My Takes on My Cricut So Far

I decided to do my first Cricut check-in. I've cut out a few different things, and done a few experimental tries with the app that Cricut calls the Design Space, the place where you can either upload a pre-created file, or create something yourself. Let's start by looking at the machine itself. This is what I opened on Christmas Eve. Keep in mind that Mr. BTEG bought a special version of my machine that was exclusive to a warehouse store called Costco, and that therefore there were some extra items included, that don't normally come with a Cricut Maker purchase. Another caveat, there are several different types of Cricut machines, and other brands like Silhouette that offer machines that have some overlap with some Cricut machines. As far as I know, the Cricut Maker is currently the only line able to cut heavier items like balsa. Make sure if you want to buy a machine like this, that it is capable of doing the type of crafts that you want.

The pink and blue mats in front came with the machine. The two green mats at the back are extra long, and were an extra purchase by Mr. BTEG.

Here is what the Maker looks like when it is opened up.

So what does the Maker do? First of all, it cuts things - neatly and quickly. It can cut anything from printer paper to 2mm thick balsa wood. The Maker can also cut fabric, from light cotton to light denim or leather. It can only cut something the same size or smaller than your mats, which are either 12" x 12" or 12" x 24" if you buy a longer mat. (The Maker can also do a few more non-cutting things, which we will discuss in a bit.)

Let's talk about the mats. You might see that the pink mat is marked "Fabric Grip" and the blue mat is marked "Light Grip." There is also the Standard Grip mat, and the Strong Grip. In order to hold down the material that is being cut, each mat has a sticky surface in the graph area. Which mat you use depends on what you are cutting out. The Strong Grip is for things like balsa, while the Light Grip could be used with paper. There are also different blades used for different materials. The blade cartridge goes into side B, where the cartridge with the gold base currently sits. For my machine, I currently have a fine-point blade, for cutting out things like cardstock, a knife blade for cutting out heavier materials like balsa or chipboard, and a rotary cutter for cutting out fabrics.

How do you tell your Cricut what to print? Your Cricut must be connected to a PC. You will create an account for your machine, and get an executable file from the Internet, which you then run to open the Cricut application. By the way, who knew there were extension cords for USB cords? Mr. BTEG gave me one when I plugged the Cricut into one of my computer's USB outlets. The cord that comes with the Cricut is about three feet long, but the extension cord is helpful for me because of where my Cricut has to be set up right now relative to my PC.

Most of the pre-made Cricut files on the Cricut application are only included with the subscription package, which is $9.99 USD per month. You do receive a free month of the subscription, so you can really look around and see if it is worth it for you. I believe you also get to keep anything you upload to your personal project space that you've obtained during your free month, but double check that. If you buy anything pre-made, all you have to do is upload it to your Canvas, which is where anything you want to print with your maker will first appear. Your Canvas is graphed and can be used, for some applications, somewhat like Illustrator or Inkscape. I'll get to that more in a bit. For now, say you have something all set to go on Canvas. You tell the application that you want to make what is on your canvas, load your prepared mat into the machine, hit the Start button (looks like the Cricut C,) and you're off. Here's a very short video I took of the machine at work.

As you can see, the chipboard that I am cutting out also has to be secured to the mat by masking or painter's tape, to help hold the chipboard down. This is not always the case for thinner items.

Why is the Maker helpful, and conceivably useful for you? If you want to cut pieces out of things like chipboard or balsa, the Maker can do this faster than you could yourself, having to make multiple cuts with a knife (the knife blade in the machine goes through multiple cuts too, but faster.) If your machine is calibrated properly, the knife is sharp, and the material secure, you can create one, or multiple shapes. Here are a few pieces of chipboard cut using the Maker. I already have a few patterns purchased to cut out doll furniture pieces to assemble. The knife blade also is purported to stay sharp a reasonably long time, but I don't have direct evidence of that yet.

You can also cut out things with great detail. Here is the first project I tried with the Maker, a flower cut out of cardstock. With the Maker, it would be easy to cut out, for example, multiple banner triangles, and letters, to make a banner for your doll room, or a real-life room. The advantage with a machine is the neat cuts of curved lines and small details. If you don't like messing around cutting out little bitty pieces of paper or whatever for doll projects, this might work for you.

Now let's look at a very simple project that I designed myself, a felt Christmas tree skirt for a 1/6" scale tree. There are simple shapes that are always free to use with your Cricut software.

