Just a quick post -- it's Valentine's Day and I have things on my mind other than writing. ProvoCraft released a new cartridge this week, Signature Script Fonts. It consists of 7 informal fonts that look like they're hand done.
As for utility, I'll have to leave that up to people other than me. I generally don't put words on things, and I'm not much into monogramming, so it's really outside my area of knowledge.
From a onetime font designer's perspective, it includes a nice range of fonts. Assuming the Cricut page shows them in order by name (the manual doesn't seem to name them at all), I do rather like the one called Fudge; it's a nice bold brush-style font that, if I were going to put words on things, I would probably use for those words. Ginger, the next one in the image, is a quirky flare serif font that I like as well, though I can't really imagine what I'd use it for. As I've said before, I'm not quite the typical papercrafter, so I'm less interested in fonts than I am in, say, fossils.
The one thing that would concern me if I were to used these would be the very thin lines of many of the letters, especially on the Cantilever and Catamaran fonts. They would require extra care to remove them from the cutting mat without tearing. While several of the others are also thin, they are formed of less complicated lines and less likely to cause problems in that critical removal process.
It's already available on eBay from the unacknowledged Cricut outlet (the one whose PayPal receipts list ProvoCraft as the payee) and, as of this writing, on sale on the website for $19.99.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
And another one...
When I wasn't paying attention, ProvoCraft sneaked out another new Cricut cartridge! This one is All Occasion Box Cards. They don't even have the handbook linked on their page yet -- it's on mine, of course, and you can get it here. So far, you can only get this from ProvoCraft directly; their unacknowledged eBay outlet isn't offering it yet.
At first glance it seemed like a rather limited cartridge. It has designs for 30 different 3D cards, plus an envelope. Then I got started thinking how I could swap some of the parts around, combine something from this and something from that, and make totally different cards. This looks like a good one.
At first glance it seemed like a rather limited cartridge. It has designs for 30 different 3D cards, plus an envelope. Then I got started thinking how I could swap some of the parts around, combine something from this and something from that, and make totally different cards. This looks like a good one.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
They're going nuts with the re-releases!
I've been slacking lately (holidays and all!) but I just checked the Cricut site, and there are no fewer than nine re-releases, including the very hard to find Daisy Chain, the always-useful Base Camp, and all of the Sesame Street cartridges.
I'm too busy to really talk about them at the moment, but the link to the re-released cartridges is here and of course I've updated the cartridge list which now, by my count, stands at 429 cartridges (including the re-releases).When things are less crazy after the new year, I'll be getting back to regular cheapskatery, starting with how I made crafting storage shelves for a fraction of what the craft stores will sell them to you for.
I'm too busy to really talk about them at the moment, but the link to the re-released cartridges is here and of course I've updated the cartridge list which now, by my count, stands at 429 cartridges (including the re-releases).When things are less crazy after the new year, I'll be getting back to regular cheapskatery, starting with how I made crafting storage shelves for a fraction of what the craft stores will sell them to you for.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Two More Re-Releases
In my previous post about re-released cartridges, I said I hoped ProvoCraft would release some more old favorites. And they've done exactly that. This time, they're Animal Kingdom and Beyond Birthdays. Given what those are selling for on eBay (especially Animal Kingdom), I'm glad to see them re-released.
Once again, these are in the the half-size boxes with the smaller manual and requiring the universal overlay for those of us who need keyboard overlays at all.
There's really not much I can say about them, except to squee a bit. It looks like they were just released within the past few days, given the fact that the only ones on eBay have almost 5 days on the auction, so it's possible they may be releasing more in the next few days, as they did with the previous five.
Further updates here if there are any more....
Once again, these are in the the half-size boxes with the smaller manual and requiring the universal overlay for those of us who need keyboard overlays at all.
There's really not much I can say about them, except to squee a bit. It looks like they were just released within the past few days, given the fact that the only ones on eBay have almost 5 days on the auction, so it's possible they may be releasing more in the next few days, as they did with the previous five.
Further updates here if there are any more....
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Dinosaur Tracks!
Minor news...
