So remember the banner I posted? I had some pieces that I had cut that were too small for a banner and I didn't want them to go to waste so what do I do? I MAKE CARDS WITH THEM!
I used the Heartfelt Creations Botanical Rose stamped and cut images as the focal point and for the background I used the Chicken wire embossing folder to make it look like they were kinda poking through a fence.
So this card could be used for a variety of occasions I didn't do a sentiment on the outside or inside. This way I can stamp something on the inside when I use it or just write a quick note.
I colored the flowers with Promarkers and spritzed with glimmer mist when I got ready to shape the petals because I'm as addicted to shimmer as a rock star is addicted to cocaine *okie thinks she needs to stop typing up blog posts when it's late because there is no telling what words will be pecked out of her keyboard*. I dotted some glue on the middle of the flower and added some flock. Oh and on the banner I added dots with a white gel pen and it made a big difference on how it looked.
Banners are something I don't make often but I do like to make them and I am always listening and watching for times I can make a banner project.
I have a little friend who loves her glitter and I promised her I would make her a name banner for her bedroom and all I needed to know was what colors she wanted. And, if you are a little girl that names her pet bird Princess Poppy the only font that would be acceptable is Storybook! Storybook was one of my favorite Cricut cartridges because the wonderful fonts that looked so fancy with the layers available to dress up the letters and it worked wonderfully for the banner.
If you know how expensive glitter paper is you know that you tend to find ways to add a glitter detail without using up the expensive glitter goodness of glitter cardstock and for this project I opted for that absolutely sparkly, glitter, shininess that only the Duck Deco Glitter Laminate can offer. If you haven't seen this stuff in person let me tell you that there isn't a picture available to convey how gorgeous this stuff can make a project!
**Settings** I had to finagle *okie is always amazed that the word finagle is actually a word and it has to be since it never gets that red underline when she types it* with the settings to find the right one for the laminate. If you cut too strong it will cut right through the laminate and the backing sheet. I finally found that for the Explore the Washi Tape setting works quite well. Sometimes I did get a slight cut through the backing paper but for the most part it worked great.
Once I had the letters on the banner pieces they seemed to need a little something else and I thought about my pearls I have in my stash of embellishments and they added that pieces de resistance we often strive for in our projects. My little friend was very pleased with her banner and as far as I know it is still hanging in her bedroom!
Most of y'all know I'm a little sneaky with giveaways and I don't always announce when I'm doing a giveaway but I will give little hints. This time when I posted the link to the Cricut Totes Review - Okieladybug Style in Facebook groups I said "make sure you read the whole post" that way people would know to read and find out about the giveaway.
I had to laugh at some of the responses I got about me being crazy for tossing my Explore in the tote off my porch and then tossing a few times around in the yard. I knew folks would think I was crazy but I wanted to give a TRUE TO LIFE test of the tote and how the machine would hold up during rough handling. I am pleased to say that the Explore is still working great and after a few drops of super glue to the dial it is back on the machine and fully functional, like it was never broken in the first place! Again I would advise that you put some tape on the dial and the doors to hold them in place if you feel your machine is going to get a rough handling.
I had a few thousand views of my post and videos but not nearly that many entries, which is a good thing for me because I didn't have to print off, cut and fold a ton of entries to get a winner. In order to enter all that needed to be done was to answer 4 questions and email those to the email link given in the post. I didn't think that was too much to ask to win but maybe some people felt it was not worth the effort or they didn't want a chance to win a fabulous Cricut Tote or maybe they just didn't read the full post and see that there was a giveaway. What ever the reason it doesn't matter now because we have a winner!!
My daughter came in and was thrilled to get to pull the name out of the bowl, although once she looked at the picture she said "Oh I look rough!". She had just gotten out of the shower and straightened her hair and was getting ready to get in bed and I didn't think she looked rough. At least she was clean and smelled good!
As you can see the winner she pulled is Robyn Williams and in the email Robyn answered the 3 questions correctly and included her answer of how she would use the tote.
1. Mud hole
2. Fabric cleaner
3. Handy dandy little pliers
And 4.....to store Cricut when not using and to transfer when visiting daughter
So congratulations to Robyn Williams for winning the Cricut Tote Giveaway!!
