Won't be blogging for a few more weeks-- family crisis

Hello Crafty Friends!

I have some very personal family things going on now and they need me. In all of the 14 yrs I've
been married...I've never seen my hubbie cry. We found out today that my FIL is in the hospital with what appears to be a quarter size tumor on the front/forehead part of the brain. They are doing another more detailed MRI Tuesday to determine all the stuff like nerves around it etc and to help them when doing a biopsy. He's a vibrant, giving and loving man who loves to golf. We don't know the extent of things yet but since they live locally, need to be available for my MIL and hubbie.

Then, my Mom just told me tonight that she has an appt with her cardiologist on Wed, as she has been having some issues. She had a stent put in 2 yrs ago.

If anything, just say a prayer for strength for me as I help my family keep it together. I tend to be a worrier and over analyze things and I just need a sense of calm to help others now. And, my prayer is that when they do the biopsy for my FIL this week that it will be better news than what our minds are letting us think. And for my Mom, my best friend that her heart is ok.

I can only hope through all these situations that my ENTIRE family realizes and believes that GOD still loves us and performs miracles all the time and that we always need to look to HIM for comfort, answers, peace, love, faith peace and....healing.

Thank you all for understanding my short spell away from blogging. I miss being crafty and entering projects in all the challenges. I really wanted to share a few things about my new imagine.

Hello, I'm going to be away the rest of the week

Hello Crafty Friends!

So sorry I've been unavailable. DD is starting school in a week and have had a ton of stuff going on to get her ready. I've also been busy trying to figure out my imagine--which I STILL love. We got a new cat (Lucy, a 3 yr old white and grey female) and trying to get our other cat Poofy from "slapping her silly" has been a lot of work LOL

And, I've been painting the house. I get in these moods where I need a kick in the behind to get creative enough to craft again. I just haven't been feeling crafty the last couple of weeks. So, I decided to repaint the interior of the house instead to get myself back to feeling creative again LOL

Happy crafting to you!

My time with the Imagination day 2

Ok, I really think I'm in love. I'm not trying to be an enabler but....I'm so happy I got the Imagine over the Expression 2. Set up was a breeze, just follow the directions for the quick set up that's included. Update your gypsy. Update the Imagine with the white cord included --hook to your computer and click on cricut sync. Took all of 15 minutes. Suggestion for that: a message kept popping up for me to install the "PnP driver" I wouldn't do it because I don't like downloading unknown stuff to my laptop. I later found out you MUST download the "PnP driver" to your computer because that is what helps give prompts/ gets the updates from sync to the Imagine. Once I did that....easy peasy. After I did the Imagine update, then I was able to officially download a cart to the gypsy.

This morning I put in my Winter Woodland cart and decided to print/cut one of the birds. I laid everything out with the gypsy. Was able to pick the colors through that. (because I had my Enjoy the Seasons cart already downloaded to the gypsy) There were 3 layers to the image I wanted to do. I colored one layer yellow, one brown and one layer blue. Then sized it and printed it out....easy peasy. No laying out the paper colors on a mat or anything. To me, the cuts are crisper and cleaner and seem to go together more exact.

Only drawbacks for me today are: I'm so use to using all the creative features with the gypsy and you just can't do that with the gypsy/Imagine(like hide/contour, weld etc) But, the coloring your individual layers the way you want on ONE sheet of white paper is greate (and not laying out all the pre-colored paper) You cannot print a "combined" colored layers as ONE image with gypsy to imagine. You have to color/ print/cut the individual layers through gypsy to Imagine and glue together. Where as if you wanted to color individual layers JUST through the imagine, and then combine as ONE printed image to cut....you CAN do that. (make sense?? LOL)

Other drawback (I think) is you don't have control over how close your images print (even with using the gypsy to the Imagine) and so it seems I have more paper waste. I don't know about you but when I lay out images on my gypsy, I'm zooming in trying to cram and rotate stuff around as close as possible to minimize paper waste. So, I suggest if you are printing/cutting to load up that 12 x 12 pc of paper with lots of stuff. Otherwise, you will be trimming your scraps.

One cool thing you can do is called cache'. That is where....let's say....I have up to 3 printable paper patterns from my "enjoy the seasons cart" that I LOVE and want to have available stored to the imagine to use for another Imagine cart. I can take ONLY 3 and no more patterns from any imagine cart and store as part of the color/pattern choices for future carts (including the regular cricut carts) You can easily delete and add new patterns to store to the imagine...but can only have a max of 3 at a time.

I had a question of what videos did I watch to help me learn what to do:

First of all, I went to the cricut board and asked questions and read everyone else's questions. I also watched these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzxscxk69s4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDk_Fen6MXM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w18PZB2LEbA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gbJrx-HPMI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5HS5qh6PKI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/user/provocraft#p/u/38/hW3OXhAmZX4


That's it for now....

I have quite the "Imagination"

Hello Crafty Friends!

