Another Easy Background - Doodlecharms Hearts

I hope you enjoyed all of the Thursday Sweet Treats Team projects on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blogspot- it is an honor to be on a team with such a talented group - and we are just getting started.  I told you that I did a lot of projects with Doodlecharms so I will share those over the next week or so.

Today I have a quick explanation about how I made this heart mesh background using my quick and easy method (I posted a winter snowflake version HERE a few weeks ago).

The Doodlecharms cartridge has a border feature which is very handy for projects like this.  Here you can see the key for the image set I chose highlighted. 

The element is the group of three hearts.  I made a row of four sets and adjusted the size and placement to about eleven inches set in one half inch from the mat edge. 

I copied and pasted  and repositioned rows of hearts to neatly fill up the center of the mat.  When you load the mat to cut the design your machine load may be a bit off (the "human factor") and the calibration tends to be off up to one sixteenth of an inch.  You can do a test cut to determine the small offset needed to perfectly center the group of designs - this will vary from one machine to another and is also affected by the amount of pressure you use when you load your mat).

Here you can see the full mat.  By copying and pasting and simply "sliding " the new images into position using the "vertical move" handle (top center) you can quickly make a perfectly spaced design.

There is an extra page with a 12 x 12 square for previewing the design and trying out various color combinations.

When you lift the mesh from the mat you will have dozens of hearts in three sizes.  It is best to lift the cut slowly and on an angle (peel it back from a corner across the mat).

These cute little hearts will certainly find a home on another project!  Here is the download link for the file.

Heart Pierced Background

One new cartridge was officially announced in the "Hello Thursday" email from Cricut.  It is called "Once Upon a Princess" and it is full of cute images and more 3D items - including a castle fit for a princess!  If you are not signed up to receive emails from Cricut you should definitely get on the list so you will receive these announcements and the weekly newsletter, "The Chirp."

Here is a LINK to the product information page with more information and images and HERE is a link to the PDF of the full booklet.  This is yet another "cute" cartridge - some people will be crazy about it but I suspect that a lot of others will be able to resist.

My blogging friends Joy, Tammy and Melanie are holding a blog hop showcasing this new cartridge.  Click HERE to go to Holidays with the Cricut and then visit each of their blogs for some fun and inspiration (and a chance to win some great prizes).

The Craft and Hobby Association show starts tomorrow - I can't wait to hear all about the new products!


(Our son arrived home from San Francisco safe and sound and the flight was actually early!  We have a lot to do tomorrow to get ready to drive back to college on Saturday - keep your fingers crossed for good weather!)