Creating your own personalized notebook is as easy as perusing the phrases on Cricut Design Space and finding one you like best. I used "Be You Bravely" from the "Thoughts & Phrases - The Little Things" cartridge, which is also included with Cricut Access. But seriously there are LOADS of options that range from sweet and sentimental to snarky and sassy. I chose this phrase specifically for a little bonus gift for a friend of mine getting a Princess themed package next month, and I thought the sentiment was spot on! 

+ Digital Subscription to over 30,000 Images and Fonts

+ Exclusive Content

+ 10% off all orders on Cricut.com and Design Space

+ Current yearly subscribers will be renewed at a lower, yearly price ($95.88/year or $7.99/month)

+ Indicator Icons for projects

I LOVE how much easier it is to identify free images and projects with that helpful little Cricut Access logo. 

Basically if you haven't already gotten on the Cricut Subscription plan, there's no time like the present! New features and usability really make this a great upgrade!

Weekly Menu & Shopping List from Everyday Enchanting  (PDF)

Here's to an organized 2016, dear ones! 

I absolutely adore reading. Mostly, I adore reading Young Adult literature! Like most of us, I get my book recommendations from friends and researching them on Amazon or Goodreads. Sure, every once in awhile I'll impulse buy a book from a brick and mortar without ever hearing about it, but mostly I want to I want a recommendation I can trust first. 

Enter, Uppercase. 

You don't want to get anything too drastic for these folks. Something nice and easy to ease them into the waters, but still a fun game that they can play with just about any group of people to make sure it gets to the table often! 

This is a low intensity racing game where you're a pirate trying to get treasure and make it around the board first. Fairly simple, but you definitely get up in each other's biz and there's a bit of luck with the dice rolling involved, so this is a great game for everyone! 

First, the cards are ADORABLE. You should know that up front. You build your "hand" in front of you by keeping 1 card and passing the rest. The cards have different combinations that score points and that's written on the cards. It's simple and addictive! 

This is a cooperative game, which means you're all working together to get things done. Things in this case mean surviving the trenches of WWI. Yeah, it's a heavy subject, and it's actually handled pretty well (aka not whimsical and silly), but it's also a really challenging game that you'll want to try and try again until you beat it. And then go back for more! 

RA is one of my all time favorite games of ever. It's an auction/bidding style game where you're collecting certain types of tiles and pushing your luck a bit for the best combination without it getting ruined with bad tiles. 

Okay, so the idea of collecting gems seems a bit odd or even boring, but there's a fair amount of strategy involved to win this! The elements of the game (the physical pieces) are super nice too, which makes this a great gift. Get resources, convert them to points - the very basic game that keeps you coming back!

You're a super computer who is putting other computers on a race in the abandoned factory. The problem is, you're racing the other super computers lackey's and the board is crowded, changing, and moving! This game is a BLAST and great for all ages. 

7 Wonders is always a crowd pleaser around these parts. There are a dozen ways to score points, you don't have to fiddle with pieces on the board to calculate resources, and you get to control your own destiny (to a point) with what you want to do to reach your goals. You get a hand of cards, take one, pass the rest. Repeat. Straightforward concept, but difficult to master. 

What makes Discworld such a great game is that it combines a straightforward game play (draw cards, play cards) with a hidden agenda (there are several different ways to win the game and your goal is unique and secret) and silly cards (a la the world of Terry Pratchett). This makes seasoned game players happy because it's really hard to win, no matter who you're playing against or with, and newbies don't have a learning curve to overcome to play. 

This game is my new favorite game of ever. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the board, pieces, and choices offered - but after 1-2 turns, you'll all get it figured out. I promise. The choices are basic, but there are loads of them, which means there's always something to do on your turn to make points or advance yourself in the game. You also have your own player board which is one of my favorite elements in a board game!

What up, my Arthurian Legend loving nerds?! This is a coop + hidden traitor game. Some of you are loyal, some of you are not. You're either working to banish evil from Camelot or helping to sow seeds of discontent secretly. You go on quests. You have special knight abilities. IT IS SO RAD. 

Rubbin' is racin', y'all! This is a super fun racing game with a NASCAR theme. Yeah, I know - but even if you're not into NASCAR (I so am not into NASCAR), it's still fun because you have to navigate a very full track of cars using the cards in your hand, handling your damage to the car, and keeping in the pack for maximum movement. It's tricky, people get up in your biz and ruin your life, and the track conditions aren't always in your favor. It's super fun! 

Speaking from experience, do not buy these people a game without checking their wishlist first. Trust me, they have a wishlist. You don't want to make the mistake of getting them something they already have, an Ameritrash game they'll never play, a soulless Euro cube pusher they'll scoff at, or something that is pushed on you by the guys at Games by James. Nothing against those dudes - but when someone is in a committed relationship with board games, they know what they like and what they don't and you'll waste your time and theirs by going off the cuff. 

If you have other suggestions, or are looking for more ideas, just let me know! 

Happy Holidays!

I wanted a little something extra on the dining room table this Fall without taking up too much room. Thankfully, I had two little 1/2 pint mason jars in the closet that were just begging to be put to good decor use! Click on through to see how I made these extremely easy little dudes.

1/2 Pint Mason Jar

Orange Burlap

Glue Dots

Pop Up Glue Dots

Gold Washi Tape

Twine

Cricut Explore Air

Oh that's right. I used the iPad app! You can see I had a low battery so I had to make it quick...and thankfully using the app is SO easy that it didn't take me long at all. Phew. 

