Have you ever looked at finished Scrapbooking and paper craft projects and thought that you couldn't possibly make something that creative? Have you ever wished that you could tap into your hidden creative side to be inspired to complete a beautiful project?

I often want to design and make beautiful cards, scrapbook layouts, and crafts that will amaze my friends, but I fall short on creativity and inspiration. Fortunately for me, Provo Craft invented Cricut, the solution to the creatively-challenged would-be crafters.

Cricut is an innovative die cut maker that simplifies the process of using die cuts for Cricut projects. With the help of Cricut, you can design and create Cricut projects you can be proud of.

How Can Cricut Help Me to Make Impressive Cricut Projects?

Okay, so how can Cricut help you to be creative? After all, it's just a die cut machine, right? Well, yes and no. Cricut is a machine that makes die cuts; however, Cricut differs from a simple die cutter by theme-ing their cartridges. Themed cartridges allow you to take a simple idea and build upon it by using coordinating die cuts to make Cricut projects that will never fail to impress.

It's simple to use the cartridges to help you to shape and add dimension to your simple idea, transforming it into a creative, unique Cricut project. When your friends brag on your new creative abilities, you will have a tough time choosing between taking the credit gracefully and secretively or proudly boasting about Cricut and what it's done for you.

Where Do I Begin with a Cricut Project?

The first thing you should do before you begin your Cricut project is to answer a few simple questions:

? What is the focus of this project?

? Who is the audience for this project?

? What is this project's theme?

Let me take you through this process. Let's say that I'm hosting a birthday party for a toddler, and the theme is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I want to create little takeaways for the toddler's friends using Cricut. I've answered my three questions:

? The focus of the project is takeaways for the guests.

? The audience is toddlers (and their parents, if I'm honest!)

? The theme is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

The first thing I want to do is to take a look at the available Mickey Mouse Cricut Cartridges- doing that will help me to get inspiration for my project. I go to the internet and see that there's a Disney Mickey and Friends cartridge with all of the main Mickey and Friends characters. I realize that each character has several different die cuts along with several houses and stores that Mickey visits.

I realize that I can create unique takeaways by using a simple oriental take-out box (unused, of course) and putting a character on each one. With the embellishments, I can create unique treat takeaways for far less than I would have spent at a party supply store, and the finished cricut project will be something that I will be proud of.