tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19015762543988541102012-02-16T06:42:09.587-05:00Sharing my obsession...I mean, here I discuss my personal techniques and tips for using the Cricut, Design Studio, SCAL, and Inkscape. NEW!!! At the bottom of this blog's main page, you'll see a link to SCALHints LIVE Video Chatroom! If you see video playing, then click the link and come join the fun! We'll have live demonstrations and lots of talk about Cricut (and other things!). Even if you don't see video, come visit the room anyway, because there might be a lively chat going on!Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-71327720195275961932010-03-03T04:18:00.002-05:002010-03-03T04:25:43.184-05:00

Once again, Giveawayoftheday.com is giving some very useful software away today only. It must be installed before the giveaway ends, too! I have no control over this, it's simply the way their site works.The name of the program is Magic Collage and you can read more about it here. If you go to the Giveawayoftheday page and read the first review, by Ashraf, you can find out much more about it. He

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-47555884705158673072010-02-22T22:52:00.004-05:002010-02-23T00:04:18.049-05:00

I've been so busy lately that I haven't even thought of updating my blog - so sorry! But I have been doing one of my favorite pastimes in the meantime, namely looking for craft items in unusual places...in one of my favorite places for this, Big Lots.They've gotten a couple of new items in stock that I feel will work nicely with the Cricut. One is a textured faux cork material that comes on a

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-323579501814849312010-01-29T23:36:00.003-05:002010-01-29T23:47:33.399-05:00

I've been thinking about the massive storage on GoogleDocs. Dan was kind enough to comment on my last post about this and informed me that they give you about a gig of space for your files. Very generous, and yet not enough for the amount of files we all collect for SCAL! Still, if you are a designer like Dan, this is a wonderful solution to host the files you're donating!Maybe this would be a

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-37860495836238542992010-01-28T21:39:00.008-05:002010-01-28T23:09:39.769-05:00

Dan99 is one of the reasons I was able to understand how to run the wonderful program known as Sure Cuts A Lot. The man has a fantastic blog, with many easy to understand videos explaining SCAL, how Inkscape works and how it works with SCAL, and some great tips on how to manipulate files we want to convert to a form SCAL understands. The poor man has been missing online for some time due to a

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-32046188854424298612010-01-25T21:59:00.010-05:002010-01-26T13:43:45.480-05:00

I came up with a new type of file for Sure Cuts A Lot that I've never seen before. It took quite a bit of doing to get it to work (I have to thank the extraordinarily talented Penny Duncan for figuring out what was wrong with the original!), and I wanted to show it to you tonight because I've been so excited about the entire concept! I love spinners and have a few hanging around the yard, but

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-58211729208470229392010-01-12T19:47:00.008-05:002010-01-12T21:32:55.083-05:00

I recently asked on one of my Yahoo groups where to buy iron-on vinyl. Kay from Clever Someday gave me several names and I ended up choosing Specialty Graphics Supply. I was very impressed with the speed of delivery, especially during the holidays! It only took seven days from the time I ordered it to delivery. I ordered late on the 1st, a Friday night of a holiday weekend. Their packing list

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-9611859311655150862010-01-12T01:06:00.007-05:002010-01-12T03:49:12.538-05:00

I have to post about the blocks I made for several people as Christmas gifts. I know it's late but I couldn't get some of the pictures til now. Some reading this may already know most of what I'm going to say about the blocks because I'm copying some of this directly from a few posts I made on our group - but I'd like to post all the details here for posterity! I used blocks I got from Michael's

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-32676112116924196922010-01-04T19:32:00.003-05:002010-01-04T19:45:33.086-05:00

Giveaway of the day has another cool giveaway today, and this one I tried before reporting it here! Apparently they're running a special series of giveaways this week for the new year of their greatest hits! I check their site daily and have it as one of my homepages! The program today is called Inpaint and it removes things you don't want in a photo. I have a picture I got from the Cricut

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-41193180784371887982010-01-02T19:56:00.006-05:002010-01-02T22:31:30.208-05:00

