Cricut-is it worth it?

ALSO: Which version would you recommend?

Our public library has one, and I am going to learn to use it tomorrow.

I plan to get one to use to make wedding decor but I'll also use it for house decor and I have 2 years to make decorations and what not

I'm looking to buy the explore air 2 but if you go on Pinterest they have the breakdown of what each one can do.

If you're not a person who is really into crafts and envisions using it a lot, why buy this? The machine alone costs $200, not to mention the supplies. What would you be saving? You can certainly save on DIY projects by using coupons. Think about what you want and take a walk around Michaels or your local craft store or dollar store and see how much things cost. You may find what you need/want is much cheaper than you thought.

For example, I wanted my two ring bearers to have little "ring security" briefcases. They were about $20-$25 each on Etsy. I found the "briefcase" that people use on Etsy in the dollar store (they are document holders with a handle and look like a briefcase). I purchased a set of gold stick on letters at Michaels with a 40% off coupon so they cost less than $2. Whole project? $4.

I'd say if you're buying it specifically for your wedding to save money to DIY, you're going to spend more money than not DIYing things. If you already own one, then it might save you money.

I wouldn't recommend it if you're not going to use it for much more than the wedding. I love mine, but I'd wanted one for YEARS before, and used the wedding as an excuse to purchase it. I haven't used it for many wedding things, but I would have had I gotten it sooner. Would it have saved me money? Probably not. I invested money into the machine and supplies, and then it's still time consuming to make projects.

Now if you ARE a crafty person, and you think you can convince yourself to keep using it, then go for it. Maybe before hand join some crafting groups and see if you would like, or think you're capable of some of the things others do. I'm on "Off the Mat" "cricut newbies and pros" and "craft hoarders"- all of these pages have been super helpful for how to work the machine and it's software and for inspiration!

I love mine! I have the air I purchased for $179 and have spent about $30 on accessories.

As many have said if you just plan on using it for wedding, you may not recoup your money. The learning curve is simple, luckily there's a million YouTube videos which helped me learn.

I made my own pocketfolds for my invitations, they cost me $0.25 each to make, they are about $2.00-$5.00 each retail. However, mine take about an hour to cut and assemble 5, so it is time consuming for sure.

Vinyl itself is very cheap, about $0.25 for a square foot, so if you're making signs, wine glasses, etc it's very cheap. Most of the work is spent on time.

I've started making decals and stuff on the side to help make a little extra money, I sell decals, tumblers and wine glasses casually to friends and family and it's been a great way to recoup some supply costs. (Ex: a tumbler and a saying on it costs me $6.00 but I sell for $20)

It's fun but sometimes I want to throw the thing out the ducking window:

Here's the pocketfolds I made.

A sign I made from a $1 frame, card stock and $0.25 work of vinyl

I have the cricut explore air. I got mine last year around Christmas. There is a HUGE learning curve! Watch YouTube videos to teach yourself if you do get one as it doesn't come with a manual. I'm making signs for my wedding and had planned to make name tents but decided against it. It's very time consuming. I'd say get the explore air 2 as it's generally faster than the air. The maker just came out within the last month, other than it can cut fabric and thin wood, not sure how it's different from the air 2 other than price.

There is so much to learn....only certain fonts look better when you have the cricut "write" for you, don't forget to move letters together so they look more like handwriting, etc otherwise your items will look rather unprofessional, in my opinion. I ordered invites from Etsy but made a belly band to hold the cards together. And actually it wasted less paper by just using my paper cutter and not using the cricut.

I did make 70 tags for cookie bags and I'm making sparkler tags but it took several hours to cut those with the Cricut and that was after a couple of hours designing. Definitely start now if you plan to teach yourself.

And here's a non wedding project!

I absolutely love my Cricut. I used it for multiple wedding projects (addressing envelopes, table numbers, seating chart, signs, etc.) I would only recommend buying one if you plan on using it after the wedding since it is a pretty hefty expense.

FME: out of curiosity, where do you get your vinyl and what is the brand?

@FME those are awesome! I love all of those things and I envision myself doing that.

I love "crafting" for gifts, but I typically do the Micheal's/ Dollar Store route to find materials I need and throw things together, but there is only so fancy you can get with Dollar Store materials, which is why I am considering the Cricut.

@Rachel That is my hesitation too... I can see all of the wonderful things I would do with it in my head, but will I really invest that much time into it, I just don't know. I know I will for the wedding stuff (because I would literally have to), and while I envision all the other fun projects, I'm afraid it may spend most of the time put away.

@ Taylor that is a great idea!! I will look into local crafting groups!

@Linda I did not even think to look at the local library! I would love to borrow one for a week and just see how I like it and how to use it before getting it! I may try our library and see what they offer!

Thanks everybody!

I actually had no learning curve with the Explore Air 2. I got it, got it out of the box, did the sample, and then pretty much could do a lot of the crafting for the wedding from that. I also have made Christmas presents, birthday presents, and general things that I would have normally bought for a higher price.

I get my vinyl either on sale at Michaels (very far and few between), or through many vinyl online stores that sell them for cheap. Join the facebook groups for Cricut Explore and there are a ton of suggestions.

Also, my mom got the Silhouette after me and hates it because she can't figure it out. I think that the Cricut software is easier to understand.

@Ashlee I shop the sales but usually my vinyl direct, vinyl world 651, and ssbd! Add them on Facebook they post their promos, it's all oracle 651 but they have 631 and other types

My mom loves hers! the only problem was that she only had a chromebook so she has to use an older laptop to use it but she does love it.

Michael's craft stores has classes you could get familiar with it.

I have the cricut air 2 and I love it! I got it for Christmas last year and have only used it a handful of times - so to answer your overall question I wouldn't get it. I am trying to be a teacher (junior year of college) and so I KNOW I will use it a ton for my classroom - and have actually used it the most for school projects and it made things so much easier. It is very user friendly, but I bought it with the intention to make cards, invitations, etc. and after doing an entire wedding last year (I was a bridesmaid) I don't think it would help much and will end up costing you so much money to buy paper and other things you'll need to make wedding stuff with. I love crafts and making stuff and I honestly thought I would use it more than I have so far - but like I said earlier, I know I will use it more in the future. But it can be very time consuming if you are new to using it - after almost a year I think I am finally starting to get the hang of using it more and tips to move faster, but it is a learning process; thats even after watching a gazillion youtube tutorial and info I got off Pinterest for how to use it...

Definitely not worth it just for wedding crafts. If you think you will use it later on though, definitely splurge on it. I have a Cricut Explore 1 and I love it. I've only done a few crafts, but I have gotten tons of compliments on them.

I am planning on doing my table numbers with the Cricut and clear acrylic. I also definitely suggest joining the Facebook group: All Things Cricut Wedding. Love this group and has tons of inspiration and they will answer your questions you posted on here. They are a wonderful group.

Not wedding related, but here is a sign I made on Saturday. I wasn't planning on vpp (vinyl, paint, peel), but I love how it turned out. My FH hates quotes on walls but loves how personal this is.

These are gorgeous examples and make me want it more!

Weddings are not a good time to learn a new hobby. I use mine all the time and I have all the tools I need to make projects. So it was cost efficient. If you're just using it for the wedding, skip it.

But, for s&gs here's one of my projects. I'll post more on my BAM.

ETA: grammar