Y'all.
I finally broke down and bought one of these machines of wonder: The Cricut Explore Air 2
Let me tell you a little story:
Many years ago (like 7 years?), I had a neighbor that bragged about this over priced machine she owned. She'd go on and on about these things called cartridges that cost her a fortune, tell me all about up and coming cartridge designs that I didn't care about, and would bore me to tears as she showed me her latest die cut paper project.
I mean, I loved scrap booking at the time, but even then, this dumb machine she invested in (along with the pricey cartridge thingys that I didn't understand) seemed like overkill.
I thought this machine cut paper and that was about it. I was unsure as to why she wanted to spend gobs of money on new cartridges only to cut out a Mickey Mouse shaped head or a basic star. Those were things I could buy pre-cut at any craft store in the scrap booking area, and I did, often.
So, let's skip ahead to early September of this year (2017).
I had just moved from Europe after being away from the USA for three years. In the area I lived in, we had ZERO craft stores and dealt with shipping difficulties if I tried ordering from a US craft store online. Amazon was about the only place, for THREE YEARS, that I could order cheap craft supplies from without the shipping cost killing me.
It. Was. Rough.
As soon as I got back to the States, I wanted to work on a craft project that I had conjured up while living abroad. Naturally, I waltzed into my local Hobby Lobby, spend $45 on paint, stencils, and some wood plaques and shit, came home, poured wine and got to crafting!
I was so excited that I even sent a selfie of myself crafting on my kitchen floor, with my new stencils, to grandma.
But then, to my horror, no matter what the fuck I did, the paint bled. I reattempted it over and over , taping stencils down a different way, switching paint, getting nowhere and wasting lots of money. I gave up, shoved the project in the garage and decided that I was better off finding someone selling a similar thing on Etsy. I mean, if I bought it and hung it in my house, I could tell people I made it, right? Kidding, but I was discouraged as all hell.
A few nights after I had given the project the shaft, my husband's cousin posted a pic on Instagram: A PERFECT sharp and crisp stenciled compass rose on a block of wood.
I thought, "WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?"
I instantly messaged her, hoping she'd reveal some elusive secret that I couldn't find on Google or YouTube. And she does:
"Oh, I did it with my Cricut machine."
I immediately jumped online and began researching Cricut machines; those dumb, expensive, stupid machines that my old neighbor never quit talking about and that I had forgot existed.
But much to my surprise, Cricut had made a LOT of changes since that neighbor lived next door.
Cricut machines no longer required the use of those ridiculous cartridges AND new machines are Bluetooth capable AND they're also compatible with online design software.
They've sure come a long way since I watched my neighbor push buttons on the top of her machine in 2009, with her installed cartridges that cost an additional small fortune.
I began watching YouTube tutorials of this new Explore 2 machine in action, and by video five, I was suckered and sold. But with a funeral, wedding, moving expenses and Christmas around the corner (yeah, life), I sat for a hot minute, watching prices fluctuate online.
I did find that even before holiday sales began, Walmart was offering an online price of $179.99 of the mint Explore Air 2 with free store pick-up when all other authorized dealers were sale priced at $219 and many of which didn't offer free shipping, either.
But Walmart also had another perk that Joann, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Cricut, and even Amazon didn't: The option to purchase an additional product warranty. I had read a good many articles and blogs about broken Cricut machines that had passed their one year product warranty with the brand, yet were still under 2 years old. That scared me. If you don't believe me, get on eBay and see just how many of these newer machines are listed as "for parts only". Yeahhhh...
And so, I bought the sale priced yet expensively stupid machine priced at $179.99 with a 3 year extended warranty for an extra $19 bucks, for a grand total (including taxes of about $20) $219. Not shabby.
But then came the accessories.
That's where Cricut really make their money.
