Cricut Maker Machines from 5/15-5/21
Sale at Cricut
**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
Cricut will be launching an offer on the Maker Machines from 5/15-5/21. If you have wanted one of these outstanding machines, now is the time to order one.
Cricut is launching their End of Spring Flash Sale, featuring the Maker for $249, the Air 2 for $199, and the Joy for $169! Plus, save 40% on Materials and Accessories! Be sure to spread the word. All text links to share with your audience are below.
Cricut.com is offering free shipping on orders $99+. Use promo code SHIPMAY or MAYSHIP through 5/31.
Here are some other great items available for sale.
- Save 40% on Accessories! Valid through 5/21.
- Save 40% on Materials! Valid through 5/21.
- The Floor Lamp is only $249. Valid through 5/21.
- Table Lamp is only $199. Valid through 5/21.
- BrightPad Go is only $99. Valid through 5/21.
- BrightPad is only $59. Valid through 5/21.
- Hat Press is only $149. Valid through 5/21.
- Mug Press is only $199.99. Valid through 5/21.
- EasyPress 12×10 only $199. Valid through 5/21.
- EasyPress 9×9 is only $149. Valid through 5/21.
- EasyPress Mini is only $49. Valid through 5/21.
- Joy machine on sale for $169! Valid through 5/21.
- Air 2 machine on sale for $199! Valid through 5/21.
- Save $150 on the Maker machine! Valid through 5/21.
- Explore 3 machines for only $319.99! Valid through 5/21.
- Maker 3 machine only $429! Valid through 5/21.
Why Buy from Cricut
From cutting machines to crafting essentials, Cricut products make it easy to create just for fun, friends & family, or even for a small business.
I have been using Cricut products for many years. I met the CEO at a dinner hosted by Cricut in Nashville. Cricut employees (and the CEO) are even members of the Facebook Cricut groups, and you can talk to them personally. They care about what their customers say and have fantastic customer service.
I love my own Maker Machine, and I highly recommend them. So if you are interested, purchase yours during the sale for Maker Machines from 5/15-5/21.
Follow us on Facebook.
Affordable Website Design for Small Business
Do you need an affordable website built for your small business, farm, or hobby? I create small custom websites starting at $250.00 and go up depending on the complexity of the site.
Sites that I have created: (This website)
- DD Mini Farm
- Manley’s Equine Therapy
- Sky Pony Stables
- Finish Line Roofs and More
- Keepsake Design Studio
Once I complete your website, you have the option to have me maintain the site for $25.00 per month, or I can teach you how to keep your site updated. If you choose to keep your site updated yourself, I will still be available to help you in the future.
I will work with you to get everything set up perfectly.
The Process
Let me know what type of website you are looking for. I will give you a quote. Once you pay for the website development and provide me with access to your hosting, I will get started. It always helps if you look at other websites and write down what you like and dislike, so I have some ideas of what to make you.
Suppose you do not already have a hosting service, I recommend SiteGround. I like it the best of all the services I have used over the years. (If you purchase through the link provided, I make a small commission.) Once you have your hosting, I will set everything up for your site and get started.
After your site is built, I will talk with you on the phone and walk you through the website and how it works. I will also be available via email or texting for questions later on.
Follow us on Facebook.
How do I start a Scrapbook?
I have been asked. “How do I start a Scrapbook?” I am lost and don’t know where to start. I also get, “I don’t have time to scrap.” how do you create your layouts? Today I am going to go over how I scrapbook in short periods.
How do I start a Scrapbook?
The first thing I do is pick the photos I want to work with for a one or two-page project. What do I want to scrap and preserve? What memory do I want to put together? If I have photos printed out, I start with those and sort through them until I get the ‘spark’ of the memory I want to work with. If I do not have photos already printed out, I will look through the pictures on my phone, tablet, or computer.
Don’t make this challenging or overthink the process. You are just looking for two or more photos of a special occasion that you want to start scrapbooking on a layout. (two pages side by side) When I have spare time, I will group photos for future projects to save time later. You can do this while watching T.V. or listening to an audiobook or the radio. You can choose to get the photos ready for your next project or group similar photos together for many future projects.
Photo Cropping
If my photos are not printed out, I pick the ones I want to print and upload them to the Walgreens.com website. I will often take a photo and crop it to a different size so I can have specialty photos for a layout. Here is an example of ones that I just recently did. The two larger pictures on each page are 5 x 7 inches. The smaller ones are 4 x 4 inches, and the smallest one is 2 x 3 inches. I choose to have the 4 x 4 photos printed that way instead of cropping a 4 x 6 photo down. The 2 x 3 photo was a set of wallet photos, and it was four photos of the same image, and I cut one off the 4 x 6 print. By having the pictures printed already cropped, the image is centered in the photo better.
