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I am one mad mama because Provocraft discontinued the Coluzzle line. I think they could have at least kept making blades, knives, and mats for those of us (MANY!) who have invested in all their templates. Now I am thinking about my cricut and cuttlebug. Who's to say that in a few years they will flatly discontinue those also. We won't be able to get blades and mats for our cricut (just like coluzzle) and we wont be able to get plates for our cuttlebug. It sure could happen! Then we will have all kinds of money tied up in a system we can't use AGAIN! I have tried to call Provocraft and no one ever answers. I have emailed them several times and only once got a reply: the product line is discontinued.
Provocraft does not seem to realize that their consumers are their bread and butter.
You can buy swivel blades at any craft store that carries wood crafting supplies and craft knives. They are made by Xacto. As far as the mats, I bet if you checked ebay you would find some. So many people (myself included) no longer use Coluzzles now that there are so many better options available for cutting shapes and are getting rid of those products.
Yes, I hate it when something I use a lot is discontinued. Companies have to decide where to devote resources - and usually it will be where they make the most money.
As for the cutting mats - when I was at Office Max (Depot? I can't keep them straight) I saw some packing material sold in rolls that I thought looked just like the Coluzzle cutting mat material.
Hope that you find some replacements and stock up! I love my A2 envelope template and would be sorry not to be able to use it.
Peebsmama, I have tried the Xacto blades. They are too long and cut into the templates. I emailed Xacto and heard back from them right away (unlike Provocraft). They said they had a lot of communication on this issue but their blades will not work with the coluzzle system because they are (a) too long and (b) do not have the plastic guide attached. As for the mats, they are few and far between on ebay. I have bought two from the ladies here, however (thanks girls!)
I am very interested in what system is better than coluzzle. It must be relatively portable, easy to use, economical, cut perfectly sized mats, and you must be able to view the placement of the cut before you cut. I am ready to change but cannot find anything even close to coluzzle.
LizSwickley - thanks for the suggestion! We only have Staples in my area but I will check tomorrow for their packing material!
I also use the Coluzzle system but only on rare occasion now. I've had the same 2 cutting mats for probably 8 years or more and they are still working fine. I also use the swivel knives found in AC Moore for cutting and have no problem.
I purchased quite a number of their templates, so I might as well get my use out of them.
I do have to say that using the Expression or Cricut is easier and a bit faster. But for cutting specifically around a picture or stamped image, the Coluzzel works great. Using Center Point on the Expression can be a bit of a guessing game at times.
Peebsmama, I have tried the Xacto blades. They are too long and cut into the templates. I emailed Xacto and heard back from them right away (unlike Provocraft). They said they had a lot of communication on this issue but their blades will not work with the coluzzle system because they are (a) too long and (b) do not have the plastic guide attached. As for the mats, they are few and far between on ebay. I have bought two from the ladies here, however (thanks girls!)
I am very interested in what system is better than coluzzle. It must be relatively portable, easy to use, economical, cut perfectly sized mats, and you must be able to view the placement of the cut before you cut. I am ready to change but cannot find anything even close to coluzzle.
LizSwickley - thanks for the suggestion! We only have Staples in my area but I will check tomorrow for their packing material!
Now, I use my circle and oval nestabilities more than my coluzzle! The sizes of templates are pretty close I would think- and they are definitely portable and easy!
I don't have the Coluzzle knife handle. I have the one made by Xacto and the swivel blades by Xacto. I have used them with no problem on the Coluzzle templates. So if your blades get dull and you can't get replacement blades, you might just want to buy a new handle. It was only a couple of dollars.
As far as replacement pads, how fast do you really wear them out? I have had mine for many years and it's still as good as the day I first got it. I have seen sheets of packing foam at the office supply stores that seem very similar so I'm sure you could find a good substitute there.
I agree with pollybear about technology advances. Ten years ago I thought Coluzzles were "the" cutting system. Now I find them bothersome and klunky because Nestabilities cut so much better and with a lot less effort. I'm sure that many others feel the same way and that sales of Coluzzles have dropped dramatically in the past year or two. It wouldn't be worth while for ProvoCraft to continue manufacturing something that only a handful of customers still use.
