QuicKutz Blog: Adventures in Die-Cutting

Advanced Silhouette for Beginners

Thanks to The Scrapbook Page in Shawnee Kansas, we have a nice little free .gsd download for you today.  They've mastered the Silhouette and in so doing have created a template for making window cards.  And what's more, they're even willing to share it with all the rest of y'all.  Here's a little sample of what you can do with the template they've created.

Download the FREE .gsd file here

The instructions are simple:

1. Download the file
2. Open it with the Silhouette software
3. Cut it out on a sheet of cardstock the size of the cutting mat
4. Cut the paper in half after the Silhouette is done (the design makes two at a time, you see)
5. Bask in the glory of your window card(s)
6. Go on tour as a professional scrapbooker teaching classes and signing autographs
7. Seek counseling after the fame and popularity wear you down
8. Find a hobby to help you through your therapy
9. Get back in to scrapbooking
10. Repeat Steps 1 through 10 as necessary

Clearly steps 6-10 are optional.  So, just grab the .gsd file and start cutting because with this shape all the hard work is already done for you!  And thanks again to all the folks at The Scrapbook Page who offered the design and photo.

jake

QuicKutz Wants You

QuicKutz wants your opinion! Is there a shape we're missing? Something you always wished QuicKutz would release? Do you have a great idea for a new QuicKutz shape? Here's your chance to be heard! Take this short survey to help decide some of QuicKutz's future releases.

Have you ever been asked?

What's the most common question I get when I tell someone I work at QuicKutz?

If you guessed, "Oh, so you're a barber?" then you're right.  But the second most common question I'm asked is "What's the difference between the Silhouette and the Cricut®?"

As interesting as that first question is, I'd rather talk about the second one for a moment.  If you're like me and have roughly three hundred thousand friends on facebook and maybe half that in real life, then you probably get asked about stuff like the Silhouette an awful lot.  Don't get me wrong; I don't mind at all.  I just find myself out of breath rather quickly when I start to verbalize my brain's contents concerning the matter.

So I made this spreadsheet.

It's my best attempt at a completely objective view of the Silhouette and the closest alternatives.  Now when your friends ask you what the difference is or what makes the Silhouette so great you can refer them to this web page and save your lips for something else...

http://www.quickutz.com/qk2/silhouette/cricut.aspx

jake

New Vinyl and Silhouette Pens are now shipping to a retailer near you!

So the customer service department here at QuicKutz receives shape suggestions regularly from loyal QuicKutz fans such as yourself.  Recently we've had an overwhelming number of requests (and by "overwhelming number" I mean one (you know who you are)) for a new Silhouette Digital Design in the shape of an awareness ribbon.  Ironically, you may not know that the awareness ribbon is a national symbol that represents roughly a bazillion different things depending on what color it is.  If you don't believe me, look it up on Wikipedia.  And now that I have been thoroughly educated on the topic of awareness ribbons, I present to you a free GSD file for download in the shape of an awareness ribbon.

Download the free GSD

 

I'd also like to point out that we now have pink vinyl (which may be the most popular awareness ribbon color of them all).  And even though our vinyl is designed for indoor use, it sticks very well to vehicles and most of our colors do not fade or discolor in sunlight (sadly, the white turns a bit yellowey).  This information may be incredibly helpful to you should you care to create an awareness ribbon in one of the ten colors of vinyl we currently provide, or if you just want to cut out a vinyl rainbow and stick it to the back of your co-worker's car (which practical joke was not endorsed by QuicKutz).  Anyway, just keep it in mind.

 

 

Jake

A Cry for Help

Darick needs your help.  In less than three weeks he will climb aboard the bandwagon headed for Salt Lake City and the American Idol 2009 auditions.  A few of us in the office think he's a pretty good singer and that he's got a shot at a bit of fame (and not just the reject tape).  However, as with any story worth telling, there is a crisis of sorts: Darick really doesn't know what to sing.  After scrutinizing the possibilities that all of his co-workers suggested, he now turns to the loyal fans of QuicKutz to provide an answer to his duress.  He needs you to choose his songs... and it couldn't hurt if you provided him a few pointers while you're at it.

Just click here to view Darick's QK Community profile and send him a private message about what songs he should sing and any other tips you might have (you'll have to add him as a friend first).  But before you go posting your ideas all willy-nilly, here are a few thoughts that might help your two cents be a little more useful:

1.  Darick claims that each participant needs to have 3-5 songs ready for the audition of varying styles so that when the preliminary judges say, "Gee, Darick, that song was pretty good.  What else have you got?" he won't accidentally bust out the Yellow Submarine song for lack of other preparation.

2.  He really likes bands like Counting Crows, Dexter Freebish and Nine Days.

3.  Simon probably doesn't.

4.  He's already working on a grunge haircut and a permanent 5 o'clock shadow.

5.  The only dance moves I've seen him pull whilst singing are the karate dance and something else that I can't really put a name on.

6.  He actually is a good singer.

So thanks for all of your help.  Darick thanks you from the bottom of his heart and promises to thank all of the QuicKutz fans when he wins.  Okay, I made that part up, but I bet he would if we asked him to.

jake

P.S.  If you have no idea who Darick is, check out the blog post from Halloween last year.

I don't think my 2-year-old is listening to me

While we're on the topic of babies and kids and offspring and the like, let me point out that if you keep a wary eye, ear and sometimes nose, you'll find that there are a lot more moments worth remembering in your scrapbooks than you may have noticed.  Here's a sample dialog between me and my 2-year-old daughter while she was going potty:

Sammy:  (singing) "I go potty.  I go potty"

Me:  "Sammy, are you going to be a singer when you grow up?"

