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i just got (two days ago) my first circut ,it was on HSN and looked so cool and easy...... I am afraid of it , I did take it out of the box and read everything , now i am afraid its too complicated for me and am thinking of just sending it back?? anyone else feel like that when circut came into thier lives?
I was a bit scared- but I got out some scrap paper and went page by page to see what they were talking about. Now I have had mine since they first came out (the expression) and i still dont know all there is to do with it. I cut things for scrapbooks, and card classes. It a bit of trial and error. Learning new things keeps our minds "young"
I spent 6 hours yesterday trying to figure out how to put music/ringtones on my new droid smart phone- I now know why they call them smart phones- cause they make me look so dumb.
Take your time- I love mine and I think you will too.
i just got (two days ago) my first circut ,it was on HSN and looked so cool and easy...... I am afraid of it , I did take it out of the box and read everything , now i am afraid its too complicated for me and am thinking of just sending it back?? anyone else feel like that when circut came into thier lives?
You will really like it once you begin to use it. Start slowly and I would pick out an image and cut it out all the different ways it shows on the page. Use all the different feature keys and have several colors of paper at your side. That way you can see how each feature interacts with each other.
A WORD OF CAUTION however...when putting in your needle, please be very careful. My sister gave her's a little *tap* when she was inserting it into the "holder" assembly and it must have cut a nerve or something. Her fingertip was very sore for weeks. It is a tiny little thing and you can hardly see it. Please handle with care.
Enjoy your new toy!!! I use mine for so many things.
I have to chime in and agree!! Play with scraps, it's fun! I have had a regular/original cricut since they first came out, and have had my Expression for three or four years. I just gave in and got a Gypsy, and I'm telling you, it's NOT an easy thing to figure out!! LOL I've had fun trying though, and playing with it. Hang in there, it's really not as intimidating as you think.
Cricut MB: Provo Craft Community. Go over there and you won't be scared any more. You will be broke but not scared. The girls and guys over there have an enabling problem, lol.
Check out MyPinkStamper blog for a good Cricut resource.
Congrats on your new Cricut. Don't be scared of her. She's a good machine. You will have fun with it.
I think you should keep it...starting playing with it and you will soon love it...as with anything new/different you have to get used to something first. I have had my cricut for a year now and have recently bought the Silhouette....there are some great tutorials on YouTube for the cricut also...
I don't have one yet, even though I have wanted one for ages. I'm scared of it for a different reason. It's a big investment and I'm wondering if I will get enough use out of it to justify the cost and also will I be able to afford a variety of different cartridges. How do you all do it, cost-wise?
Mary Beth
I am a Close to my Heart consultant, and so I only use the one cartridge, Art Philosophy, that we sell. That's one way I keep my Cricut costs down. (Being a one-company gal helps me keep my overall crafting spending down, too.) I had never touched a Cricut before I got mine in August, and YouTube is a great resource, as are the Cricut-specific web sites. Just do what the other ladies here are saying: Play with it, have fun, and just use scraps. It's an amazing machine, and the more you play, the more you'll love it! :p
I was a bit intimidated at first, too. But don't worry...it's only paper.
What I wish someone had told me sooner was to de-sticky the mat right away, that would have saved me a lot of frustration and thinking that I just couldn't figure out how to use the machine the RIGHT way. To de-sticky your mat press the palm of your hand over the entire mat several times. What happens when you get a new mat is that it's so sticky (too sticky) and until it wears off a bit it'll tear your paper.
Start experimenting with your machine by cutting using an inexpensive cardstock. Set your blade depth to 4. Set your speed to 4 and your pressure all the way to 5. Then make adjustments from there as needed. For your first cuts choose uncomplicated images to cut. Initially you just need to get a feel for the machine.
I've had my expression for 2 years and I love it! But I didn't love it at first.
Just jump in and "do it". Make some mistakes (use scrap paper to begin with), pull some hair out and when all that's done, you'll wonder how you ever lived without your cricut. I use mine LOADS and it took me some time to get used to it. I'm 71... so if an old lady can do it... you can too. Happy "cricutting". Kate
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Cricut. Just start with some basic cuts - you might even be able to find some tutorials on YouTube. And I agree with lylacfey: check out the Provocraft Community for lots of help and inspiration!
I'm a huge Cricut fan....just grab some old paper and practice a few cuts! In no time you'll be hooked on your new machine! Enjoy!!! Oh...and check out the Cricut MB. Lots of helpful tips are shared there.
I graduated from a Create to the Expression. I watched lots of the tutorial videos by My Pink Stamper. I think her tuts are still on her site. She covers lots of useful info - what the button will access on the cartridge, how to match up the button with the image pictured on a page in the cartridge manual, what the buttons mean, how to get your machine to 'sit up and beg' basically. They were very helpful when I was starting out using a Cricut machine. I know the cartridge she uses on the tuts are old but the basic concept is the same. Hope these tuts are still available and are of help to you. Good luck, I don't use my 'E' every day but I am glad I have it when I do use it.
As I've told the many people I've taught the various Cricut machines in my classes, just take your time and try each feature. It's only paper you're using in the machine for practice.
I don't have one yet, even though I have wanted one for ages. I'm scared of it for a different reason. It's a big investment and I'm wondering if I will get enough use out of it to justify the cost and also will I be able to afford a variety of different cartridges. How do you all do it, cost-wise?
