Happy Christmas Card (and update reminder)

 

I tried doing a little more with the Imagine this weekend.  I updated my machine so now I can print full pages and cache patterns from one cartridge to use on images from another cartridge.  I haven't printed a full page yet but I did have some fun moving patterns from one cartridge to images on another cartridge.

This frame is from the Imagine More cartridge.  On the left the two layers are both filled with papers from the Imagine More cartridge - the lower frame is as it appears on the cartridge and I changed the fill on the oval ring.  On the right are the same two shapes which have been filled with papers from the Snow Angel cartridge.

To cache a pattern, you simply insert the cartridge that has the pattern you want and choose an image to edit.  When the patterns appear, you select the one you want and hold the stylus down until a box pops up that says "cache pattern."  Click on the box and the hourglass will show for ten seconds or so.   Then you can check at the end of the pattern and colors bar - the cached pattern will be in a section at the far right beyond the colors.  If you want to cache a pattern from a color and pattern cart, just choose one of the images built in to the machine to edit to make the patterns appear.

 Here, I used a pattern from Imagine More in the stocking on Snow Angel - the original design is on the left and the "repatterned" stocking is on the right.

I also cached patterns from Kate's Kitchen and altered the poinsettia on Snow Angel by adding new patterns.  You will notice that the top layer is flood filled and the center details are eliminated.  I wish we could decide how the layers will break apart instead of being "stuck" with the pre-determined layering on the cartridges.

I tried filling some shapes from my original cartridges - this is the teacup card from A Child's Year filled with a pattern from the Snow Angel cartridge.

I added one of the snowflake cuts from Snow Angel to the teacup - now it is truly ready to be a holiday tea party invitation!  I might just add a bit of bling to finish this.

 To get back to the card at the tops of this post - I made a holiday card that is a bit untraditional in color.  The Christmas tree is, once again, from the Snow Angel cartridge (I really like nearly all of the art on this cartridge).

I added a very wide ribbon on a darker blue mat layer cut a 3 3/4 x 5 inches.  I placed the ribbon diagonally across the mat and simply taped it to the back of the mat before layering.

The sentiment on the front of the card is a silver "peel-off" - I like that it says "Happy" Christmas instead of "Merry" because it reminds me of our years in England where Happy Christmas is the more common phrase you would hear.

I added a few gem stickers to the tree to make it sparkle like a tree with lights.

The scalloped oval is one of the shapes that are built in to the Imagine machine.  Unfortunately, mine is cutting very "wonky" scallops and I need to see if there is a reset option that might help fix this.

You can make a very similar card without the Imagine - I know that many of my readers do not have this machine and may not get it anytime soon due to the expense of the machine, and cartridges and ink.  I think there are some interesting possibilities with this machine, particularly once some of the improvements that have been requested are added.

Just a few more notes...

There are updates for Design Studio and the Gypsy which add the newest cartridges (the second set of winter seasonals and the new Lites that will be out at Walmart for Black Friday).  There is also a new full font cartridge called "Classic Font" which will be bundled with the Walmart Black Friday Expression machine (this year there are four new color choices for the machine).

To update your Design Studio, go to this LINK and download the font pack.  You will need to be signed in to the site in order to download the update.  Be sure to save the file to your desktop and then run it.  To update your Gypsy you will need to use the new Cricut Sync program.  If you haven't already downloaded it, you can find it HERE.  Don't be confused by the information about the Imagine, you will now need to use Cricut Sync to update both the Gypsy and the Imagine.

Several people have asked me to put a voting reminder with a link to the contest in each blog post until the contest is over.  There are only two days left in the contest for the Cricut Cruise and I thank everyone who has been voting for my layout.  If you click this picture of the layout it should take you to the voting page.  You have to wait 24 hours between votes so if it says "I voted" on the page, please try again later in the day.

Thanks to everyone who has been voting.  I am glad that the contest will soon be over.  I really do appreciate your support and I have been touched by all of the lovely comments and compliments on my page.

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