Thursday, January 31, 2008

So I Took the Plunge...

... and bought Sure Cuts Alot to test it out on my Cricut Expressions... After a few minutes I was up and running!

The program is pretty simple and straightforward. You can see all your installed fonts and cut them. What you see it what you cut. Here were some of my experiences/concerns:

* Before starting you have to be sure your Cricut Firmware is updated (you can do this using Cricut Design Studio (Free Trial, or Full Retail Version). You need Firmware version 1.1 for Cricut, and 2.1 for the Expressions machine.

Here is a link for the Free Trial of Cricut Design Studio.

* You also need a program called libusb for this program to work. You can download it here:
http://craftedge.com/products/libusb.html

* Designing is pretty easy. You just click where you want the application to cut your design, choose your font, and type away. You can resize by dragging.

* NOTE: Welding and Shadowing are not yet available. Disappointing yes, but it is in the works as a future feature that will be available for free upgrade later. Free is good!

* It can also cut shapes and comes with a basic library of shapes. Looks like there may be future shape files available for download - fun!

* It will only cut installed fonts - so be sure they are installed before you open the program, or else they won't show up in the font list.

* You have to have a cartridge inserted for the machine to be able to advance the mat. Doesn't matter which cartridge, but there does need to be a cartridge inserted.

* I did a test cut using my fave basic font - Georgia. It cuts great BUT painfully slow. But a tradeoff I would make if it meant I didn't have to buy any more font cartridges (yeah right, but that's my reasoning anyway... LOL). Maybe this is another thing that will be worked on...

* From my experience, it looks like the pressure is still controlled by the dial itself. I will email customer support though to make sure that is the case... NOTE: I heard back from a VERY QUICK responding customer service. The pressure is controlled by the knob on your machine.

The only worry I have is Provocraft's reaction to this program. There is speculation that they could come out with a Firmware Update that will block this program. Not sure if that is possible (or even legal)... But time will tell I guess.

All in all I think as it is, it is worth the $69.95 special that it is selling for right now. Not sure that it is worth the $90 retail price though - at least not without the welding/shadow features... But it is a solid first effort and freeing all those TTF's that we have on our computers!

I will update this review as I use the program more, and as new features come out...

Cricut Cuts True Type Fonts - Sure Cuts Alot Software

Wow - I was very surprised to hear it, but apparently a company has made software that allows the Cricut to cut fonts on your computer - SCORE!

http://www.craftedge.com/index.html

Looks like someone beat Provocraft to the punch... They really should have released the Design Studio Software with this capability... I am ***this**** close to buying it to try it out! If it works, my Wishblade is going to need a new home...

I wonder what Provocraft is going to do about it? Is there anything they can do? I doubt it right?

Or maybe this company has some sort of deal with Provocraft? Who knows - but I think this will be AWESOME if it works!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Cricut Buy Two Get One Free - WalMart Promo

Provocraft is doing another "Buy Two Get One Free" promo, this time for WalMart only...

You buy the cartridges between Feb 1 - Feb 29 at Wal Mart, fill out the Rebate Request and send it off by March 31st with your $14.95 payment for shipping and handling.

You will get a free cartridge of your choice (from a selected list)...

I did this rebate when they did it in December and got Printing 101 for free - great deal!

Donate to Charity + Win Tim Holtz Art Piece

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

If you go to Tim Holtz's blog: http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/paying-it-forwa.html

He is having a contest to win a beautiful canvas mosaic mixed media piece he did. All you have to do it make a $10.00 donation to "A Place To Bark" www.aplacetobark.com, which is being run by Bernie Berlin. The contest is being based on the number of people who donate at least $10.00, not the amount of money.

To be entered in Tim's contest you have to type "Cooper" in the "dedication or gift" box.

How It Works:

The four charity badges with the most unique donations through America's Giving Challenge will get $50,000 for their cause.

BUT HURRY!

America's Giving Challenge runs only until January 31st.

