I'm extremely happy to announce that this Fall I'm participating in Cricut's Design Space Star Contest. In every reader's survey, you have asked for more DIY, so get ready! At least one DIY a month will be coming your way from now through November.
Throughout the competition, I could really use your support and encouragement. Some may remember that my first encounter with a Cricut was with a Cricut Expression Personal Electronic Cutting Machine when I was in the thick of wedding projects. Back then I tried hacking my Cricut Expression to cut intricate designs on extremely thin handmade papers; something that machine was not designed to handle. This time I ran the Cricut Explore Electronic Cutting Machine with Cricut Design Space Free Online Software (*affiliate link)
I won't say the project was all smooth sailing, there was some operator error that ruined half of my fabric. But, I will say I'm hooked on making designs come alive with the Cricut Explore. I have so many ideas sketched out it's not even funny.
To make the contest more fun, Cricut divided all of the participating designers into teams of ten. Each month we agree on a theme and then start designing. It's great to be creating with nine other designers. They're inspiring me to step outside my comfort zone and dream big. Along the way we share tips and tricks, cheerlead, and more as we learn the ins and outs of our new Cricut Explore Personal Electronic Cutting Machines. Knowing that we're all in this together is incredibly motivating; especially as none of us had experience with the machine before the contest started.
Introducing Team 12
Let me introduce my team; we pretty much hail from all over the country and only a couple of us have actually met in person. I love that with one exception all members of Team 12 are all moms in addition to designers. I was excited when I found out I'd be working with Mari of Small for Big; we met briefly at Alt Summit in January 2013 and hung out more this past January, getting to know each other better. Mari is from Minnesota, and, like me, is also unable to eat dairy so I felt an immediate connection when we shared a meal. She's not a huge fan of children's toys in primary colors (my obsession) preferring pastels, but I love her anyways and stalk her blog for activity ideas to try with Gates.
I haven't yet met my other eight teammates in person, but I really hope our paths do cross in real life in the future. Thirty percent of our team is based in California, besides me, Bev of Flamingo Toes is in Carlsbad, CA (just north of San Diego) and Andrea of Legal Miss Sunshine is in Los Angeles, CA. Brooke of Little Retreats is in Maple Valley, WA. Sara of Clever Pink Pirate is in Phoenix, AZ. Another thirty percent of our team calls the Midwest home. Besides Mari in Minnesota, Gretchen of Three Little Monkeys Studio is based out of Kansas City, and Kim of The Celebration Shoppe is in Columbus, OH. Both Anneliese of Aesthetic Nest and Tami of Gifting Sweet are across the country on the other coast in the DC Metro area and North Carolina, respectively.
Be sure to check out the amazing projects my teammates did for our first challenge: Fashion/Gear with a theme of Endless Summer.
From top left clockwise: Dry Brushed Earrings designed by Tami of Gifting Sweet; Motivational clipboard and coffee mug designed by Kim of The Celebration Shoppe; Surfboard Earrings designed by Gretchen of Three Little Monkeys Studio; Temporary Beach Tattoos designed by Brooke of Little Retreats: handcrafted with cool peeps in mind dreamt up; Summer Forever Tee Shirt designed by Anneliese of Aesthetic Nest; Easy Lace Filigree Chain Necklace designed by Bev of Flamingo Toes; Aluminum Geometric Necklaces designed by Mari of Small for Big; and Upcycled Volleyball T Shirt designed by Sara of Clever Pink Pirate.
You can see all of the projects submitted so far in the competition by all teams on the Cricut Design Space Star Pinterest board.
Joining the Fun
Have you always wanted to start designing with a Cricut? Well now's your chance! Throughout the contest, we'll be creating designs that you too can make as well as sharing tips on how to get started with a Cricut. (I've got a How to Ensure Your First Cricut Project is a Success (complete with a few mishaps) coming up next week.) If you do decide to make one of our projects, please share with us. We'd love to see what you made.
If you want to follow along with my designs, here's my basic setup: Cricut Explore Electronic Cutting Machine with Cricut Design Space Free Online Software (*affiliate link);
P.S. Don't feel like commenting? Strike up a conversation with me elsewhere: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+, or Pinterest.
Credits: All layouts designed by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life. Photos in the Team 12 collage taken by the respective team mate as credited and linked to above.
DISCLOSURE: For my participation in Cricut's Design Space Star competition, Provo Craft gave me a Cricut Explore. This post contains affiliate links, followed by (*affiliate link). I feature products that I own or that I am considering purchasing. I own all of the products included in the post. All opinions presented are my own.
