I am the Cubmaster in our neighborhood and our Pinewood Derby is coming up so I thought that it would be nice to make a sign for the Scouts to take pictures in front of with their cars. I started looking through my stuff and found a wood grain stamp from Hero Arts and Heather found some paper for the car that had sparkly wood grain for the car from the Playtime Stack by Die Cuts with a View. I think that it turned out and it will make a fun backdrop for a lot of proud scouts holding their cars that they have worked so hard on. These kind of things are so easy and quick to do, if you have an event, especially a pinewood derby, go and get crafty and make a fun sign for it.

Recipe:

CG506: Hero Arts- Wood Background

PS-005-00145:DCWV- The Playtime Stack

TIM32823:Tim Holtz- Gathered Twigs

TIM21407:Tim Holtz-Aged Mahogany

Cricut- Doodle Type

Cricut- Paper Doll Dress Up

Cardstock

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug and Heather

It is Teacher Appreciation Week so Heather and I thought a fun handmade gift would be fun to give to our kids teachers, here are a few ideas that you can use to thank your teachers for all they do. For the first idea we just went to the store and picked up some cheep clip boards and decorated them. For the paper we used DCWV, the background was from the Kidlet Stack and everything else was from A Type of Art because it really related to teaching with all the numbers and letters. We also found two Cricut cartridges that had some fun school related cutouts that was a nice finishing touch.

As for the paper clips they are so simple, we just used Hero Arts Remember Your kindness stamp set because it had a stamp that was a circle and cut out an extra circle and basically glued the two circles together sandwiching the paperclip.

Our kids are really excited to give these to their teachers, they wrote a nice little thank you on the back of them with a marker. Coming from a teacher please take a few minutes to make a nice little gift for your students teachers, it really helps to know that they are appreciated for what they do. We did 2 different ideas for you to hopefully take and go with, click here to view the other post.

Recipe:

MS-003-00107: DCWV-A Type of Art

PS-005-00265: DCWV-The Kidlet Stack

CL649: Hero Arts-Remember Your Kindness

TIM32823:Tim Holtz- Distress Ink Gathered Twigs

Cricut-Graphically Speaking

Cricut-Printing 101

Mod Podge

Clipboard

Large paper clips

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug and Heather

Here is a last minute gift that we put together for my Grandpa King for a Christmas gift but it would work for any occasion. When my Grandma was alive my Grandma and Grandpa loved to sing together so we decided to use music paper to make this name plate so we grabbed our Performance Stack made by Die Cuts With A View. We just cut out an oval out of a piece of wood and routed the edge but if you don’t want to do that you can just get some pre-cut at most art supply stores. Then we just painted the board and then we just grabbed our handy old Mod Podge and stuck on the paper, die cut letters, and embellishments from Cricut. We literally finished this project from start to finish in about an hour so if you are in need of a quick gift idea try this one out.

Recipe:

Wood

PS-005-00155- Die Cuts With A View: The Performance Stack

29-0393- Cricut: Printing 101

29-0542-Cricut: Home Accents

Mod Podge

Ribbon

Buttons

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug and Heather

Check out this fun gift idea for Christmas or birthdays using Want2Scrap’s Album set. This was so easy but creates a nice hand made gift for anyone that likes to scrapbook. We used the 8×8 corrugated cardboard album and just mounted First Edition 8×8 paper on each side of the cardboard. Then you just need to add your designs  to fancy up the front of it.

It is that time of year again to start thinking about Christmas and what to give others. We really like giving homemade gifts to parents and siblings so we are always looking out for ideas for them. Luckily we have quite a few in the family that enjoy scrapbooking as well.

Recipe:

1100- Want2Scrap: Corrugated cardboard album

FEPAD054- First Edition: Noir Et Chic 8×8

4310-Want2Scrap: Small Bird Flourish

4310-S-Want2Scrap: Small Bird Flourish Silhouettes

29-0542- Cricut: Home Accents

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug and Heather

I have had hunting on my mind lately as the deer hunt is just around the corner so I thought I would create a hunting layout from last years pictures. It is always fun to throw on our orange and get out in the woods and walk around. Last year I went out with my dad, Brother-in-law, and his two kids. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hiking.