Donate Via the Badge Below:


New Cherry Arte Lines

As a Mom of boys, I am always excited to see new boy stuff... Cherry Arte has some new lines for both boys and girls - the boy line is too cool! Here are some samples of the "Boy Story" line:




I can't wait to see these in person! You can see the rest of the new lines here.

Lots of fun stuff there! :)


Wednesday Hero: 1/30/08

SSgt. Justin R. Whiting
SSgt. Justing R. Whiting
27 years old from Hancock, New York
3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
January 19, 2008


Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, a Special Forces medical sergeant sustained fatal wounds when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive devise 16 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq.

He is survived by his mother, Estelline, of Colorado Springs, Colo., father, Randall, of Hancock, N.Y., sister, Amanda, of DuPont, Wash., and brother Nathan of Dover, Tenn.

For more information on SSgt. Justin Whiting, you can download this PDF file.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wednesday Hero: 1/23/08

Capt. Lyle L. Gordon



Airmen from the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at an air base in Southwest Asia prepare a C-17 Globemaster III for an airdrop mission Jan. 14 to deliver humanitarian supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Giants Make the Superbowl & We Made the Website!

And we couldn't be more happy!

My DH was looking on the Giants' Website a couple weeks ago when they made the playoffs and saw a photo of a familiar scene.

He remembered those "Win and In" towels that everyone was waving and thought, "Hey! We were at that game..."... We bought season tickets off of Ebay in 2002 (we lived in Washington, DC then - SHUDDER) and had gone to this game... The kids stayed with Grandma and Papa John in CT, and we drove down to Jersey and froze our butts off - it was December 28, 2002. The playoff berth between the Giants and the Eagles...

Then he looked at the photo harder and said, "That's US!"... Yep! We made the very corner of the photo:

And then we sent it to pretty much everyone we knew... LOL It was a great game. We left early to beat the traffic and could have KICKED ourselves. We missed Matt Bryant's game winning 39 yard field goal in overtime (though we heard it on the radio and nearly wrecked the car)... But I guess had we stayed we still might have been waiting to get on the freeway right about now... :D

Can you believe they are in the SUPERBOWL?? Party at our house! Come on down! I have to get some good pictures... I was too excited to break out the camera this last weekend... LOL I will definitely get some good photos during the Superbowl though... Now to see if I have some Royal Blue paper... :)

GO BIG BLUE!

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Got My Free Cricut Cartridge

It shipped and I got it today! Woo hoo! This was the free cartridge rebate that was going on late last year where you buy two cartridges and get the 3rd free. I think I sent my form in around December 15th, and I just got it today - not bad!

I was kinda worried since out of all the offered cartridges, there was only one I didn't have - Printing 101. But I figured I could always sell or trade it for another if I got one I already had. I had heard about people getting their 2nd, 2rd, and LAST choice (RUH ROH), so I was happily surprised that I got my first choice:



I soooo want to play with it, but I have 4 papers due before next Friday. ((sigh)) So... playing will have to wait I guess... :)

Friday, January 18, 2008

Wow! More Old Geneva Dairy News

I was looking around for more info and found this blog detailing experiences at the Old Geneva Dairy.

Yeowza! What a nightmare! Hopefully they will bring the guy to justice for this as well... Crazy.

Old Geneva Dairy

This is a bit of interesting news... I had heard little bits of news here and there about this Scrapbooking Retreat. In a nutshell, scrapbookers were up in arms because they did not deliver the experience that is shown on their website.

The site says they are not taking reservations for 2008. Now I know why. This is the owner:
=======================================================
From the Shelbyville News Website

Bridgers ordered to serve year in prison

Bettina Puckett
Staff Writer

Olde Geneva Dairy owner Anson Craig Bridgers was sentenced to one year in jail on Wednesday during a probation revocation hearing in Shelby County Superior Court No. 1. In 2004, Bridgers was accused of failing to pay $52,419 in withholding tax.

"He withheld the tax, but did not forward it to the state, as is required," said Shelby County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brad Land-werlen.

