#exploredecor

So I am trying to get back into using my Cricut for projects and I finally started I using print & cut. I had some trouble getting it to work correctly because I use a Mac and it wouldn't read the registration marks. The fix was simple, I switched to Firefox for the browser and changed the print setting to best quality...and it works like a charm, it allowed me to make SO MANY things!!!  

This printed black and white and I used Copics to color it in. 

Once it's colored in, it just sticks right on the Explore! I used images in my subscription and the printable vinyl from Cricut. 

How fun! 

Then I thought, could I print & cut my own artwork? YES!!! I used one of my favorite watercolor drawings I've done and made it into a cutout using the Design Space Software!  

Loaded... 

Then a few seconds later... 

My Sonia all cutout and ready to go! 

So this opens a ton of possibilities for making my own drawings and turning them into digital "stamps" that I can use over and over again. So I hope this inspires you to make your own art and decor. Happy Crafting!!! Next post is a metal die storage solution!  

I love my Minc: A brief review (Heidi Swapp & Anna Griffin)

When I first said I was going to write about the Minc, I said I was going to show a hack, and that would have been using a laminator.  I will say that method works ok, you'll have to put your laminator on the highest setting and you'll probably have to run your object through 2 or 3 times...not really ideal.  A better solution? Buy a Minc, I promise it's worth it! I found mine for a really great price of $95.50 on Amazon (which is $50 less than the big box craft stores) plus shipping is free if you have Prime. Good deal! There are two machines, the Heidi Swapp, pictured below, is 12" and the Anna Griffin, linked to later in the post, is 6".  I opted for the bigger one just because I thought in the long run it would be best for me.

Before the unboxing! 

The Minc comes with 1 foil sheet, 3 tags, 2 carrier folders, and the machine.  There are tons of accessories you can buy at the local craft stores and HSN is offering an amazing bunch of Anna Griffin designs starting October 7, 2015 (some include glitter sheets). I picked up some of the toner sheets, you can punch them, cut them or emboss them prior to foiling.

Toner sheets

This is handy if you don't have a toner printer at home, but you can always get designs printed at your local copier store. In fact, I had the idea to take some of my Stampin' Up coordinating stamps and dies to stamp a sheet in black ink, take it to the copy shop, and have them print it in toner. Then I can cut out the shapes with my dies and foil the stamps! Should be cool, in my mind it is, lol.  So now the important question is, but how does it work...like a dream! 

My included tags. 

The one on the left is done with the included foil

How clean is this? 

and the one on the right is this awesome stuff:​

I used green and not this silver! 

I saw these on sale at Hobby Lobby and decided I would just try them out and they work really well.  I bought a bunch of Heidi Swapp foil too, but this comes in a few more colors and in smaller sizes. It looks like you could even cut out the negatives and use them on a different project.

The negatives! 

I am just so happy with this purchase, I absolutely love it and cannot wait to see the holiday bundles on HSN next month. My advice is to get one if you can and get ready to foil everything! 

Stranded Knitting

So I learned to knit with both hands a while ago but I had not really tried Fair Isle knitting, so I decided that a simple 2 strand pattern would be my first foray into color work.  I have to say it was really interesting to try it and the knitting seemed more fun and more intricate.  I used the new Woolspun yarn from Lion Brand and it knits up quick and it feels nice as you're knitting.

The yarn palette and the hat.

I also used a really cool Bernat pom pom that I bought last year, a local Wal-Mart was having this crazy clearance sale and they were $1.97 each, needless to say I bought all the ones they had! :) I really liked this pattern, it was really well written and easy to follow, a perfect beginner pattern for color work.  It's called the Ice Cream Hat and you can find it here on a neat blog called Alaska Knit Nat and it was originally inspired by this pattern.  I decided to try mine with warmer colors since the winter is coming and the Midwest always delivers sub-zero weather.

The end result.

I can't wait to give this to someone as this is part of my holiday knitting, I decided to knit up a matching scarf using simple 2x2 ribbing and it will give me an excuse to use some of my favorite straight needles.

Scarf work in progress.

Until the next time when I'll be going over the September Paper Pumpkin, happy crafting!

Cinch Unboxing

So I thought "Treat yo self!" and I ended up getting a Cinch book binding tool.  As you probably noticed I have no idea where I am actually going to put it, but I thought about all of the cool things I could be making and knew I had to have one.  I thought I could even make people flip calendars for the year using the Cinch and my Cricut Explore, I'll post those projects with instructions once I have completed a few.  

In the meantime, you can see me unboxing my Cinch and going over some basic features in the video below.  I found it to be pretty easy to figure out and the supplies for binding, like the covers and wires, are not that expensive.  I found that to be refreshing since the tool itself is around $100.  I opted to get the round hole version rather than the square punch just because some reviews pointed out that you could put eyelets in the round holes and they'd be relatively easy to find, other than that, the two machines are basically the same except for color, the square one is yellow.  

The Cinch Unboxing

So that covers it, I was able to get it up and operating in under 12 minutes and the instructions are very easy to follow, I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot of use out of this.  So I've been promising a Minc hack, and I will get it together soon.  Happy crafting!