I put a circle onto the canvas, then made it the size I wanted by dragging a corner. Remember that I said that Canvas in some ways is like Illustrator or Inkscape? Playing around with shapes reminds me of doing the same thing in Inkscape, which has the advantage of being free. I think Inkscape and Cricut can work together, but I haven't learned how yet. I don't think I needed one after all, but at first I wanted a hole for the tree trunk in the middle of the skirt. I made a smaller circle the size I wanted, aligned it in the very center of the bigger circle with the help of the software, then cut the smaller circle out of the bigger circle. The smaller circle and the cut out hole were also saved for me, but I deleted those.

 And I ended up with a perfect circle of felt, with a hole the size I wanted in the middle.

It would be easy to cut out multiple fabric shapes for doll pillows or bedding, or felt rugs. You can cut out small leaves and flower petals to make doll-sized flowers or plants. There are sewing patterns for sale for human-sized items (although not everything due to size constraints) that come with a Cricut file to cut out all your fabric pieces for you, leaving you ready to sew everything together. At one point, Simplicity offered a few Cricut patterns that would cut out pieces of fabric to make simple American Girl sized clothing. Don't get excited if you see that, as they don't exist anymore.  I have read, though, that you can convert a PDF file to the kind of file that a Cricut can read, which is SVG. That means I could conceivably cut out doll clothes pattern pieces from PDF files that I own. I definitely want to try that soon. (I've since learned that images in .jpg, .gif, .png., .bmp, .svg and .dxf files can be uploaded to Cricut.)

You can cut out iron-on pieces, and it would be fun to be able to create custom iron-ons for doll clothes. Vinyl or cardstock could help create unique wall hangings for a doll-sized room, and you could even cut out a shape in something like balsa, to put stick-on vinyl onto.

There are also print-then-cut projects for the Cricut. I don't know how to create a project like this, but you print something out on a regular paper printer that has already been pre-aligned to your machine. Then you put that piece of paper with the printed image on it through the machine, and the Cricut knows to cut along the outline(s) of what is on the paper.

So there is one other thing that a Cricut can do, that I haven't even tried yet, and that is use an ink pen. You can use the software the same way, either with a pattern someone else created, or something that you made yourself. There are fonts with the Canvas software as well as shapes, although I don't know how many fonts you get for free. The pen goes in the hole in side A of the machine, like you can see above. I've read you can buy adapters to use pens other than Cricut brand, but I'm not recommending anything either way, since I have no knowledge. Also, you can do foil transfers. I received a foil transfer kit with my machine, so I'm going to check it out. I'm not entirely sure of everything that I could do with a foil transfer.

And now for the cons. The subscription fee can be seen as a con, although you can also buy individual patterns from outside sources, and from the Cricut app, so potentially, if you're not planning on using a lot of items that are pre-created, it would be cheaper just to buy patterns from outside sources as you wanted them. If there's tons of things that you want to make, the subscription might be a deal.

If you want to create your own patterns, there will be a learning curve that can be a con, but I don't think it's an insurmountable problem for most, and there is help out there.

Another con is needing the different mats and blades for the machine, if you want to cut out items using a bunch of different materials, or lots of pens if you want to create something like colorful machine written envelopes or write on fabric in different colors. You'll also need different pens for different applications, but that would be the case even if you were using a pen to write on something by hand. 

Since there is a sticky coating on the mat, there will be residue left over after a project that will need to be removed. Here's a picture of the Fabric Grip mat after I cut out the green felt circle. I used painter's tape to lift up the extra green fuzzies. It can take a bit of time to get your mat cleaned off. The set of four tools you can see in picture 3, all fit into the blue-handled holder you can see in picture 4, and are used for things like what Cricut creators call "weeding," which is gently picking out unwanted pieces of the cut from the mat if you have used something like vinyl, and I think just for helping get the material off the mat depending on type. Using the example of the blue flower above, if you only wanted the outlined flower as you see it, the inside pieces of the petals would need to be removed after the cut.

Eventually, your mat will be worn out, and you'll have to get a new one. On the plus side, you do not have to get your mats from Cricut, so you can conceivably find them at much better prices. There isn't much that you do have to get from Cricut, except for the machine and blades, although you should always double check what you buy will work with your machine.

