Cricut Explore Air, Design Space 2 and new iPad App

 

Next week, Cricut will release three new things.  A new machine, an updated version of the Design Space and an upgrade to the iPad app that allows you to design on the go (the current app only allows you to cut the Make it Now projects).

A new Cricut Explore machine, the Explore Air will debut on HSN on Wednesday, February 18th at 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Time). You can sign up for reminder emails about the presentation on HSN HERE.  Anna Griffin will be launching the machine on HSN.  There will be three exclusive Anna Griffin cartridges bundled with the machine.  You can see Anna's sneak peek video HERE.  Be sure to read the entire post to find out how to enter contests to win some great prizes - someone will win an Explore Air!

If you already own an Explore, you can purchase the wireless adapter and you will be able to use your current machine wirelessly with an iPad or from your computer if it has bluetooth capability (if not, you can purchase an inexpensive adapter for your computer as well).  The new machine simply has the wireless capability built in - otherwise it is the same as the Explore I purchased a year ago at the initial launch (except it is a pretty shade of blue).

For those of you who love the Anna Griffin content and already own an Explore machine, the three Anna cartridges that come with the new machine will be available to purchase separately, bundled with a wireless adapter, from HSN.

The MSRP of the new machine is $299.99 and the Explore Air bundle will be "Today's Special" so there could be extra flex-pays or a shipping deal.

You can see some new videos introducing the Cricut Explore Air on the Official Cricut You Tube channel HERE.  There are lots of helpful videos teaching you all about using the Explore on the Cricut channel so take some time to watch them if you want to learn more.

The next exciting new release is the new version of the iPad App that allows you to design your own projects.  As a Cricut Product Expert, I have been testing this app and I love the convenience of picking up the iPad when I have an idea and then continuing to work on a project from my computer.  I can take the iPad to my craftroom and cut wirelessly - so much simpler than carrying my laptop up and down the stairs.

I received a new Explore Air machine from Cricut a couple of days ago and it was extremely simple to set it up.  I was able to use the iPad to get started cutting in just a few minutes.  I'll be sharing more details about the app in future posts.  The app will be available in the iTunes store sometime next week - keep an eye on the official Cricut page to see when the release is announced.

The app is free and you can use it with an iPad 2 or newer (the iPad mini will work too).  If you don't have a wireless adapter for your Explore you will need one to make it work with the app - if you buy the new machine the wireless capability is built in and you do not need the adapter.

At this time the app is available only for the iPad, there is not an Android version.

Finally, I have also been testing the new Design Space 2.  There are a number of changes that make it easier to use and the design and user interface matches the iPad app more closely so you can switch back and forth very smoothly.  You can start a project on the iPad or on your computer and then switch and pick up where you left off - since your projects are stored in the Cloud they are always available, wherever you go and from whatever device you are using.

The Design Space 2 is free and will be available to everyone sometime on February 17th.  There are many improvements in functionality and the program is faster and more reliable.  I'll be posting some highlights over the next few days to help you get prepared for the changes.

Please note this announcement from Cricut:

Given the magnitude of the upgrades and to ensure the best experience moving forward, we will need to take Design Space, Cricut.com and Cricut Craft Room temporarily offline on Monday, February 16th from 6:00 am MST through 11:59 pm MST.

Monday is the President's Day holiday so if you have the day off and were planning to craft you should plan ahead and do all of your cutting over the weekend.  Then you can assemble your projects on Monday. during the outage.  Please note that Design Space, Cricut Craft Room and the Cricut site will all be offline on Monday.  Your existing projects will be converted during the outage and they will work with Design Space 2.

This is a closeup of the top of the box for the Cricut Explore Air.  Ever since I bought my Explore (last year at the HSN launch) I have been pleased and amazed by the accuracy and intricacy of the cuts.  They truly are "ultra-precise" and I get a thrill every time I see a perfect tiny circle cut by these machines!

Once I got the Explore Air up and running, I decided to cut out one of my original designs.  This is an SVG file for an intricate lace medallion or doily that is sent to everyone who subscribes to my blog when they confirm their subscription.  You can subscribe using the form in the right side column or click the subscribe tab at the top of the page.

I used the "Glitzy" glitter cardstock from DCWV to see how well this new machine would cut - and it cut the design beautifully.  When I lifted the medallion from the mat, nearly all of the tiny shapes stayed on the mat.  A machine that cuts cleanly like this can save you so much time if you like to make intricate projects.  I remember carefully poking out tiny pieces on cuts I made on other machines.  Try to see if you can spot how many pieces did not stay on the mat (leave a comment to tell me how many you think are missing...).  The pieces that lifted with the design were clinging by static and they were easily brushed away.

