Hey, Froggers! I feel compelled to discuss something that is a little bit dicey.
Several of you have mentioned to me that you want a Cricut. But there is something that you may not know, and I feel compelled to inform you.
About 2 years ago, I bought a Cricut. It was a cold, Feb. day here in the northeast, and I was feeling a little bit cabin feverish. We were expecting The Big One in a few days, and since I'd be snowed in, I thought it would be a great time to buy a craft toy. I had been thinking about a Cricut for a few years, and since there was a great deal on Overstock, I bought one. It was the only "big" purchase that I had ever bought without discussing it with HubbyDoc first, and I didn't feel the least bit guilty (well, maybe a tad). HubbyDoc, in his wonderful, supportive way, was even HAPPY that I bought one. I so love him. ;)
Enter snowstorm. It took me a little while to catch on to the nuances of the machine, but before you know it, I was cutting paper whether I needed to or not. I was never big on die cuts, but I found all kinds of uses for this machine. However, I wasn't really pleased that I had to buy cartridges all the time. I mean, even on sale, they were at least $25 or so.
Enter third party design programs. I found out about SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot). It was a computer program that I could use with my Cricut to make my own designs. "Hot dog," I exclaimed. Now the sky is the limit! So, I designed away. And discovered free files on line. And shared some of mine with others. And found incredible designers (like Penny Duncan, who makes beautiful stuff). I was having tons of fun.
Then, a dark cloud was seen in the distance (cue screechy violins). There was a rumor that the makers of Cricut were going after third party programs like Make the Cut and SCAL. I knew I was probably safe since SCAL was already downloaded on my computer and worked with my current Cricut. Sure enough, there were legal issues, and Make the Cut and SCAL had to stop selling their products for the Cricut. Now, in my situation, if my Cricut would die and I wanted to get another one, the newer machine would not work with the SCAL anymore. I would have to switch to another type of machine to use my program.
Now I know that I have incredibly creative Froggers. I know that a lot of you won't be satisfied being confined to others' designs. So, if you want to create your own stuff to cut, you're going to have to buy a different machine. There are a few out there that work with these third party programs (Penny Duncan has one of them and has some tutorials on her site).
I just felt compelled to let you know.
Fondly, Tami
Several of you have mentioned to me that you want a Cricut. But there is something that you may not know, and I feel compelled to inform you.
About 2 years ago, I bought a Cricut. It was a cold, Feb. day here in the northeast, and I was feeling a little bit cabin feverish. We were expecting The Big One in a few days, and since I'd be snowed in, I thought it would be a great time to buy a craft toy. I had been thinking about a Cricut for a few years, and since there was a great deal on Overstock, I bought one. It was the only "big" purchase that I had ever bought without discussing it with HubbyDoc first, and I didn't feel the least bit guilty (well, maybe a tad). HubbyDoc, in his wonderful, supportive way, was even HAPPY that I bought one. I so love him. ;)
Enter snowstorm. It took me a little while to catch on to the nuances of the machine, but before you know it, I was cutting paper whether I needed to or not. I was never big on die cuts, but I found all kinds of uses for this machine. However, I wasn't really pleased that I had to buy cartridges all the time. I mean, even on sale, they were at least $25 or so.
Enter third party design programs. I found out about SCAL (Sure Cuts a Lot). It was a computer program that I could use with my Cricut to make my own designs. "Hot dog," I exclaimed. Now the sky is the limit! So, I designed away. And discovered free files on line. And shared some of mine with others. And found incredible designers (like Penny Duncan, who makes beautiful stuff). I was having tons of fun.
Then, a dark cloud was seen in the distance (cue screechy violins). There was a rumor that the makers of Cricut were going after third party programs like Make the Cut and SCAL. I knew I was probably safe since SCAL was already downloaded on my computer and worked with my current Cricut. Sure enough, there were legal issues, and Make the Cut and SCAL had to stop selling their products for the Cricut. Now, in my situation, if my Cricut would die and I wanted to get another one, the newer machine would not work with the SCAL anymore. I would have to switch to another type of machine to use my program.
Now I know that I have incredibly creative Froggers. I know that a lot of you won't be satisfied being confined to others' designs. So, if you want to create your own stuff to cut, you're going to have to buy a different machine. There are a few out there that work with these third party programs (Penny Duncan has one of them and has some tutorials on her site).
I just felt compelled to let you know.
Fondly, Tami