Sammy: "Uh-huh"

Me:  "Are you going write songs, too?"

Sammy: "Uh-huh"

Me:  "And are you going to play lots of instruments?"

Sammy: "Uh-huh"

Me:  "What instruments are you going to play?"

Sammy: "Ummmmm.... chicken"

So while many of you are going to be pasting "My kid is on the honor roll" bumper stickers on your minivans, I'll be starting up a chicken farm to supply my child's musical inspirations.  And that seems like a good scrapbook page to me...but then again, I'm not really a scrapbooker anyway, now am I?

Your baby is so...

You may have noticed that with the launch of the QuicKutz Community Gallery there are a whole lot of folks scrapbooking pictures of their babies.  While babies are generally considered to be "so darn cute" and "just adorable", there comes a time in every parent's life when he/she realizes (whether admitted or not) that their little sweet newborn just isn't quite as cute as the Jones's (btw: I'm a parent, so I can say that).  Now when you're out and about with the new little spud you've naturally got people flocking all around you to see your precious new arrival.  And without fail, someone (or lots of someones) in that flock is/are going to say, "Your baby is so..."

"So..." what?  Well, supposing your baby happens to be cuter than the Jones's, most people will say, "so cute", or "so adorable", or "so handsome".  You may understand now why it's mildly upsetting when someone rushes to your side to take a gander at your newborn and stutters, "Your baby is so... alert."

"Alert."  If newborns are supposed to sleep 20 hours a day, "alert" is probably not a flattering description. For instance, if babies came in boxes with clever packaging and slick taglines, "Now with added alertness" would not be printed on the corner in a yellow attention-grabbing 30-point star.

Now, on the flipside, imagine you're wandering down the street and you catch a glance of someone pushing a stroller and you run across the street dodging cars, buses and bicycle messengers and you shout, "hey, you with the kid, stop because I want to see your baby," and you arrive at the stroller's side only to behold a child who hasn't grown into his gargantuan hands and you impulsively start, "Oh, your baby is so..."

Unless you can bite your tongue real fast, maybe it's a good idea to have a few alternate adjectives to toss in every once in a while, you know?

jake

It's about to get crazy

Here's a sneak peek if ever there was one:  it's new, it's fancy, some might even call it downright amazing.  It's the new QK Community on quickutz.com.  Hop on over to quickutz.com and sign in.  You'll find a menu at the top of the page called QK Community which links right to the new Community section of our web site.  "Well, what is this QK Community?" you ask?  Hold your horses and I'll tell you.  We understand that there are really only two important things in this world: friends and QuicKutz.  Now you can have them both all at once!  Sign in to quickutz.com and check out the all new Community Gallery where you can share your own projects with friends and strangers (strangers optional).  You can also find new friends and send each other messages and post on each other's profile.  Plus, it wouldn't be a real QuicKutz event if there weren't some sort of contest involved, right?  Well, just sign in (or sign up if you haven't already) and upload a project by the end of May to enter the first ever Community Gallery Contest.  You could win $100 in QuicKutz products and a whole lot of gloating privileges.

Ok.  That's enough writing.  Just go and look, please.

QuicKutz Rules

It's become apparent over the last few days that a few things need to change around the QuicKutz office.  We've started a set of company rules that ought to be posted on all bare walls in the building.  I'd also like to go ahead and publicly blame Darick for causing the necessitation the first rule.

1.  No karate dancing

2.  No robot dancing (except as performed by Mike S. who is generally awesome at it)

3.  No serenading

4.  No running with scissors

5.  No running with die-cutting tools

6.  No embossing coworker's clothes

7.  No leaving old stinky leftovers in the fridge until the stench reaches Brian's desk and he's forced to organize a cleaning or be slowly asphyxiated by the pungent odors swelling therefrom

8.  No interfering in any way with the weekly playing of Love Boat

and finally,

9.  No doing anything that will ultimately result in thorough self-embarrassment

You'd think we could have come up with 10 to make it even and all, but we didn't.  Maybe you can suggest a 10th rule.

jake

Silhou-what?

You probably all know that CHA starts next week.  As you can easily guess we're releasing a not-small number new products.  Among all of the newness going around, at least one thing we're announcing should have the Silhouette users at least a little bit excited.  And just for being faithful blog readers, the powers that be have decided to let you have a sneak peek.

Let me introduce to you the all new My Library upgrade for your Silhouette software.  If you're like most QuicKutz lovers you've gone and downloaded tons of shapes and bought several Digital Design Portfolios.  You know you've got some super cute shape that's perfect for your current project, but it just gets hard to find among the other shapes.  Well, look out!  This new program helps you organize all of your shapes.  It loads much faster than the older version, shows all of your shapes in full color, and even lets you view all the Designs available from the QuicKutz download site.  So you're thinking to yourself, "cool, I could use that."  Yes you could.  And you'll be happy to know that it's completely free.  Thanks for being a Silhouette user.

I can't wait!  Give me the new My Library upgrade now!

In other news, some of you have started to notice that there's been a change to your download cards.  We've permanently lowered the price of Digital Designs on our online storefront!  Plus QK has gone and sneaked in an extra little Digital Design release that you'll have to check out.  So hurry up!  Download the new My Library upgrade, get some new shapes at the new lower price and start cutting like you mean it.

jake