This design is cut at 3 3/4 inches so some of the design elements are very tiny.

The Explore Air cut this design perfectly.  I am tempted to try cutting it at an even smaller size - I think the machine could handle it!

I think I'll be using this for a Valentine card - there is still time to make a few more cards before tomorrow...

Please let me know if you have questions that I might be able to answer about the new machine and upgrades to the programs.  I am very excited to see these changes and I think there are even more things to look forward to over the next year as Cricut keeps improving and adding features.

I am happy that my original machine and the adapter I purchased for it are not obsolete - but I do like the pretty blue color of the new Explore Air!

Have a great Friday!  I hate to mention it, but we are in for yet another big snowstorm (possibly a blizzard) this weekend.  It doesn't seem possible to find room for more snow but I guess we will have to find a way.

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Valentine Cards and a Free Stamp set from Joy (plus something new)

Valentine's Day is nearly here.  We have been so preoccupied with snow storms and snow removal that it is sneaking up too quickly.  Here are a few simple cards that I made last year if you are looking for quick and easy ideas (maybe you have also been shoveling more than crafting?).

You can find the post about his card HERE.  I made it with the Artiste Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart.

The post about this card can be found HERE.  I love the combination of crisp red and white!

Both of these cards use some of the same papers I used for this card and candy favor.  That post, from last year's blog anniversary celebration can be found HERE.

This month marks the seventh anniversary of my blog and I will be doing a celebration again.  If you are a long time reader, you know how much fun it is to watch the boxes fill up as I create the projects and share some goodies that I have purchased to share with my blog readers. 

These projects all used some products from Close To My Heart.  My good friend, Joy Tracey, is an amazing CTMH consultant and right now she is on a well deserved trip to Hawaii that she earned for her performance - top in sales and recruiting for the entire company!  Congratulations Joy! 

Joy's blog is Obsessed with Scrapbooking and she has been blogging even longer than I have.  Be sure to subscribe to her blog to keep up with all of her crafty projects.

Not only is Joy extremely talented and hard working, she is also very generous and she frequently offers a special promotions for her customers.  If you order from her site (HERE) she will send you this cute stamp set absolutely free.  Today is the last day for this special offer so be sure to do your shopping on Joy's CTMH site before the offer ends.

There is also a fun flowery stamp set available as the Stamp of the Month from CTMH this month (just $5 if you order $50 or more).

Joy and I are both Cricut "Product Experts" and yesterday something new appeared on my doorstep from Cricut.  This is the new Cricut Explore Air that I will be testing out.  I'll have lots more information about this and the updated Design Space and iPad App to follow very soon!

I hope you are having a wonderful day - I am off to clear some more paths!

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True Stamp in March - Special Savings Now

 

Next month Lain Ehmann is bringing together some great teachers for a full day of online learning about stamping at True Stamp 2015.  I have attended previous True Stamp events and I always learn a lot and also have fun with the other online participants in the chat room too.  The great thing about these live events is that you can participate from the comfort of your own home (and for those of us that have been snowbound lately that is important!).

In addition to the six classes with lots of techniques and tips about stamping, there is a digital goody bag, a pre-event Pajama Party on Friday night and a chance to win some great prizes.  If you can't be at your computer all day on the day of the event, you can participate when you can and then review the parts you miss via the recordings that are available to you to watch over and over again.

Here are the classes that will be offered at True Stamp on March 28th.  You can read full descriptions by clicking HERE to visit the registration page.

All of these classes sound great to me - particularly the last one about using metallics.  I see gold everywhere these days.

Lain sent me a special discount code that I can share with you.  If you register by February 16th you can use the code STAMPLOVE and take $45 off the price of the event.  That's a savings of almost 50% so don't miss out on this deal.

Just click HERE to visit the information page and register.

Lain Ehmann is the producer of True Scrap, True Stamp, Layout a Day and other great online learning events.  I have enjoyed participating in many of her events and I know that I have "seen" some of my readers in the online classroom at these classes.  I am an affiliate for her programs and I appreciate your support when you use my links to sign up for events and classes.

Lain also offers free monthly webinars and the topic this month is "All that Glitters:  Making the Most of the Shiny Stuff" with guest teacher Windy Robinson.  You can sign up for the free Scrapinar on February 26th by clicking HERE.

