Thursday, September 8, 2011

Favorite Tip Contest!

Are you ready to play the favorite tip contest? To play, you need to be a subscriber/follower of my blog. You can sign up over on the left side of this blog (if you are not there already).

Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite Cricut or crafting tip. Please, one comment per person and remember the contest closes Sunday night at midnight. The winner will be picked at random using the random number generator and will be announced on Monday September 12th. The winner will receive either the Cricut Once Upon a Princess or the Just Because Cards cartridge. You get to choose! 



I can’t wait to read all your tips and I know you will want to read everyone’s tips too!

One of my favorite tips is to use a homemade Quick Stick to attach small Cricut layers. Here is a video I made a couple of months ago on how to make a Quick Stick.




Another one of my favorite Cricut tips is to use the fine tip Zig 2 way glue pen to attach small layers. I let the glue dry before using and it becomes repositionable. This is so handy if you need to adjust your layers.

One last Cricut tip... Stamp your cuts on the mat before you remove them. This really helps when you are adding faces to your cuts.

Now it is your turn to play…. Ready, Set, Go!!!

102 comments:

Ulysses' mama said...

I was watching a YouTube video once and the lady was showing some technique but the most valuable thing I learned was something she wasn't even trying to showcase! Which is why I love videos! You know how after you have used all of your pop dots, you just throw the rest of sheet away? Well, don't ! You can cut the sheet and use it for pop dotting as well! It comes in handy for odd shaped projects because you just cut your own shape. That's my favorite tip.
Daladypej@aol.com

Anonymous said...

My tip is for mat maintenance. After a day of cutting, I use a baby wipe to clean off the fibers left behind. When needed I resticky the mats using 1 part Aleens Tack It Over and Over and one part water. Brush on, let dry and mats are good to go. Another tip is to keep blade in good shape by removing frequently, look for small bits of paper stuck to blade, cleaning with EZ Tool Cleaner and applying Cutter Glide.

jandbjonesrus@yahoo.com

lanagram said...

Hi, I love baby wipes for everything have to do with cleaning. From using them to clean my Cricut mat to cleaning up the many messes that I come up with when I craft ;-). I also us a large 12x12 or larger plastic tote thing to hold my scrap paper. This way it is not just laying around and when I need a little piece of paper I know where to go.. These larger paper holders work well for me. Keeping the paper clean and they look nice standing on edge.
Thanks for your videos. I just love them. I have used the little double sided tape trick on a chopstick, that is what I had handy. Thanks lanagrams at lanagram@charter.net

Anonymous said...

Love your tip on making the quick stick. I have one but it can get messy if you let out too much of the goo. Anyway I can't remember where I saw this on the internet but you can make your own snow for trees by cutting a styrofoam ball in half and rubbing the cut sides together. With Cristmas coming, this will be handy. Works great and looks like flower soft you can puchase.
Sharon
sjgresh@gmail.com

Dawn, RI said...

To get the most out of my paper scraps, I use a 1 inch circle punch and punch out circles til there no more room left. I save the circles in a zip lock bag.Then when I feel we have enough
I will make strings of paper garland. I find if I do this after each finished project I make its not so tedious My grand daughter just loves using the punch. She is so careful not to lose any punched circles. We already have filled a 1/2 gallon bag. I know making the garland will also keep mu GD quite busy .
Dawn RI
abosoffit@hotmail.com

Houses Built of Cards said...

One of my favorite things to do lately is use the scraps from my pop-dots. You know those circle foam dots? Once I use all the dots, I cut the remainder into strips and little bitty pieces and use that on my projects! That way I'm not wasting it!

housesbuiltofcards@gmail.com
www.housesbuiltofcards.blogspot.com

Jaimie said...

I also love how great the baby wipes are to clean off my Cricut mat as well as anything else that gets a little sticky or dirty, like my hands, while crafting. Another tip I use a when going to a crop and/or retreat when working on an album, I lay out all my pages on a large table or bed and then I sort all of my pictures, papers and embellishments together on the scrapbook page. Then I stack them up and place them in one of those snap top cases. I really get a lot of work done that way by just taking a little time ahead to organize.