For this layout I tried to use a lot of fall/outdoors colors to relate to the pictures. The texture is from Spellbinders M-Bossibilities Collection which is perfect for hunting with the tire treads and footprints. These textures are so much fun and can add so much to a layout, I didn’t even have to use any patterned paper. Click here to check out the M-Bossibilities Collection, there are a lot to choose from and like I said they can dress up any layout. The leaves are cut using Spellbinders Little Leaf Sets, and everything else (deer, compass, and letters) are from our Cricut.

To all those hunters out there, GOOD LUCK this weekend!

Recipe:

S4-385-Spellbinders: Little Leaf Sets

EL-016- Spellbinders: M-Bossibilities Kickin Rubber

29-0543-Provo Crafts: Cricut Cartridge Campout

29-0393-Provo Craft: Cricut Cartridge Printing 101

Card Stock

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug

Heather and I decided to do some card making with the Die Cuts With a View and My Mind’s Eye paper stacks this week. We have been invited to a lot of weddings lately so Heather wanted to make a few cards for them, so a few nights ago we put the kids to bed, threw in a movie, and made cards. Heather’s “Legacy Card” is very fancy and has a nice wedding feel to it with the ribbon, Vintage Lace Accents, and Spiral Blossom that she used. Heather loves the spiral blossom and it really makes for a nice three dimensional card. She left the interior dark and wrote a nice little congratulations note with a white ink pen. It really turned out nice don’t you think? Die Cuts With a View’s STARDUST Mat Stack was the perfect paper to use as the background because it looks very elegant with the interesting designs and gold foil they have added to it.

My “Bee Happy” card isn’t as fancy but I had a lot of fun with it. I grabbed the My Mind’s Eye HONEY paper pad and Cricut’s Just Because Cards cartridge and made my card a bee theme.  The papers in the Honey paper stack made this card a breeze, I just had to cut it out and glue it on. The most work was the “Bee Happy” words, I cut the same letters out in both a dark and light yellow and then cut the light ones into strips and glued them onto the dark yellow letters. I though after that it would have been a lot easier just to find a striped paper and cut it out with it but hey I like doing things the hard way. I added a paper from the stack to go on the inside just to finish it off.

It was a fun night of card making and hey we saved ourselves a trip to the store to buy a few cards. Being a designer is a lot of fun because if forces us to get down and get creative. It is way too easy to let life get in the way and keep putting off the things that you really enjoy doing.

Legacy Card Recipe:

ms003-00110 Die Cuts With a View: Stardust Mat Stack

s5-108 Spellbinders Shapeabilities: Vintage Lace Accents

s5-116 Spellbinders Nestablilities: 2012 Heirloom Ornaments

s4-364 Spellbinders Shapeabilities: Spiral Blossom Four

s5-144 Spellbinders Shapeabilities: Jewel Framed Sentiments

Card-stock

Ribbon

201 Scor-Tape 1/8?

Bee Happy Card Recipe:

St1030 My Mind’s Eye: Honey, 6 x 6 The Sweetest Thing Collection

Textured cardstock

2000097 Cricut: “Just Because Cards”

Floral embellishment

Gem embellishments

201 Scor-Tape 1/8?

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug and Heather

Because Heather and I are new we received a box full of products, which was very exciting, but a few of them really stuck out to me as I sifted through them all, one of them being Spellbinders Pinwheels Shapeabilities die set. As a kid I loved pin wheels and watching them whirl and spin. I wasn’t too sure how I was going to incorporate them but I just wanted to play around with them for a little while. As I started looking through our photos, there it was,my son with a pinwheel in his hand. This is our son Turner, who is now 5 years old (so we are a little behind on scrapbooking our photos) I am sure we are not the only ones with this same problem. It sure takes a lot longer to scrapbook than to snap off a bunch of photos.

