SVG Files or How My Cricut Needs a Friend

[Stars and Stripes-the title was a great free SVG file that perfectly with this page]

I remember standing in line at the scrapbook expo in the convention center after digging through the bins of die cuts. At the expo the die cut paper piecings were fifty cents to a dollar. They came in various sizes and fit every occasion and holiday. I left with a bag filled with pumpkins, ghosts, bubbles, leaves, fireworks, and strawberries. It was the only way to get those multi-layered of embellishments. Some even came with their own sequins.
[Lemon Slices-the two layered lemon slices seem simple, but this SVG file adds just the right element of monochrome texture]

With the Cricut came the chance to make all of our own letters, and when the cartridges with the various paper piecings came out, I had the same reaction as I did with the fonts - why do I want to spend $40-$80 for a single theme? I usually only wanted one or two of the images. That is why one of my favorite discoveries in the marriage of Cricut and Sure Cuts a Lot is the little extras I can create with the SVG files. [Giant Strawberry-this multi-layered strawberry was a little putzy, but a nice homemade change to the purchased die cuts I have used in the past. It also allowed me to select the shades of red that best fit the page rarher than being stuck with someone else's interpretation of "strawberry red."]

There are so many great SVG files available both free and for purchase online. These pages show some of the free files that I found at SVGCuts.com. They have great packages to purchase and always a few freebies to tryout. They also have helpful video tutorials for those of us using the SCAL with the the layered designs for the first time. The designs are clean and simple.
[Happy Birthday- with so may fall birthdays, I was happy to find a few different titles to choose from.]

Other sites for free SVG files:

1. SVGCuts (my first find and still my favorite) http://svgcuts.com/blog/
2. Tu J's and a Taco http://tujs.wordpress.com/
3. SVG Shop http://svgshop.com/blog/

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Kickin' It Like a Girl or Why Are There Only Three Types of Karate Paper?

Having the girl start with karate was a great idea. She is building strength, balance, coordination and confidence. We are so proud of her as she progresses through the the belts and competitions.The challenge for me is to create pages that highlight each event in a special and interesting way. Especially difficult is deciding what to do with the official certificates for each belt level. The certificates have no color which helps, but they are 8x11--hogging valuable real estate on a 12x12 page.
I know they are originals, but I cut them up anyway. I am sure that she will resent me for that (and a myriad of other things) when she is an adult, but I think I can take it.

The tournaments are a different challenge. Trying to capture the quick action of the individual form competition without the gold and orange glow of the gym floor coloring the photos vexed me for some time.

(OK, then I figured out the settings on my camera and had it filter it out at the last tournament.) Working with the gold haze and the blurry action, I was forced to be creative. In some I opted for the black and white versions. In others I just went with the blur and pretended I meant to do that.
Looking back over the collection, I feel like I have developed a rhythm in the whole karate theme. Seriously, there really are only three karate patterned papers in the universe, so I am being as selective as I can in using them. I'm always on the lookout for more. Hi-ayah!
Just a quick addition to this post-found a couple of great sites for a few more karate-themed papers and embellishments:

MartialArtsPartyStore
ScrappinStuff (martial arts)
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