Cricut Expression – Worth It!
The Cricut 
It's sophisticated, versatile and will help you create the most beautiful craft projects you can imagine. And I do mean imagine, because only your imagination can limit you now. There is no end to the ideas that keep popping up for creative ways to use this state-of-the-art cutting machine!
Provo Craft© has come up with the very latest in paper shaping technology. If you're the slightest bit geeky (which you are, if you're visiting any website!), you're going to love this personal electronic cutter. And if you've been to a crop lately, you've probably heard your fellow crafters raving about the Cricut©. (Check out what a few scrapbooking experts had to say about it here.)
Unlike the traditional paper shaping systems, Cricut© is completely electronic -- so YOU get to decide the size of your paper and the size of your cuts. Their clever cartridge-based design system allows almost unlimited customization of letters, shapes and phrases for your projects -- with just the touch of a button. My kind of equipment.
I've got some more info below, but if you want to have a look at what I'm talking about I found some great prices on Cricut© machines, Cricut cartridges, Cuttlebugs and accessories on eBay© (always the FIRST place you should look). Check out a few of them here.
I checked the Amazon reviews before I bought mine, and here's what swayed me:
"I use it constantly!" - Faye Smith
"With the simple touch of a button, the Cricut easily cuts out the most intricate of designs." - Jennifer Ottepka
"A quilter's dream!" - C. Longenecker
"Huge time saver!" -D. Encinas
"Easy to use and amazing!" - C. Irish
A very cool feature of the Cricut© is that it doesn't need to be hooked up to your computer -- unless, of course, you want to. Then it can do that too with the Cricut© Design Studio software.
The very latest in their large arsenal of machines is the Cricut Expression©, their top-of-the-line cutter. It's much larger than the Cricut Create© and isn't intended to be portable. It comes with two cutting mats, one measuring a whopping 12" x 24" and the other a more traditional 12" x 12" --if cutting characters 23 1/2" isn't big enough for you, I don't know what to say...
It's got a ton of features, including the LCD screen to show you what your next cut will be, but you can check out all that stuff when you click on any of the products listed at the top of the right column.
All of the Cricut© models use the same cartridges, blades & blade housings, so no sweat there with interchangability. Here, check out Provo's© little promo for their machines.
Cricut© also carries everything you need to complete your projects: cartridges that contain complete alphabet and shape sets, cutting mats, cutting blades, paper-shaping tools, totes and storage boxes.
I'm always looking around for interesting factoids on scrapbooking and recently found out that the Lewis Carroll Scrapbook at the Library of Congress is an original scrapbook that was kept by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known to us as Lewis Carrol -- who wrote "Alice in Wonderland.") Bet you didn't know scrapbooking went back THAT far!
If you want to go the whole route, you can find tips on preserving scrapbooks at the Library of Congress site. And for you history buffs out there, how about a WWII scrapbook put together by the Red Cross? It's interactive and completely fascinating.
Hope this gives you a good, basic overview of the Cricut© machines. Check out the amazing deals in the right-hand column above and go for it! Your next great project is just itching to be born.
