind with this set.

Materials that the Cricut can cut

The Cricut is really just a paper/cardstock cutter. A range of vellum to Bazzill is very safe (this is with the normal blade. The deep cut blade can cut much more). Other products may be tried, both of the thinner or thicker variety, but results are not guaranteed. In fact, using something extreme will most likely void the warranty. The Cricut creators don't say that to scare you away from experimenting, but there are just too many materials out there to know what the results would be. That said, the basic guidelines are that the material (paper or otherwise) needs to be stiff and firm enough for the blade to drag through it. So a more stretchy fabric would probably not work, unless it had Wonder-Under or something to keep it in place. However, they've had good results with vinyl types of materials, as long as they aren't too thick (.05 mm or less). Although it's built to cut paper-based materials, the Cricut has many settings onboard that allow for paper-like products to be cut, including thinner Mylar or vinyls. You can reduce the pressure applied, the blade depth and the speed. It may take a bit of experimenting (small samples!) to make sure it's set right, but that's not very hard. Since some of these products are fairly costly, I'd suggest careful experimentation first, of course.

Please refer to the following links for the respective warranties:

Machine Warranty: Click Here Cartridge Warranty: Click Here

Blade Housing AssemblyQ:

How should I install the green cutting blade housing assembly? A: To install the cutting blade housing assembly: 1. Locate the silver thumb screw and turn it counterclockwise until it loosens enough that you can swing it to the right. Be careful not to loosen the screw too much or it will fall out. 2. Open up the black plastic braces and place the cutting blade housing assembly in between them with the black arrow facing toward you. 3. Make sure the cutting blade housing assembly is inserted so that the plastic braces fit around the groove area in the middle of the cutting blade housing assembly. ATTENTION: The cutting blade housing assembly can easily be mistakenly inserted at the lower groove area. Do not insert the cutting blade housing assembly so that the plastic braces fit around the skinny groove area on the bottom end of the cutting blade housing assembly. You will not be able to cut anything if the cutting blade housing assembly is assembled incorrectly because the blade will be too far off the mat and will never come in contact with the paper. 4. If in doubt, refer to pg 15, Figure 1 of your Cricut User Manual. Compare Figure 1 with your own cutting blade housing assembly. 5. Make a test cut.

USB Port

The USB port is on the machine for two reasons. The first is that it can be used for downloading future firmware updates that govern the machine's operations. The second reason is the Design Studio software.Cutting Small Fonts (this applies to those who do not have Design Studio....that software program's rules for height adjustment also include adjusting the arrows; see the Design Studio section on Cricut.com for further information)

Will the Cricut™ cut out a font smaller than 1"?

This is a good question and concern. We had to balance the size choices between what the machine could literally cut at with the majority of images, considering heavily the more detailed images that, going too small, just chew up the paper. So 1" is where the bottom dial setting ended up. However, there are a couple of ways that images can get smaller. 1. The default is proportional sizing, meaning that the 1" setting is for the tallest character of a font. For instance, a lower case "a" set at 1" dial size will actually come out at about 1/2" because it needs to proportionately go with a larger letter, say an upper case "A". The upper case will come out at about 1". You can turn this off and literally cut the exact dial size for every character by pressing the Real Dial Size button. 2. Many of the Creative Features enclose a letter or shape inside a larger shape that comes out VERY small. For instance the "Sign" feature on George. With this selected, the inner cut of the letter or shape itself comes out MUCH smaller than 1". There is a feature that affects the cut like this on nearly every cartridge. So we had to keep that in mind when we looked at the overall range of the size dial and smallest possibility combined. Cricut creators wanted to create a pretty big playground that tapped into the depth of creativity but allowed them to create structure as well.

Key Height Character

Each font set has one character that is its "Key Height Character." What this means is that this is the tallest character in the font and that all other characters are sized proportionately to it. So unless Real Dial Size is turned on, this is generally the only character that will cut to what the Size Dial indicates*. All other characters will come out respectively smaller so that when used together they will look correct. If Real Dial Size is selected, each of the chosen characters will cut exactly to the size indicated, regardless of proportion. You can refer to page 15 of any of the font cartridge handbooks for samples and more information.

*One exception can be the phrases included in each font set. These match the Key Height Character in size that is measured from the lowest to the highest possible peaks of each phrase.

Paper SizeQ: Can I use a smaller paper size than 6" x 12"? A:

Absolutely! Just align a corner of the smaller paper to the bottom left corner of the mat. Once loaded, use the navigation arrows to move the blade down to the upper right area of the new paper. Then press "Set Paper Size" on the Cricut Keypad to let the Cricut know that you've inserted in a different paper size than the default 6"x 12".

