Creative Critter WINNERS

Happy Monday Everyone!

What a wonderful week I just had!  It was busy, but oh so fun, and I get to wrap it all up by giving away some really GREAT prizes today!

To see WHO all won and WHAT they won... please hop over to my new CREATIVE CRITTER WINNER page!  This will be permanently linked here on the side, so that everyone can see WHAT I am giving away and WHO won it at any time!

You can also access it by going to http://www.creativecritterwinner.blogspot.com/ !  Congratulations to all the winners!

Scrappingly yours,

Tammy

ICE: In Case of Emergency

Yesterday was such a great day, I meet so many wonderful ladies at the Houston Swarm... but I also learned something really really important. ICE. It stands for IN CASE OF EMERGENCY and it should be in your cell phone!

The swarm was a gathering of ladies who have all met on the cricut message board. Many came with friends and some came alone because we were all already friends through the message board. One of the ladies there passed out and started having seizures! Thankfully she is okay, but the hospital kept her overnight for observation! She did have to have stitches in her forehead for the gash she got when she hit the floor. So, 911 was called and we were fortunate that another one of the ladies there was a nurse. Our hostess, Lori (TheCricutLady) grabbed the lady's cell phone to contact her husband, but when she called the HOME number, there was no answer.
No one knew what her husband's name was and all the other contacts were just names except one... it said DAD. So, Lori called her dad and thankfully he was able to contact her husband! It all ended well, but could have had a much different ending.

Got us to thinking... how many times do you go somewhere alone? Have you ever gone to the hairdresser or shopping by yourself? Would people be able to contact your emergency contacts if you were suddenly rendered unconcious? That is why you should have an ICE contact in your cell phone.

Teresa (partyoffive) had a great suggestion... she has her ICE listed as:

ICE-Husband 123-456-7890
ICE-Mom 234-567-8901
ICE-Sister 345-678-9012
ICE-Son 456-789-0123

I use to insist that my teenagers have an ICE contact in their phones and I did too... but that was many phone upgrades ago and I've gotten lazy and haven't put it in my new IPhone... until today.

Please pass this information along, but before you do... please put an ICE contact (or two) in your cell phone!

Scrappingly Yours!

Tammy

HOUSTON SWARM! So much fun!

Wow! What a way to end a wonderful week!! I flew into Dallas late (10:35pm!) last night and got up early this morning to drive 4hrs down to Houston to attend a SWARM! For those of you who don't know what a "SWARM" is... it's a gathering of cricut lovers for a day of scrapbooking & papercrafting!

Lori "The Cricut Lady" was the sweetest hostess and I got to meet soooo many nice ladies from the messageboard!  Let's see if I can name all my new friends!!  L to R:  Me, Pam (bugbytes), Tracy (CraftJunkieToo), Kathy, Laurie (Just_Srappin), Teresa and Lori (The Cricut Lady).



Just LOVED meeting Tracy (CraftJunkieToo)!!  She's sooo cute!



Tracy and I really enjoyed talking to Pam (TheBugBytes) alot!! 




Teresa!  Girl you rock!  She made the most awesome (there's that word Megan!) cd of the internet video of  my son!  It was so nice of her to do that.... thanks again Teresa!~



Talk about a room full of talent!  Whew!  This is Kathy and she wasn't the only one either!



Whoo Dat?!  My sister, Tina would LOVE this layout! 



Took my sweet Aunt Callie and my mom to the swarm with me.  They had so much fun!



My mom... Liz.



Well... we just really had sooo much fun! I've got more photos and stuff to post from today... but it's just gonna have to wait til tomorrow! I'm exhausted and about to crash! LOL! Chat with you later!

Scrappingly yours,

Tammy

GYPSY WEEK Day 4: Live USTREAM with giveaways!

Hi Everyone!!!