I love finding supplies for my crafting stash in places when I'm not really looking for anything. I think Big Lots is my favorite place for that! I've gotten so many things there far cheaper than Michaels or Joanns carries it for. I went there especially today to buy some paper adhesive they're selling for $2 that's normally twice that at the big box craft stores. I heard about it thanks to my

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-57738754789099375732010-01-02T04:29:00.001-05:002010-01-02T04:33:22.159-05:00

Giveaway of the Day - free licensed software daily. Today: Greeting Card Builder Greeting Card Builder is an extremely easy-to-use digital greeting card software which was specifically designed to create stunning photo greeting cards. Only available today, 1/2/10 until 3am EST. After reading some other folks reviews, this may not be the best program out there, but what do you WANT for FREE??? :)

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-24060607818885695332009-12-31T01:21:00.002-05:002009-12-31T01:27:52.569-05:00

I just wanted to wish all my group and blog friends a happy new year. We have all had so many bad things happen to us in the last decade, that I for one am quite happy to see it go! I wish and pray that the coming year and years bring us all a lasting peace and prosperity. Have a wonderful and safe New Year...stay home, only amateurs go out on New Years Eve! Be a professional and live to see what

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-91772709414740920272009-12-29T16:43:00.007-05:002009-12-29T18:04:51.308-05:00

Giveaway of the day has free software every day. I like to post when I feel that it might be useful for my readers, and today is no exception! (I would've posted this earlier but I'm still setting up my new computer!)The software for today helps you recover lost or intentionally deleted photos, from your computer OR your memory cards! It may not be something you'll use every day but if you've

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-11825762905793170172009-12-09T22:47:00.003-05:002009-12-09T23:24:15.010-05:00

I know a few people have been drilling the blocks they've found at various home improvement stores to use for the Cricut and vinyl and such. A word about safety: The glass blocks you buy at the H.I. stores are tempered glass. That means they've been hardened and are not like drilling regular glass. It means they CAN shatter or break in the wrong place, or send a sliver into your eye! So please

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-48924922620342276592009-12-09T04:22:00.004-05:002009-12-09T04:31:20.122-05:00

Giveaway of the Day has another cool download for today only. If you do webcasting or use a webcam, with Skype, for instance, they're giving away a program to allow you to record your desktop to your webcam, known as screencasting. If you like to do video tutorials or webcasting, this program is free! Visit the page here.

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-44451676444415101272009-12-08T03:28:00.007-05:002009-12-08T03:45:04.018-05:00

At the risk of losing all my followers, I have more Martha to talk about! :) She has such great free resources, though! Here's a link to a video about how to make the reindeer popup card that I've mentioned several times on this blog. I cut it by hand EIGHT times using her template a couple of years ago - even though I had the baby Cricut AND Design Studio! At the time, I wasn't aware people were

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-67703668224896718702009-12-04T05:14:00.002-05:002009-12-04T05:21:19.502-05:00

Giveaway of the Day is giving away Picture Collage Maker Pro, for today only. I haven't tried it yet but if you like to scrapbook and do layouts, this sounds like a great program...the price is right, anyway! It also does calendars and the like. Get it here. Some commenters said there aren't many templates built into the program, but they also said you can download more from the 'net. Sounds

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-17409754063276492982009-11-26T02:35:00.011-05:002009-11-26T04:45:18.784-05:00

I have quite a lot to be thankful for. I have a happy life, a great husband, a job (although it's been extremely slow...I'm self employed and that makes me feel good!), my health (mostly!) and some fantastic people in my life whom I love dearly. I am blessed and try to remember it every day. But I'd like to thank YOU and let you know how much I appreciate my faithful readers and followers, and

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-44291569717308457412009-11-17T22:37:00.005-05:002009-11-18T00:14:44.498-05:00

I live in Florida, which means that we don't get ANYTHING new until the rest of the country has had it for several months! So I may be somewhat behind the times on the many new items Martha has at Michaels. If you already know about them, skip this post! But, judging from either M's website, they must be VERY new, because I couldn't find some of the items I'm discussing in this post. DISCLAIMER:

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-89469015805129507572009-11-16T23:15:00.007-05:002009-11-17T01:14:47.647-05:00

