What's in a bag?!?!?!?!?!?!

I'm not sure about the rest of you but my DSLR is attached to my hip, this camera goes almost everywhere with me.  I have searched and searched the vast netherlands of the internet to find a *CUTE* chic ladies camera bag. Have you all noticed that every bag you come across is rugged and black and just UMPH, so underwhelming..... Well ladies...... feast your eyes on this.......

This is the most delicious bag.... (Could be because I LOVE the color pink) but really, look at all that space, and those pockets.... This is a bag that you can take with you anywhere and use it not only as your camera bag but also a mini purse..... I literally started drooling when I saw this bag so of course in true Natalie fashion I head over to the website to order mine with express shipping because I can not wait the 5-7 business days only to find out this bag is not in stock anymore. I was so sad but soon realized they had some just as adorable bags.... I just placed my order for the Rose bag in Raspberry and yes, I did pay extra for expedited shipping. I can not wait until this cute little baby arrives on my doorstep with a shipping label addressed to me!!!!!!!!!!! I will record a video of the grand unveiling when it arrives.

Until then, if you would like to own one of these just for the ladies ultra cute multipurpose camera bags head on over to http://www.jototes.com and order one for yourself because ladies, this one is all mine!!!!!!!!!!!

~Natalie

7 things I love about the Cricut Imagine

Those who know me know that I am a collector of sorts; I like to collect anything from shoes to purses so why shouldn’t it be any different when it comes to my scrapbook tools. When the Cricut Imagine was first introduced I am not going to lie, I was extremely hesitant about not only the machine but also the cost factor. I had already invested so much into my expression and cartridges I could not justify buying one. I am a lover of Provo craft don’t get me wrong, I have the original cricut create, the expression and a gypsy but buying a new machine with the price tag that the Imagine had and then having to start a new collection of cartridges just did not appeal to me, that was until I saw this baby in action… I started my search at the Cricut.com website then found some YouTube videos and was amazed at the possibilities it could do. It really is all about the IMAGINEation with this machine.

Here is my list of the 7 top things I love about the Imagine…

1.     It prints AND cuts… Gone are the days of color blocking on the cutting mat to get the colors I want for the imagine and use as little time as possible.

2.     You can change the background of your image.. Say you don’t like the sample background paper, no problem, simply pick what you want and off you go.

3.     You can use your original cricut cartridges with the Imagine (Whew, I would hate to not be able to use some of my favorite cartridges.)

4.     It works with my gypsy.. Again, this is great because I don’t need another wasted tool lying around.

5.     It’s a time saver, I can create beautiful banners, cards, place holders anything I want with a multi-color layer affect and all I need is a sheet of plain white paper.

6.     All the adorable cartridges they have come out with for the Imagine makes it so easy to make a card in under 5 minutes, if I want a special sheet of 12x12 paper and I don’t have what I am looking for, no problem, I can just make my own.

7.     And last but certainly not least, I can get my favorite discontinued color just by changing the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colors, gone are the days when you go to your scrapbook store to get the perfect shade of pink only to find out that the manufacturer has discontinued it!!!!!

If this has not convinced you that the Imagine is the perfect machine then I don’t know what will…. Just watch our video tutorials and see just how far your IMAGINEation can take you.

~Natalie

I Will Never Buy a Cricut!

Cricut Personal: The Original

I love meeting new people who love to paper craft just like me. I know Natalie does too. When I hear people say, “I will never buy a Cricut” I get a big silly grin on my face and start listening intently. *Muahahaha* People will go on and on about the reasons why. Heck, I used to be one of those people. It’s just so funny to listen in.  So I wait and I wait, for that one moment where I can casually interject and say, “Really? Never? I can’t imagine living without my Cricut” (or, something like that).  Then I’ll go into all the different things I’ve made and how it saved me time and money, blah, blah, blah. I mean, you would think I’m a total salesperson for Provo Craft, the makers of the Cricut. But I am not – I just really like their stuff.

Don’t get me wrong…there are plenty of things about the Cricut that can be pretty annoying. It’s not a perfect machine – I mean it doesn’t make a Carmel Machiatto for me, sheesh - but it’s the best thing us “scrappers” have to work with.  Let me just say this one thing: I wish the screen was a whole lot bigger across the board. I’ll just leave it at that. Maybe I’ll post my rants someday on this blog to commiserate with all of you out there. 

So back on topic…last weekend, Natalie and I were at a stamping class and some of the super sweet ladies in the class were talking about this very topic and how they never use their Cricuts, they’re intimidated by it, they don’t know what to use it for, and so on. By the end of the conversation, I secretly felt like there was a good chance that one of those ladies would go home and tinker around on their machine. One person even suggested that the store offer a Cricut class. That just puts all kinds of warm fuzzies all over my heart! Yay to her.

Well, I suppose that’s when Nat and I started feeling inspired and really wanted to help people break through the barriers of using their machines, hence the point of this blog.  (Did I just say “hence”? It totally reminds me of “House Bunny”, the movie with Anna Farris where she’s pretending to be smart and says it so confidently. Does anyone remember that scene?) 

We really want to help you out if you’re struggling with that Cricut. So if there is something you would like us to demonstrate in a video or even a little thing like what the heck does the “repeat last” button do…we are SO happy to help. Bring it on. We will try really hard to make it fun and easy for you to learn.  See you and your Cricut soon!

Making the First Cut from Your New Cricut Imagine

So you bought the Cricut Imagine. Now what? 

Let's break it in and make the first cut!

Plain and simple.