Marilyn said...

I read this one somewhere so I can't take credit for it. I believe it came from Diane @ Capadia Designs. If you are looking for a particular shape use the Cricutsearch.com site for the item. Then open up Design Studio and look at the shapes, it sure is easier and faster than pulling out carts and flipping through books. This is a huge time saver for me.

Bonnie "Sam" Garrett said...

If your paper gets a little warped after wet embossing, simply turn it over and apply the heat gun to the opposite side for a moment - your paper will be flat again.

bailey19 said...

When making small objects or ones with very intricate designs. I run the paper thru the xyron first and then cut. It makes a sticker which can easily be placed on your work.

Anonymous said...

When my mat gets too bad with paper fibers and is no longer sticky I use goo gone and a small scraper to clean my mat and then restick it with a large 2 way glue stick.

Sue
rolfe974@prodigy.net

Joan said...

I'm always looking for "easy" adhesives for my Cricut cuts. I use the Zig 2-way glue pen for tiny pieces, but have been using a Scotch Glue with 2-way applicator. One side has a pointed tip, but the side I like is the other end which has a sorta sponge like applicator--just tapping on the surface usually releases enough glue w/out squeezing so don't get excess glue.

flapril said...

I keep my tools on my desk in a kitchen utensil holder. It's great and compartmentilized. It has a swivel base. When I attend a crop I just pick it up and go and I know that every tool (glue, scissors,cropadile etc.)I use on a regular bases is there.

April
aasmith71@verizon.net

The Nan said...

Forgive me for not remembering where I saw this tip.....after cutting intricate designs, I use the smooth edge of a ruler to 'scrape' the little left-behind paper scraps off my mat. Works quickly and very easily!

Cherylann's "Outta-My-Mind " said...

Your blog is the one I look to for any questions on techniques, thank you for your hard work.

My tip ~ I love to make my own stick pins, I don't always want the pearl top that is on the corsage pins. I use the flat top head pins that you find in the jewelry section. It is cheaper and I like the look. Note, these do not have a sharp point so will not be able to stick into project, but there are all kinds of ways to attach.
Cherylann (prinkles)
prinkles@woh.rr.com

Betsy said...

Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive dries fast and is easy to apply as it has a small tip. Always store it standing on its cap! It lasts a very long time, too.

Linda Harris said...

My favorite tip is the one where you wet the flowers before rolling or assembling. Makes it a whole lot easier to put them together.

Weezie said...

If I should need to reposition something after using my tape runner on a card or scrapbook page I like using a gum eraser to remove any of the residue left behind.

Scrappy Pink Corner said...

When you have a sticker and don't want it to stick, just add baby powder to it. Also the baby wipes is great for anything. I mean anything.

Leanne said...

I don't know if this tip will help anyone! I love to use stickles and love for them to be easy to access. I ran a piece of velcro and attached all my bottles upside down (so they would be ready to use lol)It keeps them organized and in arms reach at the same time. I have cabinets above where I work so it worked out really great for me!

Christina said...

One thing I do is when making cuts I make 2. It is easy to put together 2 as 1 and I store them in a small drawer so if a unexpected birthday or something comes up all I have to do is cut my base and mats.

Anonymous said...

I Like to make cards. My favorite tip is to use my gypsy to bring in a rectangle of the size of the card I am making. Then I put my main image inside the rectangle and adjust to the size I want. I then bring in all other imagines I am using and any words. I lay them all out just how I want them and adjust all the sizes so they fit just right. Then I move them around on my mat grouping anything being cut with the same color paper or patterned paper. I then delete the rectangle. I can now save my project if I want to make more and I know everything fits perfectly. Sarah

Cheryl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cheryl said...

Something I have used for a long time and use a lot is the blue painter's tape. If my Cricut mat has some stick to it, but not enough and I'm not in the mood to clean and re-apply adhesive -or- break out a new mat (if I had one) ... then I just put my paper down and put the painter's tape along the sides. As long as you don't press the tape real hard to the paper then it will peel right off. I, honestly, have had it stick a little, but it's not where I'm cutting so it doesn't bother me. Just make sure the tape doesn't hang off any of the sides. :)

I also use this tape when I am cutting my chipboard to keep it secure. :)

Linda said...