Another con is storage. You not only need a space to put the machine, with room in front and back for loading and printing, but space for the mats and tools. I also have so many new projects planned that I didn't think about trying before, like iron-ons, that I have added more materials to my crafting supplies list.

MC expressed to me that she was possibly interested in something like a laser-cutting machine. While those can read SVG files, like the Cricut machine, I do not think a specific project could use either machine interchangeably. Laser machines have the advantage of cutting thicker pieces of wood, but also seem to start in the four figures in price. Chipboard or balsa can always be layered if you want to make doll furniture using thicker pieces of material than 2mm thick, and using a machine would help insure that the pieces were the same size before they were glued together.

Again, I will list the caveat above; check that a machine can do what you want before you buy it. There is lots of information on the Internet about these types of machines, both from the manufacturers and independent crafters. Also, check that a file was made to be used with the type of machine that you own, before you buy it. 

So do I think you *need* one of these? No, not really. Anything the Maker can cut, can also be cut out by hand. Even tiny details in cardstock can be cut out if you have a steady hand and a sharp enough cutting tool. However, I don't have a steady hand, craft with several different types of materials, and am awful at cutting out things like chipboard by hand. For me and the crafts that I want to make, the Maker was worth the price. (The fact that I got it as a Christmas gift didn't hurt, although I wouldn't have asked for it if I didn't think I'd use it much.) I would be glad to answer any questions that you have, although as I have said, there is *so* much information out there, maybe even in your native language. Anyone working on any doll projects?

(This post was edited on February 4, 2022, to reflect new information I've learned.)

More Scrapbook Paper

Even though I've been spending the huge majority of my time at home lately, I haven't felt in the mood to do a lot of doll photography, craft work, or sewing. I have cleaned up my craft area a little, but the creative item that I've wanted to work on the most is a human-sized afghan that I'm knitting.

I did hit Tuesday Morning a couple of times recently, and got the yarn for the afghan, a few crafty things, a few doll things, and a few pads of scrapbook paper. This pad will be great to provide backgrounds for holiday themed photo shoots.

This one has some wood floor and log cabin images that might work out for doll room settings. There are also a couple of pieces, like the bike leaning against the wall, that might make a good backdrop for photos.

I couldn't resist the fairy tale one, even though I already have a fairy-tale themed scrapbook pad with different images. If I get into a good sewing groove this summer, I may be able to make some nice fairy tale outfits for my Ever After High dolls, and take some "artsy" pictures.

Are any of you working on any doll projects whilst staying at home?

October Instagram Challenge Day 9: Yellow

This one was a tricky one for me. I couldn't think of a lot of things related to autumn that are yellow, besides leaves. I did have a picture of one of my dolls next to some yellow violas, but that didn't feel very seasonal. Finally, I just went with Madeline's yellow hat. Fiona has just found it, to complete her Madeline Halloween costume.

Some of the upcoming challenges are a little bit tricky or overwhelming too, but I'm looking at this as a good exercise in discipline. Sometimes, if you really want to get a project done, you need to do the work even if you just don't feel like it. Sometimes, there are real physical or mental health issues, but many people, I think, just don't feel like doing a creative project if the spark isn't there. That's definitely been me in the past, but there are so many things that I want to accomplish, that I want to develop better discipline.

Where Does the Time Go?

I'm working on my storyline, but in the meantime, I haven't been very good at coming up with posts lately. I'm frustrated with the projects that I've been working on, I haven't bought any new dolls besides Ever After High, stupid real life keeps getting in the way.

Speaking of projects that I'm not finishing, I picked up some cheap watercolor pencils at Michael's yesterday.

I've had a few plans in the back of my mind for some time for trying out watercolor pencils. I decided cheap pencils were a fine way to start, and if I'm not happy with the results, I can always try moving up to a better quality pencil. Preferably when I have a 40% off coupon at Michael's.

One of the things I want to do is improve Meg's face. She could use darker eyebrows, more color in her lips, maybe even some eyeliner like her design picture shows.

I have had a few ideas for posts, but I'm not sure if there is a lot of interest in what I wanted to post about. One of the posts I wanted to make was about the new LORI pony for the 6" dolls, and compare it to Lottie's pony. I also wanted to do a post about one of my older Cissy dolls; I thought perhaps people might be interested in seeing a doll you don't see much of anymore. I'm going to put a poll up and find out if there is any interest, and go from there. In the meantime, I'll be hard at work on my doll projects (hopefully!)