Knowing Joann's had a Cricut sale going on for vinyl and accessories, I headed to my nearest store, bought a standard green sticky mat thing, some of the dental tools with the Cricut brand stamped on them, two rolls of cheap vinyl, and a heavy duty blade that was locked in a cage behind the counter along side the spray paint. I also headed to the dollar store, thanks to numerous Pinterest hacks I had read before hand, and bought some cheap ass contact paper, as well.
I was ready to get my craft on with this expensive machine. I raced home, fed the kids dinner, and poured some wine thinking I was going to make this machine my bitch. I was so wrong. I became the machine's bitch.
If you're a Cricut noob like myself, I highly encourage you to READ the INSTRUCTIONS and follow the guide without skimming through it. I thought I didn't need to read any of it. I hardly paid attention to the prompts, rushing through them. I was golden; I really thought I had enough basic crafting knowledge and enough YouTube tutorials under my belt to get started. I had no freakin' clue.
I un-boxed the machine and plugged it in. I had already made a Cricut Design Space account before I had even got the machine, so I thought I was set!
My new, minty machine that I was super excited to use, prompted me to follow a basic card making tutorial for set up. Alrighty, then.
I had just moved to the US from Germany, so I couldn't find my stash of card stock fast enough (I still can't find my favorite kitchen ladle).
I thought to myself, "Screw it", and put a piece of printer paper on the sticky mat, just to get through the tutorial so that I could start doing what I really wanted to do. The machine went to work, quietly drawing and cutting as I sat in awe, sipping my wine, so proud of my soon-to-be first Cricut creation.
When I unloaded the Cricut mat by the push of a blinking arrow button, I smiled, so proud of this random card I had just made, but as I began to peel the paper off, it was stuck to the mat, ripping and tearing as I slowly pulled back. On top of that frustration, I jumped back in shock after getting the mutilated paper off the mat: My brand new mat had the deepest cuts of the design I had just completed. I was pissed, and slightly buzzed, which probably didn't help. I threw a small fit of rage.
Turns out, I didn't know shit about getting started. Eager to begin my new craft adventure, I didn't turn the dial to set my cut depth to paper. I didn't know that mats came in three 'sticky' varieties; the green one I have is not meant for use with thin, printer paper.
UGH.
I gave up for the night, taking the instruction manual upstairs to bed as my pre-bedtime reading material.
It wasn't until a few days later that I had the courage to face my new machine again. I felt some kind of shame, staring at her as I entered my messy, pre-developed craft area; like I had failed her, not that she failed me. I felt terrible for calling her "stupid" and a "useless piece of shit".
I was the stupid one.
So once we said "hello" to each other again, I was determined to understand her better, and that I did.
My first, real, project turned out soooo awesome, though it wasn't the easiest, beginner project, whatsoever. The same project that I began with sucky stencils and initially purchased the machine for was finally done and more perfect than I imagined it could be.
And my new machine was no longer a thorn in my side. It was then that I decided my machine and I would become great friends.
The purpose of this post is to inform noob folks like myself that a majority of YouTube videos and Pinterest blogs on the Cricut subject are not necessarily for beginners, even if they say so. Those perfect ladies with their adorable southern accents have been using these machines for years. They are pros in the department of crafting and chances are they do this for a living. And they are fabulous at what they do.
They are not like me.
I cuss a lot. I'm not afraid of getting dirty. I mess shit up and I certainly have a lot to learn!
I cringed reading through the comments on YouTube from a particular woman's channel (she was not southern, nor nice). People would ask a simple question about the products she used or her crafting methods in the comments section, and she'd jump their throats with an asinine or arrogant response. It was quite sad to read, really. I guess I just have better things to do in my day than be condescending and rude to people I don't even know online?
So, sail with me as I cuss a little, drink a lot, and craft sometimes. I'll share my stupidity and what I learn along the way as I adventure with the Cricut Explore Air 2, and hopefully help other noobs like myself out!
I don't always post about crafts (obviously), but you'll find some here along with all of the other randoms of my life.