I have a couple of tips - Use Aleene's Tack-It-Over & Over to make your own glue dots. I save my extra paper from anything I have run through my xyrons and put Aleene dots on there in all sizes. They dry clear and you have whatever size dot you need.
I have a couple of mat that have cracked and I use them to layout my designs on for my layouts or cards. The paper doesn't move around and since it is stiff easy to pick up and set aside. If I have an extra one, I put it over the top so that everything is enclosed.
Linda Adkins
lindaadkins@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I keep all of my extra cuts and scraps of paper in one place and then every month I pull that out and challenge myself to make a few cards using what's in there. It's a good way to use up some of your stash and keep that drawer from getting out of hand!

ricksmorgan said...

One of my favorite carts is Wild Card for making a quick card and for mass production since I usually make more than one card at a time. The best tip I have is to always make the envie first on "Fit to Page" so you have a perfect match for your card. Thanks to Creations with Christina's blog for this tutorial!

Kate said...

What a GREAT post and thread!! I'm loving all these tips! Some I already use but others are new to me.
One of my favourite tips is to cut smaller images inside a shadow cut. This is especially useful for saving on paper - but also when I've got a limited amount of a patterned paper that I wish to use. For example, if I am doing a fancy frame/mat with a shadow, I will arrange my cuts with my Gypsy so that I am also doing a smaller cut within that shadow. Once the layers are positioned on my project, nobody is any wiser that the shadow has cuts out of it!

Linda - a tip for you would be to number your comments, especially when doing draws with random.org. You can add a code to your blog which will automatically number each of the comments left for you! If you - or anybody else reading this - is interested, please email me at smallbitsofpaper @ hotmail.com (remove spaces) and I would be most pleased to send you the code and instructions.

Carrie K said...

My favorite tip is to make my own pop dots. I use a peice of adhesive backed fun foam and run it through the xyron. (after I have cut it into strips of different widths) Then I have different width strips and just cut off what size I need. And, in different colors! This has saved me tons of money!!

Ann Marie said...

I have a tip for using up all your scraps of paper. I like to use them to cut out samples from my cricut cartridges and put them into a book I have just for these cuts. I then label the feature keys I used and the size beside or under each image. So when I need a certain cut, I can see how it looks before I cut it out.

pinkexpression@hotmail.com

Sandra said...

I am a new cricut crafter and I just love your blog. One tip that I have learned from experience is:

If you have an idea in the middle of the night don't rely on your memory in the morning. Get up and write down the major points right then. These points will help you fill in the finer details in the morning.

itfitzu@aol.com

mary said...

I store the brass metal embossing stencils in a cheap small photo album that craft stores used to sell for one dollar. Just stick the stencils in the pockets meant to hold 4x6 pictures. You can see and select the stencils by turning the pages. The stencils don't get lost and don't bend. It holds a lot and you always know where to find your stencils.

Carole said...

My favorite tip came from you Linda... how to make your own rub on sentiments. Print your sentiment on acetate with the mirror image on, then when dry place it where you choose and rub it with a craft stick. Up and down, works great! I use it often.
http://carolescreativecritters.blogspot.com/

Carol's Creations said...

I guess I would have to say my favorite TIP I have received was how to apply glitter to your projects. If you are applying glitter to the entire surface of a Cricut cut just run it through your Xyron sticker maker upside down then just sprinkle your glitter over it and press down. The glitter stays put and looks great!!!

Nancy said...

I found out that the less I touch to sticky part of my mat the longer the mat lasted. I went through a lot of mats before I learned that trick.

crystal said...

My best tip is the baby wipes on my mat.
Also I like to use trading card sleeves for my mini stamps ( the dollar ones)
One more I teach preschool and I take the negatives of my larger cuts put them on contact paper and the kids fill in the open space with colored tissue paper and they have a cool sun catcher
Thanks

Debbie said...