To get started I just sat down with Pinwheels Shapeabilities die set and the My Mind’s Eye-Playdate Designer Pad and started seeing what some of the dies looked like after I folded them all up. I love that the paper is double sided and most had contrasting color designs to shows off that they are folded pinwheels. After I made all of the pinwheels, I grabbed some card-stock that matched and started the layout. One thing I really like about this paper stack is that it comes with a few pages of fun little embellishments to add to empty or awkward spots. Lastly I used Cricut’s Just Because Cards to cut out the “Lazy Days” saying.

I had a lot of fun with this one and it really went quite fast. Try it out, its a lot of fun.

Products used:

S5-125 Spellbinders: Shapabilities Pinwheels

6X6210 My Mind’s Eye: Playdate

EL-015 Spellbinders: Mbossabilities-Bricks and Bark

2000097 Cricut: “Just Because Cards”

Textured card stock

Multicolor Brads

Silver star brads

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Doug

Here I am, announcing my new Spellbinders layout! I wanted to really show the products on this layout, so I took the liberty of not adding pictures quite yet. I used so many different Spellbinders on this layout and it just comes to show that they all work so perfectly together. Flowers, circles, rectangles, squares. You name it. It works!!! I started out very, very simple with this layout and the more I got into it, the more product I started using and the more fun it became.

The one thing that I loved about this layout is the detail. It is just not the same without it! Those gorgeous Foliage Two leaves and those added Want2Scrap jewels really do make the layout shine (thanks to Carrie for showing me how much adding bling really helps a layout)! I always put a page together before I adhere it and I ended up adding something each time I laid it out.

I did use some of the new QuicKutz on my layout as well! The Flourish Borders  are the perfect addition to framing my “Family” at the bottom and the Botanical looks lovely next to the picture slot! Oh….and I just can’t forget to give a little shout out to my favorite Blossom Five who really lit up the pages!

On this second page of the layout, I wanted to really frame and draw attention to my quote at the bottom. I used the Decorative Labels One to frame the quote and I love that it doesn’t get swallowed into the realm of saying’s-that-never-get-read. All because it has a gorgeous frame to highlight it!

Products used:

Cardstock

Teresa Collins Sweet Afternoon 6X6 Paper Pad

DC0318- QuicKutz Botanical

S5-133-Spellbinders A2 Polka Dots

S5-123- Spellbinders Asian Accents

S4-370 Spellbinders Blossom Five

DC 0317- QuicKutz Flourish Borders

S5-129 Spellbinders Foliage Two

S4-385- Spellbinders Little Leaf Sets

S5-147 Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles

S4-379 Spellbinders Decorative Labels One

MC-1- Multicolored Bling

4039- Sleek Strips pearls-white

4040- Sleek Strips Pearls- Le Creme

BH-1 Bling Hearts

Jasmine Cricut Cartridge

Find Joy Stamp

Paper Doilie

Black Ink Pad

I am really excited how these pages turned out and I can’t wait to get some pictures on them and add my journaling. So, go crazy! Add those extra leaves and extra pearls/rhinestones to pretty up your pages! It’s so much more fun!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Stacy

I love my Cricut Expression and today I am introducing five fabulous Cricut Cartridges by Provo Craft! These cartridges can be used with all Cricut Machines to create all kinds of fun projects! Woo-hoo!

Help loved ones celebrate their thirtieth, fortieth, fiftieth, or sixtieth birthday parties with the Over the Hill Cartridge! This cartridge includes images and phrases for banners, invitations, cupcake party favors, and more. ( I think I need this one! Heehee!)

Paper Play Cartridge is filled with fun little projects such as puppets, dolls, and a cootie catcher. With Cricut Projects cartridges, you can create unique and customized projects for your home, family, and friends.

Pretty Pennants Cartridge includes layered pennants in five different styles and a variety of themes. Mix and match the layered pennants or customize the blank pennants with letters or other images for even more creative possibilities.

Create beautiful table decor with the Tablescapes Spring & Summer Cartridge! This cartridge includes spring and summer themed cup or name card clips, boxes, napkin rings, table signs, 3D images, and more.

