A few weeks ago I went to the Snippy Sisters Cricut demo day, which as a newbie to Cricut – was an absolute must! I am not at all new to vinyl cutting machines, but with every new brand comes their own unique set of strengths and features that are unique to that brand. Not knowing much about Cricut, it was a perfectly timed opportunity to be able to to learn from the experts.
It was a very welcoming environment, smiles were in everyone’s eyes (as you can’t see their mouths!), and there were Cricut products spread over two very large tables. I was very excited to see so many new and unknown products so beautifully arranged in the room – so many new things to try!
Lee Dreyer walked us through how to set up our Cricut machines, showed us in detail the step by step process of the setup of the machine, and getting started on Design Space. It is a very simple process, which is fantastic for those who are just entering the magical world of digital plotting machines!
She covered – in detail – every aspect of the Cricut machines; where the blades go, where the pens go, how to load the mats, what the buttons mean, etc. She also showed us the four different colour mats that are available, and what their uses are. One pink, blue, green and purple. The pink one is for fabric as it is a slightly thicker mat and can withstand the rotary blade. Then there are the three different strength grip mats, blue is a light grip mat typically used for paper and thinner, softer materials. Your green mat is the standard grip mat which is more commonly used for vinyl, cardstock – the usual suspects, and the most commonly used. The purple mat is a strong grip mat which is for your more trying materials – typically leather, balsa wood, etc.
Demonstrations of a few of the different features were also shown to highlight just how easy it actually is to use these machines, and how quickly you can put a project together. The ladies watching the demonstration were also very impressed with just how quiet these machines actually are as most of us are used to the Cameo 4 noise levels (if you know, you know!). The first time I used my Cricut – I had exactly the same reaction, so it was nice to see my reaction on someone else’s face!
Lee also showed us a few of the different blades that are available for these machines, and man, was I impressed. I love the fact that they are all metal, which means less plastic going to the landfill – which I am ALL for!! The actual blade itself also comes out, which means that when your blade gets dull, you simply pop out the old blade which is held in by a magnet, and replace it with a new one, and you don’t have to buy an entirely new blade housing!
They have blades for fabric, paper, deeper materials, wavy cuts, perforation, and so many more fun things that I can’t wait to get my hands on as I journey through the world of Cricut! Don’t be intimidated about the number of blade housings you get, you probably won’t use them all that much in the beginning – so I would recommend just starting out with the two you get with your Cricut Maker, and venture out one by one every few months. They are also quite pricey at around R950 a quick swap blade housing, but only R500-R600 for the tip. However, this means I have time to save up to buy a new one each time while I learn to use the new one!
Lee also showed us a super cool holder for all your blades, which I definitely want to get my paws on at some point. It is a round clear sided container that allows you to neatly organise all your blades so you are easily able to access and keep track of them.
She also showed us the Cricut pens, which were also quite a bit pricier than that of their Silhouette counterparts, but not being a fan of the Silhouette pens at all, I was super keen to see how these worked – and I will have a blog post about that coming up very soon (hint: they are worth it!).
We were also given a sneak preview of the Cricut Joy, which is rumored to be hitting the shelves very soon – and man what an adorable little machine that is going to be! There are a few features there that I am very excited about trying – but more on that in the future!
We were also shown the range of Cricut vinyl – and MAN are there some gorgeous colours there! There are all the colours you would expect to find, but then there are two ranges that I am completely in love with – their holographic vinyl, and the textured range – man are they pretty!
All in all, I am thrilled that I was able to attend this Demo day, as it was very helpful for me, and I learnt quite a few new things about my Cricut machine. A huge thank you to the ladies at Snippy Sisters for hosting this day – I am very grateful that you set this up for us to learn some new things!