I like using the Cricut markers/pens for things that need a little umph....like veins in leaves.

jmeyer1 AT woh DOT rr DOT com

Boomer Knows said...

I've been meaning to become a follower for awhile and now I am! My new favorite tip is to leave all the layers for a cut on the mat. This makes gluing easy peasy. I start with the smallest layer & work to the biggest and if I overglue, oh well, not like a sticky mat is a worry with zig pens. Great comments, thanks for the chance to win!

Anonymous said...

Love your blog! My tip is when you are cutting our letters for a title or short journaling, cut the letters backwards. Then you can apply your adhesive to the back of the letters, peel them off with tweezers, turn them around, and you have easy to hold and glue little letters. Loved reading all of these tips. Everyone is so resourceful!!

RavensFan said...

I watched a video recently from Elizabeth of 217Creations. She showed how to make really pretty bows by cutting three different lengths of ribbon, gluing the ends of each piece of ribbon together, and then layering them one on top of the other and cinching the bow with twine and a button. They are so easy, yet so lovely.

Linda
RavensFan
laxmom3@msn.com

scrappin2babygirls said...

great tips.. My tips are pretty simple.. watch some video tutorials before you use your cricut and get to know it.. (I made the mistake of teaching myself and it probably took me twice as long to figure everything out lol).. and with a new mat hug it first so that your paper doesnt rip. Oh and if you want to cut chipboard with your circut.. I use cereal boxes or other boxes like that and they work great! it's cheap and it's recycling.. I find that setting the blade to a 4 or 5 cuts thru this kind of chip board no prob and you don't have to do a multi cut. :) thanks for the chance to win Im a follower.
-jamie
babyblueangel_30@yahoo.com

Kards by Kathi said...

I have two tips:
1 - I use baby wipes to clean my stamps. It does a great job.
2 - I use photo boxes for my Cricut overlays, books and cartridges. I cut dividers from the "From My Kitchen" cartridge and then with a label maker, put the name of the cartridge on the divider. It makes it very easy to find whatever cart I need.

Judy said...

Since I am new in the scrap world I don't have any shocking tips to share...but if you are a new scrapper like me... take advantage of all of those who share their skills via video & Blogs.. it is an amazing tool when unsure of how to do something! :)

Tina said...

I am a new crafter so I don't really have any tips except for trying to clean up my crafting mess as I go along rather than having a big mess to clean up when I am all done and likely tired.

Tina

JaniceA said...

Most of my great tip are already mentioned like using Baby wipes, leaving small layers on the mat until glued down. I spray my mats to re sticky them with Stick and spray and so the spray doesn't get on the edges I have cut the center out of an old mat and lay it over the mat to be sprayed. It works great! modjjjash @ yahoo. com

Karen said...

I use a cheap desk size calendar on my craft table when I'm working. When I'm all done, the top calendar page gets tossed in the rubbish & my desk stays clean. I can write notes (size of cuts, dimensions, etc.) as I am working; I also test ink colors and try out a stamp before I use it on my project.

I keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy when I'm working. It removes glue/sticky stuff from my hands & scissors, takes off ink (especially alcohol based ink), and generally cleans up all kinds of stuff - and it's cheap!

Donna Lee said...

Thank you for your great tip! My tip to share is to take all of your scraps that are too small to use for cuts on the Cricut and punch or die cut small items out of them. I keep like die cuts and punches in a clear stamp containers and just pull them out when embellishing cards or layouts.

Mommy's Crafty Creations said...

Great tip! TFS My tip that I would love to share with you all is that I use the medicine containers, the ones that have all they days of the week. I used them to store all my goggle eyes. It just makes it easier to find and them separated in sizes.

Veronica
mommyscraftycreations.blogspot.com
mommyscraftycreations at gmail dot com

Amanda said...

My tip would be to stay organized and look through your supplies often so you don't forget what you have. And use what you have as much as possible. I am always surprised when I look around and find something that I had forgotten about. Also, have so much fun cuz that's what it's all about!

fitgardenerkristine said...

