Home Archive by category "Crafting General" (Page 43)

Category: Crafting General

Still Wondering What is the Cricut Gypsy?

So people have been asking, what is the Cricut Gypsy? In a nutshell, it is a handheld cricut design studio, but better. Better because the cricut gypsy is portable and does not need a computer to design your layouts.

I was one of the lucky ones to get a Cricut Gypsy, and it arrived on my doorstep last Thursday and I Love it!  It is lighter than I thought it would be which is great since it will be in my hands a lot.  I posted on the message board yesterday that I am starting to like football.  I watched a game with my hubby; well I sat with him while I designed with my Cricut Gypsy.  How cool is this I can spend quality time with Hubby and we are both doing something that we enjoy!

I know that the first thing you want to do when you take it out of the box is turn it on.  I also bet that a lot of you thought that it didn’t work when you hit the big silver button on the front of the machine.  That is because that is not the on/off switch.  The on/off switch is on the side of the machine.  But you would have known that if you read the manual.  I have also been reading the message board good & bad.  All I can say is read the manual on line, (yes it is online, it didn’t come with the machine) but lots of companies are doing that now.  It does keep the cost down and easier for updates too! If you don’t want to read the entire manual before you start then don’t complain when something supposedly goes wrong.

Still wondering what is the Cricut Gypsy and how it can help you? It gives you more time to be creative because you can use it pretty much everywhere.  Also, you don’t need to go to the eye doctor.  You can make the images larger on your screen.  Read the manual and it will explain how to change the default size of the images.

The one thing I do have to say is you better really love or like your Cricut Gypsy a lot, before you link your cartridges to it.  First because once you link a cartridge, it’s for that Cricut Gypsy only. Your cartridges will never work in another Cricut Gypsy machine again.  It WILL work on your Cricut cutting machines. And I also heard that if you link, you can not return your Cricut Gypsy.  So think before you link. (I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it).

I have also learned that since you can sit and relax anywhere using the Cricut Gypsy, you can really get into looking at all the cartridges out there that you do not own, and even design pages with them, so that when you do have some money saved up, or your birthday rolls around you will know what to ask for.

I hope that answers the question, What is the Cricut Gypsy? Everyone, even me, have a lot of questions on how to do this and that.  It’s called learning a new piece of equipment.  Remember when you first got your Cricut cutting machine?  You had ton of questions then too.  It was the same as with your Design Studio.  All I can say is practice makes perfect.

So pick up that beautiful Cricut Gypsy and start learning all there is to learn about it/her/him.  And I betcha you will love it.

Make it a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

Halloween Card made with Supplies from Two Peas in a Bucket

Everyone is getting ready for Christmas, but don’t forget Halloween.  Halloween is such a fun holiday.  Card makers, Scrapbookers and all types of crafters have so much fun with this holiday.  There is a company; Two Peas in a Bucket which carries such cool Halloween papers, stickers and punches.

Look at this cute Halloween card that I made with a Martha Stewart spider web paper punch, Halloween clear stamp and some ribbon.  Sorry the picture wasn’t that great but, You can get all of these products at Two Peas in a Bucket, for a great price.

hallweencardmarthastewartpunch

Have a Happy Halloween – Boo!

Make it a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

Happy Fall Everyone

I love this time of year.  When the air is crisp, stores are decorated with fall items.  Makes me want to bake apples and eat candy corn.

I have had the best week crafting.  I just finished making 70 cards for Operation Write Home.  I just packed up the box and am getting ready to go to the post office to mail them.  I now feel that I am making a difference.  It’s a great feeling.

firstshipmentofcardstooperationwritehome

Make it a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

JoansCraftWorld now Donating Cards for a Cause called Operation Write Home

I found this website that I think is the most heart felt site that I have seen. It is called Operation Write Home.  It is an organization that takes handmade cards that we the card makers make and send them to our troops, so that they can write to their family and loved ones at home.  They recently changed their name from Cards for Heroes.

When I went to the site and saw the pictures of our military men and women holding up cards from “us” with such smiles on there faces, it really touched me like never before.  I guess I have been in my little world enjoying my freedom, but not remembering why I am free.  It’s because of all of our military out there in the middle of nowhere or should I say “hell” fighting for my and our freedom.
It might sound crazy but now I feel that I have a small part in helping them connect with there families by being part of Operation Write Home.

operationwritehome

I am in the process of making a lot of cards to send to Operation Write Home so they in return can mail them out to our troops.  And I am going to say this to all of you so you can hold me accountable, I will continue to make/send cards till all of our troops are safely home with there families.  There I said it and now I have to do it.  And it’s not like I don’t like making cards, that is my passion and now my passion has a cause behind it.

