Well I broke down and bought a Cricut!!

[GloriaK]

I've been looking at them for several months and finally bought one this weekend and then bought 2 cartridges 1/2 off at Michael's. Now I need to find a couple of dolls to cover the expense.:shock:

[AndyL]

Excuse my ignorance. What is this and what can it do? Aside from that you sound excited about getting it Gloria. So I hope you get a lot of good use from it.

[BriarRose]

Yeah Gloria! I found the ink cartridges that can go into the place for the cutter at Wal-mart last night :D

Andy - the Cricut (pronounced cricket) is the lastest in scrapbooking gadgets :D It cuts out letters and designs so you don't have to sit with a pair of scissors and hope you get them all straight :D

[kathleena]

Yay Gloria!!!!!! I love my Cricut and the 50% off sales at AC Moore and Michaels are the best. My local AC Moore has the color and black ink cartridges.

What do you mean by find a couple of dolls?

Andy - the cricut is a diecut machine that cuts letters and shapes out on paper from 1" to 3" high (for the small cricut) and the larger cricut cuts them much larger.

[GloriaK]

Besides scrapbooking as a hobby I also collect dolls.......when I said I have to find a couple of dolls I meant to sell on eBay to recover some of the money I spent on the Cricut items. I regular sell items over on eBay and it sure helps that some of the dolls have increased in value over the last few months.

I'm glad several Tags have one of the devices so I can ask questions when I start playing with it.

[kathleena]

Here's a few tidbits:

Don't just read the english section of the booklet - flip past the other languages and get to the end of the book where they have all the options for what you can print with each key. I didn't know these were there and they opened up a whole new world of how to use the cricut.

I have a dozen paper mounter thingys and have some mounted with paper that I don't take off (black, white, colors I use a lot). Once you take the paper off, it gets all curled up etc. so easier to just leave some made up.

Keep the paper mounter thingys away from all pet hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (talking from experience here......)

Thick cardstock like Bazzill is hard to cut in the smaller sizes (1"). Dial up or be prepared to hand cut some parts.

Save up all your cutting and do a whole bunch at once. I do page after page after page and then I do all the cutting. I once cut for an entire day, catching up on my pages. Made it really easy to only take the machine out to us it continuously. I had picked out the font and sizes as I made the pages.

Get yourself a package of Dry Bond - Dry adhesive dots. I got mine on QVC. I tried using xyron, but it was messy and hard. The rub on dots are much easier!

[ripkensnana]

The Disney cartridges are absolutely awesome! And yes, be sure to check out the last section of the instruction book that comes with each cartridge...there are more things to do than meets the eye at first, including several patterns that aren't shown on the box - this goes for all the cartridges, not just the Disney ones.

[Ursulinda]

What Kathleena said, plus:
*clean your mats well at the end of each cutting day, first by scrapping with the scraper in the tool kit, and then by wiping with a baby wipe. When it drys, the tack will be restored.
*when the tacky is gone for good, you can respray it with quilter's spray adhesive.
*to cut bazzil, select multicut, and increase both the pressure and speed

There is a very active yahoo group called cricut users, or some such thing where you can find many hints for use.

See also www.cricut.com (http://www.cricut.com)

[fantayzya]

You guys are awesome! I broke down and bought one of the smaller gizbobs on Black Friday at the sale price despite my vow to avoid these things like the plague.

I've played a little bit but busy times have kept me from really getting to know and love it. These tidbits of knowledge are going to prove very helpful I'm sure!

Thanks!
Lori

[TiggersPal]

Boy do I hope I get one of these for Christmas!!!:mickeyXmas::mickeyXmas:

[Daisee]

I have seen Cricut on Infomercials, Michaels, and on Tag. I am very interested. I would love to know if it is really worth the investment.

Do you use it as much as you thought you would?
Is it high maintenance? Like replacing the blade, paper mount, etc.
Do you find that you have to keep buying new cartridges in order to stay interested in the machine?