I saw this somewhere else but it's an AWESOME idea! When you are doing letters and layering them, leave your base letters on your mat. Then one by one, take the top layer off and glue to the base layer while it is still stuck to the mat. Beats trying to chase the little pieces around! Would work great for layering images too.

Karen S. said...

My favorite Cricut tip is my Zig glue pen! I think I got it from Robyn the Pink Stamper and watching all of her awesome videos! I don't think I could craft without my Zig glue!

Thanks for the chance to win! Just Because Cards has been on my wish list forever! :)

karenskapin at yahoo dot com
married05 on Cricut boards

Unknown said...

I use my 1.5" xyron sticker maker for all my small cuts...it adheres great and I don't have glue on my fingers! smartkidz at hotmail dot com

www.cricutcraftyclare.blogspot.com said...

My favorite tip...is to devote one mat to glitter cardstock and chipboard. Seems no matter how you wipe with baby wipes it doesn't all come off. If it is used for regular cardstock afterward the cut is not clean. But using glitter afterward is fine! cjdempsey9 at msn dot com

gshrader said...

My tip is to use your gypsy to design your whole scrapbook layout on layer1 and then use the subsequent layers to plan all the detail cuts. Using layer1 you can see what size everything should be and where it will go on the layout! Makes planning and designing so much easier!!!
Thanks
Gayle_shrader at yahoo dot com

Ashley said...

I highly recommend getting a spatula. It's one of the best purchases I've made.

Maria said...

I love using Zig 2-way glue to re-sticky my Cricut cutting mats! I also use baby wipes to clean my acrylic and rubber stamps.

Barb A. said...

I go to Cricut.com and print off the pictures on the box of each of the cartridges I own. I keep these pages in a loose leaf notebook so I can see what the different cuts are. It does not show everything; but at least I have a general idea.

scrapbooknut67114 at gmail dot com

TeresaK said...

Not that it is a new tip. but it IS one that helps me stay organized and use up scraps. I keep a 6 drawer unit next to my desk and I store paper scraps in it, sorted by colors. (Black white brown in one, pink and purple in another, blue and red, etc). I ALWAYS go to the drawers FIRST To see if I have the color and size of paper in there I can use for my Circut cuts or for card accents. Really helps me not waste scraps and use it up before starting a new whole sheet of paper!

Sukie said...

For small or detailed cuts, I leave them on the mat until I glue them down so that I don't lose them. I love using my spatula for removing the cuts off of my mat.

scrappindhilly at gmail dot com

Rachel said...

Sometimes Cricut images need just a little extra something. I love glitter, but we all know how difficult that can be to use! I also am too scared to use glittered paper in my machine for fear that it'll get clogged. Instead, I make the cuts for a certain image, and then I'll emboss part of the image using Versamark and a pearlescent or glittery embossing powder. I did it the other day with part of a rose. Since there was no place to hold it without missing a spot, I put a little bit of fun tac (I use it all the time at school, so I happened to have some at home!) on a popsicle stick to hold the back of the cut. That way I can just press it in the Versamark and emboss without worrying about missing a spot. When I adhere all the pieces together, it really makes such a difference! I did a layered rose the other day and did that to the top layer so that it had a little extra sparkle to it. raecholor@gmail.com

Teri said...

What great tips! My tip is for those times when you have adhered something down to a scrapbook page or card and you decide you want to move it somewhere else. Use dental floss under the item you want to move and shimmy the item loose with the floss. This works great with adhesive like tape runners but not necessarily liquid glue.
terilawson88 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Lots of great tips. I love using just any old ink pen that no longer writes to do my scoring. Works great and I never run out.

Rebecca Craig said...

I keep most of the small "left overs" from a cut I did in a baggie and I can use them to add details on other cuts. For example if I cut a letter A the center part of the A remains on the mat and is a small triangle. I use my spatula to remove the small triangle and put that in my baggie. I use these tiny scraps on all kinds of projects. The tiny triangle could be a nose on an animal.

Anonymous said...