Bridgers, 43, made one payment of $695 in 2005, but paid "not a dime" in 2007, Landwerlen said. Bridgers is the former owner of Bridgers Manufacturing Corp. in Shelbyville.

An agent from the Indiana Department of Revenue's Criminal Investigation Di-vision interviewed Bridgers at his workplace on Nov. 12, 2004.

During the interview, Bridgers acknowledged that he signed tax vouchers but could not explain why the vouchers were sent with no accompanied sign check, according to court records.

He originally was charged with eight Class D felonies - four counts of failure to remit withholding taxes and four counts of theft, according to a May 29, 2004, report in The Shelbyville News. He was arrested on warrants for tax evasion after an investigation into his business practices by the Indiana Department of Revenue.

The case was held up for a year, but Bridgers finally filed paperwork saying he would plead guilty.

Although Bridgers actually owed two separate debts, Landwerlen said he only filed paperwork for Bridgers to pay the $52,419.

Landwerlen said Bridgers tried to take advantage of Indiana's tax amnesty law. But he has not paid any of the tax money he owes or received amnesty.

Finally, Bridgers was granted probation on Aug. 2, 2006. He was told not to consume alcohol as a condition of his probation, but on Feb. 18, 2007, he was arrested for resisting arrest and public intoxication.

"He went to trial in Superior Court No. 1 and was convicted," Landwerlen said.

At Wednesday's probation revocation hearing, Landwerlen asked Judge Jack Tandy to revoke the full three years of his probation.

"He's been skirting the system forever with this," Landwerlen said.

Although Bridger's most recent attorney, Mark Kamish of Franklin, asked Tandy for a continuation of the probation because Bridgers was taking remedial steps such as attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Tandy ruled that Bridgers should serve one year of executed time with the Indiana Department of Correction.

Kamish could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

When Bridgers gets out of jail in one year, he still will have to pay off the debt owed to the state, Landwerlen said.

Retreat controversies

Bridgers has been the focus of controversy over the past year among women scrapbookers in several states for running the Olde Geneva Dairy, an illegal scrapbooking retreat business at 2801 Vandalia Road. Before it was declared an illegal business because of zoning and health violations, hundreds of women - many of whom lived out of state - had come to the retreat to spend the weekend with friends and enjoy their hobby of scrapbooking.

In recent months, at least 17 of the women have filed complaints against Bridgers with Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter's office because they were led to believe they were going to spend the weekend at a quaint former dairy, only to be directed to a hotel. One woman called Bridgers' tactics a "bait and switch."

Before Shelby County officials ordered him to cease and desist further operation of the scrapbooking retreat, Bridgers operated a retail establishment and provided food service at the Olde Geneva Dairy. The dairy also serves as Bridgers' home.

In November, Bridgers was arrested again for fleeing, interfering with law enforcement and public intoxication after he had a confrontation with some of his Waldron neighbors. Bridgers was with Pamela A. Monroe, 56, a jail officer, who was charged with public intoxication. Monroe was dismissed from her job at Shelby County jail following the incident.

During the sentencing phase of Bridgers' recent court appearance, Landwerlen asked Bridgers if he still was selling women a glorious holiday over the Internet and then shipping them off to a hotel.

"He said, "I've never done that,'" Landwerlen said. "But we know a lot of women who say different. Either women from around the country have organized a wonderful conspiracy, or he lied."

Bridgers is scheduled to appear in Shelby Superior Court No. 2 on Jan. 30 for a final pretrial hearing in the zoning and health-code violation case Shelby County has against him.

The state attorney general's office has yet to rule on the many complaints against Bridgers and his scrapbooking retreat.

=======================================

Ouch!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Wednesday Hero: 1/16/08

Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus
Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus
28 years old from Wolf Creek, Montana
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force
July 29, 2006


Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus was the nephew of Montana Senator Max Baucus. He joined the corps in 2002 and was sent to Iraq in March of 2005.

Cpl. Baucus was killed alongside fellow Marines Sgt. Christian Williams, 27 yrs old from Winter Haven, Fla. and Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19 yrs old from Clovis, Calif. during combat operations in Al Anbar province.