It's not just Provocraft. EK Success and variations of circle scissors, Fiskars and the older trimmers, and so on. After a while you just can't find the replacement parts/blades you need so you end up buying a whole thing. Usually the new thing ends up being a delight and you don't miss the old things at all! I never liked the Coluzzle but I won't ever give up my CM shapes cutting system!
Mary Beth
I used to use the Coluzzle but switched over to Nesties for much of my shape cutting. However, I do have a great need to cut circles/ovals on paper that is wider than my die cutting machine can handle and found that this system, by Creative Memories, is so easy to use and no pesky little residue tabs to snip off like in the Coluzzle:
I bought just the circles (as I cut those most often and wanted to see how it worked) and the 3 pack of cutting blades, not the mat, and am very impressed at how easy it is to use, straight out of the package.
Westiemom- Over at the Cricut board I am always trying to be nice about the Coluzzle and hinting for supplies. I keep thinking more bees with honey attitude. Why? Goofy, that's why, lol. ;) A lot of us feel the way you do.
I understand why they discontinued it so they can keep working on new developments and the Coluzzle was getting phased out by companies who carried it for PC.
I am really mad too because I am a huge Coluzzle fan. I got into it late in the game. How late? Two months before they discontinued it. I only have a few templates but I use them more than all my die cutting systems combined. I am very overprotective of them.
Trust me I am a tech geek. I am always upgrading but I have my old school tools also that I rely on.
The good news about Cricut blades. They are Roland blades so as long as Roland is around then we can get blades. Trust me Roland will be around forever.
We can make our Cricut mats. I know some of the girls get their CB plates made at Home Depot and Lowe's. That is one thing about us crafter's. We can always find a work-around.
I also was a huge fan of Coluzzle templates but I asked on the B/S/T board here about wanting more templates and supplies a several months ago and prob 10 people PM'ed me, telling me what they had and was willing to sell at very reasonable prices. All the ladies were very nice and offered me sets cheap. I did end up getting another blade and a couple sets I didn't already have. Even though I loved Coluzzle- Back in Dec I decided to finally took the leap into the world of Nestabilities and Shapabilities to use in my 3 year old Cuttlebug and I am so glad I did. Nesties are so easy to use, easy to place exactly where I want to cut (with a tiny piece or removable tape)- that I feel Nestabilities are truly awesome.
CM has oval, circle, and gem shape cutting system that are also great. I think they are the closest to Coluzzle you can find now a days. I own all 3 of these and love them also. CM templates are so much studier then the coluzzle flimsy plastic and a much better value IMO but again they only have 3 sets that I am aware of.
I still use some of my Coluzzle templates especially the rectangle- since I don't own that one yet in Nesties- but in due time I will own the 4 pk of that shape too.
I find making my own Envelopes with either my Scor-Pal or my barely ever used except for envelopes Crafters Companion works out wonderful. I get perfect envelopes no matter the size of card I am making. Someone was nice enough to scan and upload me the booklet for the ultimate crafters companion and it has many more sizes of envelopes in it then the original boards - which is what I own. I want to buy the Ultimate booklet but the price was outrageous IMO so a very special friend scanned the entire booklet and the placed it on RapidShare for me to download free.
I personal do not fear PC will stop making either the Cuttlebug or Circuit anytime soon- they are both huge money makers but when that day comes (years down the road)- it will be time to upgrade to a newer system. Every tool made (well almost every) has a lifespan and it was unfortunate that coluzzle's came to an end- but they are still a couple options that are available that are better then the coluzzle. Check out CM if you want a cheap replacement to Oval or circle template's to the coluzzle then if you want to invest a little more the Nesties (4-pk's) are the way to go.
I love using the coluzzle too, it is great for fast envelopes or when I don't want to set up my other cutters. As far as replacement blades, the Friskars swivel blades do work. A person at the LSS tested it out and it works just like the original. I haven't worn out my mat yet, but I will look at the office supply store; thanks for the tip.
