Everything CRICUT (Silhouette, Sizzix, Brother, etc.) thread!

[AliOop]

Thank you @glendam! I was so glad that he enjoyed them, AND that he decided not to get his own Cricut just yet (he got art supplies instead). It is so fun creating with him!

 

[Betty Boop]

I just read through this entire thread - whew!! I have had Cricut machines since 2010, when I got my first Cricut Expression as an early Christmas gift from my husband - we went to WalMart the day after Thanksgiving. I have a Cricut Air now, started w an Expression - I have over 100 cartridges [known as "carts"], including several proprietary ones for a stamping group [Close To My Heart] - talk about painting myself into a corner. After purchasing the Air, Cricut came out with the Maker (I should have known, since the Air was on sale, ha-ha!). With the appearance of the Maker machine and "Design Access" paid subscription for images, it was clear to me, having purchased the carts, Craft Room, and Design Space programs, that this was going to be a repeated "upsell" situation. So, I bit the bullet (literally - not really) and bought a 24" Silver Bullet Professional cutter, which uses svgs instead of proprietary Cricut and CTMH images (btw, CTMH now uses svgs - I guess the romance is over with Cricut).

Here are my takeaways (not all of them, my little brain is not awake yet and I have forgotten some already) from this thread -

• You folks all have some serious mad skills and I am in worshipful awe. I want me some sugar skulls. Now. And boxes. And ALL the soaps. And vinyl patterns (I have TONS of vinyl - I also buy fabric by the bolt. Yeah, that is how I roll...)
• Add Dreaming Tree (please do not ban me if we are not supposed to name places - I am not a fine print person) to your list of resources for svgs. They have houses, boxes, shapes, cards, beautiful holiday themed collections - you name it. I like DT's organization of images, website, tutorials, and the folks are personable and willing to answer questions or help if you get stuck.
• Sure Cuts Alot (SCAL) is an alternate software to consider for cutting your svgs. It is "stand alone", which makes it VERY attractive, works with all sorts of machines (actually, not sure about Cricut, because Cricut is, um, well, they are cranky and do not like to share, apparently, so you will have to double check that). I use it with my SB, and I have heart it works w Silhouette, Brother Scan 'n Cut and others. You can do many of the same things in SCAL that are done in Design Space, with considerably less anguish. AND, it is stand alone. No secret password, no accessing things on "the cloud", no losing your images (I hear that is a problem lately, although I have not tried to find my many images - I guess I should, though, since I paid for them. OK, separate rant, later....) Did I mention SCAL is stand alone??
• GIMP and Inkscape - 2 free photo and image "tinkering" programs - both fabulous for changing images into svgs, say, oh, if you have a stamp for which you want to make a diecut. Example - you have a stamp for "Mother" and hate "fussy cutting" around it, but do not have a cut for it. You can make one. SCAL will do it as well for some things, although it is better for basic shapes.
• If you have not tried it, may I suggest 10mil 12 x 12 Inch Milky Translucent Blank Stencil Material Mylar Template Sheets. The material may not be as flexible as the vinyl used for the tattoos, so it may be unsuitable. On the other hand, it is probably more economical.

OK, I am out of coffee and I need to get to work on my own soap labels. So, I guess I will have to re-read this thread later to see what I forgot to mention. Truly a gifted group of people in this forum. This is the most fun I have had in a long time!! Thank you!!

 

[AliOop]

Wow, talk about mad skills!! I love those boxes and that (soap?) cupcake!

And thanks for the info about the Silver Bullet. It's probably overkill for me, but if my Maker ever dies.... or gets gifted to a grandson or something like that....

 

[Betty Boop]

Wow, talk about mad skills!! I love those boxes and that (soap?) cupcake!

And thanks for the info about the Silver Bullet. It's probably overkill for me, but if my Maker ever dies.... or gets gifted to a grandson or something like that....

Yes, it is a soap. I love making them and giving them to people for birthdays. That one went to my grand daughter for her 15th last summer. The box was for a dress I made for her (that was her request for a birthday present - I was so pleased!!). It was from one of the Dreaming Tree designs.

On the Silver Bullet - I was extremely fortunate to find my 24" one on Ebay. The people selling it had purchased it for their small business and decided it just was not what they needed. Their loss was my gain. You can buy a new 13" one direct from the SB company (still pricey, but worth it) if you cannot find a "pre-loved" one. In any case, the flexibility (use of different designs), versatility (many different materials WAY beyond Cricut and other "mainstream" consumer machines - up to 4mm thick, including wood!) and sturdiness (I have had my machine for several years now, having bought my last Cricut in 2015 or so).

OK, time to wade in to Design Space and see if the rumors of lost images are true. I am hopeful all mine will be there!!

 

[AliOop]

I hope they are, too! I haven't experienced the loss of any images yet...

 

[Betty Boop]

I noticed people posting about packaging. Here is an svg file for a soap box with viewing window. It is sized for a ~ 3.5" x 4.5" x 1.25" bar of soap. It can be adjusted to other sizes if needed, although it is currently all one piece, with no "score" lines, so you have to fold it yourself. I had to zip the file (OH NO!! MORE WORK!! ) because svg is not an acceptable attachment. Who knew. Hope someone may find it useful.