As a beginner scrap booker, the only tip I can give is RECYCLE. I look at every item as what it could be it possibility not as trash. I use the Cricut as a paperpunch as I don't have any and it is cheaper in the long run then buying a massive collection of punches.

creationstationcrafts@yahoo.com

Josie0602 said...

To keep glue and inks off my crafting table, I took one of my old Cricut mats and removed the sticky with UnDu. When I am doing something messy, I pull out this mat and put it under my project to protect my table top.
Tracy
jtg0398(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

Real said...

after running my object through my xyron machine I use my creative memories pick up square to clean up the extra adhesive.

Carole said...

Wow what amazing tips...there was a tip from Sharon about scrapping styrofoam pieces together resulting in a snow like flower soft. I love that, I took it one step further and added several drops of adirondack alcohol ink and created green and blue next I'll make pink. How fun. 1 more tip for storing metal dies...I used a self adhesive magnetic strip inside each of my SB die folders.Workds great!

Luv 2 Create said...

I am a list maker. I keep lists of such things as cricut carts that I own, spellbinders, punches, embossing folders, stamp sets, copic pens, distress inks and even paper collection pads(with size)etc. That way I do not double order. It helps me stay organized as well. When I bring new product home or receive it in the mail, I just get out my folder with the lists in there and update them before I put them away in there place. I also take that folder with me if I plan to hit the craft stores. I save my lists on my computer for easy editing.
Love this segement. I always learn so much from everyone else.
If anyone, like me owns and uses more then one cricut machine and has a great method for conveniently storing them in your craft space - I would love to hear it or even see it. I am also interested in knowing how you organize your copic markers.
Thanks.
Marcie

Anonymous said...

I started a journal for all my craft toys. If I see idea I like I record in the correct journal with the date and site and then I can go back later and have the idea waiting for me. So many ideas so little time.
Leanna

Barbara A. said...

uhhh...I'm fairly new here so I don't have any tips to offer...BUT...I loved reading all the tips everybody has! There are some very good tips! I have one problem here....how to you organize your patterned paper...anys tips on this one? Thanks!

Heidi said...

Oh...I have a dozen quick tips that I love...but I must say the home made quick stick for picking up the little pieces is the BEST! Not sure what I did without that! Love it!

Piece of Pi Creations said...

I just watched and tried your technique posted on You Tube for using transparecys to make your own rub ons. My current favorite tip is a result of this technique. I took it one step further and immediately after transferring I sprinkled my wording with embossing powder and it adhered just as if I'd used embossing ink. After heating with my heat gun, the transfer was even more prominent and, of course, it adds texture and interest. I LOVE IT. Thanks for your tutorial!

Anonymous said...

My best tip is ....Dont keep buying new mats! instead wash them with soapy water,rinse,dry and then spray with a Quilt Basting Spray.Mats are stickey once again.And remember to spray the mats out doors.

Say Anything Crafts said...

My tip is that when using my Xyron, I wad up the clear film from the top and use that to dab on the cuts once placed to remove the glue boogers and get into the tiny spaces. Works great and easy and already there so no other tool is needed.

On my Gypsy first thing I do when creting a card is put a A2 size box on the mat and then go to the next layer and use the box to make sure my layers are the riight size and look right to gether before cutting. Big paper saver.

Stephanie A
s_angus at bellsouth dot net

Cheryl said...

I have a tip, but don't have a Cricut, so you don't need to include me in the contest. My husband is making me some blocks for my foam ink applicators so I don't have to change them every time I use a different color. I think a lot of people may have tutorials about that. However, my tip is this: drill a hole in the top of each block big enough for a sponge dauber to fit in it. Then you can keep a sponge dauber AND a foam applicator for each color together and ready to use. I'll put the measurements and photos on my blog once my husband gets them finished. Good luck everyone in the contest!

Angie said...

my favorite tip...wow.... there are so many of them - I guess I would have to say that if your in a rut or just want some new ideas visit any craft blogger on craft sites and get inspired by them - I know personnally I have been "revived" by watching alot of lindas videos- they have inspired me and have shown me great little tricks.

Mom of 2 Monsters said...