I know some folks might be curious about how my Explore is doing after my CRICUT TOTE REVIEW where I threw it off my porch and then tossed it around my yard so I thought I would go ahead and get this posted before some other projects post. I am happy to announce that the dial is functioning just fine after I put a few drops of super glue on the shaft and then glued the shaft to the dial. You can't even tell it was ever broken! The machine cut wonderfully, although I did get a few shockwave errors during cutting *something that irritates okie to no end* and was scared the program was going to shut down during the middle of my cutting but I waited and it cleared up. Oh how I love my Explore Air 2 but hate that dang software!! Thank goodness I only use it for cutting!
I found some Onesies in my craft closet last week that my friend Carmen had given me quite some time ago and made up a few of them for my great nephew Lane. When he was born I made a BABY FRAME and a NAME BOOK and this is the first thing I've made him since then.
I admit I cheated and did a Google search *okie cheats like that a lot and thinks everyone else probably does as well* and found my ideas. I still have 4 more Onesies to do but not sure what I'll put on those. I think I have an easier time making girly stuff that boy stuff, especially since ya don't use glitter or rhinestones for boy things, at least not this little boy.
This is a picture of little Lane, it was taken a few months ago. He is such a happy baby and is always so good when we all get together for family day. He rarely fusses and is always smiling! I don't think I'm biased about how cute he is since I will say if a baby is ugly. After all, when my child was born I took one look at her and said "oh she's ugly" but luckily she got cute real fast, otherwise I was going to have to send her off somewhere! *okie cracks up laughing*.
As you can see, the Explore Air2 survived my review process and did a fabulous job of cutting out the HTV for the Onesies, even the finest details were cut as if it had never been tossed off the porch or across the yard! GO CRICUT TOTE!!!
If you would like to purchase the Boy Onsies HTV Designs click the "Buy Now" button and follow the directions that are listed below. Purchase includes all 4 designs as pictured.
Once you hit the "BUY NOW" it will take you to Paypal where you can pay for the item. Once purchase is complete Paypal will redirect you to "Return to Merchant" where you will given the link to download the file from Google Drive.
**For those expecting the making your own envelope glue post today I apologize and it will post tomorrow**
I was contacted by the Provocraft man a few weeks ago about reviewing their set of Cricut Totes and I agreed and told them "ya know I am going to put my machine in that tote and throw it off my porch don't you?" At the time I wondered if he took me seriously or not but I know when I posted on Facebook that I was going to toss it off my porch that folks there believed me and some folks thought I was crazy. One lady even asked "Why would you do that?" and I immediately knew she doesn't know me and how I like to review products. For those of you who don't really know me just know that when I do a review I am willing to make sacrifices if needed because if I am going to say I approve or recommend a product I am going to mean it.
There are a lot of reviews out there that show how nicely made the Cricut Totes are, how roomy, how stylish, yadda, yadda, yadda but I am not that reviewer. They are actually stylish and roomy though but, I'm the reviewer that is going to really put crap to the test and for this review it meant putting my machine in the tote and seeing how well it would fair under extreme circumstances.
There were 3 main reasons I wanted to toss the tote containing my Cricut Explore Air2 off the porch.
1. Because I wanted a true test of the durability of the tote
2. No one else that I know of has done this type of test with the tote
and finally...
3. Nail Provocraft for a crappy product and inferior craftsmanship
I apologize for having 3 segements for the video, I honestly tried for like 4 hours on how to get them all together and I finally did using the YouTube program but then they wanted me to buy the program because it was over 5 minutes long *insert angry emoji here*. Windows 10 has really messed me up on being able to edit videos because I use to have a program that was fairly simple for me to use but alas, I can't use it anymore.
Now on to the review!
Cricut Tote Review - Part 1
In this segment you see me throwing the Cricut Explore Air2 off my porch and then tossing it in my yard a few times and if it survived.
Cricut Tote Review - Part 2
This segment shows me unpacking the machine after I got it back in the house.
Cricut Tote Review - Part 3
The final segment shows if the machine was able to operate after the rough handling I gave it.
Now you might be concerned about my dial that broke off during the experiment but never fear I was able to find the collar pieces, one in the yard and the other in the tote, and using some Loctite Super Glue Gel I glued the color pieces together and then to the dial. Once I let it set I then was able to pop the dial back on the machine and it works perfectly.