Mary Beth
Mary Beth,
I bought the small Cricut first and was just thrilled to have one. Didn't even THINK about the fact that I would want/need other cartridges. But, there are places to find them reasonably priced. I remember when it wasn't uncommon to have to pay full price, which could be well over $60-70. Now you get them for under $25 on the internet. You just need to search and do your homework. Our local Menards [a home improvement store, of all places!] had them on sale for $4.99 this summer!!! I kid you not. You paid $24.99 and got a $20 rebate for each one. You were allowed 3. Of course by the time I got there they were all gone. BUT I went in the following week and two different people had brought some back and I was able to purchase them for $19.99 each. I was thrilled. I figured people just grabbed them when the store opened and then went home to research what images were on them and brought back what they didn't want.
I said all that to say...just do your homework. Go on the Cricut site and make a list of the ones you think you would like to have. You can look at all the images in the books for each cartridge on-line. Keep your list in your purse so you'll have your titles with you. You never know where you might find a deal. Big Lots is a good place too. Do you have those where you live?
I don't have one yet, even though I have wanted one for ages. I'm scared of it for a different reason. It's a big investment and I'm wondering if I will get enough use out of it to justify the cost and also will I be able to afford a variety of different cartridges. How do you all do it, cost-wise?
Mary Beth
I take advantage of sales. The girls/guys over at the Cricut MB are always posting great Cricut deals. My family and friends buy me cartridges for my B-day and holidays. I save up my reward points and trade them in for cartridges. Sometimes PC offers free shipping deals on reward cartridges. I take advantage of ProvoCraft deals too. I have over ninety cartridges and I think I paid for only forty of them in the last five years that I have been a Cricut user. I added up my cost per cartridge that I bought the other day (I am geeky like that) and I paid less than $15 for each cartridge. Don't let the cost overwhelm you because if you learn to play the cart pricing game right you can find some great deals.
I had exactly the same sentiments when my cricut came home I read through the manual and wondered to myself why on earth did I ever want that?!?! It would be so much simpler to just use Big Shot! I felt that one wrong press of a button and I'd be putting $200 down the drain! However, the fears were soon gone!
As I started toying with it I got more and more comfortable and there were many a times when my blade was running over the mat without the paper, once the machine even got stuck! Even after all this and a year later it's still working like a charm
So my recommendation - just start slowly and gradually. Don't think that you'd make the most beautiful project at your very first cut. If you do then great! If not, it was just a trial Try the different options on the machine, various shapes on your cartridge - to get a feel of how much speed/pressure you need for a particular paper and shape. In the beginning limit yourself to just one type of paper so that you're comfortable with the settings.
I use my Cricut a LOT and also bought SCAL a month after buying the Cricut!
Mary Beth - regarding the cost of operation: soon after buying the Cricut and my first two (used) cartridges I figured that cartridges were expensive and in most cases I liked only a few of the shapes. So I bought SCAL and I get SVGs from the net or design my own. I no longer buy any cartridges!
If you got it from HSN, play with it NOW within the 30 day return time because if you don't like it, you can return it!! You can practice on scraps or even cheapy cardstock you can buy at a office supply store. Once you figure it out, you may like it or you may not. But you gotta try it out!
I have to tell you, I LOVE my Cricut Expression (the original expression, not the new one), but I have heard soooo many horror stories about the new Expression 2's and also the Imagines. The company who makes them does NOT have very good quality control and many many machines have had problems. Before your time runs out, I suggest use it as much as you can so you can find out if there are any problems with your machine.
i want to say thank you to allyou ladies that replied to my thread. I have "played with it " It works well but everything i cut sticks to the mat and rips when i attempt to take them off??? I that me or the blade depth(i dont understand that) ?
i want to say thank you to allyou ladies that replied to my thread. I have "played with it " It works well but everything i cut sticks to the mat and rips when i attempt to take them off??? I that me or the blade depth(i dont understand that) ?
That is normal for any new mat you get with any brand of cutter. I use a soft clean rag, that used to be a sheet and dab it all over my mat until it's conditioned.
Pimandme.....Your mat is not too sticky, it's supposed to be that way.
To remove the cut pieces, you must do it carefully and with the spatula tool you can purchase separately. That makes it very easy to remove the cut pieces carefully and with out damage.
I've had both my Cricut and Expression for several years now and have never torn any of the images I've cut. I use the spatula to remove cut pieces.
You do need the proper tools to work with the machine.
Also there are many places to purchase cartridges for a lower price. Just be cautious about purchasing used ones. That's something I would never do!
I don't have one yet, even though I have wanted one for ages. I'm scared of it for a different reason. It's a big investment and I'm wondering if I will get enough use out of it to justify the cost and also will I be able to afford a variety of different cartridges. How do you all do it, cost-wise?
Mary Beth
Mary Beth, having a cricut is so much fun. As of last week, i now own 2 of the expressions. As far as cost wise goes, you really just have to look around. I really didn't need another cricut, i have had mine when they first came out on HSN. I found my new one at overstock.com for 164.00 and it came with 2 carts. For me that was a good by, and i wanted the orinal cricut expressions. You can go to Malmart.com and get some carts for 22.00, but only on lline not in there stores. Just found that out .
One more tip - watch a lot of videos on Youtube. Looking at the videos gives you tips and tricks as well lets you figure out if you're doing anything wrong. Also I think watching people do a lot of things with Cricut boosts your confidence to work with it
scared of a "cricut"