My tip would be if you find a cut you really like, make multiples of it. You would be amazed how many times you go back for it. I do this with Create a Critter Cart.

Ramona said...

My tip, which alot of people do now, but itd fairly new to me, is to put all your different pieces of paper down for all the layers of your cut down on one mat and then move your blade around for each of the layers. Makes cutting more efficient as you are not taking the mat in and out for each paper change, it's also a good way to encourage use of scraps, and less wear and tear on your machine.

Thanks for the chance to win! Ramona
jbmb at comcast dot net

Cheryl said...

Great tutorial! I have a Quick Stick and I don't use it very much because it is just TOO sticky. So, I'm going to give the dbl sided tape and stylus tip a try. Another thing you can do when you need to adhere something small (especially when you have to line them up, is to position the little pieces exactly like you want them to end up, then take a piece of regular tape, get rid of some of the stickiness by tapping it on fabric (my shirt works great for that), lay the tape down over the pieces, then lift it back up (with the little bits stuck to it), turn it over and apply glue to all the pieces at once, then turn it back over and place where you want them to go. Rub them down so they adhere to the paper, then just remove the tape. It comes off easily without removing the glued pieces, and everything will be positioned perfectly.

Mrs. Green said...

Wow, I wish there was a like button for all of the great tips people have left so far!

Here's my tip - use the Line Return button! I owned my Cricut for 2 years before I knew that by simply pushing that button, it will return your blade to the top of the mat, underneath the last row. That is so much quicker and smoother than holding down the arrow buttons to get back to the top of the mat!

Crafty Kate said...

I am loving reading all of these awesome tips!! Thanks everyone! I have a tip that goes along with scrap storage. I find it very helpful to sort my scraps by color and place each color into a different page protector in a binder. This way I can carry my scraps when I go to a swap!

Crafty Kate said...

Oh, one more tip...I too find lots of inspiration on the internet, but I find it difficult to keep track of all the things I want to remember by using the "Favorites" button. So, instead I do a lot of copying and pasting into Word documents that serve as my very own inspiration files!

Sarah said...

I love all these great tips! My favorite tip is to keep an old magazine handy. When taping or glueing lay your pieces on a page of the magazine. Don't worry about running off the edges, just turn the page and you have a fresh mat for your next piece and you don't get anything on the face of your cut. This is especially handy when crafting with kids!

Hrvatica said...

I love your blog and videos and have picked up so many tips from you.

My tip is that if you run out of transfer tape for vinyl cuts, (in a pinch) painter's tape can work as a replacement.

Debby said...

My tip is I found an old spice rack on a base that has a turn table type on the bottom. It has a bunch of little jars, I filled each one with different things like colors of buttons, brads, eyelets, gemstones, ect... it works great and all I have to do is turn it to find what I want. Best 2.00 I spent in a long time.
angel hugs
Debby

marymaci said...

The stick-on jewels often come on a line of glue. Using a Quick Stick is good, but sometimes peels off the jewel without the glue, or there is excess glue when you stick it on your project. I take my skinny scissors and cut on either side of each jewel, cutting through the glue but not all the way. I cut each row, and then all the way down the side. This makes it easy to remove the jewel, leaving excess glue behind. Usually I just cut as needed since it's a bit awkward to store.
Love your blog, Linda. Great tips! Thanks everyone!!

Anonymous said...

All right - here's my tip. I made templates for each of the commonly sized cards out of manila folders. I included the card front, an "outer mat" and an "inner mat" and then put each set together with a paperclip. Once I cut something out with the cricut, I can grab various templates to see what size card everything will look the best on.
Karen kbrig@ptd.net

Teresa Chamberlain said...

My local Safeway sells empty dvd clear cases ten for a dollar. I use them to store my seasonal and solution Cricut cartriges, clear stamps, and stick a magnetic strip on the inside to hold metal cutting dies!I hit the local second hand shops and buy dvd storage shelves to hold these and mark the ends what's inside each box!

Parcha said...

