How do people like the cricut machine?

I LOVE mine!!! If you're going to spend the money to get one I would recommend going all out and getting the Expression. I have the small one and wish I would have gotten the bigger one. I have used it for scarpbooking, card making and most recently I cut stencils that I used to paint lettering on T-Shirts for Father's Day. I just wish I had more time to use it!!!!!

I love mine! It does so much. I just have the small one but it works great for what I need it to! I've been buying the cartridges on Ebay, much cheaper.

J.,
I'm not a very good scrapper, but my husband bought a Cricut Expressions machine and I've loved having it! My 11 year old used it for making Valentine's Day cards for his class and teachers and I use it a lot for crafts and such with the patients I see in Home Health. I have a friend who is an avid scrapper and she uses hers all the time for scrapping. Hope this helps some, H.

Wow,
I love my machine. I am in the middle of moving so I have not had much time to use it. I also have a 18 month old daughter that takes up alot of my time. But I think it is the best thing out there. If I would have thought it out I would have gotten the bigger one. Maybe that will be the next thing on my wish list.
hrissy

I also am a big scrapbooker. I have a Cricut, the smaller one. It is great for titles, don't have to worry about having enough A's, or whatever letter. I find it more time consuming thatn I like to spend, but I am not a letter user either because of that reason. I just want to write it and move on. I have 15+ years and 3 kids to catch up on. Current means 4 kids! I don't know what your budget is, but I have a friend who has a Wishbone. It sells for around $400, but doesn't require cartridges. It somehow connects to your computer, and any font you have on it, it can cut. In addition, it can cut out any shape she can draw. She loves it. I have not used it, so I can't say for sure. You might want to look into it while you are checking things out. The Cricut is pretty easy to use once you get used to using it. Takes a few uses before I felt really comfortable using it.
good luck,
R.

Hi J.!!

I used one at an all day crop and was addicted afterwards. I had a bunch of pages, but wanted special titles and accents that I just couldn't find - until I got the cricut. I was able to really make simple pages look complete with my cricut titles.

I got the expressions one - the big one, thinking like the other respondent that it would help with children's projects. A friend of mine has one too and she said that if you buy 2 of the bigger mats and cut them down, they are cheaper than buying the 12 x 12s individually.

I got my expressions at www.customcrops.com. They had the best price, free shipping and get on their email list because they will announce sales - all cartridges 38.00 - that is when I buy them. But to get the best price on the machine, you have to see what it comes with. Some places will charge 300 or 320 for the machine and a cartridge, a mat, etc. Some will charge you less, but you are only getting the machine. Just make sure that when you compare the prices, you are comparing apples to apples. Also, some that are priced higher might come with more cartridges, but really make sure that you will use the cartridges that are being added in - some times it might be worth it and some times not.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. Good Luck.
K.

My mom and I LOVE it!!! I am a teacher and so is my aunt and we use it in our rooms and my daughters use it for their school projects. WONDERFUL thing to have.

I've been thinking about getting one, too, so I'm interested in everyone's responses as well. Just something to keep in mind: Red Letter Journals, the scrapbook store in Grove City, has cartridges for 48 hr rentals, so that might help with cost. That way, if you just need to make some custom shapes for invitations or cards, you aren't stuck with a cartridge you won't even use again. Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents!

J.,

I just received a Cricut Expression I purchased on ebay - brand new in box for $225. My friend has one and loves it. With the Expression (bigger machine that handles larger cut-outs), you can do all kinds of things. You can also get good prices on the cartridges on ebay.

J. C.

Love it, love it, love it!!!!!

A friend of mine has it and we LOVE IT! Once you go through the initial set-up and put together it is super easy to work with! I would highly recommend it for any scrapbooker!

I have the cricut expression which is the big one and I absolutely love it!!!! It is the best die cut machine ever!!! I decided to get the big one thinking my children will be able to use it for school projects when the get bigger (they are only 6,4, and 1)!!

If you watch the adds you can get the big one at Walmart for 289.99 and I think you can get the small one for 189.99. You can also get the cartridges pretty cheap if you watch the adds and sometimes on ebay.

If you like to scrapbook it is way better than using stickers to do your headings!!!!!

Hope this helps you a little!!

A.

My mom has the large one as we both scrapbook and we both really love it. I did and entire album in 4 days last year for my grandma's 75th birthday and that machine saved the day! You should look for a coupon but read the fine print, some of the stores (JoAnns I think) won't allow you to use the 40% coupon on the Cricut items. You should also look at Cord Camera (the ones with the scrapbook centers) mom got hers there when they were having a sale and it was much cheaper than Michael's. Walmart carried the cartridges cheaper than most places but don't always have as large of a selection.

If you have any craft stores around (Joann's, Michael's or Hobby Lobby) it is cheapest if you use one of their coupons. At Joann's you can sign up online to get coupons in your email also.

Great Investment!! You will use it for school project just as much as you will personal projects.

I saw an infomercial for it too. It looked awesome! I asked my girlfriend about it (who is also a huge scrapbooker) and she has one. She LOVES hers. Uses it all the time. Hope that helps.

Hi J.! I too am blessed with a 9 almost 10 month old leg hugger, and love scrapbooking. I bought the cricut machine just after Christmas, and I LOVE it! It saves so much money - I love titleing my pages, and making shapes. I bought the one on the infomercial, and am happy with the cartridges you get with it. I noticed you can also get the set-up at Wal-Mart with one cartridge a little cheaper than the infomercial. Hope this helps. B.

LOVE IT!!! I have the Expression (larger one) and it has been fantastic! I bought mine new off of e-bay for $287 all in and got 2 cartridges with it. A large investment up front, but so worth it! There is also a website called www.customcrops.com that runs cartridge sales for $38.99 every so often.

I actually sell scrapbooking products (Close To My Heart-see my business listing on this site!) and love how this product ties in with anything I use and really brings my pages to life. I use it mostly for the lettering, but lately I have started messing around with shapes. Super fun! The possibilities are endless!

I recently used my friend's Cricut machine and was amazed what it could do. Although it is a little expensive, I think it would be worth the money. I have seen the machine and the extra cartridges at WalMart.