So you may be asking yourself, why is Joan writing about this? Because if you are a card maker like me and want to help our soldiers stay connected with there families and loved ones, take part in this great cause.  Remember, there are no Hallmark stores for them to get a card.  Consider yourself the piece of the puzzle that get our soldiers connected to home.

Go and visit the site now, and get all the details.  I hope you feel as good as I do, and join in on this wonderful good deed and help send Cards for Heroes.

Ways To Store Your Rubber Stamping Supplies With Your Rubber Stampede, Magenta Stamps or Other

All you need to make your own personalized greeting card or scrapbook page is a rubber stamp and a few rubber stamping supplies.  Sure you can personalize with your computer but is that really personal?  Not for me.  I love to make everything hand-made.  It is the personal touch that I really like.

Some basic rubber stamping supplies that you will need are of course a rubber stamp, ink pad and some paper.  But with all the really cool rubber stamping supplies on the market today, who can just use those three things?  Not me.

Your possibilities are endless when it comes to rubber stamping supplies.  They can be anything from an embellishment that you add to your card or scrapbook page, to the place where your embellishments are stored and organized.

I keep all of my rubber stamping supplies in labeled containers.  Since I am not that good in remembering which manufacturer of stamps make my favorite stamps like the Magenta stamp, Rubber Stampede, Hero Arts, Outline Rubber Stamp, Stampendous and the list can go on an on,  (because they are all my favorites), I organize them by theme or by holiday.

When I just listed some of the stamp manufacturers, I just remembered that I bought the cutest self cling Magenta stamp of two cats when I was at the stamp convention.  It reminded me of my two cats when they sit in our window looking like book ends.  Another Magenta stamp that I have is a wood block stamp with the image of a kitten in a field of flowers.  Wow, I almost forgot about that stamp.  I want to make some note cards with that one.

Besides Magenta stamp, Magenta also makes really cute Metallic, self adhesive embellishments that are really great for scrapbook pages, cards and even picture frames.  My favorite is a package that they have with four of my favorite words.  Create, Imagine, Believe and Dream.  I also have a really good video from Magenta “The Art of Stamping Magenta Style” that shows you how to use your Magenta stamp to its fullest.

magentarubberstamps

Another great summer time stamp is from Rubber Stampede.  It is a fun border stamp of cocktails.  You can use this stamp for a border or you can make an invitation for a cocktail party.  Rubber Stampede has fun stamps.  I also was on a “kick” of all oriental themed stamps, and Rubber Stampede really had some great looking stamps that I used a lot.  I can go on and on about how great Magenta and Rubber Stampede stamps are and for that matter each manufacturer of rubber stamps.  Maybe I will one day but not today.

rubberstampedestamps

I also keep some of my rubber stamping supplies in a spice rack.  That’s right a spice rack, I think of it as spicing up my crafts.  This is a great place for brads, eyelets, buttons, rhinestones and anything else that will fit in these small jars.

Rubber stamping supplies can also be housed in recycled containers.  Since I use a lot of embossing powder one great container that I use is a plastic grated cheese container.  It has the holes on one side to shake out slowly and the other side is one big opening that I use to put back the un-used powder back into the container with my funnel dish.

If you have some decorative metal tins, that is also a great place for rubber stamping supplies.  I have this really cure tin that stores my mini spot ink pads.

I remember shopping in a kitchen gadget store.  They had silver tins for recipes and I guess cooking supplies.  Well of course I bought them and now they are the new home for all of my brads that I have accumulated over the years along with some of metal picture corners that I have from Making Memories to pewter charms and Metallic embellishments from Magenta Stamps.

storageideasformagentaandrubberstampedestamps

Another great place for your rubber stamping supplies is photo boxes.  They are inexpensive and a great size to hold small paper packs, envelopes, packages of dimensional adhesives and even for cards that you have made for safe keeping.

For some of those big bulky foam stamps that you might have, a great place to store those and other odd shaped rubber stamping supplies are in a plastic clear shoe box.

The most important thing that I can say is LABEL all your rubber stamping supplies.  There is nothing worse than being in the middle of a project and wanting something to add to your piece of art and not knowing where to find it.

Make it a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

Page 43 of 53
1 … 41 42 43 44 45 … 53