The first thing I did was cut out my leaf using the Cricut Explore Air. You could definitely use a punch for this, but since I have a Cricut Explore, I don't really need punches! 

I had saved the project previously on my desktop (from making the first one as my prototype), so accessing it from my iPad app was a total breeze. You just select "my projects" from the top left corner and it pulls up anything you have saved. Then I could print out another one quickly and easily. It took like 3 minutes. Start to finish. Fo realz.

Okay, so I've seen a load of cards on Pinterest that use this super fun Starburst pattern and try as I may, I could not figure out how to do it on my own. It seems like it should be obvious, but maybe it's baby brain or maybe I just can't think abstractly - actually it's probably both of those things - but I had to research how to make these cards!

So I did. And I made a million of them. Let me show you the way, the truth, and the light of Starburst cards!

HOW MUCH DO I NEED R2-D2 YOGA PANTS?

The most. 

Would this count as a Halloween costume, do we think?
I think yes. 

Um, that's it. Seriously!

I'm your VIP ticket to enter to win one of these gorgeous machines! 

(You are so welcome)

Can't get enough of this beautiful new machine? 
Watch this video to learn more about the release party!

You have until October 7th to enter - so get going!
And tell your friends Lisa Schensted sent you!

Another night, another bite by the crafting bug and NO idea what to make! I decided to try a new format for card making and it ended up being a pretty solid success! Well, I mean if I can make 6 cards in about an hour, I consider that a pretty solid success, anyway. 

Here's how I made these quick and easy Washi Paper + Vinyl Cards using my Cricut Explore!

We've arrived at the final part of the 4 part series for the update to Cricut Design Space with using Patterns! 

Previously, I've shared how to Find & Upload Patterns, Editing Patterns, and Slicing Patterns. Now we're ready to figure out how to Apply Patterns to Text! 

And like we did with slicing in Part III, you're going to "hide" the text by clicking on the eye for the appropriate elements on the right hand side on the layers tab. Adjust your finished product and print when ready! 

This week I'm doing a 4 part series for the new Cricut Design Space feature: Patterns! I've already showed you how to find and upload patterns and how to edit patterns. 

Today, we slice the patterns! 

Once you select slice, you'll need to click the little eye next to the part you want to be gone and it will vanish! Then you're left with your freshly sliced image. Won't that look so cute as an envelope seal? I can't wait to print and cut a handful of those! 

Hey guys! Yesterday I shared with you the news that Cricut Design Space 2.0 has an awesome new feature - PATTERNS! 

In the 2nd part of my 4 part series, I'll be showing you how to edit a pattern in Design Space. Allonsy!

Next, click on the shape with the pattern you want to edit. You'll select the image under the "Layers" tab on the far right and it will populate the secondary menu. At the bottom of "patterns", you'll see an "Edit" button. Select that!

One of the ways you can edit a pattern is by scaling it. There's a notice that the pattern may appear pixelated in the preview, but it cuts clear and crisp. You can either slowly scale it or just choose the percentage and type it into the text box.

Another way to edit the pattern is to rotate it within the shape. I mean, I realize I used a circle so it doesn't really matter - but you get the idea! You can also flip the pattern back and forth using the "mirror" option in that submenu as well. 

Today I'm excited to show you a brand new release to Cricut Design Space that involves something super new and super exciting: PATTERNS!

I'll be doing a 4 part series to show you how to make the most of this new feature. Let's get started with learning how to find and upload patterns!

Onward!

You'll notice that for the most part, the Design Space looks the same except that the grid lines are back as default. Same sleek, easy to use interface with some great new features! 

So the first way you'll want to mess around with patterns is to insert a basic shape to really see how they work. Any shape will do! 

After you select your shape, click on the picture on the right hand side under the "layers" tab and it will bring up a secondary menu where you can choose from 4 different options at the top. Select "print" to make this shape a print then cut image. 

Once you've made the shape printable, a new sub-menu will populate next to colors called patterns! You'll get to see ALL of the patterns you've bot access to! SO FUN. 

Peruse the patterns, find one you want, and click on it. You'll see it fill in the shape you've selected and you're now able to print that little beauty! The shape is edited just as easily as any other shape or image in Design Space. 

Select the "upload image" option on the left hand side of the Design Space screen. That will bring you to an updated version of the upload image screen. There's now a "pattern fill" option, which is what you'll click on and go from there. 

Find your pattern on your desktop, and select upload. You'll want to give it a name that you can search and also tag it for easy searching later. The pattern will be saved in Design Space forever so you can access it easily! 

Once you've uploaded your image and saved it, you'll get a notification at the top of the screen telling you that it's included in your patterns now. Slick and easy, I tells ya! 

Using the same steps as before, you can now access your pattern! It will be saved there for your access whenever you want. I'm already dizzy from the possibilities of little stickers and add-ons for cards and envelopes, you guys! 

It's no secret that I am a super mega huge Jane Austen fan. So when these different literary t-shirt and apparel stores have sales, you can feel my wallet shaking from within my purse! 

In the meantime...

Lately, Cricut has been coming out with all sorts of new materials and I'm loving each and every one of them! They've got Washi Sheets (which I LOVE and will be sharing soon), vibrant new iron on transfers, and loads of vinyls! 

Now to share with you a vinyl project that's also crazy easy and can spice up your space OR make an excellent gift!

Click on through to find out how to make your very own flameless candle decor!