Can someone explain the circut

[glo]

thing? Does it just cut shapes and letters? I mean how expensive can these get? Is it worth it? Please help me understand what it does and how you guys use it?

 

[ColleenG]

Oh my the possibilities are endless! It uses cartridges so you can cut in various sizes and each cartridge has various features that can slightly alter what you are cutting. There are font carts as well as ones that do shapes. For example the Doodle Charm cart has a bit of everything for all seasons and holidays. Some of the shapes have different layers so that you can cut parts that are different colors. The Disney and other character carts are done this way. The best price for the carts are on sale between $30 and $40 for the ones that have been out for a little while. The machine- there are 3, the original which cuts from 1 to 5.5 inches, the Expression which has a bunch of features so you can change how the object cuts and can cut from (I think) 0.25 in to 12 in. Then there is the Create which is the same size as the original cricut but has the features of the Expression. I'm not very up to date on the cost of each. Your best bet is to shop around online or check out ebay. The craft stores seem to be the most expensive.

Now is it worth it? I guess it depends on your scrapping style. I don't know how I ever got along without it. But yes it can get costly buying carts and the machine, but if you shop around it's not too hard to find a good deal. Hope that helps.

 

[ColleenG]

Here is a page I did that has a bunch of Cricut stuff on it.

The title I used the Mickey font cart and the letters are shadowed. The boat is from the Mickey and Friends cart. There is a black (or you can make it whatever color you want) base and then each color is a different layer, or cut. The bus is from Doodle charms. It's the school bus done in all white and I just put Disney on the side of it.

 

[glo]

OMG. I would go crazy...I am looking at a used one on Ebay. What do you guys think? I figure if I win and really use it a lot then I can upgrade to a better newer one!


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220366738559&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:US:1123

 

[ColleenG]

Sounds pretty good. Just know that the smallest size it can cut is 1 inch. The person listing it said .25 inch. If you are new to scrap booking I think the original Cricut is a good way to go. I personally don't see the need to cut things as large as the Expression can. I can see it being great to have for a teacher who is always making different bulletin boards for a class room. Good luck on your bidding!

 

[lovingthemouse]

Hi Glo - I read through the info on the ebay listing too and it does seem like a very good buy. Wish mine had been that inexpensive!!
It does amazing things only limited by your creativity and which carts you have on hand. I brought mine into school 2 weeks ago as my 8th graders were completing an 11 panel wall and they learned, quickly, how to use it.
If you have not checked it out already, the Cricut . com board lists all the carts available and what each one's capabilities are.
BTW, good to see you posting. I was one of your avid Swan/Dolphin readers back when you organized the original thread. Caroline

 

[glo]

Hi Caroline!

I remember the name! Nice to see some old faces Do you scrapbook with the other MA scrappers? I am hoping that I get this circut. I teach and I can see endless possibilities here too! Is there a place where you can get the carts cheaper? I want to make sure I am going to use it before I spend to much money on it. Thanks for the link

 

[JESW]

Hi Glo! I remember you from waaaay back! Are you still in Franklin? If you do buy a cricut, you can get carts at Joann's and ACM when they have a sale. I have one but still don't know how to use it! Better take it out one day and learn!

Jill

 

[lovingthemouse]

Hi again Glo - I have gotten together with the ladies a few times and what a great group they are - totally supportive and lots of fun! They do come out this direction when we all get together in CT for an all day crop, but I have not made it in their direction yet!! One of these days.... If you have a chance to join them, do, cause you'll have a wonderful time.
I am fortunate to have both Cricuts, and I love them. My cart number is smaller - 15 - but I have the ones that I love using. Last week my grandson was here for vacation week and I did pick up My World so he could do his project. At 10, he knows well how to use them too. Wouldn't want his teacher to think that I do the work for him - and he loves the freedom to create.
Hope the Cricut works out for you, and welcome to our wonderful board. So many creative minds here. Caroline

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

If you can get it for a low price, then used is a fine way to go.

If you want new - JoAnn has the original Cricut for $99.

 

[glo]

Hi Glo! I remember you from waaaay back! Are you still in Franklin? If you do buy a cricut, you can get carts at Joann's and ACM when they have a sale. I have one but still don't know how to use it! Better take it out one day and learn!