Tracing Doll Sewing Patterns

When I sew doll clothes, I find that occasionally I have to trace something, usually markings for darts. Holding the pattern and material up to the window technically works, but my hands usually slip at some point, so the markings don't end up perfectly accurate.

Being a girl on a budget, for the longest time I used this toy Barbie light box to do tracing.

The light it gave off wasn't as bright as I might have liked, but considering that I bought it second hand off of eBay, the price was much better than a more professional style. However, this Barbie light box finally stopped working correctly. I needed a new light box, but I'm still on a budget. I decided to poke around Amazon just to see what kind of prices I was looking at, and quickly managed to find a light box that is inexpensive, and meets my needs. Funnily enough, it's made by Darice, which is a company I just discussed in my last post. Its specialty is inexpensive crafting items, and my new light "box" fits that description! It's a sculpted piece of plastic, with a light bulb underneath, and an electrical cord to power it. It does get hot; the instructions recommend you only leave it on for two hours at a time at most. The instructions also say that you should use the light box on a heat-resistant surface. I'm using an old wooden cutting board that Mr. BTEG and the Dancer have already used for painting role playing miniatures.

For less than $9 (we have Amazon Prime), it's a great solution, considering I'm not doing artist quality tracing here, and don't need a $40 or more light box. Crayola also currently has a tracing light box for children's art projects, but it didn't suit my simple needs enough to make it worth slightly over twice the price.

So have I been sewing? Actually, yes! I think I'll have an outfit to share with you soon. I also have a backlog of things I would like to post, but now that I'm over the worst of the nasty cold that I had, I'm hoping I can get back to my 4 posts a month goal. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, are you planning crafting projects for the colder weather to come?

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

After a Christmas tree, very few things say "Christmas," like a fireplace. Madame Alexander agrees, as a fireplace was front and center in the Santa Baby Set for the 16" Alex doll. This Christmas, I made it a priority to find a light bulb for the Sindy fireplace I bought from ebay several years ago. I didn't get stockings or lights on the fireplace, but there is a nice array of Christmas cards on the mantel. Please excuse the dimness of the picture; I wanted to show off the cozy glow of the fireplace to its best effect.

I want to paint the fireplace white; the years have left this piece rather yellowed.

Did any of you get any doll goodies for Christmas? I got a J-Doll. I think next I am going to post, however, on how I picked up the light bulb. It's a fun little story, and it will feature some photos of the little shopping area in Olmsted Falls that I promised to post about a long time ago.

I Need Ideas!

Remember how I talked about some of the pieces I was keeping as my daughters give up most of their childhood Barbie doll collections? Well, I have two more pieces to show you today, and I'd like ideas from you on how best to spruce them up for adult doll display.

The first piece came with some Mattel Disney Cinderella set, as you can see by the cardboard backing still in place. I'm not even sure what this type of furniture would be called if you saw it in real life. A side table, maybe? It's not useful for much besides decoration. I would have put this in the pile to pass on except that I like the rose and silver details. Of course, I'd have to repaint those if I repaint the whole piece some more realistic furniture color than pale blue. Anyone seen any real furniture like this? If I do repaint it, should I paint the roses a single color or maybe go for more depth using shading (if I thought I could even accomplish this)?

I also wasn't sure I was going to keep this hutch, until I saw what Cheryl did with hers. Now I think I'd be crazy to give it up, especially since mine still has all the pieces.

The problem is, I've never been much of a paint artist, or necessarily creative making things "out of nothing," as it were. I suppose I could produce something to replace the oval piece at the top that has the "Princess" banner on it, using poster board or foam core and some beads. What I'm really debating is what to do about the doors. They're see-through, but shaded purple, which would probably not match any attempts to non-Disney Princess this hutch, and I don't know what kind of paint to use on this type of plastic.

To be honest, I'm a little scared of taking on either of these projects! Previous tries I have made to repaint Barbie furniture and give it non-Barbie colors has not ended well. I've looked up many tutorials online, but I'm still afraid to take the next step. I'm trying to convince myself that if I had any inspiration on how to decorate these, it might motivate me. Thoughts?

Daisy Chain Award

jSarie of Revenge of the Toy Box gave me a Daisy Chain Award!

She asked me to answer the 8 questions that I wish someone would ask about my doll collection and my doll blog. I hadn't really considered the question much before, but here are the questions that I came up with.

