Monday, July 4, 2011

Announcing Mickey And Friend Mondays & Happy 4th Of July!!!

Hi Everybody!
I'm so excited for my post today!  Not only is it the 4th of July (HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!!), but I am so happy to announce the premier of Mickey and Friends Mondays!  I love Disney and all it's characters, and all the magic that they bring.  So when Cricut started coming out with these carts I was thrilled!  I was NOT so thrilled when I realized they were a little more intimidating to put together than cuts from other cartridges.  I hope to inspire everybody to give these cuts a try.  They are (in my opinion) more work to put together, but SO worth it!  I have invited some guest designers to help me spread the Disney magic.  We will all be sharing some tips with you on how to make them a little easier to put together, and also just be showing some finished projects with great ways to use these cuts.  I hope you enjoy these magical projects and will come back every Monday for your dose of  Disney :)

The first project I have to share with you is actually from the Disney Classics cartridge.  I can't tell you how many times I gasped outloud while looking through the handbook for the first time.  I was so happy to see so many of the Disney characters I loved.  In the first few pages of the handbook is the example project, and this is what I decided to make.  I LOVED the different fold of the card, and the skunk character Flower.  Here is how it turned out:

*Disney Classics cartridge
*Flower (skunk) cut @ 4" (not recommended to cut smaller than this)
*Pink By Design sentiment = Animated Greetings
*Here is the link to the handbook that has all the measurements for the card base and the character:

 


 



I actually made this card in the Papercrafting class I teach. We made the base of the card first, and then we went layer by layer in putting Flower together.  And Sarah from Pink By Design created the PERFECT stamps to go hand in hand with the Disney carts!   

A little tip for putting this cutie together is definitely go one layer at a time.  And also lay the piece down where you think it should go WITHOUT adding adhesive.   Once you're sure it's facing the right way and in the right place then go ahead and adhere it down. 

My first Guest Designer is Alma from Alma's Pink Life!  She posted a sneak peek on her blog on Friday.  With the crazy holiday weekend she didn't get a chance to create a new project for today, but she has an AMAZING tip for these characters using the Imagine.  Here is her blog post:

Imagine VS Expression - Mickey Mouse and RGB Code Book
(click here to see the post on her blog)


I have been meaning to do this for a LONG time but I'm actually participating at Crazy about Cricut's blog on Monday to showcase how to help you put together some Disney characters and I thought I would should you a sneak peek here!

So, both of the Mickeys are cut out at 4" except the one on the right is cut from my pink Expression and the one on the left is from my Imagine using just white cardstock! (I printed and cut, including the black base). I will list settings towards the bottom of the post so you can kind of get an idea what worked for me. Obviously, I believe the Imagine Mickey came out way better than the Expression but here are some tips I have learned:

1) CARDSTOCK MATTERS! It truly does! I tried cutting Disney characters with some of the Hobby Lobby 8 1/2 x11 pack and it would just rip. I suggest using a heavier cardstock so the cuts come out nicer.

2) Play with your pressure and speed. A lot of times you will get a completely different cut just from changing your pressure and/or speed. And don't be afraid to use multicut if you see that you need to lower your pressure.

3) Don't cut Disney characters smaller than 4". And even that is pushing it. Depending on how many layers, the rule of thumb for me is that the more layers, the bigger the size needs to be. Besides, on scrapbook layouts bigger cuts will match great!

4) Do what I did and make yourself an RGB code book to keep near your Imagine. LIFESAVER!!!! The Imagine Mickey is true to color as oppose to the Expression where I just used cardstock I had on hand and the Imagine truly made it soooooooo much easier to cut. It didn't move or rip on me once. I <3 my I!



IMAGINE



Expression



Expression settings
**Settings for black base, face and eyes and shoes)
Blade 5
Pressure 4
Speed 4

Shorts
Speed 3
Pressure 3
blade 6
multi cut 2x

Imagine Settings:
Speed 4
Pressure 4
Blade 6

**RGB CODE BOOK**

Seriously a LIFESAVER and A MUST if you are an Imagine owner. I wanted to make a book to keep near my Imagine so I don't have to constantly look up RGB codes so this is what I came up with.

I took a 8 1/2 x 11 Your Story binder and printed out PDF files of RGB codes from Scrapmaster Paradise pdf files. I printed them out and bound them to my book. EASY. I now have them next to my I and it came in handy for when I printed and cut my Mickey Mouse. :) The cover is from Elegant Edges and the font is from Sesame Street.




Isn't that a GREAT tip??!!  After leaving a comment here, please head on over to her blog and let her know whatcha think of her tip!

Thank you so much for joining me for the first Mickey and Friends Monday!  I hope you enjoyed it, and will come back for sure every Monday!  Have a magical day :oD

5 comments:

  1. Super cute !!! both of you did great!! and love love Disney characters!!!

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  2. I love,love,love this. I have been waiting for someone to take the time to share Disney cuts ,tips and tricks! They can be so stinking frusterating.I was brave and just bought Toy Story to add to my other Disney carts.

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  3. very cute!! thanks for the tips! never would have thought about it! enjoy your 4th!

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  4. Absolutely love this idea; the cartridges can be very intimidating and this is going to be wonderful I love Disney characters.

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  5. Great idea! Love the skunk :) So stinkin cute!!! TFS! Happy 4th!

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