Ever since the Cricut Personal Cutter has come out, I have wanted one. No, I don't really need one, but you know how it is. Some things are just there in front of you and you think of many different ways you could use it. Well, I was at Hobby Lobby last spring with Curley and Prof and there was a lady demonstrating a Cricut machine as we walked in. For those of you who are scratching your heads and wondering, "what the hell is a Cricut" let me fill you in. The Cricut is an ingenious machine into which pre-programmed cartridges are inserted, different shapes or designs are selected on a digital screen a button is pushed and the device automatically cuts the design out of paper which is inserted into the Cricut. This machine is used primarily by scrapbookers, but it is also used in any kind of paper crafting. (Let it be known that I DO NOT no have I ever, scrapbooked.) I do, however design and make all my own greeting cards. In the past, I have made my cards laboriously one at a time. A Cricut cutter would make my card making so much easier, fun and offer so much more variety. But they are very expensive. An initial outlay of $200.00 for the machine and one cartridge, then additional cartridges (and there are a plethora of them) running from $40 to $80 apiece.
Well, after seeing the Cricut machine in action, and watching the infomercial several times on the TV, I started thinking seriously about buying one. Prof and Curley were encouraging me to go for it, but also know how tight I am with my money. So Prof suggested that I surf eBay or Amazon to see if there were any for sale. Guess what! I found a used one for $55.00 plus postage. It was offered on Amazon by a four star dealer. Prof emailed her and she wrote back and said that it was in good shape and had barely been used. So I bought it. I got it. It came with a cartridge that comes with the machine, plus the previous owner sent another cartridge that she had purchased, along with the manual, tools and the instructional DVD. I was excited to try it out. Believe it or not, I did sit and read the instructions before I started. I had a ball. I cut letters, shapes and played with it until the wee hours of the morning.
I wanted more cartridges now. Hobby Lobby just happened to run a "2 for 1 sale" on them a couple weeks ago, so I bought two. Curley found one on eBay that I wanted, so she ordered it for me. (I don't have an eBay account; I wouldn't dare) and I found one for a bargain on Amazon just last night.
I made several Valentine's Day cards and have created three "baby" cards for friends that have recently had little ones, and I made my brother the coolest birthday card which he will get next month.
I plan on doing more creating on this gadget after I retire and have more time. Several people who have received my cards through the years have suggested I make and sell them. I just might!
I did make a rush trip to Hobby Lobby in Northern Civilization on Monday to hit another sale of Cricut supplies. The first day of the sale, and they were completely gone. There really must be Cricut "mania" going on out there.
Peace,
JE
The Protege by Stephen Frey: This book was sensational. Another Big business novel. With many of the same characters as The Chairman. But with a good twist. I got really ticked off at Frey for killing off one of my favorite characters, but found out in the end why it was important for him to die. The rest is for me to know and you to find out. I've already checked out four more Frey books from my local "readery!"
Kisser by Stuart Woods: Stuart, ol'man, you wrote this one in a hurry. It was "fluff" and was really a fast, predictable read. Even Stone Barrington wasn't believable in this one. No guy his age has that much stamina. Characters were thin and unbelievable. Definitely NOT Woods best work. Don't buy it new. Just wait and get it at your local garage or rummage sale in the spring. I'm sure it will appear at one.
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor. Whew! What a ride. Just when I thought Brad couldn't possibly come up with another political thriller, he did! And what a thriller it is. I learned a lot about Islam that I didn't know before, and also a lot about Thomas Jefferson. What a guy! We can be glad our nation had him on our side at the get-go. Funny coincidence, though. We have just been studying the Barbary Pirates with my eighth graders, and this novel really went into depth about them and how Thomas Jefferson dealt with them during his presidency.