1. Do you have a "grail" doll?
Basically, a grail doll is a doll that is difficult/expensive to obtain. Very often these are limited edition dolls from conventions/comic-cons, which then explode in price when they're offered on the secondary market. You would really love it for your collection, but you have to spend a long time waiting for it and searching for the best price.
Having said that? I'm not sure that I have a grail doll right now. I've longed on and off for a High Seas Daphne Dimples by Tonner, but she comes up on eBay several times a year, and I don't know what I'd do with her dated hairstyle if I did get her. I'd also like some version of Tonner's Cinderella face sculpt, but there are many of those to choose from.

2. Do you have a favorite doll line?  
I'll always have a soft spot for Barbie. I played with her all through my childhood, and still have several prized versions of her in my collection. But I'd have to say that my favorite line is Tonner's 16" dolls. Possibly not a big surprise after reading question number one, hmm?

3. What kind of articulation level do you like in your dolls?
As I said above, I played with straight-arm, three-click leg, Barbies all through my childhood, and my child's imagination rapidly filled in the gaps between what the doll could actually do and what I wanted her to look like she was doing. But as an adult I have really come to appreciate dolls that can actually bend their elbows, much less move their wrists, and bend their knees more than three clicks. Much beyond that (and the general arm/leg/neck rotation), and the joints stand out too much for me. I do have some not-Barbie dolls in my collection that can't bend their arms or knees at all.

4. Any doll lines that you've moved on from?
When I first got into 16" vinyl dolls, I did pick up some dolls from Mel Odom's Gene line, and Madame Alexander's Alex line. All of those eventually went on to new homes, except for one coat and hat.
  
5. Is there anything you would do differently with your collection, if you could go back in time?
I don't regret any of the dolls that I've bought. I've always enjoyed them while I've had them, and I've been able to send them on to new homes at a price that was acceptable to me. I probably would have tried harder to pick up more of 18" Samantha's collection when it was offered by AG. But I discovered Samantha when Mr. BTEG and I were first starting our family, and a lot of other things took priority over the years. I never dreamed that Samantha would be retired, and since she was the first one to go, it was a total surprise. I can tell that the new BeForever line won't be anywhere near the same, but there's always eBay. :)

6. Where do you see your collection going in the next few years?
I think I'm going to be focusing more on furniture and clothes than on dolls. There are some dolls I would like to pick up, but the list is getting shorter and shorter. After thinking I wanted a certain doll, only to lose interest in getting her after several years, I've learned that I can usually live without specific dolls. A good bit of the time what draws me to a doll is her clothes, anyway.

7. Do you have anything that you want to learn do that will enhance your collection?
I used to think about repainting faces and re-rooting hair, but I don't think I have steady enough hands for the first, nor enough patience for the second. I absolutely have to learn how to construct/wallpaper/paint a dollhouse. I've been wanting to do it for years and have been too afraid to tackle it. Mr. BTEG and I are very settled where we are right now, so there is no time like the present. On a similar note, I need more practice repainting plastic furniture.
I also want to keep improving my sewing skills. Again, I've had lots of dreams and have not acted on nearly enough of them.  

8. What did you hope to accomplish when you started this blog?
Sometimes a blog is referred to as the blogger's virtual house. Since I enjoyed visiting other people's "houses" and looking at their dolls, I decided to invite people to my "house" and let them see my dolls. I wanted to meet people with whom I share some doll interests, and to have all kinds of conversations about collecting. I like talking to all of my readers, and visiting the blogs of those who have their own!

I'd like to pass this award on to Ghoulia13 and Ghouliette at Dollsville, USA, sister collectors. Here are the 8 questions I'd like them to answer.

1. Do you currently have a grail doll?

2. What doll in your collection gave you the most satisfaction in acquiring (hard to find/you found a good price/wanted for a long time/just really wanted)?

3. Which doll manufacturer produces the best quality clothes and shoes, in your opinion?

4. How much life (or death, if you prefer) do you think the Monster High line has left?

5. If you could bring one retired doll line back, which one would it be?

6. Pick a doll line and describe what your dream doll from that line would look like/wear.

7. Is there something you'd like to see offered by a doll line, that isn't available now?

8. What first attracts you to a particular doll? Hair, face, clothes?

I hope you two ghouls will participate!