If the date doesn't work for you, you can still sign up so you will receive a link to watch the recording.  The link will allow you to watch the class for a limited time (usually a few days after the Scrapinar) but you must register (click HERE) to get on the mailing list.

For those of you asking just how much snow there is - the simple answer is "way too much." It is getting harder and harder to shovel out because many of the snow piles are taller than my shovel.  They say we have had over 70 inches this winter and there is more coming later this week.  

Thinking about Spring...

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60th Anniversary Celebration - Vinyl Monograms for Candles

Just a couple of days after Christmas my husband's parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.  2014 was a big year - they both turned 80 last summer!  Our family is very fortunate and we are all so happy that they are healthy and were able to enjoy this milestone.

They hosted an afternoon Open House reception at their condo for their many friends and then we had a family dinner at a lovely local restaurant.  All of their children and nearly all of members of the next generations were able to be with them for the celebrations.  I'll share some other projects from the Open House in another post.

I made some simple candle holders for centerpieces at the restaurant.  We had very little time between the two events so I had to make something that could be assembled and placed very quickly.  The restaurant had Christmas decorations that were fine since the celebration was just two days after Christmas.  The little golden trees were very festive on the cake table.

I used the monogram font from the Art Deco Cricut cartridge.  This cartridge is included in the Image Library Subscription and in addition to the font, it has lots of great images from the era.

I will do another post showing how to set up the monogram in Design Space - there is a new update to Design Space 2 coming very soon so I want to wait until I can share up to date images (I have been previewing and testing the update and it has lots of nice improvements over the first version that I think Explore users will love!).

As you can see from these photos, when I am working with vinyl I like to add a box around the image that I am cutting to make it easier to weed (remove) the negative space parts of the cut.  Once I remove these, I use transfer tape to pick up the image so it will stay perfectly aligned for my project.  You can reuse the same piece of transfer tape several times - this one is curling at the edges because I had used it for several cuts already.

Just be sure to burnish the tape to the image using your fingernail or a tool and then peel it up from the shiny backing.  When you cut vinyl, you want to make a "kiss cut" that cuts the vinyl and leaves the backing intact.  Using the vinyl setting on the Explore dial works perfectly for me but you should try a few test cuts before launching into a large project.  I used indoor repositionable vinyl in a metallic gold.

I chose a simple straight sided vase to hold the candle.  The straight sides make it easy to add vinyl and it will stay nice and flat.  I had a couple of rolls of washi tape sitting on my table and placed the tape rolls on either side of the vase to keep it from rolling on the table when I added the monogram.

I found these vases at the Dollar Tree store - here is the UPC label if you want to try to find them at a store near you.  The candles are wax with battery operated lights.  I found them at Costco and they are available at other stores as well.  The candles are three inches in diameter.  The six inch height is ideal but five inches will also work (I had some of each size).

The transfer tape allows you to carefully position the image and make sure that it is straight before you adhere it to the vase.

When you are satisfied with the placement, you can use your fingernails or a bone folder to burnish the vinyl to the glass.  You can see how the image appears darker after you burnish the vinyl.

To remove the transfer tape, it works best to pull the tape back on an angle.  If the vinyl starts to lift, just put the tape back down and burnish it a bit more.

Using the tape will help you to avoid bubbles but you may see a few tiny air bubbles like the one on the "P" in this photo.

Just rub the vinyl gently to work the bubble to the edge of the letter - it will then be smooth and flat like this.

 I rotated the vase to put the monogram on the bottom side and then followed the same procedure to apply the "60" to the other side.

I just "eyeballed" the placement so that the two sides would line up pretty well.  The candle actually hides any slight miscalculation on the placement.

 Once again, burnish the vinyl and peel away the transfer tape at an angle.

Here is the vase with both the monogram and the year added.  Now all you need to do is to turn on the candle and pop it into the vase.

The restaurant provided the circular mirrors and the smaller candles.  I brought some gold starry garland to circle the candles and create a nice reflection in the mirrors.

This is a quick cell phone photo showing the candles and some wedding photos on display at their condo.  Some of the candles you can buy have a timer so you can set them once to go on every day at a certain time and then "burn" for five hours.

We are having yet another snowstorm in New England - records keep getting broken and the snow just keeps falling while the snow piles are getting higher than ever.   I took this photo and shared a digital page I made on Facebook yesterday.

Here is the birdbath this afternoon - almost completely buried!

This is the view of our deck from the sunroom (trust me, there is a deck under all of that snow!).

If you are also in the midst of this crazy snow - stay warm and safe.  If you are living somewhere warm and sunny - enjoy it!

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