Monday, November 30, 2015

Expressions Vinyl Cyber Monday sale

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 



Expressions Vinyl is having its biggest sale of the year today!

Use the code CYBERMONDAY2015 to receive 20% off your order. 

Just click the link below!




Happy vinyling!  ♥






Saturday, November 28, 2015

Fonts and Digital paper deals

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

Two awesome deals for crafters over at The Hungry JPEG.



If you love digital paper then take a look at the Digital Scrapbook Paper Bundle.
This amazing deal includes all of the artists current Digital Scrapbook Paper Designs as well as ALL of their FUTURE designs!  You will have access to over 100 different paper packs. That's paper PACKS folks! You will have access to thousands of different digital papers! 




The cost of this bundle is $50. Here's the link: Digital Scrapbook Paper Bundle


All of the digital papers come as high resolution jpeg files.  

Most paper packs are 12" x 12" size.  These papers are ideal for Scrapbooking, craft projects and more.  
Most of the papers are not seamless.  (Relevant if you're going to be uploading the patterns into Cricut Design Space.)
When you purchase this listing, you will receive a pdf file with a download link. Just click on the link and you will be taken to a download page. You can then download and save each folder individually. 
Each paper pack comes in a Zip Folder. All files added in the future will be in the NEW folder and will be organized by month. 
All Digital Papers may be used for Personal and Commercial Use!


Second is the The Get Crafty Font Bundle.

This $15 bundle that includes 12 beautifully designed 100% accessible fonts. Each font includes a range of alternate characters that can be fully accessed through either a Windows or Mac computer without the requirement for fancy design software.

Each font also includes lots of PUA (Private Use Area) Encoded Characters. You can use a character map to access these characters in the same way you do with the Samantha font. 


Here's a (very) quick example of one of the fonts (Beauty Atok Script Italic) and one of the papers from the Ultimate Digital Paper Bundle. (Antique Music). There's 16 different music papers in this set alone. 





Click on the link to see examples of all the fonts and their other characters. 

Hungry JPEG Get Crafty Bundle



Happy crafting!  ♥





Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Cricut Explore comparison chart

**This post contains affiliate links (Cricut.com and Amazon) and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

There's lots of Thanksgiving bargains available on the Cricut Explore through the different vendors. Before you start shopping here's a chart I put together to help you pick the right Explore for you. Click the images to enlarge, or download the PDF from here: Cricut Explore Comparison by Narelle

At the end of this post I'll add links to some of the current Explore deals as I find them.




Amazon:
Cricut Explore Air $199.99 (Prime. Free shipping on orders over $35)

Explore Bluetooth Adapter from Amazon $24.15 (Prime)

Cricut.com
Cricut Explore Air $219.99. Use code DOORBUSTERS to get 10% off and free US (continental) standard shipping. Brings price down to $197.99!

Be sure to check out the bundles at Cricut.com. There are various bundles available and depending on the inclusions can be a much better deal. You can use the DOORBUSTERS code on those too!

Explore Air bundles
Explore One bundles


Joann.com
Explore One (grey) online $199.99 with free shipping.
(Paper ad shows in store price for this model as $149. Only available Nov 24, 25 & 27)
Explore Air online $249.99  with free shipping
In store price $199. Only available Nov 24, 25 & 27)




Black Friday Deals

Amazon
CRICUT EXPLORE ONE BUNDLE MAT/TOOLS - Explore One machine with 12x24 standard grip mat, scraper/spatula & two week subscription. $199.99. (Price currently shows as $179!!)
http://amzn.to/1lNUHTF - Click the Explore One bundles button.

CRICUT EXPLORE AIR BUNDLE TOOL/BLADE - Explore Air machine with deep cut blade & housing, basic tool set & two week subscription - $269.99. (Price currently shows as $229.99!!)
http://amzn.to/1lNUHTF - Click the Explore Air bundles button.