Ok, after fiddling with my computer for weeks and nearly booting it out the window once Windows finally corrupted so badly it wouldn't turn on, then finding out disk 2 of my restore disks was bad (NOT what you want to discover AFTER the hard drive is formatted!), I nearly gave up and decided that I was going to have to get a new computer for my upcoming birthday...BUT I have a couple of wonderful

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-76138910418205688232009-10-29T21:51:00.010-04:002009-10-29T23:18:32.514-04:00

I'm having computer problems. I think my hd is going and I'm still trying to back up all my Cricut stuff in between crashes! Thanks for your patience! If you haven't explored this blog much (I gotta hurry before it crashes again!) look around and if you haven't already seen it, make sure you check out my original "stained glass" lampshades! Oh, and my VERY inexpensive faux acrylic technique(s)

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-7763548128701563662009-10-10T23:14:00.006-04:002009-10-10T23:46:10.982-04:00

Recently, with the permission of the group owner, Penny Duncan of the fantastic Penny Duncan Creations, I set up a new video/audio/text chatroom available to anyone who would like to learn about SCAL, or some of the techniques involved in transforming images to use for your Cricut Expression! The address is http://www.justin.tv/scalhints. Please come and visit! There are still still a few bugs to

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-23998954680689556142009-10-03T22:19:00.007-04:002009-10-03T23:08:47.352-04:00

Martha Stewart has the best templates! Fortunately for us lazy folks, we can use Inkscape with SCAL and the Cricut to trace PDFs and save ourselves some cutting! Especially if you are having a party and need more than one kind of decoration. Since we've spent the big bucks for the machine, why should we spend more buying pre made decorations?? One easy decoration involves rat and mice silhouettes

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-12345648144801453572009-09-23T02:12:00.006-04:002009-09-23T04:45:23.108-04:00

I was so happy to get an email from an admin on the Cricut messageboard, telling me that I won one of the Cricut Celebrates 100 - Winter Woodland cartridges in week two! In case you hadn't heard, Cricut is picking out 100 winners in celebrating of their 100th cartridge, WW. They're choosing 20 winners each week for 5 weeks, so make sure you go enter every remaining week! :) It's on the Cricut

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-8780699282444309582009-09-20T23:41:00.005-04:002009-09-21T04:49:34.628-04:00

I was reading an article about free MS Office substitutes and ran across one called Oxygen Office. Kay, from Clever Someday (on my bloglist!) and I were working on a collaboration on a post about the Word Art feature some time ago, before life got so crazy for both of us! Word Art allows you to create text in many shapes and styles, (including circles and vertical text), and the results can be

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-83078729150836263642009-09-17T17:00:00.006-04:002009-09-17T20:43:24.956-04:00

Apparently, my long-winded self can churn out a gazillion word post and STILL leave people wondering what the heck I'm talking about! :) After re-re-reading it from the point of view of someone not used to the Cricut or SCAL, I don't blame them, as I think I left out a step or two.So here's a few clarifications, including what the new technique actually IS. Hehe.My angel wing books in the

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-57856102875140863482009-09-16T19:12:00.010-04:002009-09-16T22:42:53.733-04:00

During my prolonged absence, I did one additional recent experiment that I haven't mentioned. I've been toying with the idea in my head but wasn't sure it was possible and wanted to try it before I told anyone! :) I haven't seen anyone else doing this, but maybe someone else has thought of this idea too, so I hope I'm not stealing anyone else's concept! I did hear that there's nothing new under

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-86689768466173882932009-09-14T01:07:00.005-04:002009-09-14T01:52:00.263-04:00

Here's a little more info on my experiences using the mini gel pens with the Cricut. I was a little nervous about trying to use these gel pens with the pencil grips, in case they slipped around or weren't at the right height and dug a hole in the paper or something! But apparently there's a little leeway in how much pressure is used when printing/cutting. I got the grips at Big Lots (if you shop

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-15723507398978593292009-09-13T01:19:00.004-04:002009-09-13T22:32:52.789-04:00