Have the perfect card for a variety of occasions with the Wild Card 2 Cartridge! This cartridge is filled with playful images, cards, envelopes, and phrases so you can create coordinating cards and envelopes. The stylized font is great for creating your own sentiments to accent the cards.

Use the latest Cricut cartridges to create unique and engaging designs for every occasion. The versatility of the cartridges will surprise even the most imaginative crafters. Just think of all the awesome things you can do with these cartridges! Wow!

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Time and Time again we have been asked if we are ever going to carry Cricut Machines and cartridges and we are now pleased to tell our customers yes! We now carry three Cricut machines and 50 of Provo Crafts top selling cartridges! It is so exciting, because we have been wanting to do this for a very long time, but have not been able to compete with other retailers. Thank goodness that things have changed!

Here’s a little run down on the 3 machines that we carry at this time:

Cricut Expression- The Cricut Expression from Provocraft is a 24″ Personal Electronic Cutter and the latest addition to the Cricut cutting system. With two new cutting mats measuring 12 x 12″ and 12 x 24″, you can now cut characters from 0.25″ up to an impressive 23.5″ Six new modes and several new functions offer greater customization of cuts, and new settings allow different units of measurement and languages. The Cricut Expression machine accepts the existing line of Cricut cartridges, replacing the need to collect hundreds of heavy die cuts. Use the Cricut Expression machine in your classroom, office, craft space, or home! It includes two cartridges: Plantin Schoolbook Font and Accent Essentials shape sampler to get you started and one 12×12″ cutting mat.

Features:

Mix and match creative features in the same cut
Use the entire library of existing Cricut cartridges
Cut portrait or landscape
Mat sizes 12 x 12″ or 12 x 24″
No computer necessary
Change settings such as language and units of measure
New LCD screen that shows exactly what you’re typing for your next cut

Cricut Expression 2- With the Cricut Expression 2 from Provocraft, you will be able to bring all those wonderful ideas swirling around inside to life, because it’s chock-full of all-new features to love. Cricut Expression 2 is perfect for new and not-quite-so-new users alike — it’s easy and fun to use for all your personal creative projects. A sleek, new exterior and thoughtful innovations make Cricut Expression 2 a must-have for any craft room.

Each Cricut Expression 2 comes with 2 cartridges already loaded on your machine:

Cricut Alphabet Cartridge: Your words never looked so good. Whatever the message may be, this font cartridge, with its set of letters, numbers, and designs, is sure to help your writing jump right off the page.

Cricut Essentials Cartridge: Dress up any of your projects with this multipurpose cartridge. With it, you will have access to hundreds of shapes, designs, and artwork to inspire a new creation or even apply the finishing touches on something you’ve already started.

You’ll enjoy these great features and many more:

Sleeker design with all-new colors and finishes
Cuts with all Cricut and Cricut Imagine cartridges
Wireless compatibility (optional accessories)
Full-color LCD touch screen display with stylus
No keypad overlay required
Mat preview
Material setting
Cutting area light
Exclusive cartridge content preloaded on the machine
Swappable side-trim pieces
Settings menu

Cricut Mini Electronic Cutting Machine- The Cricut Mini Electronic Cutting Machine from Provocraft is perfect for making do-it-yourself projects with paper, vinyl, fabric, sticker paper, and other materials. Just connect the machine to your computer and the free Cricut Craft Room design tool for endless creative possibilities. The Cricut Mini machine works with both Windows and Mac operating systems and is small and lightweight for space savings. This machine will cut shapes from 1/4″ up to 11 1/4″ on a 8 1/2 x 12″ cutting mat. With the Cricut Mini machine, it’s easier than ever to make projects and be more creative!

Cut shapes and fonts from 1/4 up to 11 1/4″
Works with Mac or Windows computers
Connects to the free Cricut Craft Room design tool for endless creative possibilities
Cut paper, vinyl, fabric, sticker paper, and many other materials
Small and lightweight for space savings

*Please note- The VIP coupon is not available on Provo Craft products which include Cricut items.

**INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: You will need a universal adaptor for your electric supply for these machines (sold separately).

As I said before, we are VERY excited to be carrying these products! If you have a particular cartridge you want and we don‘t have it on our site, we will be happy to add it. Eventually we will have everything, but for now this is what we are carrying.

Thanks and Happy Scrappin’!

Carrie

Which One Is Right for You? The Provo Craft Cricut OR the Silhouette Cameo. Here is some info that might help you out! Lets start the battle Cricut versus Cameo round ONE!

You might have noticed in our online store that we are now carrying Cricut machines and Cartridges. We have always carried Provo Craft’s line of Cuttlebug embossing folders and their version 2 of the cuttlebug, but held off for years on carrying the cricut line due to unfair competition. However, things have changed over at Provo Craft and we are pleased to be working more closely with them than ever. We will leave it at that & simply say that we are excited to carry Provo craft’s most popular machine the Cricut Expression and all their cartridges at unbelievable prices.

The purpose of this blog post however, is to compare some of the differences between the Cricut and the Silhouette Cameo that perhaps you the crafter may not have thought of. Let me start out by saying that both of these die cutting machines are “hot” on the market and both are a scrapbookers dream come true for those that like a little software hands off approach per se.

Let’s start talking about the Cricut first & then finish with the Cameo:

Cricut Expression made and designed by Provo Craft is an electronic cutter with two cutting measurements offered which are 12×12 inch and 12×24 inch. You can cut out dies from .25 inch up to 23.5 inches. Which is absolutely huge! This machine accepts all cricut cartridges, which can be benefical if you don’t want to be collection hundreds of scrapbook dies. It’s space saving design is very much similar to small deskjet printer. It comes with different customization of cutting and settings to permit different languages & units of measurements. When you flip the lid open on the cricut expression you will see a very NICE LCD screen for easy viewing and all your keyboard options. Now here is probably the major difference from the Silhouette Cameo is that there is NO computer necessary. This is a stand alone and functioning craft machine! Click here to see these tools. PRICE: $199.99 on CutAtHome.com

Next we have the all NEW Silhouette Cameo designed by Silhouette America. This is a redesign from the first release of the Silhouette SD digital craft cutter. This redesign initiated the new company and branched from Quickutz. There are some big updates that were made to improve this die cutting tool. Lets go through them. First off it is an electronic cutting tool as well meaning no roller mechanism and needs to obviously be plugged in as with the Expression. It is similar to a home printer in that the Cameo plugs directly into your PC or Mac computer with the use of a USB cable. Using a small blade or pen (if you want to draw the design. See pens here) to cut paper cardstock, vinyl, fabric, and more. It will cut up to 12 inches wide and 10 FEET long. The motor is impressively quiet. There are no cartridges used with this machine. The designs are ALL downloadable! so you are neither collection die cuts nor cartridges. Click Here to see the Cameo. PRICE: $269.99  on CutAtHome.com.

So as you can see their are some very OBVIOUS differences between these two die cutting tools. Here is my one thought I leave with you and the question you need to ponder if you are deciding between the two:

DO YOU WANT TO SCRAPBOOK VIA COMPUTER OR NOT?

The reason I pose this question is the Cricut was designed around the working woman. One that is on a computer all day at work and the last thing she wants to do is sit at home & get back on that computer. On the contrary the Silhouette Cameo was made in mind with the crafter that does not really want the hands on experience and would rather have a tool that allows one to do their owny vinyl lettering easily or paper projects through a computer that is a stay at home mom or their job does not require 9-5 computer all day. They BOTH are different in purpose and why I posed the question as such.

See ALL die cutting & embossing machines! You will then be able to see pricing,more details, and most importanly make the best decision possible of which die cutting machine is right for you. YOu may also be interested in watching these videos below as it goes through a few that are out there on the market! Simply click on the link and you will be taken to our youtube channel.

Which Die Cutting Tool is right for you

I hope this was helpful and please feel free to LEAVE A COMMENT below on which one you like the BEST and WHY! We want to hear about it.

Marcie