I know I haven't been around very much. I just needed to take a little creative break. Guess what knocked on my door today? It has quite the "imagination!" LOL

So far, I have plugged it in, put the ink cartridges in, put the Imagine More cart (that came with it) in to do the update, and used one of my carts to just play with some printing. My family will only allow me to have ONE of my new carts to use now before my birthday ( chose Enjoy the Season to play with).I have to wait till September for my bday present to get the other 4 carts: Better Together, Best Friends, Kate's and Yummy.

I haven't updated it through Cricut Sync yet....kinda afraid to. So far, it was easy to use. I really want to try to get to the technical stuff of printing off individual layers and be able to color those however I like and then to be able to use my regular carts with it.

Probably my only "Uh-Oh, why did I do this moment " is with the size of the machine. It is HUGE!! and if space is an option for you then...wait to purchase till you have a permanent spot for it. This is a machine that has to stay where you put it at because (1) you calibrate the print/cut based on where it has it's home. you move it, need to re-calibrate it. (2) it's heavy and just for that you don't want to move it. (3) It takes up a lot of space on the work space.

But....I am already really happy with it. Once I can get really creative with it and use to it, I know I will be in love with it. It is easy to navigate through the screens, and I figured things out before even opening the book. I had looked at lots of videos first to get familiar with what to do.

I can also say that if you get an imagine, the first cart I would try to get is enjoy the season. It is just so stinkin' cute and versatile with different images for seasons/holidays.

Ok, tell me I'm bad.....and a crockpot recipes

Hello Crafty Friends!

Sorry I've been MIA, been trying to get some scrapbooking done, it's been hot, we've been inside mostly during the day (41 days of over 100 degrees and yesterday was 113) and trying to keep the kids from seriously hurting each other LOL Do you know that feeling? LOL
I've been using the crockpot a lot since it's too hot for the oven.

Ok, I've decided to get an Imagine (rather to have dh get me one for my bday in Sept)
Is it bad I've gotten a couple of carts cheap on ebay before I even have the machine? LOL
I got Best Friends for $16.10 and Kate's for $20.50. UPDATE: I guess I'm the proud owner of an Imagine for $134.88 Shhhhh...don't tell hubster I bought my own bday present for him to give to me.

Here is a crockpot rib recipe I made yesterday. It is a regular for us and everyone loves it!!

Crockpot Pork Country Style Ribs

**However many packages of Pork Country Style Ribs you need (I use 1 or 2 depending on how many in the package) Can use bone in or deboned. I must say that beef country style ribs don't come out as good in the crockpot.

**McCormick Grill Mates Sweet and Smoky rub
** 1 cup of BBQ sauce, I water it down with 1/2 cup of water
**(optional) sliced onion

I rub the ribs all over lightly with the rub
Place sliced onions and bbq sauce in the bottom of the crockpot
Put ribs on top and cook for 6 hours.


Here is another recipe I used on Sunday and there is usually enough left over the next day for either BBQ sandwiches or I use it for beef stroganoff or even stew or chili.

Roast

1 chuck roast
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
**Optional vegetables

I brown the roast in a skillet on top of the stove with a little cooking oil (to seal in the juices)
and sprinkle with a little garlic powder and black pepper.

Mix water and Lipton Onion Soup Mix together.
Pour into crockpot, place roast on top with bay leaf and optional veggies. I cook on low for 8 hrs. However, I find in my crockpot it's usually done in 6.

Wow! Aug. 1st already... Please make Cards for Madison at Funky Cards

Happy Monday Crafty friends!

I've got some projects for challenges to create this week. I spent the weekend organizing aaaAAAlllllllll my paper LOL (do you feel like that?) Since I do double 12x12 layouts (1 for dd and 1 for son, then if I'm lucky...one for the "family") I always get 6 pcs of whatever paper I want for the theme of the pics. Then, if I really like the paper I will get an extra sheet or 2 for cards.

Well, I have been lately digging into my stash for my layouts to do cards. So,I spent the weekend re-organizing the paper. I separated out all my printed paper scraps and the oddball one of a kind papers vs. the printed papers I had even numbers of for the scrapbooks.

I got one 2 of those big zipper 14 x 14 cases and organized my paper for cards (by Easter, V-Day, Christmas, Halloween..., then seasons, School, Winter, BDay, Flowers, Animals, etc. So now I know exactly where to go for the paper for cards and can keep better track of my scraps.

On a different note...

Please go check out Madison at Funky Cards. She has a special monthly project called "Feel the Love," where she fins someone who is going through a rough time and needs some love through cards, and their spirits lifted.

This month she found a special family where one of their children who is 7, has a brain tumor. Her name is Kate, and she also has a brother who is 6 and a sister who is 9. It would be awesome to make cards for all the family. I hope you will consider doing this for the family.
It is such a wonderful opportunity to share our talents/craft while lifting someone's spirits.

Have a great day everyone!