Cricut.com
Cricut Explore One™ Pink Poppy Machine + Basic Fonts Set. $259.99. (Currently shows as $209.99!) 
http://shrsl.com/?~akyd
Includes:
  • Fontastic Fonts Cartridge
  • Everyday Fonts Cartridge
  • Chalkboard Fonts Cartridge
  • Cricut® Cutting Mat Variety 3 Pack

Cricut Explore One™ Pink Poppy Machine + Deluxe Starter Set. $269.99
(Currently shows at $219.99!) http://shrsl.com/?~akyf

Includes:
  • Cricut Explore Deep Cut Blade with Housing
  • Cricut Vinyl Sampler Pack, Home
  • Cricut Cutting Mat Variety 3 Pack
  • Cricut Transfer Tape
  • Cricut Tools Basic Set
  • Cricut Iron-on Lite, Red
  • Cricut Printable Magnetic Sheets
  • Cricut Window Cling, White
  • Cricut Stencil Vinyl

Cricut Explore One™ Navy Bloom Machine + Adapters Set $189.99 - http://shrsl.com/?~akyj

    Included in set:
  • Cricut Explore One™ Navy Bloom Machine
  • Cricut Explore® Wireless Bluetooth® Adapter
  • Cricut Explore One™ Accessory Adapter and Pen
Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + Tools & Mats Set
$279.99 (Currently shows as $229.99!) http://shrsl.com/?~akym
Includes:

  • Cricut® Cutting Mat Variety 3 pack
  • Cricut® Tools Basic Set
  • Cricut Explore® Carry Bag, Gray



Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + Deluxe Starter Set
$289.99 (Currently shows as $239.99) 
http://shrsl.com/?~akys

Includes: 
Cricut Cutting Mat Variety 3-pack
Cricut Explore Deep Cut Blade With Housing
Cricut Tools Scoring Stylus
Cricut Explore Metallic Pen Set
Cricut Explore Antiquity Pen Set
Cricut Explore® Carry Bag, Gray


Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + Ultimate Machine Set
$299.99. (Currently shows as $249.99!) 
http://shrsl.com/?~akyu

Includes:

  • Cricut® Cutting Mat Variety 3 pack
  • Cricut Explore® Deep Cut Blade With Housing
  • Cricut® Tools Scoring Stylus
  • Cricut Explore® Candy Shop Pen Set
  • Cricut® Tools Basic Set
  • Cricut® Window Cling, Black
  • Cricut Explore® Carry Bag, Gray


Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + EVERYTHING Starter Set
$379.99 (Currently shows as $329.99) http://shrsl.com/?~akyx

Includes:
Cricut Cutting Mat Variety 3-pack
Cricut Explore Deep Cut Blade with Housing
Cricut Tools Scoring Stylus
Cricut Explore Calligraphy Pen Set
Cricut Explore Metallic Pen Set
Cricut Tools Basic Set
Cricut Vinyl Sampler, Home
Cricut Stencil Vinyl
Cricut Dry Erase Vinyl
Cricut Transfer Tape
Cricut Poster Board, Metallic
Cricut Iron-on Lite, Gray
Cricut Iron-on Glitter, Red
Cricut Printable Sticker Paper
Cricut Printable Iron-on Light
Cricut Printable Vinyl
Cricut Printable Magnet Sheets
Cricut Window Cling, Black 
Cricut Washi Sheets, Classic
Cricut Craft Foam, Plush
Cricut Trimmer Tool
Cricut Premium German Carbide Replacement Blade

Cricut Explore® Carry Bag, Gray

Hobby Lobby
CRICUT EXPLORE AIR BUNDLE - Explore Air machine with printable sticker paper, printable vinyl, premium blade, 12 x 12 strong grip mat & 60 day subscription$229.99. In stores only. 

Joann
CRICUT EXPLORE AIR BUNDLE - Explore Air machine with printable sticker paper, 12 x 12 light grip mat, scoring stylus, candy shop pen set, 5 digital image set, & two week subscription - $229.99. http://www.joann.com/cricut-explore-air-holiday-bundle/14688055.html#q=explore%2Bair&start=1

CRICUT EXPLORE ONE PINK BLOSSOM BUNDLE - Explore One Pink machine with premium blade and 12 x 12 consumable pack & two week subscription. $179.99 http://www.joann.com/cricut-explore-one-bundle/14688584.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=927579&hq_l=14&hq_v=6160e9465e#q=Cricut&start=1