You'd have to write a thank you (and give a gift, too!) if you ever got a thank you note like THIS one!!! This talented artist also has a link demonstrating how to create his paper Christmas ornaments...they're gorgeous, too! But I think I'd have to use a paper shredder to get my strips! Someone in the comments mentioned using plastic so they'd be weather proof...brilliant idea!I loved this

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-86286601887275814982009-09-11T23:55:00.007-04:002009-09-12T01:23:14.436-04:00

It's been a loooong time since I was able to sit down and write about my latest craft doings - although I've had quite a few projects going, some of which I'll write about below. But I wanted to post about this right NOW! I just ran across this info in another blog - a way to use the TRIAL version of Design Studio to cut with ANY of your carts...GASP!!! Read all about it HERE! This solves the

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-13179241944699478272009-07-21T00:13:00.001-04:002009-07-21T00:41:11.657-04:00

I love creativity in any form. This pop up book isn't the usual type I run across while searching for new ideas for the Cricut! But I loved it's originality and thought I'd post it here, partly so I can find it again! :) I can appreciate the macro photography, too, considering how hard it can be to take a good photo for Blogger! The whole subject makes me want to go hunt down a good used

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-20288804729620020822009-07-14T03:30:00.003-04:002009-07-14T04:01:21.704-04:00

Some of you may be aware of a site I've mentioned before, Giveaway of the Day. They give free full version software with the catch that it's only available for one day. Some products they have aren't so good but the Sothink company consistently gets good reviews. Today the giveaway is Sothink SWF Quicker, which you can get to by clicking here. I have not used this program yet, but you can bet I'm

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-51549779395513217982009-07-05T20:38:00.010-04:002009-07-05T22:40:55.686-04:00

I've got company coming down in a few days and between getting ready for that visit and trying to get a little birthday gift made for my aunt Joy (along with card) I haven't had much time to blog or even read my Yahoo group emails.I went exploring recently to see if I could find a cute idea for a card for her and came across this adorable card that I thought I'd adapt. I wasn't worried about

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-90064033867018148442009-06-20T14:38:00.006-04:002009-06-20T23:40:47.051-04:00

I'm not afraid to admit that I visit my own blog everyday. Not that I think it's that great! I just appreciate the fact that I can get to all my favorite bloggers on my glob - I mean blog list on the bottom right. So when I visited it tonight, all I saw was "pop-up card" and the rest was a blur! I LOVE pop-up cards, especially when I can use the Cricut..although I didn't use it this time. I found

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-76240304142622833072009-06-17T02:18:00.005-04:002009-06-17T03:14:53.205-04:00

Ok, I have a new word for all you crazy Cricut crafters out there. SPIRELLI. I had never heard of it but it's basically making a spirographical (hey, ANOTHER new word) embellishment with string. I saw it on a scrapbooking show I watch, Scrapbook Memories. Immediately I said, HEY, what a great item to make with the Cricut! I can point you to a few free templates and get you started. Circle of

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-87776547119828369832009-06-15T04:51:00.002-04:002009-06-15T05:01:36.931-04:00

Once again, Give Away Of The Day has thought of us scrapbookers and crafters! Two useful FREE programs in a row, who'da thunk it! This one is a digital collage program. Once again I haven't tried it yet, but Wondershare is highly rated on that site and everytime one of their programs comes up, it's thumb's up! http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/wondershare-photo-collage-studio-4291/Go get it while

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-44351379938540338782009-06-14T03:38:00.004-04:002009-06-14T03:53:49.876-04:00

I don't know how familiar you might be with Giveaway of the Day. They're a cool site that gives away software for one day only. Today's giveaway is Extra Screen Capture Pro. I have not tried this but it seems like a good program if you want to do how-to videos that use your computer screen. It has video and sound, from several sources. Free for today only! Here's the link to visit their site:

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-60878914793078191622009-06-13T22:59:00.003-04:002009-06-13T23:23:19.667-04:00

I entered the Dominic wordbook I've blogged about before Mother's Day (click here to see it) in a challenge on a Ranger Yahoo group I belong to and was so happy to find I was one of the winners last month! [toot toot] Ok, done tooting my horn! :) I used Alcohol Inks on the lettering I cut out with the Cricut and the challenge was for AI projects so it fit perfectly! I had never entered a

