Cricut Imagine Cartridge - Better Together

I as I was preparing to purchase my Cricut Imagine, I purchased some of the original Cricut cartridges that appealed to me.  Since receiving my Imagine in September, I've decided to buy only Imagine cartridges and then only the ones that really catch my eye.  It seems that am awful lot of the artwork on the cartridges is "cute" in nature and I am not a person that is drawn to the that sort of thing.  Not that there is any thing wrong with that but it is just not my taste.  That is one of the reasons I was reluctant to buy the Better Together cartridge.  It just looked so "cute"!  What turned me around was seeing some of the patterns on the cartridge.  I saw the cartridge for a good price on sale so I decided to take a chance and buy it.  I'm glad I did as it has turned out to be my go-to cartridge lately.

If you look at the digital handbook  http://www.cricut.com/res/handbooks/BetterTogether.pdf  you will be able to get a good idea of the quality of the patterns.  For me, they make great backgrounds for my cards.  Even some of the pieces of art and phrases have come in handy.  My last batch of cards for OWH was made entirely from this cartridge.  Sure made my life easier!  I think this cartridge is especially useful to card makers.  If you are looking for card shapes, look elsewhere.  But if you are looking for a nice assortment of cheerful backgrounds, with coordinating artwork, the Imagine Better Together cartridge is a great choice.

Cards made from Pagoda cartridge

Here are a couple of simple cards I made with my Cricut Imagine as I did a first look at the Pagoda cartridge.

Doll: light pink print for body, darker pink for face,
black for shadow.  Background:  coordinating card
stock embossed with Cuttlebug. Printed patterns
from Nursery Tales.

Doll: light pink print face, darker pink print sash,
Flowers:  top layer same light pink print as face,
shadow same as sash, Background: coordinating
card stock embossed with Cuttlebug. Printed
patterns from Nursery Tales.



Fans and kimonos printed by Cricut Imagine
using patterns from Nursery Tales. Glued
single sheet of rice paper atop embossed card stock.



More Cuttlebug Love

My taste in card making is more toward the simple & elegant rather than cute or busy. That is why I am so pleased with the new embossing folders and die cuts Provo Craft is releasing this month. I will definitely save my loose change so I can buy a few.

Link to new embossing folders: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Embossing
Link to new die cuts: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Dies
Link to new combo dies: http://www.provocraft.com/products/catalog.php?cl=cuttlebug&scl=Combo

I've Got the Bug for the 'bug!

Santa came early this year and brought me just what I wanted - a Cuttlebug! This cute critter is both an embosser and die cutter. I love the look of embossing but the time it takes to do it by hand can be considerable. The crisp, deep, and detailed embossing produced using one of the embossing folders is amazing. The large embossing folders create an A2 sized impression. I own several of theses. I have never used die cuts before but have found they have added a nice dimension to my card making. I really do love my Cuttlebug! If you make your own cards or are a scrapbooker, take a look at the Cuttlebug. Here are some web sites for you to look over.

Provo Craft, home of the Cuttlebug: http://www.provocraft.com/products/index.products.php?cl=cuttlebug
FAQ maintained by SplitCoastStampers (awesome site!): http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=216731
Some wonderful examples of cards, etc. created with the Cuttlebug:
http://imagine-dream-create.blogspot.com/search/label/cuttlebug
http://stampnmad.typepad.com/mad_stamper/2007/02/tip_of_the_dayb.html
http://suzannebalvanz.blogspot.com/2006/12/suzanne-hearts-cuttle-bug.html
http://nancyscreativemess.blogspot.com/search/label/Cuttlebug
http://heartfeltgreetings.blogspot.com/2007/01/invention-of-cuttlebug-has-made-card.html
Lastly, a comparison of die cut machines: http://papertrufflez.typepad.com/paper_trufflez/2006/11/die_cutting_mac.html

If you get bitten by the 'bug bug, snap up one of those 50% craft store coupons and treat yourself to a Cuttlebug. Your card making will never be the same!