Cartridges

Did you know that you can insert the cartridge either direction? Even though the label indicates a specific "front", the cartridge actually works both ways. This may prove useful if you ever have a cartridge that has difficulty reading when inserted. Just flip it around and try again. (Powering off first is recommended.)

Loading PaperQ:

I am having problems loading mats into my Cricut. The mat won't load when I push the "Load Paper" button. Does anyone have any suggestions? A: Solution 1: If you have already tried to load the paper at least once, you'll need to press "Unload Paper" first before attempting again. The machine "thinks" that the mat is loaded the first time. Solution 2: Try pushing the mat slightly in the rollers as you press the "Load" button. This is best done my holding and pushing the mat on the side near the front of the mat. Solution 3: There is something wrong with the roller bars themselves. The Cricut needs to be serviced.

Cutting Paper Smaller than 6x12

Line up the bottom left corner of the paper with the bottom left corner of the mat. Remember that after you've navigated the blade to the upper right corner of your paper prior to cutting, you need to select the "Set Paper Size" button. This will tell the Cricut that you have selected a smaller paper size. Otherwise it still "thinks" that a 6x12 paper is loaded.

Online Demonstration Videos

Cricut online demonstration videos are an excellent instructional resource for Cricuteers who are just getting started or who would like a refresher course on the "how to's" of using the Cricut machine. Just go to the Cricut Homepage and click on the "View Demonstrations" power button icon located on the right side of the screen. You will see a "Demonstrations" category on the left side of the new screen. Simply select and view any or all of the following instructional video demonstrations: Introduction Basic training Advanced training Maintenance

Key Height Character, Revisited

In relation to a font set's Key Height Character, there are uses of Key Height found within the Shape Cartridges as well. One example is within Doodlecharm's Card Creative Feature and the respective Envelope image. When an image is cut using the Card Creative Feature, it will cut smaller, in proportion to the larger and associated Envelope Image (found in the lower right corner of the Overlay). This is so the larger envelope, when folded down, will enclose around the card (see picture). This is the basis of Foundation Shapes and their associated Companion Shapes. A Foundation Shape is the base shape of a Creative Feature. In this example, it is the plain card in the very bottom right corner of the overlay. A Companion Shape is any image that is specifically "linked" to that Foundation Shape, such as the Envelope in this sample.

Cricut Machine Freezing?

If you've encountered any "freezing" or "hanging" while trying to cut, please try the following: 1) A simple power cycle should recover you completely (press the power off, wait a few seconds and press it back on). 2) This may be associated with "hot swapping" of cartridges, or switching out cartridges without turning the machine off first. While "hot swapping" will not hurt your Cricut, you may try powering off first before removing/inserting a new cartridge, then powering back on. This just cleans out the memory and starts fresh. Try this awhile and see if it makes any difference if you are encountering any periodic freezes.

Problems with Adjusting the Cutting Size?Q:

I just received a new Cricut machine and when I try to adjust the sizing using the knob, it does not work. The LCD does not show that the knob is being used and the machine only cuts one size no matter what setting I use. Any suggestions on how to fix the problem?
A: Try the following: 1. Unload the mat if it's still inserted. 2. Move each of the dials, one at a time, all the way up to the top and then all the way to the bottom again. 3. Press the "Cut" button. (This actually doubles as the instruction to match up the dial settings to the LCD display.) 4. Try your settings again to see if they register correctly on your LCD screen. If this doesn't work, and the dials are still not displaying correctly, the machine most likely needs service.

Return the Blade to its Starting Position

If you ever have the need to return the blade to the page starting position and don't want to unload the mat, you can press the Load Paper button. This will return the blade housing to the upper left corner of the paper that is currently in the Cricut.

What to do if Your Machine is Producing Rough Cuts

If your Cricut is producing rough cuts when using the appropriate setting for your paper, you may have an insufficiently sharpened blade. Please call the Cricut customer support team 1-877-727-4288 M-F 7am-6pm MST. They can help you determine whether this is a dull blade issue or another issue. Even though your blades may be new, you may have purchased some occasional insufficiently sharpened blades which can be replaced with some blades which our team has lovingly tested and approved.

Easy Blade Height Adjustment

One of our favorite tips is to make sure that the black arrow on the green blade assembly is visibly facing out when installed. If the assembly is already installed, just loosen the arm thumbscrew and gently turn the entire assembly to face the front, then tighten the screw back up. Once this faces forward you can easily reach in and twist the top of the assembly to change the blade height WITHOUT needing to remove the assembly itself.

These tips & tricks can be found at http://www.cricut.com/