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-69017503708831330232009-06-13T00:28:00.003-04:002009-06-13T00:53:52.534-04:00

I got some Father's Day card ideas from a Martha Stewart Living email today. Some were so cute and could be adapted for the Cricut easily. A couple woudn't even need to be cut with the machine, like the cuff. Some were rather difficult to follow along with as far as the folds go, but maybe it's just late! But if you're looking for some ideas, click here! I especially liked the spinning card and

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-2395501373431753122009-06-11T22:46:00.005-04:002009-06-11T23:15:00.827-04:00

I got it off this wonderful blog (from my filled-with-talent blogroll!), and I wanted to call attention to it for all my SCAL owning readers. It has adorable and intricate pop up cards and would be a good way to challenge yourself on converting PDFs to SVGs if you feel you're more advanced! (I loved Aslan!) The pop up cards on his site (he has Martha's reindeer popup, mentioned in an old post of

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-18066569948306448352009-05-30T01:11:00.005-04:002009-06-17T03:19:32.645-04:00

I have some favorite keyboard shortcuts that I like to use with Inkscape. They make it so much easier to manipulate the objects and not have to use the mouse or menubar. In my "real life" as a computer teacher, I teach (and use!) these shortcuts all the time! Copy and paste (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V) are indispensible in so many different applications! The first thing I tell my students is to make

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-87781169951490910562009-05-20T21:29:00.008-04:002009-05-21T00:52:19.990-04:00

I was so busy with my wordbook for Dominic's mom that I didnt get a chance to post a project on Martha Stewart's show/site that I liked and thought would be useful for our Cricut. They call it a Mother's Day purse, but it could be adapted for anything you like, including SCAL! You can visit her site with the instructions here. The templates for it are here (in PDF format, you'll need Adobe

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-12773411242456575432009-05-12T22:32:00.006-04:002009-05-13T00:22:54.263-04:00

I have had some requests for Sierra's book to be available as a download. I have my own methods of designing and cutting that may be different from other peoples, so I thought I'd explain what I did/do when making these books. Many people probably know how to design a wordbook in DS already. If so, please skip this section! The design part is easy. I LOVE DS for wordbooks, prefer it to SCAL for

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-87782887318149828832009-05-10T17:47:00.007-04:002009-05-10T19:50:05.133-04:00

I got my friends book (AND a box for it!) done and delivered in time, and even got a chance to see the recipients (her daughter) reaction! Here's some pictures of the finished product, beginning with the box. I once again cut the top and bottom using DS from 150lb watercolor paper from Michaels (gotta love the 40% off coupons!). Oh, in case I didn't mention it earlier, I cut the pages of the book

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-23736217460880916192009-05-04T16:44:00.009-04:002009-05-04T17:38:43.265-04:00

Here's the new book I've been working on. I used DS to create it, with George and Storybook. It doesn't have anything in it, yet! I'm actually posting this so the folks who commissioned it can see what it looks like so far. I used Ranger Alcohol Inks polished stone technique for the letters. They're really beautiful in person, with a lot of depth. They really remind you of tigers eye or something

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-78607012441238544852009-04-26T21:20:00.007-04:002009-04-26T23:36:11.615-04:00

This is my third word book featuring Sierra's name! Happy customers, what can I say? This one is for Sierra's mom for mothers day, from her mom and grandmother. So here's a few pics, this one is right after I cut it. TIP: I've learned from my other ones not to glue everything down til you know where the flower holes go! Also, I like to have pictures peeking out from the holes in the A's and R's,

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-73016252083207816592009-04-20T17:32:00.002-04:002009-04-20T17:39:56.085-04:00

I have many other craft interests besides paper crafting with my Cricut. One being polymer clay, both caning and sculpting. So I HAD to post about this video I saw on another blog about a guy who sculpts using such things as eyelashes and specks of dust. The part of it that I thought was odd was that he seems to hate doing it! But for the prices he commands for his work, I guess it's worth the

