Club Ruby September Kit *Sneak Peek*

Tomorrow is September 1.  Already.  How did that happen?

I have a love/hate relationship with this month.  It's my birthday month (the 21st if anyone is thinking of sending a present) and who doesn't love gifts and cake.  But I do NOT like being one year closer to 4-0.

Anyway...enough about me and my issues with getting older...

The September Club Ruby kit is packed with scrap goodness.  Here's a card I made with just some of the papers and cute button brads from the September kit and my new Bloom Lite Cricut cart that I picked up on clearance at Walmart:

Check out http://www.clubrubydesigners.com starting tomorrow to see tons more projects using this kit from our awesome design team.   This kit  - and any past ones that didn't sell out  - can be ordered from http://www.craft-e-corner.com.

The Weekend

What a crafty and wonderful weekend I've had!

Megan - my boss over at Club Ruby Designers - (who has also become a fabulous friend) - has been here in Florida for an extended weekend and we've been having such a fun time - as well as getting some much needed work done.  She arrived with a lengthy To Do list and an e-Craft in her suitcase, so I knew we would be getting down to business:

I did drag her away from the house for a bit to take her to an awesome scrapbook store called Violette's  in Lakeland, FL.  It's a good 45 minute ride from my house, but it's totally worth the drive.  Of course we had to stop at Michael's, have lunch at Panera Bread, a caffeine stop at Starbucks (if you ever find yourself at Starbucks with Megan, note that you might be there awhile....her coffee order is very specific and borders on diva-like  *insert eye roll here*).   We also got a chance to check out the newest products and catalog from Close to My Heart at consultant Adeline Brill's Open House.  (Thanks for having us Adeline!)  Megan also got to meet my scrappy friend Darlene, who just started her own blog where she will be posting all of her fabulous creations.  

We finished up the weekend with a fish bowl sized fruity drink:

 and bowling:

Of course, Megan also did some videos while she was here and she even got me in front of the camera.  To see me squirm, go HERE.  After you watch the video, make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win a Cricut Cartridge from Craft-E-Corner and stay tuned for more giveaways over at AboveRubiesStudio.com.

The eCraft Has Arrived

As I turned into my neighborhood last night on the way home from the Y, there was a UPS truck in front of me.  As he made the left at the stop sign, I began praying to the Scrapbooking Gods (or Goddesses) that he was on his way to my address.  As he wound around the corner, I got more excited and when he stopped in front of my house, I barely remembered to put the car in park before I leaped out and started jumping up and down in the driveway.

Here is what that wonderful man in brown had for me:

Yes, my scrappy friends....thanks to my wonderful boss Megan at Club Ruby Designers and the generous geniuses at Craftwell, I am now the proud owner of an eCraft cutting machine!

Now those of you who know me, know I have been an avid Cricut user since hubby bought me my first machine for Christmas in 2007.  Four years later, I now have 3 Cricut machines, a Gypsy that I couldn't live without, and over 50 cartridges.  But I have been intrigued by the eCraft since I first saw it at an expo several years ago.

There is a few things that makes the eCraft different from the Cricut.  The first is that is does NOT need a cutting mat.  Paper can be fed through the front of the machine or loaded into a tray on the back.  It also comes with a roller attachment if you are cutting a long length of paper.

After registering my new machine on their site, I was able to download software that allows you to (very easily) import and cut any .svg file on the internet...which is HUGE.  There are tons of free .svg files out there, as well as ones you can purchase for a dollar or two.  I spent some time playing with the software last night and I found it user friendly and fun.  I accessed the help screen and learned in just a minute how to weld a word and then with a click, sent that word to the eCraft to cut.  Woot!  Woot!

I have big plans for this machine, but as with all new toys, there is a learning curve so I have some practicing to do.  Stay tuned for updates!!

Don't forget about the 21 Days of Giveaways going on right now over at AboveRubiesStudio.  I'll be having a giveaway here on my blog in September. Don't miss out on your chance to win!!

Check out THIS new paper line

I was lucky enough to be invited to the CHA Convention in Chicago last month....and it was AWESOME.  I was there promoting a fantastic new line of paper - Paper Layerz by Megan Elizabeth.

Megan designed Paper Layerz to make coordinting and layering your die-cut images faster, cheaper and easier.  Each 12x12 sheet is segmented into 9, 4x4 blocks so you can cut out all the layers of an image from just ONE sheet of Paperlayerz.  Think about popular Cricut cartridges like Create-A-Critter, Florals Embellished and Everyday Paperdolls.  Imagine not having to dig through your scraps looking for coordinating colors or *gasp* having to cut into a 12x12 sheet just for one small piece.  And here's another bonus:  Paper Layerz is printed on Cut Mates Cardstock.  Cut Mates is cardstock designed specifically for use in die-cutting machines - Cricut, E-Craft, Sizzix, Silhouette, Slice....perfect cuts every time without rips or tears.  I personally cut hundreds of images in the 3 days of doing Paper Layerz demos at CHA last month and I never once had to re-cut an image.  How amazing is that?!?!?

Here's some cards that I made using Paper Layerz.  We had these on display in our CHA booth:

Megan is my boss over at ClubRubyDesigners.com where I am a part of her Executive Design Team.  She is also the brains and talent behind AboveRubiesStudio.com, which is where you can get all of Megan's super popular DVD's.  If you want tips and tricks for using your Cricut, Gypsy or Cricut Imagine and if you want to see the latest products, tools and techniques in the papercrafting industry - Megan has the inside scoop on them all, what works (what doesn't) and where you can find it...go check out ARS right now!

UPDATE 8/24:  Paper Layerz is available RIGHT NOW at the AboveRubiesStudio.com store.  Get yours now before they sell out!!