It seems that Provo Craft has brought back Dinosaur Tracks. It's in one of the half-size packages for the universal overlay now, instead of the full-sized original, but it's definitely back! I feel like a failure as a cheapskate -- I paid more for the original, used, than for any two other Cricut cartridges, and that was the cheapest one I found in a couple of months of trying. Now it's on the Cricut site for thirty bucks, brand new. It has some really cool stuff -- have a look at its handbook -- and you can find it here: Dinosaur Tracks. This is definitely one of my favorite cartridges, and it's wonderful that Provo Craft is selling it again. Maybe this means that some of the other hard-to-find classics will return some day, too. Okay, I'll stop squeeing now and return to my regular cynicism. :)
Update: They've brought 50 States back, too! $19.95 from the Cricut website.
Further Update: They now have five re-released cartridges, which can be found here. Songbird, 50 States, Dinosaur Tracks, Christmas Cards, and Very Merry Tags. As I write this they're on sale for $19.99 per, which is good for us cheapskates, bad for the people who are selling used, and often linked, ones for $50+ on eBay.
Note: There are a few unethical gougers trying to sell the newly re-released cartridges for outrageous prices. One of the eBay sellers (who's asking almost 3x the list price for it) says that extra handling time will be required. Color me suspicious, but I strongly suspect that "extra time" will be the time required for the shipment to get from Provo Craft to said seller. Which, given that such an order has to go through the Moreno Valley Postal Black Hole, er, Sorting Center, may be a very long time.
It seems that Provo Craft has brought back Dinosaur Tracks. It's in one of the half-size packages for the universal overlay now, instead of the full-sized original, but it's definitely back! I feel like a failure as a cheapskate -- I paid more for the original, used, than for any two other Cricut cartridges, and that was the cheapest one I found in a couple of months of trying. Now it's on the Cricut site for thirty bucks, brand new. It has some really cool stuff -- have a look at its handbook -- and you can find it here: Dinosaur Tracks. This is definitely one of my favorite cartridges, and it's wonderful that Provo Craft is selling it again. Maybe this means that some of the other hard-to-find classics will return some day, too. Okay, I'll stop squeeing now and return to my regular cynicism. :)
Update: They've brought 50 States back, too! $19.95 from the Cricut website.
Further Update: They now have five re-released cartridges, which can be found here. Songbird, 50 States, Dinosaur Tracks, Christmas Cards, and Very Merry Tags. As I write this they're on sale for $19.99 per, which is good for us cheapskates, bad for the people who are selling used, and often linked, ones for $50+ on eBay.
Note: There are a few unethical gougers trying to sell the newly re-released cartridges for outrageous prices. One of the eBay sellers (who's asking almost 3x the list price for it) says that extra handling time will be required. Color me suspicious, but I strongly suspect that "extra time" will be the time required for the shipment to get from Provo Craft to said seller. Which, given that such an order has to go through the Moreno Valley Postal Black Hole, er, Sorting Center, may be a very long time.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Cricut Tools for the Cheap at Heart
For $24.99, you can purchase a set of Cricut tools at your local craft store. If you want them for less, you have to wait for a sale, because they're normally considered "papercrafting machine accessories" and excluded from coupons. So, do you bite the bullet and shell out $25 for a box of tools? Not if you're a cheapskate with a Cricut.
The set of tools contains a spatula, mat scraper, weeding tool, tweezers, and scissors (with protective cap). Let's look at those in reverse order.
You're a papercrafter. You're the kind of person who would buy a Cricut in the first place. At least I hope you are, if you're reading this blog; otherwise, you're very, very lost. So it can be assumed that you own a pair of scissors. Also another pair of scissors. And a third one. And probably more other pairs of scissors than any sane person really needs, not least because they are included with various things. On my craft workbench, I have no fewer than three pairs of different sizes. I really don't need to buy another pair. If I do find a need for more, discount stores and office supply stores sell an excellent assortment for under $3.00.