Whew! We finished filming the DVD at 1:30am!! That was a LONG day yesterday, but we had so much fun! We just want to share the experience with everyone this morning in a LIVE USTREAM! It will start at 9am eastern time (CORRECTION! 9:30am!) and will include some giveaways! Click on this link to participate or watch:


www.ustream.tv/channel/aboverubies

or go to

www.aboverubiesstudio.com 


Don't worry if you weren't able to join us... it will be recorded and you can check it out later and still be eligible for the giveaways by leaving comments in this post. I will pull the winner's names on Monday when I give away the CRICUT A-Z DVDs!! Remember, the only requirement is that you are a follower/subscriber and leave a comment!

See ya soon!

Tammy

<<<<<>>>>>

Thanks everyone who joined us this morning on the Ustream chat!  We were just chatting about wrapping up the filming of the GYPSY A-Z DVD and other random stuff!  We did give away some cute GypsyGirls luggage tags to those in the chat room.... but you have a chance to win one of the following prizes by commenting on this post:

*CRICUT A-Z DVD
*ABOVE RUBIES STUDIO LANYARD
*1 VivaDecor GLASS EFFECTS & 1 PEARL PEN
*SCRAPCESSORIES STORAGE CADDY (Love these!!)
*a GYPSY SKIN OF YOUR CHOICE!!

For Your Chance to Win ONE of these following prizes, Please Comment at Megan's blog (www.aboverubiesstudio.com):

* Cricut Cartridge of Your Choice that is available at www.Craft-E-Crorner.com
* Above Rubies Studio Lanyard
* Gypsy Skin of Your Choice
* Cricut A to Z DVD
* A Pearl Pen and Glass Effect Pen

Megan is planning on doing another UStream sometime in March and then we will do one the Night of the Gypsy A to Z Release (To sign up for updates on Gypsy A to Z – please visit: www.AboveRubiesStudio.com/early-bird/

If you are interested in being featured in the Gypsy A to Z DVD Guest Designers Gallery – please use this link to fill out the form for your work to be FEATURED!!! www.aboverubiesstudio.com/forms/gypsy-project/

Here is a link, for those of you who want to watch the recorded version of today's broadcast... its not quite an hour long and we are just having fun chatting and answering some questions from the chatroom!

HELLO THURSDAY for February!

Hi Everyone! HAPPY THURSDAY!!

I know that this is Gypsy Week and I'm in Philly and all.... but I just have to interrupt the regularly scheduled program to share a couple of projects from a cute cute cartridge being announced today by Provocraft!  This is the new PRESERVES cricut cartridge and I think that it was made specifically for ladies who love to can their own jams & jellies and stuff.  Of course, it's not limited to just that as you will see by my projects today! Click on the CARTRIDGE PREVIEW to see all the fruits this one offers!! It's awesome and it retails for only $69.99!!

My first project is a big jar of banana chips, one of my sister's favorite snacks...



The PRESERVES cartridge is full of all kinds of fruits, you name... it's there!  The Creative Feature Keys are:  LAYER, WORD, CARD, LABEL, LID and TAG. 

Here is the LABEL and WORD for the banana key:



And the LID that goes with it... everything except the word art was cut at 3" and each key has the shadow in the shift position.



There are many different tag shapes and designs, they are not all the same and can actually be used for things other than fruit related projects.  The 'TO' and 'FROM' on the tag below are also found on this cartridge, I cut them out at 3/4".



Below is a thank you card that I made for my friend, Wendy.  The LABEL feature of this cartridge has some really great shapes.



The orange pocket and orange shape are located on the same key and cut out as one.  There are several other fruits that offer the same pocket cut.  This one was cut at 4".



The white tab slides in and out to give you space for additional writing or maybe even a photo.  This is actually the 'shift' key of the orange pocket and was designed to shadow the pocket.  But, I kinda liked the idea of turning it into a slider card... so it was cut much smaller at 3".



The paper I used is K&Co and DCWV... my sentiment is a stamp from the dollar bin at Michaels and the only embellishment added was the stitching done with a pen.  EASY PEASY!



I hope you like my little contribution to HELLO THURSDAY!! It was fun making them and while I don't can my own jams and jellies (I know... don't be shocked... I just can't do it all! LOL!) I am excited about having this cartridge the thousands of other times that I need the fruit images! Love it, love it, love it!

