Confessions of a Cricut Addict

Many are familiar with the 12-step programs out there for those suffering with alcohol or other addictions. For my paper crafting buddies, I am sure you have at some point along the way, come to the realization that you could quite possibly be addicted to anything from acid free papers to the Xyron® “Create-a-Sticker” maker. There are so many fun tools and accessories out there to make our addiction to card making (or scrapbooking) difficult to get a handle on!

So what’s the first step? Admitting you have a problem. That’s right, folks! I AM ADDICTED TO CRICUT. From the first time I saw this die cutting machine demonstrated on an infomercial, during one of my many sleepless nights, I knew this was the machine for me! I rationalized with my husband the fact that I would be able to save us so much money by making my own cards rather than purchasing them at the local supercenter.

With credit card info in hand, I ordered my Cricut Expression and anxiously awaited its arrival. I must have tracked my shipment online at least twice a day so that I would know exactly when to expect it on my doorstep! The day it finally arrived, I resisted the urge to rip open the packaging with the furor of a child on Christmas morning. I delicately removed each piece, grabbed the enclosed DVDs and headed straight to the television set so that I could explore the most up-to-date methods on using my new Cricut and the many, many project ideas and demonstrations the DVDs had to offer.

It didn’t take me long to get up and running, creating my own special projects. The problem, as I am sure my husband can attest to, was actually getting me off the machine so that I could do those other “frivolous” activities like eating, sleeping, cleaning, etc. My first accessory purchases for my Cricut was the tool kit, Cricut Pens and extra cutting mats (of course!). I spent hours online at www.cricut.com exploring the many cartridges they had available, picking out the ones that I felt I could get the most creative with. After carefully selecting my cartridges, however, it was when I looked at the total in my “shopping cart” that I realized how dangerous my new addiction could be on our family budget. With cartridges that range from $39.99 - $89.99, I was disheartened by the fact that my budget was the stumbling block in my creativity. I’m sure I am not the only one who has had to face this reality!

Being the frugal shopper that I am, I began to check eBay and Craigslist in the hopes that I might find the cartridges I wanted at a cheaper price. I was disappointed that eBay didn’t have much to offer in the way of deeply discounted pricing. I was able to find a cartridge or two on Craigslist that met my budget. However, it is not often that you come across a posting for cartridges only. Most are posted along with a Cricut machine, and I couldn’t justify purchasing multiple machines just to get the cartridges I wanted. Feeling stymied, I relegated myself to constantly checking the local supercenter for cartridges on clearance since the weekly 40% off coupons offered at Michaels® expressly state they cannot be used on any Cricut-licensed products (bummer!).

It wasn’t long afterwards that I discovered the Cricut Design Studio® and found myself getting very excited. I rushed home from Michaels and immediately got online to research this software that enabled you to connect the Cricut to your computer. Being a desktop publisher for quite a few years, the thought of being able to create my own designs was thrilling! Alas, the excitement was short-lived when I discovered that you couldn’t really “create” your own designs; rather modify the designs on the cartridges you had on hand. UGH!

In frustration, I typed in my Google Search® bar, the following: cricut software. That is when I was introduced to two software programs that could be used in conjunction with the Cricut machine. I did quite a bit of research comparing the Sure Cuts A Lot® and Make The Cut® software packages and was amazed that both of these truly allowed me to create my own images and designs and send them to my Cricut like a printer command so the machine could cut them. In the end, I chose Make The Cut (MTC). This software allowed for free updates to the software for as long as you own it and seemed to be a lot easier to use than Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL). So I purchased MTC for less than what I would have spent on a Cricut cartridge and got to work.

The end result? I have now pushed my addiction to Cricut to the edge! I think about new design ideas at every available opportunity, sketching them out on paper or adding a memo on my Blackberry so that I don’t forget the idea before I can get back home and start designing. I think of new designs while I am in the shower, washing dishes, vacuuming the floor…basically any time my mind has even the slightest opportunity to wander. My creativity has been revived!

Just as soon as I can figure out how, I will be posting a free SVG file on this blog that can be used with any SVG-compatible die cutting machine. So don’t forget to visit again soon!

A New Adventure!

So I’ve decided to start blogging…really? Never thought I’d see myself adding this to my list of “to-do’s” but here I sit trying to figure out how to get this whole thing started! So let me begin by telling you a little bit about Busy Lil’ Bees Designs.

My sister and I started BLBD in a small shop in Ashland (and when I say small I mean really, really small). We quickly outgrew this space and found ourselves doing more and more weekend craft shows. Feeling totally claustrophobic, we decided to close the shop and concentrate on the shows.

We also created www.BusyLilBees.com to help garner additional sales. After multiple design changes, we finally settled on the one we have now—but it is truly a work in progress.

Last year, we were introduced to Etsy. For those of you who don’t already know, this is the place to buy and sell all things handmade or vintage. So we’ve now added www.BusyLilBees.Etsy.com as the second website we need to maintain!

I don’t claim to be a professional website designer, by any means. I am still very new to this whole thing and constantly trying to incorporate the new things I learn into our sites. I must admit, though, I love the challenge!

Due to some medical issues this year, we haven’t being doing the craft show circuit. This has given me more time to explore things like…blogging! So this will be the beginning of yet a new adventure. I would like to use this blog to share marketing ideas, craft show tips, and even new products we are working on. So take a moment to bookmark our site, leave a comment or two, and check back frequently!