[Ursulinda]

Daisee, I use it WAY more than I thought I would! SO much so, that I broke down and bought the design studio software that goes with it. I have the "Expression" - and I must say that it has revitalized my scrapbooking, boosted my creativity, and given me much better looking results for less effort than when I was printing titles on cardstock and cutting them out by hand.

The Cricut message boards have been a big help in teaching me new tricks, as have the yahoo groups.

Changing blades is no trick - I've done it once or twice since i've owned it. Paper mounting - you just have to be sure your paper's pressed down on the mat all over so it doesn't get knocked off when the action starts. And, line up the mat carefully along the guide so that it feeds in straight. If it goes c*ck-eyed, it's a pain.

[BriarRose]

I love my Cricut! It is a great tool. I too use it way more then I thought and the Design Studio software is so much fun and puts a better twist to the machine. I've also started using the markers that can switch out the blade and use. Great fun with the Mickey software to use to then color in the way you want!

Now I need to use Linda's advice to get more wear out of my mats!

[Carrie]

I use my Cricut a lot. I am still using the original blade, which is a year and a half old. I rotate through 5 cutting mats, all purchased when I got my bug. The messageboards on the cricut website can be so addicting. Its the only website other than Tagrel that I visit on a regular basis.

There are tons of tips on the website for making your mats last. I wash them off with warm water and it brings the stickiness back. And I bought an adhesive spray for a few dollars but haven't tried it out yet since the warm water has kept these original mats still sticky.

My bug has been working overtime this week and I've made a lot of neat projects. I'm currently working on some decorated paint cans.

I don't buy new cartridges because I lose interest in the old ones. I buy new cartridges because I'm a shopaholic and have to have the newest carts. I am up to 26 now and still am sad when I see projects people do with the carts I don't have.

I use my bug more than I thought I would. I also spent a lot more $ than I thought I would. This is an expensive hobby. But I keep reminding Jamie its cheaper than his golf hobby and he quits nagging.

[ripkensnana]

I just got the Princess Cartridges and have been playing with them....Lots and lots of goodies on these...all seven dwarves, the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty, Castles, etc.

[twinks]

I am into those vinyl sayings/quotes that you can put onto your walls. Does the Cricut do vinyl for these?

twinks

This is one tool that I haven't invested in yet.

[EgExperiment626]

The Cricut does cut vinyl letters. You can find the rolls of vinyl at most craft stores that carry the Cricut.

We just got the Tinkerbell and Cars cartridges but haven't gotten a chance to play with them.

[Ursulinda]

Thinking I'll buy a roll of the vinyl to cut stencils for my wall - I want to bring the green from the window frames in my newly renovated kitchen around onto the sofit over the cabinets in some way, and this seems like it might work.

[lynner5996]

I just broke down and bought an expression (PS anyone want a personal cutter for $99?) and now just bought three new carts, two new mats, and a heavy-duty blade. I have definitely lost my mind! but just having purchased words on the wall from Uppercase Living, and knowing how much they cost, I decided that I would like to do something myself, and I love the Opposites Attract cart - I use it ALOT! The Cricut website has some really beautiful examples and help.

Also, I purchased the heavy duty blade with the idea that I can recycle some of the chipboard that I throw in the recycle bin. And I really want to do some dimensional stuff on my pages.

I love my Cricut(s)!!

[BriarRose]

Okay so I was just thinking about buying the other machine myself! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one out there who does crazy stuff like this :D

[Ursulinda]

LynneR sending you a pm.

What is this heavy duty blade of which you speak??? And where did you order it from?

I've been recycling cereal / cracker boxes as covers for little one sheet albums. Just LOVE making them and so far managed to give them all away.

[lynner5996]

You'll see the heavy duty blade in your mailbox shortly!:D

[Ursulinda]

You're mailing ME the heavy duty blade????! THANK YOU!

[Mickey4Us]

I would love to see a picture of your projects if anyone is willing to share...

[LisaG]

Here are a couple of items I made for swaps with the Winnie the Pooh cartridge:

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s10/LisaG520/DSC_0009-1.jpg

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s10/LisaG520/DSC_0003.jpg