Thursday, April 28, 2011

A New Toy - A New Creative Spark!

A brand new toy arrived on my doorstep this week, courtesy of My Crafter Corner! My Craft Corner is an online community for all types of crafters and artisans - this community with over 1,500 members has all sorts of groups, forums, and member pages, all full of creativity and inspiration. Each year they have a "Meet & Greet" contest where the grand prize is a Cricut Expression cutting machine...and this year, I happened to be the big winner (I can't believe it - I am still in awe)! I never expected to receive such a generous prize simply for meeting other creative people. I actually received two prize packages - one containing two Cricut cartridges and one containing the Cricut Expressions machine (and it had two additional cartridges!). I am not a big scrapbooker, so I wasn't as familiar with this personal cutting system as I probably should have been...but once I watched the enclosed DVD and saw what it's capabilities were, I was blown away by this amazing prize! If you read my blog often, then you know I am a huge stationery fan and love to send notes in the mail - when I found out I could make my own cards and gift tags, I was over-the moon!
















After looking at the manual and viewing the enclosed DVD, I jumped in and loaded a piece of white card stock - I just started cutting/trying different shapes and sizes, getting used to how the machine worked...oh my goodness, was I ever impressed...all of a sudden my mind was working overtime thinking of all the creative aspects and how to incorporate this machine into my already overflowing studio...I was inspired more than I ever imagined! After understanding how the machine worked and trying a couple different cartridges, I decided to jump in and make my first card - I opted for a thank you note - cutting a dark brown card and beige envelope...then cutting the letters for THANKS and a couple flowers and a heart - WOW, I made one on my first try - it is not the most exciting and it is far from perfect, but I am learning!






















Okay - so now I have another new crafting addiction...I know, just what I needed...I have already purchased some beautiful papers and cardstock...and I have a couple more cartridges on the way. If you have one of these fancy schmancy machines and have any tips or tricks for me, please pass them along...and if you have favorite cartridges, I would love to know what they are, as well...

Thank you to My Craft Corner for such a phenomenal contest prize...and for sparking my creativity...

10 comments:

  1. Belinda, what an awesome prize you got. Your first card looks great. Enjoy Love/hugs, Mary A.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that is a very nice win, congratulations.
    I like the machine, but would love to get the one that is computerized and you can make your own designs. That way I save a bundle on having to buy cartridges.

    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow what a fabulou prize - Congratulations!
    Hope you enjoy playing withyour new toy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You lucky dog! And what a great job you did on your card. Lot of fun for you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations on winning such a wonderful prize!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've had my eye on one of these for quite some time and am COMPLETELY green with envy! Can't wait to see more of your creations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations to you on your win! What a wonderful prize to receive! Your first card looks great! Enjoy your new tool!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lucky you!! I think your card looks great! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, what a fabulous prize, lucky lady!
    And your first attempt at a card is great, well done!

    ReplyDelete