Using all the Cricut Cartridge Images - even the catridges you don't have!

A little while ago I figured out a way to utilize the entire Cricut cartridge library without owning all of the cartridges. I posted a few pictures & promised to come back with the details – and here they are! … interested in hearing more? Well read on to learn how to get this wonderful Elmo image & many more!

To do this wonderful trick, you start with your desired image in Design Studio. Here, I am working with an Elmo image from Sesame Street Friends. Here is the base for Elmo. I right-clicked on the mat to change the preview color to black.

I added a layer (reordering it to be placed in front of the base layer by right-clicking and selecting "Page Order") using the "Body/White" function key to add Elmo's fur. I changed the preview color to red.

On that same function, I pressed the shift key to add Elmo's eyes. Placing this layer in front of the others and changing the preview color to white.

I added a 4^th layer (using page order to "Bring Page to Front") for Elmo's nose. I changed the preview color to the peach/apricot color that is closest to Elmo's nose colors.

To get a clean picture, I add a last layer with a square from George & Basic Shapes, changing the preview color to white. All of Elmo's elements had been 7.5 inches (making sure that Real Size was unchecked), so I used the corner controls on the square to resize the image to be sure that all there would be no gridlines behind Elmo in my final project.

For a clean preview – no gridlines, no controls tags, etc. – I add one last layer & select the "preview" option (eye to the left). This will be the image I use to create the clean Elmo image.

From here, you would copy your screen (use the Shift Key and the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard) and then paste into a Microsoft Word document. Using the "Crop" tool in Microsoft Word in the "Picture Tools". Here is the cropped image in its original size: The image can be resized to whatever size you need for your card or layout. You can also use this method to integrate Cricut cartridge images (even those from cartridges you don't have!) into print projects – flyers, business cards, letters, etc. The possibilities are endless!

If you come up with any interesting projects using this technique, please be sure to post them & let me know! Enjoy!