I found these plaques at Target the other day and I would like to make one similar, I'm sure it is fairly easy I just need to get a crackin'. I should also ask my friend Julie, she did something close to it awhile ago.

Once you hear my bad news you'll say that I have plenty of time to work on this little project.

What's the bad news you ask???

My beloved Cricut Expression has become ill. It seems her eyesight is gone.

HUH???

Whatch talkin' about Carrie?

Okay the story:

Yesterday I was finally able to try out the new spring cartridges that mom bought and let me borrow. Well I was cutting out this real pretty, detailed flower that was going to take me a few to get off the paper. After I removed my mat I turned off the machine while I took the paper off the mat. When I went and turned my machine back on about 30 minutes later everything worked fine except the screen is blank.

Black, no flicker, nothing.

So I go online and look for the directions to reset.

Yeah, I tried once called Provo Craft and we tried again. I ended up trying 4 times!

Their words...

You need a new machine.

Gasp! NOOOOOOOOO!!!

The service rep offered one faint shred of hope, I could take it to a sewing repair shop and see if they could look at it. The rep thought that it sounded like a blown fuse, but that it was too cost prohibitive for them to do it.

So this morning I took it to a sewing repair shop.

the man looked at me like I had three heads.

He had never seen a Cricut let alone open one up. I hadn't even taken my bug out of my bag before he was telling me no. I proceeded to explain that it's the same type of screen that sewing machines use which he reluctantly agreed to look at it.

So, I whip the bug out of my bag and I show him how things normally work. I even had my manual to help him, just in case. Everything works great just the screen. I even told him that the screen should read no cartridge found.

Reluctantly, very reluctantly he agreed to look at it. He couldn't even give me an estimate to just look at it.

So my beloved bug is sitting in a waiting room and I'm halfway across town awaiting a phone call. Hopefully the guy will have some balls and try to take it apart. If he can't fix it I can accept that as long as I know he TRIED.

Rob has already said that if the bug can't be fixed it will be one more thing we have to buy with the tax return.

Did you catch that??

He said, We Have To Buy... isn't that great?! I love my guy. He knows how much I use my Cricut.

So now I wait. and pray.

I hate waiting.

*Carrie*