Last, but not least!! The Cricut Expression will be shown on THE EARLY SHOW on CBS tomorrow, Friday, February 19th. I'm not sure what time yet, but more than likely will be during the tech segment on CRAFTY GADGETS. That definitely qualifies as a 'crafty gadget'! LOL! Like maybe king of the crafty gadgets!! Heheee I've already got my DVR set to record the whole show cause I want to see what they will say about this machine that has basically changed my life! How about you? Do you feel that the cricut has changed you in any way?

Take care everyone! Megan and I have another busy day of filming today... liable to be a really long one! But we will see you on her live USTREAM in the morning (go to ABOVE RUBIES STUDIO for the link) we are both giving away some goodies... one on which is 'YOUR CHOICE OF A GYPSY SKIN'! See you later!

Scrappingly yours,

Tammy

GYPSY WEEK Day 3: Saving Cutfiles

Hello Everyone!!  Still in Philly... yesterday was AMAZING!  We started filming and didn't finish until 9:30pm!!!  What fun!  Okay, so I learned so much the first day, but the main lesson learned was, "don't get the giggles and laugh too loud while wearing the microphone because you will blow the cameraman's eardrums out! (sorry Dan! lol!)". Here are two candid shots of Megan and I that were taken while we were filming...

But here are the real stars of the GYPSY A-Z DVD!  LOL!





GYPSY TIP FOR DAY 3 OF GYPSY WEEK:  Saving CUTFILES

Definition of a CUTFILE - Design Studio uses .cut files and the Gypsy uses .gypsy files, both of which can be used with the cricut machines.

-- Gypsy cutfiles can be saved in two locations (1) internally in the gypsy and (2) uploaded to your computer.
-- You do not need to own Design Studio in order to save cutfiles to your computer.
--  Yes, you can convert a .gypsy file to .cut and vice versa, though there are still some difficulties with 'some' files because DS and GYPSY still have differences that don't communicate well between them (ex: hide contour).

SUGGESTION FOR ORGANIZING CUTFILES ON GYPSY
I am very careful about what I name my files, because the file folder (only one, no subfolders) stores cutfiles alphabetically starting with uppercase then again with lowercase.  I try to 'group' like files... so if I design my own cupcake wrapper and want to use it as a template over and over to make more customizable wrappers, here is how I would name the files:

TEMPLATE - Cupcake Wrapper
TEMPLATE - Cupcake Wrapper - Crowns
TEMPLATE - Cupcake Wrapper - Flowers
TEMPLATE - Cupcake Wrapper - Shamrocks

Notice that the main template does not have a specified image and will appear first in this grouping.  Everything else will be alphabetized by the last words and all the Cupcake Wrappers will be grouped together and easy to find.  Another example would be cards, here is how I have mine saved:

CARD - Birthday - Cake
CARD - Birthday - Flower
CARD - Birthday - Mom
CARD - Birthday - Superman

Do you get it?  The first word is the 'GROUP' you want the file to be in and the second word is the 'TYPE' of cutfile it is and the third word 'DESCRIBES' the file.

Now this is pretty much the same for files that I upload to my computer... UNLESS... (there is always an 'unless' isn't there?  lol)... you are sharing it with the wide world web.  If you are sharing cutfiles... I HIGHLY recommend that you also add your name or an identifying title to the end like this:

CARD - Birthday - Cake TSKINNER

That will help with identifying your cutfiles on other blogs, both for you and for others.  Also helps remind people 'who' they got the cutfile from and you would hope that they would give you credit for the design when they make something with it..

How do you share cutfiles with the wide world web?  I use www.box.net  it is a free service (with limitations) and easy to use.

The gypsy has the capability to store up to 10,000 cutfiles!!  Now that is ALOT of info crammed all into one folder!  My hope is that by the time any of us get anywhere close to that number, PC will have upgraded the file folder and made subfolders possible!  Hey!  A girl can dream... right!?  LOL!

Hope that helps you a bit in getting organized with your Gypsy cutfiles!  I plan to do a video after I get back home showing how to upload and download cutfiles from other bloggers and your computer.  So, if you find TIPS like this helpful, please subscribe or become a follower so that you get the updates!