I finally broke down and bought one of these machines of wonder: The Cricut Explore Air 2
Let me tell you a little story:
Many years ago (like 7 years?), I had a neighbor that bragged about this over priced machine she owned. She'd go on and on about these things called cartridges that cost her a fortune, tell me all about up and coming cartridge designs that I didn't care about, and would bore me to tears as she showed me her latest die cut paper project.
I mean, I loved scrap booking at the time, but even then, this dumb machine she invested in (along with the pricey cartridge thingys that I didn't understand) seemed like overkill.
I thought this machine cut paper and that was about it. I was unsure as to why she wanted to spend gobs of money on new cartridges only to cut out a Mickey Mouse shaped head or a basic star. Those were things I could buy pre-cut at any craft store in the scrap booking area, and I did, often.
So, let's skip ahead to early September of this year (2017).
I had just moved from Europe after being away from the USA for three years. In the area I lived in, we had ZERO craft stores and dealt with shipping difficulties if I tried ordering from a US craft store online. Amazon was about the only place, for THREE YEARS, that I could order cheap craft supplies from without the shipping cost killing me.
It. Was. Rough.
As soon as I got back to the States, I wanted to work on a craft project that I had conjured up while living abroad. Naturally, I waltzed into my local Hobby Lobby, spend $45 on paint, stencils, and some wood plaques and shit, came home, poured wine and got to crafting!
I was so excited that I even sent a selfie of myself crafting on my kitchen floor, with my new stencils, to grandma.
But then, to my horror, no matter what the fuck I did, the paint bled. I reattempted it over and over , taping stencils down a different way, switching paint, getting nowhere and wasting lots of money. I gave up, shoved the project in the garage and decided that I was better off finding someone selling a similar thing on Etsy. I mean, if I bought it and hung it in my house, I could tell people I made it, right? Kidding, but I was discouraged as all hell.
A few nights after I had given the project the shaft, my husband's cousin posted a pic on Instagram: A PERFECT sharp and crisp stenciled compass rose on a block of wood.
I thought, "WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?"
I instantly messaged her, hoping she'd reveal some elusive secret that I couldn't find on Google or YouTube. And she does:
"Oh, I did it with my Cricut machine."
I immediately jumped online and began researching Cricut machines; those dumb, expensive, stupid machines that my old neighbor never quit talking about and that I had forgot existed.
But much to my surprise, Cricut had made a LOT of changes since that neighbor lived next door.
Cricut machines no longer required the use of those ridiculous cartridges AND new machines are Bluetooth capable AND they're also compatible with online design software.
They've sure come a long way since I watched my neighbor push buttons on the top of her machine in 2009, with her installed cartridges that cost an additional small fortune.
I began watching YouTube tutorials of this new Explore 2 machine in action, and by video five, I was suckered and sold. But with a funeral, wedding, moving expenses and Christmas around the corner (yeah, life), I sat for a hot minute, watching prices fluctuate online.
I did find that even before holiday sales began, Walmart was offering an online price of $179.99 of the mint Explore Air 2 with free store pick-up when all other authorized dealers were sale priced at $219 and many of which didn't offer free shipping, either.
But Walmart also had another perk that Joann, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Cricut, and even Amazon didn't: The option to purchase an additional product warranty. I had read a good many articles and blogs about broken Cricut machines that had passed their one year product warranty with the brand, yet were still under 2 years old. That scared me. If you don't believe me, get on eBay and see just how many of these newer machines are listed as "for parts only". Yeahhhh...
And so, I bought the sale priced yet expensively stupid machine priced at $179.99 with a 3 year extended warranty for an extra $19 bucks, for a grand total (including taxes of about $20) $219. Not shabby.
But then came the accessories.
That's where Cricut really make their money.