Then there's the tweezers. If there's anything I have more of than scissors it's tweezers. Little ones, big ones, foot-long ones to dangle food in front of my pet snakes with, I have all sizes. Like scissors, they tend to come with other things. I certainly don't need to buy more of them just to have a cheery little bug face on the handle. But if I need more, Harbor Freight has my back; they sell a set of 6 pairs of various sizes, shapes, and descriptions for $4.99. The cosmetics section of drugstores is another good source for really excellent tweezers for lifting and moving little pieces of paper.
Now, that weeding tool. That's certainly a must-have. I use mine all the time. Except mine doesn't have that little bug on the handle, either. Actually, mine is one of a set of four of various shapes (and it's extremely handy to have several, especially that little hook-shaped one for getting the inside flaps of 3D objects closed). Harbor Freight for the win, again -- they were $1.99. The price is nominally $4.99, but this is Harbor Freight we're talking about; I've never actually seen them sold for that.
Incidentally, there's a Harbor Freight store right next door to my nearest Jo-Ann's, so I've got it good. You might have to look around a bit more. But if you'd rather spend your money on things like cardstock (or more Cricut cartridges!) instead of overpriced tweezers, it's worth looking. Big-box discount retailers, even dollar stores, often have things that will serve the purpose quite nicely.
Next there's the mat scraper. As anyone who has ever tried to get those little bits of paper that adhere to a cutting mat loose knows, that's essential. I can tell you from experience that paper cuts under your fingernails hurt, hurt, hurt. But does it have to say Cricut on it? If not, you can get one where I did: in the grocery store. They're sold as pan or counter scrapers, for under $2. I actually have one of the real ones (it came with some Cricut stuff at a yard sale) and I've never used it; I like my grocery-store one better. For one thing, it's slightly wider, and the edge is thinner.
Finally we get to the one essential item: that little spatula. Now there hangs a problem. I have two spatulas. One, with a pointed end, is from Slice -- it came with the Slice deluxe set I bought on a clearance sale at a discount store. The other is a real Cricut one -- the old one. The one you can't get anymore, except for ridiculous prices on eBay. Yes, that same yard sale was involved in how and why I have mine. Provo Craft sells one now, packaged with a scraper, but it's a smaller size and in my opinion not nearly as useful as the old style. If I had to buy one, I'd get the Cgull 3-piece spatula set; it includes a pointy one like my Slice spatula and a wide one like the old-style Cricut spatula. You can get the 3-pack for around $10 or less.
And when I was looking up prices for that spatula, I found Cgull's papercrafting toolkit. If I did in fact have a need for all this stuff, instead of rummaging in my drawers, buying from Harbor Freight, etc., that's the one I'd go with. For a list price of $25.99 (and therefore cheaper just about everywhere) you get two sizes of spatulas, two weeders, scissors, tweezers (the self-closing kind), an X-Acto knife with spare blades, two scrapers, and a bone folder, all in their own separate pockets or elastics inside a rather nice-looking case.
Speaking of bone folders, now there's something absolutely essential for a papercrafter. I don't really get why the Cricut tool kit contains scissors, which we all have multiple pairs of, but no bone folder, which most people don't have lying around (I do, but I'm a leatherworker). If you've never used one, it's basically a stiff, tapered plastic tool, originally used by bookbinders, that you use for creasing, folding, scoring, rubbing, smoothing, and otherwise doing things to paper. If you want a nice crease in a card you're making, for example, forget running the back of your scissors down it; use your bone folder. You need this, and it's not in the Cricut tool kit. It is, however, available in craft stores, and only a few dollars if you have the weekly coupon.
There are papercrafting tools all around us. They're sold in Harbor Freight and Target, the dollar store and the drugstore. You just have to look at them with the right eyes.
The set of tools contains a spatula, mat scraper, weeding tool, tweezers, and scissors (with protective cap). Let's look at those in reverse order.
You're a papercrafter. You're the kind of person who would buy a Cricut in the first place. At least I hope you are, if you're reading this blog; otherwise, you're very, very lost. So it can be assumed that you own a pair of scissors. Also another pair of scissors. And a third one. And probably more other pairs of scissors than any sane person really needs, not least because they are included with various things. On my craft workbench, I have no fewer than three pairs of different sizes. I really don't need to buy another pair. If I do find a need for more, discount stores and office supply stores sell an excellent assortment for under $3.00.