Don't forget that I am still giving away 3 of Above Rubies Studio's CRICUT A-Z DVD on Monday and will draw the names from all the comments left this week~!

Thanks for visiting everyone and also for all the well wishes!!  You guys ROCK!

Scrappingly yours,

GYPSY WEEK - Day 2: Gypsy Bloggers

Hello Everyone from Philadelphia!!  Brrrrr... it's cold here! LOL!

Today I want to share some of my favorite Gypsy Blogs.  These ladies really rock when it comes to sharing their creativity.  So much inspiration waiting for you... right here on the internet!  It's a wonderful thing.  These blogs are just the tip of the iceberg... they are in no particular order and each of them features either gypsy cut files or videos or even both!  Go visit them and tell them that I sent you!

Design-Create-Inspire by MyaMagoo aka Crystal

The Bug Bytes by Pam

Capadia Designs by Diane

 Crazy for Crafting by Cindy

See Fluffy Scrap by Rozette

She's a Sassy Lady by Sheila

217 Creations by Elizabeth


Tuesday Treats by Pam & Crystal

And of course, the Above Rubies Studio by Megan has to be added to this list!

Speaking of Megan... she is just the sweetest hostess ever!  I am in Philly now... but, alas... my luggage is not!  All my gypsy projects... cameras... YourStory....ummm, clothes!... are in those bags!  Well, I'm just hoping that the luggage fairy will bring them to me in the middle of the night, in the meantime, does anyone have any socks I can borrow?  Lol!!

UPDATE:  The Luggage Fairy did come!! And in the middle of the night too... bout 1:30am to be exact! LOL!  Hooray Southwest!! Their customer service through this whole experience has just been superb!!  We have alot of prep work to be done today and start filming at 3pm, so I am very relieved to know that I don't have to re-make all my projects!

Let me leave you with just a few shots from today!  Heheee...

A shot of downtown Philly from the plane...




Welcome to Philadelphia!!



Ummm... hey, that's not funny!  How did that Baggage Claim sign get in my camera!  LOL!



Thanks for stopping by today!! I hope you enjoy the blogger links I shared with you today, these ladies have no idea that they were listed here today, so please say hi to them for me? And don't forget to leave a comment here for a chance to win one of three CRICUT A-Z DVDs!!!

Scrappingly yours,

GYPSY WEEK! Day One: A little Overview

In honor of our finishing the Gypsy A-Z dvd this week, I have dedicated the whole week to the GYPSY!

There are many talented designers out there and many of them are willing to share their talents with you (for free!) on the internet. So, where do you go? Well, I've compiled a list for you, and will feature one each day this week along with a GYPSY TIP and project of the day!

DAY ONE - INTERNET RESOURCE: CRICUT.COM

Should I ever have a question about the gypsy, or anything Cricut related for that matter! The first place I go is to www.cricut.com! There are several options for Gypsy information.

Under the PRODUCTS tab, you can choose the GYPSY. This is where you can actually purchase a Gypsy for $249.00 (It was originally $299) OR even make 4 monthly payments of $74.74! Not many companies offer options like that! Don't forget that the Gypsy comes with TWO exclusive cartridges Gypsy Font & Gypsy Wanderings, both of which are awesome! The Gypsy Font is my favorite cursive and welds together soooo well! Especially great for vinyl word art for the wall!

On that same page is a link for more GYPSY INFORMATION. There is a wealth of information on the Gypsy there! There's a page of accessories that can be purchased for the Gypsy, including all the new skins that where previewed at CHA! I've got my eye on the black & white damask skin! LOL!





But, there are several new ones to oogle over!



Hmmm... but the more I look at this cute bird one... the more I like it!





I'm loving this case too!





Go check these out... the pictures on www.cricut.com are much much better!

SQUIRREL! Okay... back to the resources... got just a little distracted with the wish list for a minute! There are some great gypsy videos done by the talented Jinger Adams and information on getting registered and staying updated.

My favorite part of the cricut website is the awesome message board community there! I have come to know many of you through that message board. Everything cricut can be found there. Go to http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/ and click on messageboard. You can visit and read the threads, but will be unable to ask questions or post comments unless you register. Go ahead... it's free and tons of fun!