Linda thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. I always enjoy and learn a lot from your tutorials.
I have two tips: 1. I have all my things organize in clear plastic shoe boxes; that way I can see whats inside at a glance and can find things fast. 2. I bought a big bag of clear dew drops(don't know if this is the correct name)and I color then on the bottom with colored sharpies or big markers before adhering them: instant color kind of rhinestones (I do this with rhinestones too). No more running to the store to get a specific color.
Hope this helps someone.
depm07 at gmail dot com

VinDeeLoo said...

My tip is when using vinyl you can use clear contact paper as your transfer paper. I also use colored contact paper when making stencils for my etching.

VinDeeLoo
vndlewis at rocketmail dot com
vindeeloosthisnthat.blogspot.com

Yvonne said...

One of my favorite things when I'm using my Cricut cutting mat and it's not quite as sticky as it should be or I'm using smaller pieces of paper is to use painters tape to hold the paper in place.

Bunnyfreak said...

One thing I just recently learned from my All things Tim Yahoo Group was that the non-stick oven mats are the same material as the ranger non-stick craft mats and so much cheaper. Another useful tip is that you can encapsulate glitter (for glittered letters - die cuts) with glossy accents.

Beth F. said...

My favorite crafitng tip is to use a large chisel Zig 2 way glue pen to re-sticky your Cricut mats. It works awesome and it is WAY cheaper than running out to a store to buy new mats!

Traci said...

Hello, I wanted to get that Quickstik also, but have to order it on Amazon.com. My tip to make a Quickstik is to use a toothpick & Tombowmono liquid adhesive. drop a little dot of it in the end of the toothpick let it dry & wahla an instint pick meup tool for little pieces. Thank you for letting me share.

Traci Lord
3team3lord3@comcast.net

Sueli said...

Hi,

I love your blog and your tutorials !!!
My tip is: I use chalk and water to dye white ribbon and so i have all the colors of ribbons.

Tks

Sueli

Anonymous said...

I loved reading all the tips, thanks for having this here. I don't have a cricut tip for you but I have a great tip for keeping shaped brads. Take a piece of cereal board and punch holes in it and keep all your shaped brads on sheets of cereal board held together by a ring binder depending on how many you have.

Smiles Sher
ShersL84bed@aol.com

crystal said...

I use my quilling tool to wrap my paper flowers around.

TYJ419 said...

The tool I couldn't do without would have to be my paper cutters. I have two large, one medium, one small and two that don't have a wide base. So, as you tell, I LOVE my paper cutters.

Kathy said...

I'm very new to scrapbooking and I "inherited" a number of cricut cartridges from a friend. Unfortunately none had the original box with it, they were all in a case. So that I wouldn't have to search through the books each time, I looked up each cartridge on the Cricut website, took a screen shot of the contents picture, pasted it into a Word document, typed the titie a t the top of the picture, printed each and put them in a notebook. That way when I want to find an image, I just flip through the pages of the notebook until I find the image. It took a little time to set up but it's sooo much faster than looking through each of my cartridge books. When I buy a new cartridge, I do the same and add it to my image notebook!

Cindy Godleski said...

I use photo boxes to organize all my scrapbooking/stamping/crafting things. Because they are the same color (that matches my scrapbook room) it is also visually appealing. I am able to put a label of the contents on the outside, so finding things is a breeze!

Cindy said...

A tip I have found that is easy and cheap. You can find at Walmart, Staples, and other places in their travel section usually. They are little bags that are for medication when you fly.
(About 3"x3"). It is perfect for small things, like buttons. I have seperated them by color and then taken all the bags and hole punched the top corner and put them all on a ring. They are easy to pack and easy to find those little things that like to get lost in a crop bag. I like the idea and 'cute factor'e cards today...Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Although I just love my cricut, I do have a lot of hand held punches. To organize these, I cut out pieces of heaavy card stock and punch the image onto them and keep them on a ring next to my work area. This way if you want to now if a phrase you have will fit into a certain sized punched image you can just lay it over the phrase. It also lets you know what punches you own. I also have a book I created of all the cricut cartridges I own with the screen shot of the images you can cut. I bound these into a book with my Zutter binder. Joan JSMK426@yahoo.com

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