I've mentioned using my Cricut in a few past posts and had some questions about what it is and how it works. Basically, the Cricut is a cutting machine. It's primarily geared toward "scrapbookers", but has many home decor applications. I purchased one when I started Mustard Seed Creations, my decorative painting & mural business and it was a smart purchase. I've used it to primarily cut vinyl lettering (pictured below), but I have recently experimented with chipboard and card stock.
The vinyl lettering is a great enhancement for murals, like this verse applied over a scene I painted in a client's kitchen. I have a very steady hand, but it's almost impossible to get lettering this crisp with a brush alone. The vinyl looks sharper and is much faster.
I've also cut vinyl for advertising MSC on my van and for the door & windows of our new shop.So, here's the Cricut Expressions machine. The number of buttons and dials can be a little overwhelming, but it's pretty user friendly if you read the directions.
In order for the Cricut to work, you have to insert a cartridge and keyboard overlay. There are tons of cartridges (ranging from $20-$80) available that offer a variety of fonts, designs, greetings, motifs, etc.
The keyboard overlay is really pretty cool. You place it over the keyboard and it totally changes how the buttons are used with each cartridge.
You apply your paper (or vinyl, chipboard, whatever you want to cut) on the sticky cutting mat, load the paper, select the design or letters you want to cut, set the blade depth and speed, and let the Cricut do it's work.
It makes perfectly clean & sharp cuts.
I covered this flower cut out of a cereal box in German glass glitter and made it into a Christmas ornament.
I also used the Cricut to cut the Wish banner I featured last week...
...and this bird ornament. Can't you tell I'm on a glitter kick?
So, should you go out and buy one? Or ask for one for Christmas? Here are the pros & cons - Pros ~
1.) This machine does A LOT. You can use it to scrapbook, for school projects, to make cards, cut stencils, vinyl, chipboard, sheet magnets, all kinds of materials. It also has ink cartridges to print images onto paper.
2.) It is easy to use and has a good customer support system.
3.) It makes perfect cuts (as long as the blade is sharp and your mat is sticky.)
4.) It is much faster and more precise than cutting things by hand.
5.) It has really cute fonts & designs. You can create amazing things with this machine and customize your lettering and designs for the look you want.
Cons ~
1.) It's expensive. The larger version of the Cricut (the Expresion, the one I have) runs about $300 and the smaller version is about $100. That doesn't sound too bad, but this is a machine that requires LOTS of accessories that really add up. You need cartridges ($20-80/piece), cutting mats ($6-18/piece), blades ($7-15/piece), and blade housing ($15-30/piece.)
2.) The blades & mats have to be replaced pretty often. If the blade is dulled or the mat isn't sticky, the paper shifts and snags.
Bottom line ~ This is a great tool if you do a lot of scrapbooking, card making or crafts. It's especially worth it if you're in a profession (like mine) where you would use the Cricut a lot. I would imagine this would be great for teachers or homeschooling moms in addition to those in the design industry. If you only do an occasional craft, I would suggest you purchase pre-cut pieces for your projects instead of spending the money on a Cricut.