Within the messageboard, you will find many 'forums'. They are like rooms in cyber space and each one has a theme. My favorites are CRICUT CHAT and GYPSY CHITCHAT. But, I also love browsing through the CARTRIDGE EXPLORATION forums for inspiration. There is a forum for every cartridge.

The GYPSY forum includes GYPSY CHITCHAT, GYPSY COMMENTS, GYPSY GALLERY, GYPSY SUGGESTIONS and the most important one... GYPSY TECH SUPPORT!. You can click on any of them to go to that forum... if you do, say 'HI' to all my friends over there! My nickname is CREATIVE CRITTER - TAMMY, but you might run into BUGBYTES, MYAMAGOO, SASSYLADY, NILDA, MERCY, MAKEUPGIRL217 and CINDYMCVEY over there too!

Well, many of you have seen this little GYPSY TIP video over on the HOLIDAYS WITH THE CRICUT blog, but it's a good tip that alot of people miss. So, here's how to zoom on the gypsy keypad:


click HERE if you are unable to see the video above.

Thanks everyone for all the well wishes! I am so excited about everything coming up! Don't worry about using the followers link (its been acting weird), you can subscribe by email at the top of the right column.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible to win a copy of Megan's CRICUT A-Z dvd!!  You can leave a comment every day, the only requirement is that you be either a follower or subscriber.  I will pick the winners and announce them on Monday, Feb 22nd!

Wish me luck as I travel today to Philly!  This weather has been so weird! 

Scrappingly yours,

GYPSY A-Z: We finish it this week!

I am soooo excited to be finishing this DVD this week with Megan at ABOVE RUBIES STUDIO!  We have been working on this project for months!  Lots of phone calls, emails, conferences and get-togethers while at CHA in California and finally, I fly to Philly this Tuesday to actually film in the studio!  It's gonna be crazy fun and I just can't sleep because of how excited I am! 

This calls for a giveaway!!!  If you haven't gotten your own personal copy of Megan's CRICUT A-Z Instructionl DVD... then just become a follower of my blog and leave a comment and you could win one!  I will draw from the comments left between today and next Sunday (Feb 21 @ 11:59pm) and will post the winner first thing on Monday (Feb 22).  I will be giving away THREE (3) copies!  Yep... that's 3 winners!  You should check out her blog (http://www.aboverubiesstudio.com/) and leave her some love too!  She works really hard to share tons of helpful tips & ideas with us!



I also have some really exciting changes planned for this blog... you can now access it by the blog name (http://www.creativecritterscricutclub.blogspot.com/) but because that was soooo loonnnnnggg... you can simply type http://www.cricutcritters.com/ and it will direct you here too!  Please feel free to share with friends!  I have enjoyed working on the HOLIDAYS WITH THE CRICUT blog so much, but in order to juggle the workload and focus on my goals of teaching the cricut and gypsy, I will no longer be posting over there. But, don't worry, Melanie & Joy will continue to bring you great stuff everyday!

Last, but definitely not least!  If you want to get your name on the list to reserve your copy of the new GYPSY A-Z, then click on www.aboverubiesstudio.com/Early-Bird and sign up today!  (There is no obligation or purchase required)

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING: No Pets Allowed

Hi Everyone!! I have just the cutest layout to share with you all!!!  One of my retreat guests, Nancy had the sweetest pictures of her son climbing into a pet carrier and was just kinda stuck on what to do with them.  This was her first Ladybug Retreat and she didn't know that I LOVE consulting and helping people out with their layouts... especially when the pictures are as cute as these are!!!  Nancy's friend, Lisa called me over and I took one look at this adorable child crammed into a pet carrier and instantly thought GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING!!



Now Nancy had all the cardstock and colors already coordinated... all I helped with was the diecut embellishments.  The cardstock was from a pet collection.



