Using the Cricut Expression 2: Anniversary Edition and a GIVEAWAY

Hi Everyone! Wow, I haven't blogged in a long time. First I was crazy busy with life, work, traveling to Provo Craft Cricut Circle events and creating, then I had to make an emergency trip to Maine last week and next I'm headed to Florida this week for another Provo Craft fun filled Cricut Circle crop! I should be caught up and back in the swing of things soon, but I wanted to stop in today and share these projects. Excuse the poor quality of the pictures ... as I said, I got called urgently to Maine and as I was headed out the door, I stopped to take these pictures and package the projects to ship on my way out town.

All of these are made with the built-in cartridges on the new, soon to be released, Cricut Expression 2: Anniversary Edition.... also known as the E2. This machine will debut on HSN on April 26, 2011.  I had so much fun working with this machine! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! It cuts like a dream and all the new features are so fun. I love the paper settings, tool settings, LCD screen.... everything... even the little light that shines on the cut path as it's cutting! 

Here's what I've been making while learning the ins and outs of this new machine! Did I tell you I love the E2!?! Again, please excuse the poor quality pictures.  I'll try to make more stuff when I get back and get better pictures.

The built in cartridges include Cricut Essentials, Just A Note (Cosmo Cricket), Cricut American Alphabet,  and Cricut Decals.  These are four fabulous cartridges, built in to the machine, always ready to go.  And though there isn't a 'real' cartridge, you do get handbooks for each. 

The tag above and the card below are from  Cricut American Alphabet.

This picture below is from Cricut Decals.  I left the blue backing film on the acetate for protection from fingerprints and scratches while being shipped.  This would be fun to hang with a suction cup from your car window when going to crops or your craft room window.  There's a few more "on board" decals to choose from on this cartridge.

Here I used a man Cricut Decals image, cut from vinyl and stuck to acetate. 

Another image attached to acetate, this time hung from twine.  I couldn't stop cutting these out of vinyl because the E2 has a setting for the Vinyl-kiss cut... just makes it so easy!!

This card is cut from the Cricut Essentials cartridge.  Love this cartridge and know it will be a go-to cartridge all the time for the fun shapes and images.

and another from the Cricut Essentials cartridge.  After I completed the card, I couldn't decide which way was up!

This card is from the Just A Note cartridge by Cosmo Cricket!  FUN cartridge.  Lots of adorable animals and other images.

This is a really poor picture but I wanted to show you that the Just A Note cartridge has lots of cards on it similar to this tri-fold, using various images - this sample using the banner tri-fold card.

Thanks for stopping by... that's not all though...  Provo Craft has generously given me a Lori's Garden cartridge and a pair of ink cartridges for the Imagine to give away to a couple of my readers.

For a chance to win the Imagine Lori's Garden cartridge or the pair of color and black ink cartridges for the Imagine, leave a comment telling me:

What cartridge is at the top of your wish list?  

As usual, spread the word and come back and comment again with the link for another chance.  I'll choose winners on Tuesday, April 12th.