A Sneak Peek at something that arrived today...

Today I have a sneak peek for you of a new type of punch that will be available very soon from Martha Stewart Crafts.  We have seen single punches, double punches, embossing punches, pop up punches, stamp and punch sets, deep edge punches, double edge punches, border punches, corner punches, punch around the page sets and now...

Punch All Over the Page Punches!  This is a totally new concept for punching and I have had just a little time today to experiment with the "studded heart" punch that was sent to me to try out.

The punch is quite large and this particular punch has a large heart surrounded by tiny dots.   The heart would be simple to do with the Cricut but all of those tiny circles would take forever to cut and probably would not cut evenly since they are so tiny.

There are two parts to the punch, the base and the top punching part.  Four strong magnets connect the two pieces and you can place a sheet of paper or cardstock between them.  One corner of both the base and the top is flattened and you align these corners to set up the punch.  The magnets will only work properly when these are aligned, in other positions there will be some magnets that connect and some that don't.  One of the problems with standard punches is that their "reach" is only so far and you can't always get the punch in the place where you'd like to create the cut out.  This new type of punch solves that problem.

As luck would have it, while I was at my Dad's I went back to the store (well, I had another 50% off coupon...) and purchased this looped heart punch around the page set.  When I opened the package with the studded heart punch all over the page punch, I immediately thought about combining the two punches for a card.

I started with a 3 1/4 inch square of Core'dinations gemstone cardstock in pink and first punched all four corners.

I completed the punching with the border punch.  There are a lot of tiny leftover hearts which can be used for other projects if you have the patience to pick them up and save them.

 I took the punched square and placed it on the base of the Punch All Over the Page punch.  It is just a bit bigger than the base.

 I placed the top piece on the base - see how the left corner is the cut off corner on both the base and the top.  The magnets snap together with a very satisfying click.

 I pressed down quite firmly on the top.  It is best to use both hands to get even pressure for the punch.  Here you can see the large punched heart and tiny dots that are produced with this punch.

This is the end result of the punching - a nicely centered heart surrounded by dots and bordered with the loopy hearts.

I decided to add a red square (cut at two inches) to back the heart cutout.

 Since I had those tiny hearts leftover I added three dots of adhesive and added a row of hearts down the middle.  It is easier to put the adhesive on the large heart and place the small hearts on the adhesive dots than to get the adhesive on the tiny hearts and place them accurately.

I put together a quick card using the heart medallion.  This photo shows how I fussy cut the patterned paper so the design would be perfectly centered.  Paying attention to details like this will make your cards look much better when there is a strong pattern in the paper. 

 I attached the medallion to the cards using foam circles.  I recently bought these dots by American Crafts called "this to that" and I have been very happy with how easily the backing comes off.

Here is the simple card with the medallion added.  I really like the effect of the three tiny hearts in the center of the large heart.  I am not sure if the color choices are quite right  (I just grabbed some handy items on my craft island).

On the right you can see another possibility but the solid looks a bit too plain.  Perhaps some embossing or a patterned paper with a small repeat would be an improvement.

Keep an eye out for these new punches. There are ten styles that should be available soon.  I think they will be very popular.

A few other notes...

If you have been wondering about the contents of the cartridges for the new Cricut Imagine, the sample sheets and cartridge handbooks have been posted on the Cricut.com site.  Here is a LINK to the cartridge library section on the information page where you can download the sample sheets and handbooks.

There are also some "Green Wednesday" specials on the Nifty Fifties and Birthday Bash cartridges, some Imagine cartridges and the Cuttlebug Companion sets that coordinate with some of the recent cartridges.  Here is a LINK to the page on the site.

If you are interested in the exclusive Creative Memories cartridges, Reminisce Accents and Cheerful Seasons, there are just a few days left to order them this month.  You can click on the name of each cartridge to see projects and posts I have made for each cartridge. 

If you don't have a local Creative Memories consultant, I would be very happy to help you.  I think I have actually met the goal for selling enough to be included in the layout contest for the Cricut Cruise but a few "insurance" cartridge sales wouldn't hurt!  Here is a LINK to my Creative Memories personal website where you can order anytime 24 hours a day/7 days a week from anywhere in the US.  Thanks again to everyone who helped me reach this goal - I will be sending out the .cut files I promised as soon as I can finish testing them.

I tried a few other experiments with this new punch that I will show you another day.  I have been fighting a cold and it seemed to get the better of me today - probably because I am finally home and can have a rest.  I have nearly caught up with the emails and comments - if you are waiting to hear from me, I should have finished everything by tomorrow.

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