"Phillip was an incredible person, a dedicated Marine, a loving son and husband, and a proud Montanan and American," Sen. Baucus said. "He heroically served the country he loved and he gave it his all."


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

CHA Winter 08 Previews

There are so many GREAT products coming out at CHA Winter 08. Here are some previews of those fab new products:

http://www.paperjamstudio.com/board/viewforum.php?f=2

My fave (with the exception of that awesome Crop A Dile II) are these cute doodly acrylic stamps from Stampendous. I have a serious acrylic stamp addiction!



You can see the rest here:
http://www.paperjamstudio.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=215&sid=a063abd7cb2e167bc774eb3020509d66

I hope to be posting lots more CHA 08 previews soon... :)

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Wednesday Hero: 1/9/08

Sgt. Frank T. Carvill
Sgt. Frank T. Carvill
51 years old from Carlstadt, New Jersey
3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery
June 04, 2004


When Frank T. Carvill told his sister he had been called up to go to Iraq, she was stunned. "Gee, Frank, are you going to be part of the AARP battalion?" she teased.

Carvill joined the Guard in the 80's out of a sense of patriotism. He was a devoted big brother to Peggy Liguori, who still remembers how as kids, he took her to see “Blue Hawaii” and “Born Free” at the movies. He was the longtime pal to Rick Rancitelli who admired Carvill’s “million-dollar vocabulary” and his writing and public speaking skills. In 1993. Sgt. Carvill was working in the WTC as a paralegal when it was attacked. He helped a co-worker down 54 floors to safety. In 2001, he was still working at the WTC. He had just left the North Tower moments before the first plane hit.

Sgt. Carvill was killed when his convoy was attacked outside of Baghdad.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Crop A Dile II - The Big Bite

Is it possible that one of the best Scrapbooking Tools of 2007 just got BETTER?

We R Memory Keepers is debuting the Crop A Dile II on HSN on Thursday, January 10th, Midnight EST.

Get your credit cards ready because it is going to be the "Today's Special Value".

Why is it better? Because it has a longer reach. You can now get into places you couldn't with the original Crop A Dile. See:



Can you imagine the projects that can be done with THIS BABY?? :D This is definitely a must-have for my toolbox... Should I wait until it comes in another color?

NAAAAH! :)

Cute Ribbon Storage - Ribbon Ring

I was going through an issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine today when I saw an ad in the back that peaked my interest...

I already have a ribbon storage system in place, but I was thinking for when I have a dedicated space for my studio - this would be a cute way to store ribbon:

http://www.ribbonring.com/

The system consists of a plastic tab holder attached to a ring. The tab holds one or two ribbons, and the ring holds around sixty of these tags:



I can imagine a whole bunch of these rings decoratively hung, grouped by color... It would look so cute hanging in a room like that:



I am of the school "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"... If I can see it, I will use it. So this system would really work for me... Hmmm - maybe once our nomadic military life is over? :) These are really inexpensive too! I am tempted to get them and save them for my room later... :)

Anyway, I thought it was soooo cute so I thought I would share...

Note: These images are courtesy of http://www.ribbonring.com.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Tim Holz's Studio

I have been getting inspiration from all these wonderful workspaces online... Ever wonder what Tim Holz's studio looks like? It is AMAZING. I have never seen so many stamps and inks (that weren't in a store) in my LIFE!

My little space is ever evolving. I can't wait till we are settled after hubby retires from the military... Then look out - I will be designing my room - my permanent craft mecca... :)

But for now, I will just have to ogle Tim's... :) Here it is in all it's fun and funky glory:

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-studio.html


http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-studio-day.html

http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-studio---fi.html

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Wednesday Hero 1/2/08

1st Sgt. Eric Crayton
1st Sgt. Eric Crayton
From Sparta, Georgia


Sgt. Eric Crayton, the first sergeant for the Extension Detachment, Company C, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, serving Christmas dinner to Soldiers at the Pegasus Dining Facility at Camp Liberty, Iraq.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.