Pick Your Papers
The next step to creating your layout is to pick your papers. If you have papers at home, place your photos on different papers and start looking into what compliments your photos the best. If you have to go to the store, then take your pictures so you can pick up your papers. It is ok if you can’t choose exactly what you want. You can buy some extra papers, which will be used at some point on a project. When I started this project, I was doing this exact step. The photos for this section will not be as bright as I was inside, with not the best lighting. I apologize for the quality. It will help you understand my process.
I knew that I wanted brown papers. So I started putting my papers up against brown papers and narrowed it down to the following two sets.
I liked the look of both of these backgrounds. So now it is time to get accent papers to compliment the photos and background. After trying different colors, I narrowed it down to green and maroon.
At this point, I liked the background on the left better than the darker background on the right. So I put both sets of photos and extra paper onto the light background. I also started picking out accessories, and I chose some flowers and red accent dots. None of the pictures or papers have been taped down, and they are all still available to be moved around and changed to different colors at this time.
I decided I liked this placement, measured the strips to the lengths I wanted, and started gluing down the papers. The top photo on this post is the finished product.
Timeframe
The following is the amount of time it took to create this layout.
Day 1: I chose the photos I wanted to use for my project. I started with three images that I printed out as 5 x 7 inches, and I printed out four pictures in the size of 4 x 6 inches. Three photos I had printed in the 4 x 4-inch size and the one wallet print page of 4 of the same images that are 2 x 3 inches each. It may sound like many pictures, but I printed one photo as a 5 x 7, 4 x 6, and 4 x 4 print. So three of the pictures are the same and just different sizes. It took about 30 minutes to pick the images, send them to Wallgreens.com and select the photos’ dimensions, pay, and process the order.
Day 2: I picked up my photos from Walgreens down the street. I then spent about 15 to 20 minutes picking out papers and playing with the color choices.
Day 3: Today, I took the time to pick out accessories to go on the layout. I cut the papers to the sizes I wanted and glued it all down. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to get everything how I wanted it.
Conclusion
The total time it took to do this layout was about an hour over three different days. By just making a little time here and there, you, too, can create a design in short spurts of time. I hope these tips help you with the question: How do I start a Scrapbook?
Follow No Time to Scrap on Facebook.
DaNel Hicks participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Basic Tools Needed for Paper Crafting
Today I will go over the necessary tools needed for paper crafting. These are the tools that I suggest that everyone have in their Tool Bag. There are many other tools that you may use and acquire over time for more detailed paper crafting, but these are the most used for scrapbooking and card making.
Cutting Paper
In addition to the paper trimmer, you need a good pair of scissors. I have several pairs of scissors in different sizes and styles. My go-to pair is the We R Memory Keeper spring-loaded ones, as they are easy to use and your hand doesn’t cramp. I also have several other pairs of different types and sizes, depending on what I need to cut. I even have tiny scissors that I use for fussy cutting. Having a pair just for paper, some for ribbon, and some for fabric is not unusual. You also don’t want to use your fabric scissors on paper.
Measuring Paper
Now that you can cut the paper, you will need to be able to gauge where you are placing items on your card or scrapbook page. The Paper Trimmer has measurements for cutting the paper, but you will sometimes need a ruler to measure the placement of your photos and embellishments on your scrapbook layout or card. I like the Tim Holtz Ruler because it is clear and can sit onto your project, and you can see through the ruler to help you place your pieces quickly.
Types of Adhesives
Now that paper has been cut, it is time to glue items to the page or card. I will give you a wide range of adhesives to choose from. Each one has good and bad points, and I use all of these all of the time.
The Scotch Tape Gun is a great tape gun to own. I own it, and I love it. It is a pricy item, but it is worth every penny. The refills are not that expensive and can be tricky to put in, but once you get the hang of it, you will love this tape dispenser. The Xyron tape dispenser is also suitable as it is smaller and lighter to hold.
I also use the Elmers set as I love having different types of glue options to use. I love the Clear Dual Tip Glue Pen out of this set, and it has a tiny point for tiny drops and a larger end for more significant drops to glue down flowers and more oversized items.
Gun Scor-Tape is a high second if you can’t get the Scotch Tape. I still use this product as it is easy to use, and I love using it for thin strips of paper or ribbons.
A great extra that I highly recommend is the Xron Sticker Maker to put adhesive on small pieces that would otherwise be hard to glue down. There are also larger sizes of makers for larger projects, and I have the 1.5″ and the 5″ makers to choose from when creating projects.
The last adhesive that I think should be in every kit is some Zots. They come in many sizes and thicknesses, and thick Zots help to give dimension to your layouts and cards.
Extras
The last few things I suggest 
Conclusion
These tools are the tools that I feel should be in every tool bag. All of these tools are affordable for the beginner scrapbooker. Feel free to shop for these items at your local craft store. You may also follow the links and purchase on Amazon. I will go over more tools for more advanced products in the future.
Follow No Time to Scrap on Facebook.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
DaNel Hicks participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
