A Late (Cricut) Bloomer




I'll just come right out with it:  I finally bought a Cricut machine.

(I heard that gasp out there.) Yes, it's true, I have never owned and have barely-ever operated a Cricut before. It's not that I haven't been exposed to one before. After all, I go to a weekly crop where there are two Cricuts sitting there. I watch as other croppers burn those things up, cutting out cute little shapes and ding-dongs for their pages.

Honestly, it never really appealed to me. The images were always so "cutesy" looking. 

At SDV (Scrapper's Dream Vacation) a few weeks back, it seemed that every single person there had a Cricut on their crop table, and they were all humming away. I was almost embarrassed when I asked my friend Charmin to show me how to cut out something on hers. I didn't know the first thing to do. She helped me cut out an extremely non-cute coffee mug (and by that I mean it was perfect!) that I liked so much, she cut out a bunch for me.

I don't know what really did it for me in the end. I guess it was the day that the Cricut Imagine made its debut on HSN last week. My friends and customers were all abuzz about it, Facebooking and such, so I watched. And once again, I thought, "what is it about this machine?" I just don't see it. But the more I watched, and the more I saw some of the newer cartridges, the more intrigued I became. And the more I thought that this machine seemed pretty cool.

Not that I needed all the bells and whistles that the Imagine offered. Certainly not. But I know my friends, and I just knew that they were going to LOVE this new machine and want to get rid of their old one. I was focused on the Expression for the larger size capability. So I watched my Facebook page and sure enough, there was one of my friends saying she just bought the Imagine on HSN and (go figure) has both of the old Cricuts, and that the Expression has never seen the light of day.

I e-mailed her immediately, made her an offer she couldn't refuse, and the deal was done! I picked it up last Wednesday and got on eBay right away buying a few cartridges (for a very good deal). Then I got a few more at JoAnn's yesterday Because I just can't wait for my eBay deliveries, and have been playing around ever since. 

Can I tell you... this darn Cricut is extremely fun and addictive. (like you didn't know that already.)

So here's what I've been playing with. This first card is from the Cindy Loo cartridge. It's definitely full of the cutesy images which are not usually my thing, but also has a font, frames, flourishes, flowers and 3D things like cupcake wrappers, boxes, and pocket cards.


I used my Cuttlebug "Floral Fantasy" embossing folder and some Close To My Heart papers and cardstock, plus my newest Fiskars border punch. The ribbon is pink velvet from Maya Road. (thank you Sherry F. for that), and the embossed background has been brushed with some Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint from CTMH as well.

Okay, enough of the cutesy, on to  H A L L O W E E N !

I borrowed this October 31st cartridge from my neighbor Ellen and had so much fun with it. (thanks Ellen!)


Every image on this card is from this cartridge. The crow is popped up with foam tape. The word BEWARE was cut out of white and inked over the top with a blend of yellow to orange with a sponge dauber and ink pads. I added two brads for the gate doors so it was easier to open up. Here's how it looks when it's opened...



The inside graphic gave me quite a bit of trouble on my Cricut, even when I slowed down the speed, so I wasn't pleased about that, but overall I was having fun and enjoyed the process.

The card itself also opens up in a vertical fashion so that a party invitation or other message can be added to the inside. 

I think I am really going to like having a Cricut machine, and am looking forward to my other four cartridges coming this week! Meanwhile, let me know what you think.




Comments

  1. I do have to tell you...that for workshops where I need circles, or squares...I just push the "fill page" button and go on to cutting something else...it is a life saver! Also, I just found the "Wild Card" cartridge that cuts circle cards, scalloped cards and am loving it!! You are so going to love that machine!!! Glad you came on board...and your cards are fab!

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  2. Glad to hear you are enjoying the cricut craze. Would you believe my upline bought a cricut for me for my birthday and it is just gathering dust. I NEVER use it. My cuddlebug is a different story. I use it hundreds of times a week.
    Looking forward to all the neat things you are going to create with your cricut.

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  3. Told you! You can just play all day

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  4. They can be very addicting. I've had mine since right after Charmin got hers and have been contemplating getting the Expression, just not real sure I need both, but would like the bigger sized one. We'll see! Enjoy your new toy. Love the card, btw!!!

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  5. Love the Halloween card!! You can send it my way! ;-)

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  6. Well, I still don't have a Cricut and with me not working not going to happen for a very long time. We just got back from CA where my son graduated from ITT-Tech so money is very tight. I will just watch you have fun with yours and ooh and aah over you cards. TFS you fabulous news.

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  7. Great cards. Go purchase either SCAL or Make the Cut software and you can use all of your true type fonts, download 1000's of free SVG files, and design anything you want either freehand or by outlining any image you can download. Not sure if these are compatible with a MAC but worth the investigation. Enjoy your Cricut !!

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