Crafting with the Cricut Expression

With the Cricut expression I also received two of their new cartridges they just released, "Winter Woodland" and "From My Kitchen". I used the Winter Woodland Cartridge for all the crafts below. I was so busy playing with the Woodland cartridge I didn't even get around to using the "From My Kitchen" cartridge. But trust me, I already have ideas for that cartridge as well. Another day, another post.

For those not familiar with the Cricut, it's a personal electronic cutter. It can cut materials such as vellum, cardstock, posterboard, vinyl, and even chipboard. Each image on a cartridge can be cut to any size ranging from 1/4" to 23". This is personally one of my favorite functions about the machine. Another function I found useful (and used for the craft below) is the centering cut feature. This allows you to place the blade on any part of the paper and cut any shape at that point (something you can't do with decorative hole punches). I also found the Cricut surprisingly easy to use.

With only a week of using the Cricut, I know I've only scratched the surface. There's so much more to discover. In the mean time, here are a few projects I came up with. Enjoy

Spinning Ice Skater Card

First I cut out a 3" ice skater on heavy cardstock with the Cricut. If you don't have a Cricut I suggest using a large Christmas hole punch ( snowman, snowflake, Christmas tree, etc).
Using watercolors, paint the ice skater on both sides. Let dry. Place in a book for about a half hour to keep it flat.

With a small hole punch, place a hole in the top and bottom of your image (refer to pictures). Tie two separate pieces of thread to the holes. Knot about three times and trim extra thread.

With the Cricut I cut a 3 1/2 inch circle in the front of the card. If using the Cricut, with a 81/2 buy 11 paper,set the blade 9" left and 4" down to center the blade. To do this by hand simply trace a circle onto the front of your card and cut it out with an exacto knife.

Center your image in the circle and tape the thread on the inside of the card (refer to picture). If you don't like the tape showing, place another piece of paper (with circle cut out) over the entire page that has the tape on it. Done.

Other Crafts I Made with The Cricut

I decorated this package with the gift tag by making two slits on each side of the tag and threading ribbon around it.

For the snowflake card I painted the snowflake. To give it more texture and make it 3-D, I bent out the parts of the snowflake that had detail.

Dove Gift Tag with Watercolor