Cricut Machine & Sure Cuts A Lot 2

I got my Cricut machine last fall. I love it! It has made a huge difference in my cupcake wrapper production!

And in addition to that, I've been able to make some really fun things with the cartridges I bought for it.

However, those got to be quite a costly hobby! So, after doing some research, I found this software; SURE CUTS A LOT. You can buy the download and get it instantly on your computer! It will allow you to create ANY shape or font you can find on the internet, and cut it on your Cricut!

The possibilities are endless!

I haven't bought a single cartridge since! You can upload any image from the internet, and the software will turn it into an SVG file. You can manipulate it any way you want... hook your computer up to your cricut machine, and CUT!

Installation is easy.
Using the software is easy.
And you will never had to buy another cartridge again!

I've put a link on my sidebar ----> if you'd like to learn more about SURE CUTS A LOT! You can purchase just the download, or receive the program on a CD-ROM, or both!

Welcome

I've been wanting to do this since the day we moved in... almost a whole year ago...
And today, I finally just went and got it done! It took me just a few minutes! I found a font I liked on my SCAL2 software, and then ran down to my craft room, hooked up my computer to my cricut machine, cut out the letters, transferred them onto transfer paper, measured the door, (deep breath), rubbed the letters on, removed transfer paper, and.... Welcome!

Ornaments for my $1 Tree

Okay, so I couldn't stand it. My little DT tree that I transformed HERE needed some L-O-V-E. I ran down to my craft room and cut out 3 different sizes of hearts on my cricut. 1/2, 3/4, & 1 inch hearts. I glued on some string hangers...

Blobbed on the glue on one side of each heart (to cover the string hangers)...

and drowned them in glitter.

Then I scattered them on my little tree.

I {heart} my little heart tree!

DT tree: $1
Antique white paint: on hand
Black pot paint: on hand
paper, string, glue, glitter: on hand
Total cost for this tree: $1

Chirp. Chirp.

I still haven't really done a whole lot on my Cricut machine. So last night after the kids were in bed, I played around with some hearts and Valentine things...
Not quite sure what I'm going to do with them.... stay tuned for that.

I also bought a big white board and used vinyl to make a calendar grid. So to pretty it up, I also started making the months for that on my cricut. I'll have to post my calendar when it's all done.

The LOVE Shelf

Remember my SANTA shelf? You can see it HERE. Now that Christmas is over, it was time to replace my 5 letter word with another... well, how about a 4 letter word + a heart?! I just cut our 3x3 inch squares of scrapbook paper and used my handy dandy Cricut machine for the word LOVE and the heart. I {heart} my LOVE shelf!

My "SANTA" Shelf

I stayed up late doing a little more decorating. My husband was hanging pictures and shelves for me all day... our poor white walls (we are renting) were needing something. This little shelf normally holds 5 little 3x3 pictures, but 99% of my family photos are in this little box I call my laptop. So I thought of some holiday words with 5 letters and decided on "SANTA". I cut out festive 3x3 backgrounds, and had my little cricut cut me the letters. I LOVE how this turned out!

When I finally did go to bed, I brainstormed forever thinking of all the 5 letter words I could use for the different holidays all year round!! I'm kinda crazy like that!

Christmas Countdown Tutorial

My kids are always asking "how many days until Christmas?" or "When is Santa coming?".... so I decided to make something to help them count down to christmas.

I saw something similar to this in a vinyl lettering catalog and wanted to try it out for myself! Plus, it would be my first "BIG" project I could try on my new Cricut Expression!!! (tee hee)

You will need:
New Cookie Sheet with a hole for hanging
Craft Paper
Scissors
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
Magnet
Letters 1-25
"Merry Christmas" letters or whatever wording you want at the top
Christmas Scene Cut out (optional)
Embellishments (optional)
Ribbon (optional)
Glue gun

1. Lay out craft paper and cut to size INSIDE your cookie sheet. I chose 3 different papers and layered them and cut the edges with craft scissors to give them a little "flare". I also rounded the corners.

I chose red for the top for under the "Merry Christmas", a striped paper for the divider, and a solid green for under the numbers and christmas scene.

*I ended up putting the paper on the bottomside of the cookie sheet because I thought it would hang better, but when I make another one, I will probably make the paper go on the inside of the cookie sheet just because I think the overall appearance is better. (due to the curling of the edging of the pan) It just depends on the style of cookie sheet you have and your personal preference.

2. Lay out your letters, numbers and scene to get an idea of where you want your paper layers to go.
3. Mod Podge the surface of the cookie sheet and lay each layer of paper on the cookie sheet.

4. Lay out your wording along the top and Mod Podge over it to hold it in place. Then place your numbers, embellishments and scene and do the same. I just eyeballed the placement, but if you want, you can draw out lines to make them even and centered.

5. Let dry completely, then take a large foam brush and brush a final coat of Mod Podge to make a shiny finish and lock down the lettering, numbers, ect.

*I added a swirl above my numbers and a fancy circle around the 25 so my kids new which number we were counting down up to.
**You'll notice the paper might look ripply or wavy after applying the Mod Podge. Don't worry, once it dries, it should flatten out. Mine did, anyways.
6. If you have a magnet ready to go, great! If not, you can embellish one like I did to match the calendar. I cut out a circle and a star and Mod Podged them to a clear magnet.

And lastly, depending on your hanging options for your cookie sheet, you can run a ribbon through the holes, or just use a glue gun (Like I did) and glue a coordinating ribbon or two on it.

And voila!

There you have a Christmas Countdown/ Advent Calendar!

Hello Love...

I am madly in love with my new Cricut Expression. I have only begun to scratch the surface of all its abilities, but I'm in heaven!!!

I started out making tags/labels for my Christmas gifts this year.  My kids are always snooping around to see whose is whose... so I have made some semi-discreet labels that blend in with my wrapping paper so its not quite so obvious.

I placed the first initial of my kids' name on the top corner of their packages.  You can't really see it unless you look really close because the letters match the color of the wrapping paper! Then, I made shadow name labels for my brother and brother-in-law's gifts. 

As for Santa's gifts... I made a few fancy ones to coordinate with the wrapping paper I'm using for those special gifts!

I love the swirly designs

Here's a sneak peek at a fun project I've been working on. I'm already a week behind on this, so I'll hopefully have the final photo up soon!  Maybe tonight!

And lastly, this has nothing to do with Christmas, but since we have moved into our new house, the kids have had to get used to wearing coats.  And since 3 of my 4 can't reach the hangers in the closet, I found these letter hangers at Hobby Lobby and hung them inside our door near the laundry room.  Now the little ones can hang up their own coats and school bags when they walk in the door. 

I just love it and wanted to share it with you!

And as always, if there is anything you see here that you'd like, shoot me a line and I would be glad to list it for you in my Etsy shop!