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-40373065066372062882009-04-08T02:14:00.003-04:002009-04-08T03:13:34.840-04:00

Martha had a show where she used Easter/farm templates (available here on her site) to cut fabric silhouettes, adhered to mat board, to make 3-d candy holders, etc. Cute project...a few rabbits and some chicks. Of course, we can use our Cricut to do all the dirty work!She used mat board, but you can cut multiple identical silhouettes from heavy-weight paper and glue several together to make them

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-80931722992513031362009-04-05T00:11:00.003-04:002009-04-05T00:20:28.172-04:00

Sorry I haven't been able to write lately, I've been sick and working a lot lately. I'm not complaining, mind you! At least not about the working, hehe.But I wanted to post about this blog and some truly awesome blog candy she's giving away. Check it out below! Click here for her blog. I'll be writing again soon, with a new faux stained glass font I found! -K

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-57913828915478519372009-03-06T19:25:00.003-05:002009-03-06T19:35:02.771-05:00

A kind reader brought it to my attention that my previous post of the svg for theVictorian Window font wasn't converted to a path. In other words, if you don't have the actual font installed in your computer, when you open my svg in SCAL it will not use the right font. I had to convert the text to a path for the file to be used correctly. With my apologies, please click here to download the file

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-24640799377592535872009-03-05T23:12:00.004-05:002009-03-05T23:36:00.032-05:00

You gotta see this site. Saw it on Woot. WOOT WOOT! ;DFrom the comments @ the site:'There is so much depth to Christian Faur’s pieces that cannot be seen via the web. First, all of his crayons are handmade, not store bought. He has 14 shades of gray alone. You need so many shades to create the three-dimensionality of the pieces. He breaks down an image into color blocks, and then draws a grid to

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-88479237250969226492009-03-04T20:34:00.003-05:002009-03-04T20:39:04.481-05:00

Once again Martha Stewart has done a project with downloadable templates that could be imported into Inkscape and cut with SCAL. There are some farm animals and some sealife. Nice of her to think of us that way, even if she doesn't know it! ;) Click here to go to the project page. Happy cutting!

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-17920638370281947292009-03-03T19:12:00.002-05:002009-03-03T19:19:00.203-05:00

I should've mentioned that the file was made completely with George. I blame the flu for all my mistakes lately! At least I have a good excuse for once! :)TIP: If you ever get a file and you aren't sure what cartridges are used, open the file in Design Studio, right click the parts and choose Show Cartridge. Happy Cutting!

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-1113586579113279232009-03-02T01:44:00.002-05:002009-03-02T01:52:06.430-05:00

I had a question asking if my earlier asian motif svg was usable in Design Studio. I haven't designed anything since my Christmas card (seen in a previous post) with DS and got the urge to try, since I thought it wouldn't be too hard. Most of the design could be done with rectangles, after all. The curved sections are a little more tricky, though. I never did find a good curved shape to use on

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-19962371078086642112009-03-01T01:42:00.001-05:002009-03-01T01:55:16.846-05:00

Well, I finally got around to cutting the dragonfly faux stained glass lampshade that I posted a few days ago.Bad news!It's a little too flimsy to really hold up well when pulling it off the mat, and forget scoring those thin lines! So I had to play around with the file. The revised edition (which is pictured below) works just fine!That'll teach me to post a file without testing it first! Sorry

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-83639131599500712032009-02-28T18:00:00.006-05:002009-03-06T19:39:26.391-05:00

In keeping with my stained glass kick, I found a really cool font (Victorian Window) that has built in stained glass windows. These would look so cool on a card or in a scrapbook. I made an SVG file with all the letters included. You can just copy the ones you'd like to cut to a new Inkscape file and then import it to SCAL. Here's what it looks like. Click here to download. NEW: THIS FILE WAS

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-4317629217605084022009-02-27T21:07:00.003-05:002009-02-27T21:29:44.789-05:00

Okay, I'm a perfectionist. I took another look at my Oriental/Celtic ornament and decided there was one line that wasn't quite where it should be! So I'm offering the revised file again. Click here to get it. Also, a comment I got earlier mentioned using this file as corners for a photo...terrific idea! BUT kind of hard to do since the pieces cut separately. SO I revised my ornament so it cuts as