Overall I would say the Cricut Tote line is a far more superior product than I expected. I honestly thought my machine would bust apart during the whole process. Now I know that if and when I do take my machine on an airplane I just need to tape a few things down before packing it in the tote. I would also suggest that you use some type of strap to keep the tote securely shut. I have no worries about it being tossed in the trunk of my car for trips.
I will give the Cricut Tote line a thumbs up on durability, craftsmanship and style. I have agreed to do a giveaway since I believe in the product *okie doesn't do giveaways of products she doesn't believe in or recommend*. In order to be eligible answer the 4 following questions and email to Okieladybug Giveaway and title your email Cricut Tote Giveaway. DO NOT COMMENT WITH THE ANSWERS HERE. ANY COMMENTS CONTAINING THE ANSWERS WILL BE DELETED.
1. In segment 1 of the review what kind of hole did the tote hit?
2. In segment 2 of the review what did I say might clean up the tote?
3. In segment 3 of the review what did I use to change material settings for cutting?
4. How would you use the Cricut Tote?
Entry deadline is Wednesday, May 24th 2017 at midnight Central time. All directions must be followed or entry will be deleted. Multiple entries will be deleted. Winner will be notified by a post on this website on or before Saturday, May 27th 2017. Prize will be shipped directly from Provocraft, they will determine the date of shipping after receiving winner information.
A few weeks ago there was some type of mass loss of internet connection in my area causing quite a havoc of problems. As most of you know the Cricut Explore Air 2 uses the Cricut Design Space software and it is an internet dependent which meant and I was left dead in the water for doing any cutting. Of course I was able to design just fine since I use Make The Cut but no cutting was gonna be happening at my house...or was there?
Back I 2014 I purchased a Pazzles Vue and at the time I got the machine I was busy doing a lot of other things and never really used the machine and then I was busy getting ready to move and after I got moved I had been sent the Explore to review so the poor Vue has been housed in my craftroom closet. Since I was able to easily upload the SVG's I designed and cut with the Explore I just never took the time to learn the Vue. I had opened the software a few times and it looked a little overwhelming and I admit I am lazy. I usually stick with what I know and I didn't want to learn a new software. The whole internet dilemma made me panic a little about what would I do if I had a project that needed to be done and I couldn't cut with the Explore so I decided to pull out the Vue and try and figure it out!
I felt like saying "DUH ME!" and I probably did say that when I figured out I could easily upload the SVG's I do in MTC in the Pazzles software and cut. When I got ready to cut something I noticed that all the settings were there for me, much like the Explore, I just had to choose the material I was cutting and the pressure and speed was set for me and it gave me a suggested blade depth setting. It also has the ability to save my own settings as well and I did for a few things I cut over the next few days. This is a big improvement over using the Pazzles Inspiration where I had to figure out all my own settings and write them down.
Now I know the Explore machines will cut some very delicate things and will cut them with wonderfully accuracy and I admit I held my breath a little bit when cutting the image of the butterfly. I left it on the mat so you can see how thin some of the lines are and the little ovals in the wings of the butterfly. An accurate description of my feelings when I pulled it out of the machine is probably OVER THE MOON!
Now this doesn't mean I am giving up my Explore *okie wonders if she should say that at this very moment the Explore is in the craft closet* but I feel beyond blessed to know I have two machines that cut wonderfully.
I haven't used the Pazzles Vue enough to do a pros and cons list of it and the Explore in a side by side comparison but I know a few things I like about each that I will list and even though there are more things about the Explore I like the fact that I don't have to depend on the internet with the Vue is worth every item and more in the list of the Explore.
Pazzles Vue
More cutting force
No internet needed
Explore -
Bluetooth, no cord needed
Smaller footprint
Closes completely
Quiet when cutting
I'll try to keep posting about the two as I use them so I can keep track of what I like and don't like about the two.
Ya know there are times when we see something that just catches our eye and the other day when I was in Walmart I saw something that definitely fit that bill! I was actually back in the craft section getting some paddle wire to use with my Bowdabra, yes folks I am one of those people who actually owns one of those fabulous bow making contraptions. In fact, I own two! I have the regular Bowdabra and the Mini-Bowdabra but that is another story...back to what caught my eye!