Then there's the tweezers. If there's anything I have more of than scissors it's tweezers. Little ones, big ones, foot-long ones to dangle food in front of my pet snakes with, I have all sizes. Like scissors, they tend to come with other things. I certainly don't need to buy more of them just to have a cheery little bug face on the handle. But if I need more, Harbor Freight has my back; they sell a set of 6 pairs of various sizes, shapes, and descriptions for $4.99. The cosmetics section of drugstores is another good source for really excellent tweezers for lifting and moving little pieces of paper.
Now, that weeding tool. That's certainly a must-have. I use mine all the time. Except mine doesn't have that little bug on the handle, either. Actually, mine is one of a set of four of various shapes (and it's extremely handy to have several, especially that little hook-shaped one for getting the inside flaps of 3D objects closed). Harbor Freight for the win, again -- they were $1.99. The price is nominally $4.99, but this is Harbor Freight we're talking about; I've never actually seen them sold for that.
Incidentally, there's a Harbor Freight store right next door to my nearest Jo-Ann's, so I've got it good. You might have to look around a bit more. But if you'd rather spend your money on things like cardstock (or more Cricut cartridges!) instead of overpriced tweezers, it's worth looking. Big-box discount retailers, even dollar stores, often have things that will serve the purpose quite nicely.
Next there's the mat scraper. As anyone who has ever tried to get those little bits of paper that adhere to a cutting mat loose knows, that's essential. I can tell you from experience that paper cuts under your fingernails hurt, hurt, hurt. But does it have to say Cricut on it? If not, you can get one where I did: in the grocery store. They're sold as pan or counter scrapers, for under $2. I actually have one of the real ones (it came with some Cricut stuff at a yard sale) and I've never used it; I like my grocery-store one better. For one thing, it's slightly wider, and the edge is thinner.
Finally we get to the one essential item: that little spatula. Now there hangs a problem. I have two spatulas. One, with a pointed end, is from Slice -- it came with the Slice deluxe set I bought on a clearance sale at a discount store. The other is a real Cricut one -- the old one. The one you can't get anymore, except for ridiculous prices on eBay. Yes, that same yard sale was involved in how and why I have mine. Provo Craft sells one now, packaged with a scraper, but it's a smaller size and in my opinion not nearly as useful as the old style. If I had to buy one, I'd get the Cgull 3-piece spatula set; it includes a pointy one like my Slice spatula and a wide one like the old-style Cricut spatula. You can get the 3-pack for around $10 or less.
And when I was looking up prices for that spatula, I found Cgull's papercrafting toolkit. If I did in fact have a need for all this stuff, instead of rummaging in my drawers, buying from Harbor Freight, etc., that's the one I'd go with. For a list price of $25.99 (and therefore cheaper just about everywhere) you get two sizes of spatulas, two weeders, scissors, tweezers (the self-closing kind), an X-Acto knife with spare blades, two scrapers, and a bone folder, all in their own separate pockets or elastics inside a rather nice-looking case.
Speaking of bone folders, now there's something absolutely essential for a papercrafter. I don't really get why the Cricut tool kit contains scissors, which we all have multiple pairs of, but no bone folder, which most people don't have lying around (I do, but I'm a leatherworker). If you've never used one, it's basically a stiff, tapered plastic tool, originally used by bookbinders, that you use for creasing, folding, scoring, rubbing, smoothing, and otherwise doing things to paper. If you want a nice crease in a card you're making, for example, forget running the back of your scissors down it; use your bone folder. You need this, and it's not in the Cricut tool kit. It is, however, available in craft stores, and only a few dollars if you have the weekly coupon.
There are papercrafting tools all around us. They're sold in Harbor Freight and Target, the dollar store and the drugstore. You just have to look at them with the right eyes.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Caveat Emptor, lest thy wallet be emptied
Having a Cricut machine, I naturally want more cartridges for it. And being a cheapskate, I equally naturally seek them out on eBay and Craiglist instead of at my local craft stores (though I have gotten some very good deals on holiday sales and clearance at Jo-Ann's, plus instant gratification). I recommend this to any fellow cheapskate.
