It’s my Imagines Birthday

Okay, so I have had my Cricut Imagine for an entire year now.  What is it like?  Let me start at the beginning….”imagine mood music taking us back thru time to August 2010.“ 

I hear about this wonderful new machine that not only cuts, but prints as well  -  I was screaming with excitement inside.   Okay, okay, Okay – breath.  Oh, the things I will be able to do with this bad boy!  I am constantly looking to find out more information about it.

What can it do?

When is it coming out?
How much will it cost?
How does it work?

 I can’t quit talking about it.  Telling my boys and my DH how cool this is going to be. I keep talking and thinking about all the possibilities.  I anxiously await the launch on HSN scheduled for 12:00 on 14 September.  As I am searching the web, for the latest info around 8pm on the 13^{th of} September 2010, I find out the price and tears roll down my cheeks.  It will cost $499.00 – I can’t afford that, not with my allowance, until after the holidays – probably not till March.  My husband asks me, “what’s wrong?”.  I start rambling about how I thought the launch was at noon but it is at midnight, how I am tiered and that I can’t afford the new machine anyway, really just acting a fool. 

He says, “Oh is that all, why don’t you just go ahead and order it sweetie.  Make it an early Christmas gift.”  

Now I am really crying – what a dreamboat he is!  Kiss, hug, kiss, kiss, hug, big smile..  Okay, breathe again.  I order on-line before the launch so I can go to bed, I am so exhausted.  At about 11:30pm I am suddenly wide-awake and stay up till 1:30am and watch the launch of this baby to see it in action.  I am so excited. 

Does it work with Design studio (I need the big screen to see clearly)?  No, it’ll be better that DS.

Does it work with the gypsy?  No, not yet, but it will.        
It will eventually… and it will be mine and it is on the way!

Mean while, I go to a scrapbook convention for the weekend (awesome).  While I am gone, my early Christmas gift arrives.  When I get home the first thing I notice is that the box is so big.   

I open the box and praise & worship music starts playing in my head (oh that is actually my husband behind me being cute).  Okay, still can’t use DS or Gypsy (not that I use my gypsy anyway – the screen is too small).  I want to make something with it.   As the machine is too big for my craft table, I set it up in the game room on a card table and get busy.  Can I even remember how to use a cricut machine without the computer and Design Studio?  Let’s try.  I read the instructions and get started. 

Pretty simple after you get it calibrated and all. 

I can’t wield.

I can’t move things around on the paper.  
I can’t make my own designs. 
Hummmmm. 
Okay, it is not too bad for simple cuts, and the images are pretty cool all on their own. 

My first project is a thank you card for my sweet hubby who let me order this thing.

 

This cuts and patterns are all from the “Imagine More” cart, except for the words.

Cool – But I wish I could use DS with it.  It sets in the game room for a few weeks before I make room for it in my craft space.  I do not do much with it, but I keep checking the Cricut site to see when it will be compatible with other tools.  I wait.  I wait some more.  Finally an update and it works  with Gypsy – well, kind of – you can’t use patterns and colors with Gypsy,  only regular cuts like you would the Epression.    Umph!.  Wait.  Wait.  December – can’t really use my gift like I want to -yet.  Wait.  January – something will be coming out soon and it will be great.  Wait.  Wait.  Wait.  February – still nothing.  Wait.  March - they have something called “Cricut Craft Room” being tested that should be released to everyone very soon - April.  I play with the big machine a little and make a few things, mostly patterned paper.  I sure wish I could use my DS with it.  Here is April CCR? Nope - CCR not ready yet.  Wait.  End of April - Oh, yes; I get access to be a beta tester in CCR!!!!  What?  This is a pain in the you-know-what. 

CCR is so slow,

CCR has so many glitches,
It is so much waste of paper and ink because of all the bugs. 

But, I do get to play and it is getting so much better, surly by summer all the bugs will be worked out  May…Jun… wait. Wait for it.  Wait – still a pain and more errors than I want to mess with.  August,-- Oh Yeah! We can now do a work around and print multi layers as one cut.  September – oops that was a glitch – sorry, maybe in the future you can do a multi-layer image as one cut.  You have to load each cart in individually –pain, pain, pain.  Glitch, glitch, glitch.

Okay we are back to the present: 

CCR is still in beta and has lots of glitches.

The Imagine has gone on sale for as low as $299 I belive.
It will never work with DS
It has too much data for the color/print feature to work with gypsy without using up all the memory;
CCR still wastes a lot of materials because it makes new mistake with every update version (#66 now)

But……  I love this machine.  When CCR is finally working as it should, I will, at some point in the future, get to use this wonderful machine (that I paid too much for) to its full potential.  My only lesson I have here is DO NOT buy Provo Craft Items at Launch.  Wait until they have been on the market a few months and get them at a better price with all the bugs worked out.  Definitely buy them (they are super crafting tools), but unless you have the patience of a saint or money and time to blow, give them a few months (or a year) before you jump all in.   

Yes, I love my machine, just wish I would have waited till it was a better price and fully functional with a design program.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IMAGINE -  When you mature, we will do more together – I promise.