Jill

Ok, that makes me feel old somehow....LOL. Yes, I am still in Franklin, and Il go to JoAnn's and ACM often so I will check it out when they go on sale. I do not want to buy a good cricut until I know I will use it. Now I am thinking I can even use it at school I am hoping I win....

 

[glo]

Hi Glo! I remember you from waaaay back! Are you still in Franklin? If you do buy a cricut, you can get carts at Joann's and ACM when they have a sale. I have one but still don't know how to use it! Better take it out one day and learn!

Jill

Ok, that makes me feel old somehow....LOL. Yes, I am still in Franklin, and Il go to JoAnn's and ACM often so I will check it out when they go on sale. I do not want to buy a good cricut until I know I will use it. Now I am thinking I can even use it at school I am hoping I win....

Hi again Glo - I have gotten together with the ladies a few times and what a great group they are - totally supportive and lots of fun! They do come out this direction when we all get together in CT for an all day crop, but I have not made it in their direction yet!! One of these days.... If you have a chance to join them, do, cause you'll have a wonderful time.

Hope the Cricut works out for you, and welcome to our wonderful board. So many creative minds here. Caroline

When I found this board they were just getting ready to do one, and they scared me...LOL Seems they all really know each other. I am taking a beginner class at ACM so I can learn some stuff first. I love these boards though, thank you for the welcome!

 

[toverly]

The thing that makes me love my Cricut is being able to color coordinate my letters to my pages and print them any size I want. I guess that's two things but, it's true. The way to print smaller than 1 inch is to print the "signs" and use the letters inside the cut outs. But that is way way too little for my eyes.

 

[becca-becca]

If one wanted to get a cricut (mostly for Disney scrapbooking and for school pages) what would I need to get started. I have looked and am overwhelmed by all the choices. I don't want to invest $400 into a machine (price at Hobby Lobby). I missed the sale JoAnn had last weekend. Are there any others? Is a personal Cricut good enough (or whichever JoAnn had)? I would like to do a lot of titles with Disney fonts, etc and some cut outs. HELP!

 

[ColleenG]

If one wanted to get a cricut (mostly for Disney scrapbooking and for school pages) what would I need to get started. I have looked and am overwhelmed by all the choices. I don't want to invest $400 into a machine (price at Hobby Lobby). I missed the sale JoAnn had last weekend. Are there any others? Is a personal Cricut good enough (or whichever JoAnn had)? I would like to do a lot of titles with Disney fonts, etc and some cut outs. HELP!

The personal Cricut or the Create sound like they would meet your needs. The Disney carts are great. The bigger you can cut the character the easier it is to put together. With the smaller machines you can cut up to 5.5 inches. You may be able to go bigger with the Create, I think you can rotate the shape or letter so you could get up to 11 or 12 inches if it will fit on the 6 inch wide mat. There are a bunch of carts that are school themed. If you go to the cricut website you can look at what each cart can do and that may give you an idea of which ones to start with. You can find some good deals on ebay if you want to save some money and there are a lot of online stores that have pretty good prices and good sales every so often. Good Luck!

 

[Fivepin]

If one wanted to get a cricut (mostly for Disney scrapbooking and for school pages) what would I need to get started. I have looked and am overwhelmed by all the choices. I don't want to invest $400 into a machine (price at Hobby Lobby). I missed the sale JoAnn had last weekend. Are there any others? Is a personal Cricut good enough (or whichever JoAnn had)? I would like to do a lot of titles with Disney fonts, etc and some cut outs. HELP!

They go on sale quite often. I actually bought the Expression because it can print the larger size. My oldest son is in 3rd grade now, and last year he had to do a state report on a tri fold display board and needed a 25 page book with various facts, but the book pages had to be the shape of the state. That's when I invested in the Cricut. I didn't want to waste my time tracing and cutting and doing stencils for lettering and such. I did get mine at Jo Ann's on sale but I had a coupon for 20% on top of the sale price. At that time it didn't say you couldn't use it on the Cricut Machine. There's a cartridge for the 50 states which I got and it cut out all the shapes for me and letters. It also did the state flag, bird, and flower, which all had to be included on the display board. This year he has had 2 other poster board projects which I have used it for. I also use it for scrapbooking.
I think if you're only use is going to be for scrapbooking the personal should be fine.
I know the cartridges are on sale for around $39 at Jo Ann's thru tomorrow. As a side note, those weekly 40% coupons from there can be used on Cricut accessories-you just can't use them for the machine or cartridges.