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-30737435939712540812009-02-27T21:00:00.003-05:002009-02-27T21:07:12.034-05:00

Martha is just rollin' with the paper cutouts lately! Today she had paper cutouts on nightlight lampshades. She actually scraplifted my previous idea of having the cutouts on the INSIDE of the shade so they're not visible 'til the light is on! Okay, just kidding. I don't know of a single technique that Martha hasn't used way before I ever thought of it! Here's the link to that page.Here's a link

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-81424321747359028422009-02-26T19:23:00.004-05:002009-03-06T22:04:22.963-05:00

I'm finally sharing a design I can consider mine...although the original came from a mirror I used to own. I love Asian things and scraplifted the design years ago and made a faux etched design on my dining room table...one in each corner. Eventually the faux stuff began to peel off, so I made a stencil and did a real etching on one corner later. I had a craft related accident last year and broke

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-22055747961739905452009-02-23T00:06:00.003-05:002009-02-23T00:23:39.183-05:00

I finally found the time to make a couple of faux stained glass lampshade files that I felt I could share. The originals are from http://www.prostainedglass.com/. The front page says it's okay to make copies and distribute them, so I feel that making these SVGs are well within the guidelines. I haven't cut them yet but if you do, I'd love to see them! I may cut them a bit later and if I do I'll

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-76190609228812502009-02-17T23:38:00.007-05:002009-02-20T21:08:55.360-05:00

I said I'd talk a bit about the border/frames around my photos in the word books I've been making. I believe I used some unusual methods to create my photo frames (for lack of abetter thing to call them!).I started off in Inkscape with a rectangle sized for the photos I had already cropped...such as 4" x 6"....I had many different sizes! Then I began by picking a font I liked and typing 3

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-60373859542998814442009-02-16T23:20:00.003-05:002009-02-17T00:11:25.542-05:00

Went looking for more lampshades tonight. Here's a link to the site where I got the original pattern for the one in my previous post, showing how to create your own stained glass pattern and linking to my original pattern. After seeing that, I believe that we could take suncatchers, etc, that we find out there and piece our own creations together just as she did. It'd be easier to piece things

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-6675361304302012632009-02-16T01:02:00.008-05:002009-02-16T21:10:48.845-05:00

Here's the completed smaller book. I chose to close this one with a ribbon. It ties to the A and wraps around behind the book, across the front and ties in a bow. But that wasn't quite good enough!Page oneSuch a photogenic child! There's the photo she actually smiled in with the Easter Bunny.Nothing like a baby's laugh.The pictures didn't come out that well. I was trying to show my SCAL cut

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-56464085070284139892009-02-12T20:46:00.008-05:002009-02-23T00:06:03.298-05:00

Here's a few photos of my latest Cricut crazy idea! I had been thinking of doing these for a few days and on one of my newgroups, suddenly a person mentioned making stained glass lampshades! My jaw almost fell off, hehe.But my idea is a bit different. After doing these, now I'm thinking of doing the cutout with black vinyl, layering it on clear acrylic plastic (cut on the Cricut of course!) and

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-17414969175390244402009-02-08T01:01:00.010-05:002009-02-12T22:25:11.362-05:00

The completed book!I don't know why there's all this space, but scroll down! Blogger doesn't seem to like me... First page (click to see larger version)I made the "holey" frames on the Cricut, from Inkscape to SCAL! I had the opportunity tonight to look through some more pictures and I was told there is only one picture of Sierra where she's not crying and trying to get away from the Easter Bunny

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-84510525693946502302009-02-07T00:30:00.004-05:002009-02-07T00:52:04.733-05:00

She did it again...came up with a project that can be done with the Cricut...and SCAL..! Here's a link to the site: Click Here to see her make a pretty little heart shaped candy box and find the template for it.Yesterday she had another project that also could be adapted to the Cricut...Huge Crepe Paper roses. You can watch the video here and the one for the hair ornaments here, and see the