Knowing Joann's had a Cricut sale going on for vinyl and accessories, I headed to my nearest store, bought a standard green sticky mat thing, some of the dental tools with the Cricut brand stamped on them, two rolls of cheap vinyl, and a heavy duty blade that was locked in a cage behind the counter along side the spray paint. I also headed to the dollar store, thanks to numerous Pinterest hacks I had read before hand, and bought some cheap ass contact paper, as well.
I was ready to get my craft on with this expensive machine. I raced home, fed the kids dinner, and poured some wine thinking I was going to make this machine my bitch. I was so wrong. I became the machine's bitch.
If you're a Cricut noob like myself, I highly encourage you to READ the INSTRUCTIONS and follow the guide without skimming through it. I thought I didn't need to read any of it. I hardly paid attention to the prompts, rushing through them. I was golden; I really thought I had enough basic crafting knowledge and enough YouTube tutorials under my belt to get started. I had no freakin' clue.
I un-boxed the machine and plugged it in. I had already made a Cricut Design Space account before I had even got the machine, so I thought I was set!
My new, minty machine that I was super excited to use, prompted me to follow a basic card making tutorial for set up. Alrighty, then.
I had just moved to the US from Germany, so I couldn't find my stash of card stock fast enough (I still can't find my favorite kitchen ladle).
I thought to myself, "Screw it", and put a piece of printer paper on the sticky mat, just to get through the tutorial so that I could start doing what I really wanted to do. The machine went to work, quietly drawing and cutting as I sat in awe, sipping my wine, so proud of my soon-to-be first Cricut creation.
When I unloaded the Cricut mat by the push of a blinking arrow button, I smiled, so proud of this random card I had just made, but as I began to peel the paper off, it was stuck to the mat, ripping and tearing as I slowly pulled back. On top of that frustration, I jumped back in shock after getting the mutilated paper off the mat: My brand new mat had the deepest cuts of the design I had just completed. I was pissed, and slightly buzzed, which probably didn't help. I threw a small fit of rage.
Turns out, I didn't know shit about getting started. Eager to begin my new craft adventure, I didn't turn the dial to set my cut depth to paper. I didn't know that mats came in three 'sticky' varieties; the green one I have is not meant for use with thin, printer paper.
UGH.
I gave up for the night, taking the instruction manual upstairs to bed as my pre-bedtime reading material.
It wasn't until a few days later that I had the courage to face my new machine again. I felt some kind of shame, staring at her as I entered my messy, pre-developed craft area; like I had failed her, not that she failed me. I felt terrible for calling her "stupid" and a "useless piece of shit".
I was the stupid one.
So once we said "hello" to each other again, I was determined to understand her better, and that I did.
My first, real, project turned out soooo awesome, though it wasn't the easiest, beginner project, whatsoever. The same project that I began with sucky stencils and initially purchased the machine for was finally done and more perfect than I imagined it could be.
And my new machine was no longer a thorn in my side. It was then that I decided my machine and I would become great friends.
The purpose of this post is to inform noob folks like myself that a majority of YouTube videos and Pinterest blogs on the Cricut subject are not necessarily for beginners, even if they say so. Those perfect ladies with their adorable southern accents have been using these machines for years. They are pros in the department of crafting and chances are they do this for a living. And they are fabulous at what they do.
They are not like me.
I cuss a lot. I'm not afraid of getting dirty. I mess shit up and I certainly have a lot to learn!
I cringed reading through the comments on YouTube from a particular woman's channel (she was not southern, nor nice). People would ask a simple question about the products she used or her crafting methods in the comments section, and she'd jump their throats with an asinine or arrogant response. It was quite sad to read, really. I guess I just have better things to do in my day than be condescending and rude to people I don't even know online?
So, sail with me as I cuss a little, drink a lot, and craft sometimes. I'll share my stupidity and what I learn along the way as I adventure with the Cricut Explore Air 2, and hopefully help other noobs like myself out!
I don't always post about crafts (obviously), but you'll find some here along with all of the other randoms of my life.
Comments
Post a Comment