Many of the cartridges I've bought off eBay have come from the unacknowledged Cricut factory outlet. It's easy to tell who this is -- all else aside, when your PayPal payment is billed to "Provo Craft & Novelty Inc." that makes it pretty definite. Their cartridges are new in the box, and they have free shipping, so it's usually a good deal. Sometimes, though, a cartridge I want isn't currently available from said factory seller so I check third parties. And therein lies a post.
I noticed one, Bridal Shower to be exact, in my morning search. "Very hard to find! Only $59.99! Free shipping!" Is that a deal or what?
...or what.
If you happen to want that cartridge, you can buy it on eBay from the Cricut eBay outlet for a Buy It Now of $29.99, or bid on it starting at 99 cents. The usual sale price from that seller, based on sold auctions, is about $8-$10. It's on the Cricut website for $19.99. And if you don't want to risk random people on eBay and the hideously show shipping from the Cricut store (website or eBay -- both get sucked into the black hole of the Moreno Valley post office) you can buy it off Amazon for $16.08. Free shipping if you have Amazon Prime.
Another one: Simply Sweet. "ProvoCraft Cricut cartridge Simply Sweet NIP Font Retired Very Rare" listed at $109.99 plus shipping. Or, if you prefer, only $19 a month for 6 months. Very rare, that must be a deal, right? Um ... for the same price, you could buy it, also NIP, from the Cricut outlet store on eBay And another one next month. And the month after that. And so on for all six months (well, within a couple of dollars). Because, yes, you can buy it (with free shipping, too) for $19.99. Amazon itself doesn't have it, but a number of their third-party vendors do, and you can get it for under $25 (including shipping) from no fewer than nine of them.
Another one: Destinations. "Very Rare - Great for all Cricut machines - used." It's $26.99 plus $7.63 shipping. Or brand-new for $19.99, with $3.60 shipping, from the company website. Seriously, how can something be "very rare" when you can just order it from the publisher? Or from Amazon? Or from the literally dozens of other listings on eBay? I happen to own that one. A check of my eBay purchase history reveals that I bought it from the unacknowledged Cricut factory outlet, new in the box, for $11.49, free shipping.
My point isn't .. well, isn't just ... to trash the eBay sellers who are trying to sell these things for many times the retail price. They're clearly in the business of taking advantage of suckers. We cheapskates need to not be those suckers. Do your homework. "Very hard to find"? Only if you don't click on any of the 30+ other listings for the identical item on eBay. Only if you don't go to the Cricut website. Only if you don't check Amazon. Only if you don't, in other words, do what is called in the business world due diligence.
I also check Craiglist for any Cricut stuff. Again, I found a seller with delusions of riches. She said she'd paid $40-$60 for her Cricut cartridges and therefore wanted $20 each for used, linked cartridges without their boxes. This might have even be a valid price if they were some of the genuinely rare ones, the ones that routinely go for $50+ on eBay. They weren't, though; they were fairly common ones. Again, a check of eBay would show that what she was selling would go for that price or lower (with boxes, too!) and not linked. But she'll probably get what she's asking, because people will think "well, it's on Craigslist, so it must be a good deal."
Now, there are Cricut cartridges that are rare and hard to find. The four Close To My Heart cartridges are only sold as part of large, expensive packages, never separately, and are both scarce and pricey. 50 States was discontinued for no reason that makes sense, and it's popular and scarce; the same is true of Dinosaur Tracks. Several of the licensed cartridges were discontinued, presumably when the licenses ran out, and are likewise hard to come by. If you check around, it's easy to see which ones they are. Sadly, it seems that the last person you can believe is the one writing the listing -- the one who lists something that can be ordered from the company website as "very hard to find."
Do your due diligence. Check the prices. Know what you're buying and what it usually sells for in various places. Don't believe the sellers. They might honestly not know what they're talking about, or they might think you don't know and intend to take advantage of that. Either way, you should know. You must know if you're going to get a good deal.