The 'NO PETS ALLOWED' sign is from GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING and was cut in black at 4".  Nancy then backed it with the coordinating green paper and carried the color through by matting it in black.  The word 'allowed' is the shift cut for this sign, we cut it (also 4") out of the plaid cardstock.  The cute dog was a part of one of the sheets of cardstock, she cut it out and applied it to the corner of the sign... it looked like it was made to go there!



The OPEN and CLOSE arrows are also from GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING which were cut at 1 3/4".



I love how Nancy journaled... she has beautiful handwriting, looks like a computer font!



The black arrows are also from GRAPICALLY SPEAKING... such a fun cartridge!!  We added the stitching with my favorite Signo White gel pen.  Nancy came up with the chain embellishment and dog tag... so cute!



Love it!!



Now... didn't I tell you that it was the cutest layout you ever saw!!  Lol!  What I didn't tell you was that Nancy was the only guest at my retreat that did not have a cricut!    Yep... she was a complete cricut virgin!  Hehee  But, not anymore!  I dragged her over to the cricut in the tool center and made the appropriate introductions and the rest is history!!  I just hope her hubby will forgive me because I think she is 'in love'!  Funniest thing about the whole story is... she was the one who won the STORYBOOK cartridge that I gave away this past weekend!!  LOL!

Gotta love that GRAPHICALLY SPEAKING!  Right!?

Scrappingly yours,

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE Scrapbook Retreat Highlights!

We had soooo much fun this past weekend! Seriously!  95% of my weekend guests were cricut owners and about 75% have taken the plunge and purchased the Gypsy, so my scrapbook retreats have become a gathering of CREATIVE CRITTERS... get it... ladybugs & cricuts... heeehee.  Add the Gypsy to the mix and we are a TRAVELING SWARM!  Haha... I crack myself up sometimes! 

Two of my favorites... sisters, Sandy & Paula




I had the pleasure of teaching Lisa, who is new to Cricut!  She's got the pink expression and hasn't even taken it out of the box yet... I'm hoping that she has released that critter from it's cage now and is enjoying it's company!!  (Lisa... just let me know if you want to trade my green E for your pink E!  LOL!)


Below I am teaching Penni how to log onto the http://www.cricut.com/ message board (click on community when you get there).  It is a wonderful wealth of ideas and help.  The members (and there are lots of them) are so willing to share and will answer any question posted.  If you are a member of the cricut message board... please leave a comment with your ID name, that way I can say 'hi' to you should we meet up on the board!  Penni is opening a Scrapbook Bed & Breakfast up in Denton, Texas in just a couple of months!  I will have more information for you about that as soon as I get it!



She's so sweet... and I'm so excited about her B&B because I need a place to 'get away' myself sometimes!


Yes... I actually got some time to work on some projects too!  Wow... what a mess I made! LOL!



My dear friend, Leeanne!  I loaned her a cricut for the weekend and now she is hooked!  I hope her husband, Joe will forgive me someday!  LOL!  She was working on her daughter's wedding album and the diecuts she made from STORYBOOK were just gorgeous!  Did not look like the work of a cricut beginner, I assure you!



Yes... we scrapbooked... we gabbed... some sang (along with the streaming radio)... shopped (thanks Scrappy Chic!)... and ate... it was so much fun!



I include a sewing machine in my tool center and Clare went to town sewing a border around her photos!  You go girl!!  She's part of the "U Rock" club!  Hehee



And then of course... the chocolate... yes, there was tons of it.  Sorry ladies.  I know it's not good for our waistlines... but thankfully this particular retreat only comes around once a year! 



Well... that was so much fun that I can't wait for the next one!  Only 4 weeks away, I am hosting a LUCK O' THE IRISH Scrapbook Retreat at the same hotel in Frisco, Texas.  The dates are March 5-7, 2010 and there are still a few seats available.  If you are interested in more information or would like to register for this retreat or others... you can click HERE or just go to http://www.cropallday.com/

Thanks for stopping by today!  I had a couple comments about learning the HIDE CONTOUR feature in Design Studio today and want you to know that I am listening!  I will post a lesson for that and hopefully will include a video for those who want to learn it.  If all goes well, I will try to have it up by this weekend, so keep checking back!

Scrappingly yours,