Menards
CRICUT EXPLORE ONE BUNDLE - Explore One machine with vinyl sampler Home 12x12, 12x48 transfer tape & 60 day subscription$199.99. 
https://www.menards.com/main/p-1444451640019-c-1446215532061.htm?tid=-5138724906106291081

Michaels
CRICUT EXPLORE ONE - Explore One machine with metallic vinyl sampler, premium blade & 60 day subscription - $229.99. http://www.michaels.com/cricut-explore-one-bundle/10432548.html?hq_e=el&hq_m=927579&hq_l=12&hq_v=6160e9465e#q=Cricut&start=12

Walmart
CRICUT EXPLORE AIR FROZEN BUNDLE - Explore Air machine with weeder tool, printable sticker paper, frosted window cling, vinyl sky, vinyl silver, Frozen digital image set, & two week subscription. $229.99. 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cricut-Explore-Air-Frozen-Bundle/46360465

CRICUT EXPLORE ONE CORAL WM BF BUNDLE - Explore One Coral machine with black pen and adapter & 30 day subscription. $149.99
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cricut-Explore-1-Coral-Bundle/46360467




I'll add more as I find them! :)

Happy crafting!  ♥






Thursday, November 19, 2015

CRICUT: Slicing large images in Design Space

Ever wanted to cut something larger than the 12" x 12" or 12" x 24" mat?

Well, here's how you do it using Cricut Design Space. I'm using a tree image from the Zoobaloo© cartridge.

  • Insert your image on to the canvas and resize it to the height or width you want your finished project to be. I'm setting the height of this tree to 50 inches.



Cricut Cartridge sale

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. 

There's a big cartridge sale over at Cricut.com! 50 cartridges have been reduced to $9.99 and most of the others are $19.99 or less.  The sale is for two days only.




Happy crafting!  ♥






Friday, November 13, 2015

Cricut Explore Air


**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.



Want to be able to easily make pretty décor, personalized gifts, and fun cards for upcoming holidays? Then you need to treat yourself to a Cricut Explore Air™ — Cricut's very popular electronic cutting machine. It's the best DIY crafting tool to be developed since the sewing machine!

The Cricut Explore Air is versatile, easy to use, and allows for very precise cuts. It's also incredibly affordable, especially since Cricut generously discounted the cost by up to $200 on the machine and bundles — just in time for the holiday crafting season! 


And you can get FREE SHIPPING in the US by using the code FREESHIPNOV

With the Cricut Explore Air™, you can cut over 60 different types of material, including paper, fabric, plastic and vinyl to name a few. The Explore Air also features Cut Smart™ technology, which allows you to cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision, from ¼" tall up to 11½" wide x 23½" tall.

This Cricut Explore machine is called the Air because it has built-in Bluetooth® capability. This means you can use Cricut’s free iPad app and design anything you want from your iPad, just like you would on your home computer, but with the convenience of being able to take your projects with you anywhere. Then, you can just wirelessly send your project from your iPad to your Explore Air to bring it to life.

While the Cricut Explore Air is impressive on its own, purchasing it with one of Cricut's bundle offerings makes it even more valuable. Each bundle comes with different accessories that allow you to expand your creativity and make your crafting projects even more simple and fun to create. Plus, by purchasing your Explore Air with a bundle, you're able to save a bundle in the process!

Go to Cricut.com and check out the savings Cricut is offering on their Cricut Explore Air™ and bundles today so you can get your very own in time to make this holiday season your most creative one yet!




Happy crafting!  ♥






Saturday, November 7, 2015

CRICUT: Writing Style Fonts

Here's a list of the fonts that have a writing style in Cricut Design Space. (That means they are single line fonts that don't have to be filled in and are perfect for using the writing feature in Design Space.

Fonts that are included in the subscription are noted as such.



You can download this list as a PDF from here: https://app.box.com/s/eheqwaq3lc1annd1xfir6rs8esj9ir33


Happy crafting!  ♥






Tuesday, November 3, 2015

INKSCAPE: Curving text for use in Cricut Design Space


Curving text in Inkscape is easy!!