Many of the cartridges I've bought off eBay have come from the unacknowledged Cricut factory outlet. It's easy to tell who this is -- all else aside, when your PayPal payment is billed to "Provo Craft & Novelty Inc." that makes it pretty definite. Their cartridges are new in the box, and they have free shipping, so it's usually a good deal. Sometimes, though, a cartridge I want isn't currently available from said factory seller so I check third parties. And therein lies a post.
I noticed one, Bridal Shower to be exact, in my morning search. "Very hard to find! Only $59.99! Free shipping!" Is that a deal or what?
...or what.
If you happen to want that cartridge, you can buy it on eBay from the Cricut eBay outlet for a Buy It Now of $29.99, or bid on it starting at 99 cents. The usual sale price from that seller, based on sold auctions, is about $8-$10. It's on the Cricut website for $19.99. And if you don't want to risk random people on eBay and the hideously show shipping from the Cricut store (website or eBay -- both get sucked into the black hole of the Moreno Valley post office) you can buy it off Amazon for $16.08. Free shipping if you have Amazon Prime.
Another one: Simply Sweet. "ProvoCraft Cricut cartridge Simply Sweet NIP Font Retired Very Rare" listed at $109.99 plus shipping. Or, if you prefer, only $19 a month for 6 months. Very rare, that must be a deal, right? Um ... for the same price, you could buy it, also NIP, from the Cricut outlet store on eBay And another one next month. And the month after that. And so on for all six months (well, within a couple of dollars). Because, yes, you can buy it (with free shipping, too) for $19.99. Amazon itself doesn't have it, but a number of their third-party vendors do, and you can get it for under $25 (including shipping) from no fewer than nine of them.
Another one: Destinations. "Very Rare - Great for all Cricut machines - used." It's $26.99 plus $7.63 shipping. Or brand-new for $19.99, with $3.60 shipping, from the company website. Seriously, how can something be "very rare" when you can just order it from the publisher? Or from Amazon? Or from the literally dozens of other listings on eBay? I happen to own that one. A check of my eBay purchase history reveals that I bought it from the unacknowledged Cricut factory outlet, new in the box, for $11.49, free shipping.
My point isn't .. well, isn't just ... to trash the eBay sellers who are trying to sell these things for many times the retail price. They're clearly in the business of taking advantage of suckers. We cheapskates need to not be those suckers. Do your homework. "Very hard to find"? Only if you don't click on any of the 30+ other listings for the identical item on eBay. Only if you don't go to the Cricut website. Only if you don't check Amazon. Only if you don't, in other words, do what is called in the business world due diligence.
I also check Craiglist for any Cricut stuff. Again, I found a seller with delusions of riches. She said she'd paid $40-$60 for her Cricut cartridges and therefore wanted $20 each for used, linked cartridges without their boxes. This might have even be a valid price if they were some of the genuinely rare ones, the ones that routinely go for $50+ on eBay. They weren't, though; they were fairly common ones. Again, a check of eBay would show that what she was selling would go for that price or lower (with boxes, too!) and not linked. But she'll probably get what she's asking, because people will think "well, it's on Craigslist, so it must be a good deal."
Now, there are Cricut cartridges that are rare and hard to find. The four Close To My Heart cartridges are only sold as part of large, expensive packages, never separately, and are both scarce and pricey. 50 States was discontinued for no reason that makes sense, and it's popular and scarce; the same is true of Dinosaur Tracks. Several of the licensed cartridges were discontinued, presumably when the licenses ran out, and are likewise hard to come by. If you check around, it's easy to see which ones they are. Sadly, it seems that the last person you can believe is the one writing the listing -- the one who lists something that can be ordered from the company website as "very hard to find."
Do your due diligence. Check the prices. Know what you're buying and what it usually sells for in various places. Don't believe the sellers. They might honestly not know what they're talking about, or they might think you don't know and intend to take advantage of that. Either way, you should know. You must know if you're going to get a good deal.
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