Cricut Review

I got my Cricut for Christmas in 2007. I have to admit I didn't use it all that much at first. Then Provocraft came out with a TON of exciting, new cartridges. I bought some and now I'm HOOKED! 

My favorite cartridge is Storybook. I has everything from princess crowns to birds- even an owl. And it has a TON of swirls and flourishes to fit everynook and cranny of your scrapbook pages, handmade cards, posters, and decor. AND it also comes with a complete font that is to-die-for! I can't wait to buy some vinyl and make some shapes/phrases for my walls. I live in an apartment so I'm thrilled at the idea of decorating my walls without leaving a mark behind.

The reason I bought the Cricut was to save money in the long run. I can now cut any font or shape I own in any size (1" to 5 1/2" with the personal). Just the value of being able to make my own custom titles and letters alone is priceless! And to make them out of ANY paper (as well as other materials, such as felt, cork, vinyl, etc) - just the thought makes my fingers itch to die-cut!

Cricut is an expensive investment - so at first it didn't mesh with my bargain-huntress, cheapskate mentality. I got it at a great price, though- it was on sale for $118 at Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving. My machine came with TWO font cartidges, instead of one. One of them was not a cartridge I cared for, so I listed it on ebay and sold it for $70 - which put my Cricut's total cost at just $48!! Not bad! I used the money I saved to buy several more cartridges on ebay.... I got 3 or 4 for the $70. I always recommend checking out ebay for your Cricut cartridges and accessories- you just can't beat their prices. You may have to wait awhile, but it's worth it when you pay 25% of retail (that's 75% off!). Also check the buy-it-nows.... put them in order lowest price first.... sometimes you can get a better price than the auctions are going for and you don't have to wait to win an auction - or risk having your item "stolen" from you at the last moment.  Joann's also put the cartridges on sale for about $38-40 fairly often. And Walmart's regular prices are generally below retail.

To keep your Cricut Stash fresh and new, purge the old cartridges you aren't using - used ones sell on ebay for about the same as brand new ones. You can also check out Craigslist, or find other Cricut-ers in your area and get together to scrap/create or arrange to swap your cartridges (temporarily or permanently).

Oh- and be warned- Cricut addiction is contagious. It started with me, now my sister-in-law is hooked (she just bought one), my Mom is keeping an eye out for a good deal on one, and my sister is die-cut-happy too, although she's perfectly willing to pursue her habit debt- free, my using my machine. 

The machine DOES take a little time to get used to-- so keep your manual with you. I've also found that the settings given in the manual may vary from machine to machine, so know that you might have to adjust it a little.