I had grabbed my paddle wire and something hanging on the end cap caught my eye....glimmer!! I mean GORGEOUS GLIMMER too! It reminded me of little shiny diamonds on a roll that resembled contact paper. Why had I never seen this product before...oh wait, that would be because I rarely go in the craft department of Walmart anymore and now I'm thinking maybe I need to stop in every now and then because I could be missing out on some awesome stuff!
The price was $5.97 for a roll that measures 20" x 6' and I quickly half way did the math in my head and thought "well this is cheaper than glitter vinyl". The packaging says it is permanent but since I thought of using it on ornaments I didn't figure it not being like super permanent would be a problem. I wasn't sure if the Explore Air 2 would cut this stuff but since that machine seems to cut just about everything else I've tried I tossed the roll in my buggy and figured if it didn't cut then I could find some use for the lovely glimmer sticky stuff.
I had to call Carmen and send her pictures of the stuff and her reply was "OOHHH SHINY DIAMONDS!" and we both cracked up laughing *okie wonders if she should explain why she and Carmen would both have the same thought but the figures she doesn't want to do all that typing*. I first tried cutting it on the "washi sheet" setting and that didn't work so well. I looked for what material was a notch or two more than that and I saw the printable vinyl setting and that my friends seemed to be just about right!
Now to see how sparkly this stuff really is you will probably need to click on the picture and make it bigger...go ahead...I'll wait *while waiting okie stretches her neck from side to side, takes a few relaxing breathes* SEE!! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?? It is one of those OOOHHH MMMYYY GGAAWWDDDD. Okay it might just be OMG in the picture but in person it is for sure OOHHHH MMMYYY GGAAWWDDDD!
I immediately regretted not getting the gold Deco Glimmer Laminate but I went by yesterday and picked up a roll to try on some red ornaments and while I don't think it sparkles quite as much I still love the look it gives. It's really hard to get a good picture to show the true mesmerizing sparkle of the glimmer laminate but if you click the picture look toward the outer edges of the design and I think you can see the sparkle a bit better.
I had an extra little set of silver swirlies and my stainless steel tumbler was sitting in my handy dandy ScrapMaBob***side note: if you don't have a ScrapMaBob and you are a heavy drinker like me I highly recommend this handy dandy gadget*** and I figured why not put those swirlies on the tumbler for experimentation reasons! So that is what I did. I took a picture with my flash off and then my flash on trying to convey how this stuff sparkles...again click the picture and make it bigger *okie picks at some glitter under her fingernail and wonders where it came from since she didn't remember using any glitter this morning* Yeah so what did I tell you?? OOHHH MMMYYY GGAAAWWDDD right??!!!!
Flash Off
Flash On
I suggest you RUN, don't walk...RUN LIKE HELL to your nearest Walmart and see if they have this stuff because I tell ya what it is worth every cent if you love bling!
Oh and.....You're welcome!!! *okie gives a smug grin because she knows some folks are gonna go TODAY and look for this stuff and fall in love with the blingy goodness*.
I was sent the Explore Air2 to review and I did a pretty complicated project for my first project with the machine and instead of writing a bunch of stuff and taking a ton of pictures I did a video instead. Actually my friend Carmen suggested a video as it would be easier for people to see the detail. I hate video's because I hate my voice and I am not very good at making the dang things but here it is!!
Here is a picture of the house in case you don't want to watch the video. The house is the Haunted Mansion from the Happy Hauntings cartridge and I did have to do some editing *okie thinks saying "some" is the understatement of the year* to the images to get the patterned paper to cut like I wanted so I could apply it to the house it's self.
I am really pleased with how well the Explore Air2 cut all the images and I had some pretty tough ones in there after I got done with my edits of the house. I really liked the ability to speed up the cuts on the regular cardstock. The machine settings won't let you speed up cuts for things that would likely tear up if it did, such as the chipboard setting. One thing I did find annoying was that the Air2 is quite a bit louder than the other Explore machines I reviewed but it is still more quiet than the other Cricuts, Pazzles or the Cameo's I have heard cutting. I think the quietness of the original Explore just has me spoiled
The house is open at the bottom so you can add lighting if you wish. In the video I used battery operated tea lights and they work okay but for maximized lighting I think I would find something with a few more lumens so the windows really light up.
I am super glad I chose this as my first project as Graphic45 was having contests all last week on their Facebook page and my little Haunted Mansion won the really nice prize package in the picture to the left!
