Not Like Me

I bought a Cricut.

Yeah, I know, it surprises me too. I've made a card now and then, but scrapbooking is not my thing, so I try to stay out of those aisles and pretend things like this don't exist. But then a friend asked if I'd like to go to a crop with her, and due to my policy of never turning down an invitation, I said yes. My plan was to show up with my little shoebox of supplies and spend the time quietly cutting out hearts with scissors while the others did their scrapbooking things with glue dots and acid-free what-nots and Stickles, whatever they are.

I'd been reading about these things, and they didn't sound all that interesting. They cut shapes out of paper--so what? Where is the creativity in that? Why would I buy something to do what I can already do with a pair of scissors?

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My mistake was in thinking this was like those first generation die cutters that involve putting a die between two plates and cranking it through a gadget. Nope, this thing is computerized. You can adjust the size of the shape you want to cut out just by turning a dial. Want a tiny little apple? Turn the dial. Want the biggest apple you can fit on a sheet of paper? Hit a button. Want the machine to cut out as many two inch apples as will fit on a sheet of paper? It can do that too, and it takes about a minute.

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Second revelation: There is still creativity involved when you are choosing papers, combining designs from different cartridges, and deciding on a layout. Let's face it, the cutting is mostly a necessary evil anyway, and this way you get to concentrate on the fun stuff!

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Last but not least, look at how smooth those cuts are. I've cut out a LOT of shapes in my life, starting with hundreds of letters I traced and cut out to make signs for the Student Council bulletin board in high school. Even with all that practice and a great pair of scissors, I can't cut a shape as perfectly crisp and clean as that. It reminds me of when I first saw a P-Touch in action. Suddenly it wouldn't do to label something with a mere pen.

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I love this thing. L-O-V-E. Do you have one? Ever used one?