Sept. 22nd Topic: Cricut - Getting the Best Use From Your Die Cut Machine

Hello! Shirley Pando here! I'd like to welcome you back to the My Creative Life 2014 challenge blog, the official blog of Craft Classes Online. We've taken a little hiatus to change gears and reorganize but we are now ready to bring you the best in crafting and creativity. We have a new website, new projects, new workshops, and, of course, new blog posts! :-)



Jeri's original mission for this blog is pretty simple:

1. To inspire you to make creativity a daily priority...or weekly or monthly...whatever works best for you.
2. To motivate you to use all of the supplies you have collected over the years. (Oh, goodness, I have so much it's embarrassing!!)
3. To explore the concept of creativity and practical ways for adding more creativity to our lives.
4. To find ways to lose the perfectionism, comparison, and pressure that are creativity killers. (I resemble that remark and I feel a new blog post coming on!)
5. Oh, yes, we will also offer a few online workshops along the way.

Now, let's get on with the show!

Cricut: Getting the Best Use From Your Die Cut Machine

So you made that big purchase of a die cutting machine. It can do some amazing things. And you are a crafter, so you tell yourself that it will make your life much easier, right? You may have purchased it many years ago or just a few months ago. You bought (most all of) your favorite cartridges with the adorable little characters and/or lovely fonts. Life is sweet!

But where is that machine now? Maybe it's tucked out of sight in a closet. Maybe it sits on a shelf in your craft room. Or maybe...horror of horrors...it is collecting dust!

Maybe you feel that it takes too much just to lug it out, find a spot for it, and decide what to create. There are just too many choices...or not enough. Does this sound like you? I often feel the very same way.

So, what's a crafter to do? With a little careful planning you, too, can actually use your Cricut (or other die cutting machine) more often for the crafts you love to do on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

So let's make a pact to use that machine. (We need a super-secret handshake, now! LOL!) In keeping with the My Creative Life 2014 "4 Product Challenge", I will limit the supplies I use for this week's projects. Studies show that by limiting the amount of supplies you use you can actually be more creative. (Hmmm, I feel another blog post coming on!) Check out this short video, below, to see what supplies I'll be using this week.

NOTE: If you want to be able to see the process video of how I create these projects, make sure to sign up for our newsletter. It's the only place you can see it! Sign up for the newsletter at the top right hand column of the blog.

This week, I'll be making at least one card and one scrapbook page. The project(s) I create will be posted to the blog, here, this Friday, 9/26/2014.

Won't you join me on this challenge? What four products will you create with this week? Feel free to use your Cricut or other die cutting machine that you own...or can borrow ;-). If you don't have a die cut machine, use whatever you have that hasn't seen the light of day in quite a while!

We'll post the finished products here on Friday, 9/26/2014. "See" you then!