Got A die-Cutting Machine for Christmas?
Now What?
Did you receive or maybe purchase a Silhouette or Cricut (it’s cricket like the insect not “cry-cut”) Cutting Machine for Christmas? Is it still in the box because you are afraid to get started? Get that machine out of the box, set up the software on your computer and let’s get started!!!
Silhouette vs. Cricut
I’ve owned a Silhouette Machine for over 8 years and have made T-Shirts, wall Décor, decals for glasses and many other things. I’ve never owned a Cricut machine (except for the original which was not computerized) so I have nothing to compare.
If you haven’t purchased a machine and you are on the fence about which one to buy, just check out a few articles on Pinterest that compare the two machines. I found (through Pinterest) a great article on www.hip2save.com where she compares everything about the two different machines. I suggest you buy the one that fits your budget and what you are going to be using it for.
Where can I purchase the designs?
Both Silhouette and Cricut have a membership subscription that you can purchase. Silhouette has several different options starting at $4.99/month and going to $29.99/month and CricutAccess has two options, Standard ($9.99/month) and Premium ($119.88 and has to be paid for the whole year).
You don’t have to have a subscription to use either machine. All you have to do is purchase SVG files(Scalable Vector Graphics. Here are a few sites where you can purchase SVG files:
Which Vinyl Do I Use?
There are several different kinds of vinyl:
Removable Vinyl – great for making wall decals and using as a stencil
Permanent Vinyl – use when making signs, tumblers or mugs
Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) – this is the vinyl you use when you are making a T-shirt design or transferring an image that has to be pressed on an item
Great Tutorials
If you have a Silhouette (Portrait or Cameo), Melissa at www.silhouetteschoolblog.com is your gal. She has tutorials, ebooks and YouTube videos to help you get started.
If you own a Cricut I recommend Jennifer at www.jennifermaker.com and even if you don’t own a Cricut she has a ton of great craft ideas. Also, check out Cori at www.HeyLetsMakeStuff.com. She has a list of link to free SVG files of her favorites and this site is also a great resource for other craft ideas.
You can also find other great tutorials on Pinterest and YouTube. You can find classes on Skillshare.com or Craftsy.com which you can work through different projects.
I’ll be showing several different projects over the next few weeks, so be sure and check out the blog or get on my mailing list!