My name is Corrie Broughton I am a mom of 3 girls 6, 10 & 14, former preschool teacher with a love for all things scrapbook, crafted & quilted. I LOVE photography & love learning new things all the time. I started scrapbooking 14 years ago & was a demonstrator for a MLM stamp company for a few years. I have my own craft blog: http://corriescreations.blogspot.com/ & have started my own photography business http://corriebphotography.shutterfly.com. I’ve had my Cricut Expression for about a year and a half & I am having all sorts of fun with it! I have found I love crafting & creating with it. I am a big Design Studio user.

Halloween Banner
Mini Monsters Cricut Cartridge
Vellum (optional)
Black Paper
Martha Stewart Halloween Paper
Chipboard
Deep Cutting Blade
Regular Blade
Binder Rings (Office Supply Store)
Jewelry Wire
Wire Cutters
Pencil
Glue
Hole Punches (I used a standard hole punch & an 1/8″ hole punch)
Design Studio (optional)
Ribbon

Using the chipboard-cut it using the deep cutting blade & set it to cute 2-3 times (it really depends on the thickness of the chipboard) to cut the houses, the tombstones, & the monsters using the shadow on the cartridge. You can pick whatever size you want-I did 5″ on them except for the monsters they are around 3″.

Switch blades & cut the shadow houses, tombstones & the monsters with the black paper. Glue the black paper to the chipboard.

Cut out houses, tombstones & monsters in whatever colors of paper you want. I did cut the ghost out on vellum using a slower setting & medium pressure so the paper wouldn’t rip.

Once the houses, tombstones & monsters are all assembled I like to put them in an arrangment of how I like them. Hole punch each side of each house & tombstone with the standard punch. I used the 1/8″ punch for the hire “spring” for a couple of the monsters. Wrap the wire around a pencil to give it that “springy” look then attach to the house or tombstone using the 1/8″ punch. Use the binder rings (or you can tie with ribbon) to make the banner. I thought about laminating the pieces as well so it can withstand the elements if you have a laminater available.

****So sorry! I just realized I never published this post. I know Halloween is behind us now, but I still thought this was worth sharing. Check out Corrie’s blog and other projects. Thanks for sharing Corrie!****

If you haven’t heard already, there is a new update for the Gypsy. All of the new Lite Cartridges can now be added so we can play our little hearts out!

Click HERE to update.

This update is content only- it will add the new June 2010 cartridges, except the Cricut Lite cartridge ‘Celebrate with Flourishes’ and ‘French Manor’, the new exclusive Cricut Circle cartridge. Keep your eye out for these two in the July update.

Tammy from Creative Criters Cricut Club has posted a great video on YouTube showing how to update (although you don’t need to mess with ‘firmware’ as she shows in the video since this update is just content).

On a side note, Tammy is one of the best resources for learning about the Cricut. She has recently became ‘affiliated’ with ProvoCraft as a demonstrator. No need to worry about where she is coming from though, her heart is for Cricut users and she writes honestly and with her own opinions. Plus, now she has the inside scoop!

If you haven’t subscribed to her blog, I highly recommend doing so. You can view her videos on her site or by subscribing to her YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/creativeladybug.  She has also made a great DVD on the Gypsy with Above Rubies Studio. Tammy rocks!!!!

Sometime back I saw a video on how to decorate cakes with your Cricut. (You can check out the video by clicking HERE) Well, I guess Provocraft liked the idea too because they have just announced a cake decorating cartridge bundled with an expression. If you are interested, go to the Cricut website. When you see the banner above, click on it. It will have a place for you to enter your email to be notified when it is ready.

I don’t decorate cakes, but know several people who do. I can’t wait to see the neat things people come up with. The only problem would be actually eating it once you spent all of that time on it!

Have you heard the news!?!

Pink Stamper at http://www.mypinkstamper.com has released her first DVD called Cricut Fun! Many of you already follow her blog and enjoy her videos-now you can have them in your home. I have a feeling this is the first of many to come.

You can get yours at Custom Crops by clicking HERE- and it’s only $16.99!

Here’s the scoop:

Just in time for the holidays! Join My Pink Stamper, Robyn Cardon, as she creates craft projects that are sure to double your fun! Each project will teach you how to use your Cricut and also give you a solid start in crafting with your Cricut all on your own!

Follow along as Robyn uses her Cricut, stamps, Cuttlebug, and talent to set your creative possibilities in motion. In no times at all, you’ll be designing, cutting, and crafting in ways you never imagined!

Projects include:
Happy Birthday Card
“Friends” Butterfly Card
Stamped Sparkly Flower Card
Monkey Scrapbook Page
Joy Scrapbook Page
Circle Wedding Card
Merry Christmas Card

Here is a link to the latest newsletter. It shows the cartridges shown at Winter CHA. It also shows the Cricut stamping kit and a YouTube video on creating stamps with your Cricut.

Be sure to join the mailing list so you won’t miss anything!

Many of you know that in the Design Studio one of the biggest frustrations was not being able to select more than one image at a time and manipulate them together. It looks like this is something they have changed in their 8-08 update. Hopefully in the future there will be a simple group/ungroup button, but for now Diane has put together a great tutorial on her blog, Capadia Designs.

The most recent update has also seemed to take away the need for “burping” images. Welding inside of a frame is now a straighforward process. Diane also shows an example in her tutorial above.

P.S. Putting these tutorials together is not a quick process. Please make sure you leave a comment on other people’s blogs and let them know how much we appreciate their time and effort. Plus, a nice word will probably brighten their day!