Mother's Day Cards

Yes, I know Mother's Day was a ways back, but my life has been in such chaos, that posting his been pretty impossible!  Thank goodness the cards weren't late like this post!  :o)  I was invited to another Stampin' Up party, this time hosted by my friend, Brenda.  We made five adorable cards, thanks to Deb, our SU consultant!  This is one of the Mother's Day cards we made:

I LOVE this card! In fact, it's the one I gave to my mom!  I happened to show another friend the cards we made, and she asked me to make her a card like this for her mom.  After explaining that I didn't have the exact paper, punches, brads, etc., from this one, but I could come up with something similar, she still wanted me to make one.  Here's the one I came up with using my Cricut and a couple of stamp sets:

Pretty good "scrap-lift," if I do say so, myself!  :o)  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Black Friday 2010

Today was Black Friday!  That means that all the crazy shoppers hit the stores early for deep discounts on all kinds of merchandise.  Well, I kicked off black Friday with a trip to Wal-Mart (.com, that is!), as well as to JoAnn's (.com).  While crazy, adrenaline-filled shoppers were beginning to elbow each other at 12:01 am, I sat in my bathrobe, with a cup of hot chocolate, and shopped online. 
Don't get me wrong...I'm a BF veteran.  I've done the whole BF thing for years!  This year, BF was not my BFF.  I just decided to try it a new way this year!  It was awesome!  Within minutes, I had the select items in my cart and ready for checkout.  Everything went off without a hitch, and I was in bed by 1:30 a.m.  I thought (briefly) about joining the rat race in the wee hours of the morning, but when I didn't even hear my alarm (from being in such a deeeep sleep), I was more than happy to SLEEP IN! 
Surprisingly, when I did venture out around 1pm today, there were still MANY "doorbuster" deals available.  I was truly surprised at the amount of items that were left from the early morning chaos.  JoAnn's and Michael's both had the Cricut Personal for $59.99 (Mike's automatically changed their sign to match Jo's, since they're about a mile apart).  When I got to Jo's, there were plenty of Cricut carts to be had.  Previous exclusives to HSN and Expression bundles, were on their display.  There was Picturesque, Straight from the Nest, and two Martha Stewart Cake carts, as well as several new releases.  I picked a couple that I haven't been able to find elsewhere, and went on my way. 
At Mike's, I picked up some paper (50% off all stacks), and a couple of presents for my nieces.  Oh, and of course, some scented pine cones (since DH came along, and was holding a spot in line w/the basket--and they are his favorite). 
Later, I stopped at Target and Wal-Mart.  Of course I had to convince DH to take a couple of Cricut-hugger photos!  He probably thought I was crazy, BUT they new Cricut Expressions were SOOOOO GORGEOUS!!!  *Sigh*  How could a person even decide??? I LOVE the green, but the Aqua and Plum were also divine!  Even the Canary wasn't as obnoxious as I had imagined!  I was totally bummed that the lites they had on sale were only the "new releases" and none of the "older" 24.  I really wanted to get Handy Man, Wildlife, Dude, and possibly Billionaire.  Oh well, just saved myself some $$$.  Hope everyone had a safe and fun Thanksgiving, and a fun-filled Black Friday!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Hmmm....New PC Patent?

Came across this new patent listed for Provo Craft.  This patent seems rather interesting...It almost looks like a new Gypsy-type machine that will not only connect to the Cricut and computer, but it also showed a Yudu icon, as well as possibly being usable with a sewing/embroidery machine.  That's most of the information that I got out of the patent.  See for yourself, and you decide: http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freepatentsonline.com%2F20100217428.pdf&h=c379f . 

Imagine...Temptation...

Well, I know the total buzz on all the boards for the past few days has been about the newest addition to the Cricut family of products: the Cricut Imagine.  For the last 24 hours, HSN (Home Shopping Network) ran jam-packed craft segments.  There was Tim Holtz, Cricut Jinger, K & Company, 3 Birds, and so many more! 
Unfortunately, I, like most people I know, worked today away (which probably helped protect the wallet!), so I surely missed many fantastic items for sale.  The one thing I made sure to watch whenever I could catch the segments, was the new Cricut Imagine. 
I really am excited about this new machine.  Do I NEED this machine? No, but would love to own one!  I've admittedly gone "Cricut crazy" the last few years, and am an avid collector of all the cartridges.  With over 100 carts, to date, I know you must wonder if there are any unused ones in my collection.  There actually are a couple: Basketball and Robotz have as of yet to be cut from.  But, I digress.
The HSN bundle looked cool, and I'll admit that I learned a couple of things that really spiked the temptation meter.  I didn't realize that there would now be printable vinyl and that you could also print the images on transparencies and photo paper.  The idea of creating professional looking vinyl with printing on it, gives me a million ideas.  Also, the ability to take Cricut images, customize them, and then also print on fabric transfer is super cool! 
Tonight (towards the end of the showings), I finally got my husband to watch a few minutes of the Imagine.  I said: "Imagine...your wife with the ultimate Cricut..."  That was a no go.  "Imagine...your wife creating professional-looking products".  Another no go, he says I already do that and don't need a new machine.  Of course he steered the conversation to items he desires, then left the room mumbling "crack for crafters" under his breath. 
Now, I'm a deal predator....but, do you think I cracked and was one of the 10,000 people ordering the Cricut Imagine today on HSN?  I guess only time will tell...

Cricut Imagine

Ah, with the arrival of Summer CHA (Craft & Hobby Association), comes many new and awesome products for the upcoming seasons.  One of the many announcements, is the newest thing to hit the Cricut world, the Cricut Imagine! 
This new machine cuts 12x12, BUT, it also prints!   From what I've read, it will work with all existing carts, and also have new color/pattern carts to go with it and bring images to life.  Hmm....sounds intriguing, right?  I'm not sure I want to deal with replacing ink carts, along with blades, buying new papers, etc...  The MSRP?  It's right around where I guessed it would be: $599.99!  It will apparently be offered on HSN first, which will make it more affordable (since I'm assuming they'll have it on flex-pay).   Hmm....the price would have to come down ALOT.  
Here's some great information that Sarah Pink Cricut shared this morning:  http://www.pinkcricut.com/2010/07/cricut-imagine-announce/

For now, I will stick with my Expression.  After all, I love picking out the colors and layering images myself.  I must admit that I am drooling over the new machine though.   Note to self: must plant a whole orchard of money trees....~Hoppy Crafting!