Download Inkscape from here: https://inkscape.org/ (That's the official and only safe site to download Inkscape.)

Tip: At any time if everything looks a bit small on the Inkscape screen click the + button on your keypad to zoom in. Click the - key to zoom out. Hold down the space bar and move your mouse to re-position the screen. 

Let's begin!

  • Open Inkscape and click the circle toolbar icon



Monday, November 2, 2015

Using 3rd party programs to convert SVG's for use with Cricut Design Space

There are many SVG's available for use with Design Space. But some import into Design Space better than others. That's dependent on which design program was used to create those SVG's.

Some SVG's will import just as a black box. Some will open as a blank box with a broken link at the top. And some will open with all the layers on top of each other. (See examples below.)

  

When this SVG is inserted onto the DS canvas this is what it looks like. Not ideal!



Accordion Christmas Pudding card and tutorial



Here's a really pretty card I put together using a SVG from Tina's Cutting Files Studio.


This card can be made up of as many panels as you wish just by cutting extra panels and adhering them together.

Here's some instructions on how to use this SVG in Cricut Design Space.

First you'll need to follow the instructions on converting the SVG to make it Design Space compatible. http://www.thenoncraftycrafter.com/2015/11/using-3rd-party-programs-to-convert.html


The following method works if you have converted the file using Sure Cuts A Lot 4. There are extra steps if you use Make the Cut, Craft Artist 2 or Inkscape.
Those instructions will be added to the end of this tutorial soon!

Now that you have converted the SVG it's ready to import into DS.
  • Open Design Space, sign in and click Upload Images from the left side toolbar.
  • Click the Upload Image button


  • Click Browse


  • Locate your newly saved file and click Open


The SVG image will appear in the preview window.

  • Click Save


It will now appear in your Uploaded Images Library.

  • Click on the image then select Insert Images


  • If it's a large file with many pieces (like this one) you may see this image.

The SVG will open on your screen. If it opens too large to see the whole design you can click the zoom out button.



Before cutting the file make sure you've attached everything. Otherwise all the individual lines including the score lines will be placed on their own cutting mat as shown below.


  • Select the entire image and click Ungroup from the bottom of the Layers panel. 

If you don't, the file may end up too big to fit on the mat and you'll get this error message. 


  • Drag your mouse around individual shapes that have more than one line and click Attach. 
 


  • Click Attach from the top of the Layers panel.

(That piece alone is made up of 10 individual lines. So you must select all of them before you attach.)

This image shows that there's multiple layers (lines) in the image. 


  • Repeat for each of the other shapes. 




Some of the shapes don't require attaching. For example this shape is only made up of one layer as indicated in the Layers panel.




In this svg there's some stray very small dots that I delete. I don't know where they belong but their absence doesn't affect the file so I get rid of them. (I've circled them below.)



You can also delete this text:

  • Click the Go button and check that everything is correctly attached. 

There's no stray lines anywhere but for some reason one layer has been placed on top of another in the preview but that will be fixed later.  


Before cutting this file you need to decide how many panels you want in your card. In my example I have used 4 panels. Some images I will need to duplicate and some images I will delete so they're not cut.

I won't be needing the two single panels so I can delete those.



Before duplicating any of the images we'll change our colour scheme.

Currently all the shapes are the same colour. To put each layer on its own cutting mat we need to change the colour of the individual shapes.

I selected Cocoa for the filigree piece.

  • Click on that shape in the Layers panel then click the scissor icon. 

The colour palette will open and you can select your colour.




This piece I also changed to Cocoa.

This piece to Cream.

I changed the berries to red and the leaves to green. Everything else I left as white. 


Next I need to duplicate the filigree layer 3 times so I have 4 of them.

  • Select that layer on the canvas and from the bottom of the Layers panel click the Duplicate button three times. 



Each of these pieces I'll need to duplicate three times.

  • Select them all by dragging your mouse around them and duplicate them all at the same time.




Here's all the pieces ready to cut.




  • Click go and everything will be sorted to the correct colour mats ready for cutting and assembly!



You'll find that many of the svg's from Tina's Cutting Files Studio work this way.


Happy crafting!  ♥





Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...