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-38126600723459740572009-02-02T15:37:00.003-05:002009-02-02T15:54:15.769-05:00

I'm just now doing some actual scrapbooking, I'm making a wordbook about my friend's niece for her mother. This is the bigger one of the two, as the ONE I was making turned into TWO, a smaller book made from cereal boxes and printed scrapbook paper and a bigger one (below) partially cut on the E from matboard, but completed by craft knife. These photos are just sitting on the pages, not glued

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-85510606916137479962009-01-23T20:11:00.002-05:002009-01-23T20:15:47.680-05:00

I have a new word for all you Cricut and SCAL lovers...It apparently sounds like either a sneeze or a bad word, but in writing it's not so bad! It's Scherenschnitte! *Bless me!*I happened across this word on my favorite newsgroup, cricutcutter, where someone posted screenshots of the newest Cricut carts that are coming out after CHA. On the description of A Child's Year, which is silhouettes (my

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-64714295116534123522009-01-18T13:42:00.001-05:002009-01-18T13:45:06.078-05:00

SeaJay from ScrapShare.com let me know that my comment thingy isn't working. I have no idea how to fix it. I even went to one of their standard templates and it still didn't work (so I went to one I liked but it's still broke...). If you know how to fix it can you leave me a comment? :DJUST KIDDING!But honestly, can you mail me @ MyKarmaRanOverYourDogma(at)gmail.com if you know how I can fix it?

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-10269405199548065942009-01-16T03:58:00.009-05:002009-01-16T04:50:37.753-05:00

New Obama File and Mini TuteWell, I've done some more research and found a great list of vector graphics programs, free and otherwise. Gotta love the Wiki!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vector_graphics_editorsI did some tests with a photo I took of another Obama picture. I just saw the artist on Colbert and he said he doesn't mind if people use his picture as long as they aren't trying to

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-7590986699331101502009-01-16T03:52:00.003-05:002009-01-16T03:58:08.653-05:00

Martha and the CricutNot sure if anyone saw Martha Stewart Wednesday, but she had an artist on who hand cut out silhouettes and made these adorable landscape-like layouts. They were so cute, and of course I decided to try to make 'em with the Cricut! Here's the link to the templates for this project. I'll see if I can come up with a cut file for some of them later!Martha Stewart's siteWe need to

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-29679672677340421302009-01-15T04:06:00.005-05:002009-01-15T19:15:07.962-05:00

Obama Cut File I don't have time to get into how this file was created - at least not as in depth as I normally would! The fast version: I started off taking a photo of the poster that we got on Election Day. I used Paint.net to flat out erase most of the background, then converted the picture to grayscale by desaturating it. I imported it into Inkscape and with a little editing, came up with

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-18638158947806183082009-01-05T18:54:00.011-05:002009-01-06T22:47:24.627-05:00

Design StudioThere are many who prefer SCAL and its flexibility, but DS can be flexible, too. I have a feeling that now that I have SCAL I won’t be using this technique so much, but perhaps someone else out there can benefit!A couple of Christmases ago, Martha Stewart featured a popup Christmas Reindeer card. I had just gotten the baby Cricut and DS, but had no idea I could create my own file to

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-81481036569136259392009-01-05T16:09:00.003-05:002009-01-05T20:55:46.143-05:00

Inkscape and PhotosI have discovered that the free graphics program Inkscape (used with SCAL) allows you to import photographs as well as graphical type pictures. The photos should be simple and contrasty - in other words, dark details along with bright highlights. B&W photos work well! You can use other graphics programs to adjust your color photos to work...I use Gimp quite often, which is also

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1901576254398854110.post-17489017410372706402009-01-05T15:56:00.001-05:002009-01-05T20:58:44.892-05:00

Hi, my online name is Karma. I'm a computer teacher and I live in eastern central Florida. I've had a Cricut for a little more than a year now and since joining a couple of Yahoo newsgroups have really learned a lot about the software and capabilities of this fabulous machine. From being able to create your own embossing folders to etching glass, there seem to be so many possibilities ahead! I've

Karmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03172375551559071900noreply@blogger.com0