Can't comment on the blades since my supply is still good, but for the mat, I've seen some packing material/wrap that my DH had that is the same type of stuff. Don't know where he got it and haven't had to use it myself as a cutting mat, but the material is the same white, slick, spongy type of material that the Colluzzle cutting mat is made of. So the office supply info might not be a bad idea.
I love my Coluzzle. They'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands! ;)
Seriously, sometimes there's a product that works just fine and is cheap to boot, and that's what Coluzzle is for me. Investing in a die cutting machine and nesties is not in my future!
We can make our Cricut mats. I know some of the girls get their CB plates made at Home Depot and Lowe's. That is one thing about us crafter's. We can always find a work-around.
Since the cuttlebug plates are just certain sizes of clear acrylic, they have Home Depot or Lowe's cut down what they want of the thickness they want. The sheets tend to come in really big sheets (think large desk size sheets - which I've actually used on a desk). I know for other materials, they'll cut a large sheet down into smaller ones for you and they charge by the cut. My DH has all the know-how and tools to do it so I never do it at the store, but others have.
Just back from my trip to Staples (only office store in my town)..... no luck. All they had was bubble wrap. Which office supply is most likely to have what I need? Might need a road trip!
I showed my Coluzzle cutting pad to my DH. He knows we have some that we've gotten in packages (like you would use bubble wrap) but he doesn't know what we got that had it. I seem to remember some type of electronic something but again, couldn't tell you what it was. Maybe a specialty shipping company would know, or it might be that it was some type of special order material for certain products to be shipped. Sorry, I know that's not much help but it is a material that wasn't exclusive to Coluzzle cutting mats, so that's something.
I have not used my set in years. If anyone is interested in buying it, send me a message. I think I have a mat, templates and the cutter. I did enjoy it when I first bought it but I have other systems now that I prefer.
I showed my Coluzzle cutting pad to my DH. He knows we have some that we've gotten in packages (like you would use bubble wrap) but he doesn't know what we got that had it. I seem to remember some type of electronic something but again, couldn't tell you what it was. Maybe a specialty shipping company would know, or it might be that it was some type of special order material for certain products to be shipped. Sorry, I know that's not much help but it is a material that wasn't exclusive to Coluzzle cutting mats, so that's something.
Maybe the post office or a UPS store would have the material you're looking for. If you brought in the mat to show them, I bet they'd have a suggestion.
Not a coluzzles fan but I do feel for those of you who are going to miss it. You may want to look at moving/box stores for the mat. I've seen packing material that is very close. Also Uline has a lot of packing materials but they probably only sell it in the 1,000' roll (lol).
It's not the cutting mat so much as the blades. I have tried the other swivel blade and hacked up my templates. I like some of the others used my templates especially when scrapbooking. I do have a few Nestabilities to use in my CB, but they aren't very helpful when scrapbooking........... There are a few of the tools that we purchased over the years that worked really well for us. I like new ideas and products, but I also like my "tired and true" tools and my Coluzzle templates were my "tired and true".......
(they hide the big huge sheets of acrylic in the back isle at home depot (near the window isle) and there is a cutting station right next to it.
I've also heard of people taking the cut pads into places like glass shops (where they make or install windows) ( they have the same kinds of tools)
have not priced this yet but seriously my 5X7 cuttlebug folders nearly crack the standard size pads i have for it, and now they make those 12" extended pads but to buy the whole set is 60.00 ( and thats what i paid for my bug and all the pads :rolleyes: way back when it was new so....) I'm seriously considering taking my pads to home depot to see about what it would cost to have extender pads made...
title of this thread caught my attention because i just cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago for a lss sale and there were tons of coluzzle templates offered for sale at this swap, but no blades... just used one of mine the other day. ( file folders ) haven't seen this come out in an Nestie yet. :mrgreen:
I'm thinking I'm going to start watching the packing materials of all the boxes coming into the office too, I know i have seen materials that look like an mat but, I never thought to save them because as long as Ive had mine i have not killed the mat at all.
Provocraft - do any of you ever think this?
I wish PC kept a couple of boxes for us die hard fans. 
