Cricut Cartridges

Once you've purchase your Cricut machine, it's time to add a few Cricut cartridges to your collection. With new cartridges being released on a regular basis, the Cricut is one of the most versatile scrapbooking tools on the market today.

Use six cartridges at once with the Cricut Jukebox.

With so many different cartridges available, making your purchase can be overwhelming. However, the task will seem easier if you keep in mind a few simple questions.

• If the cartridge is a font cartridge, does the typeface match your scrapbooking style? If you work primarily creating heritage layouts, for example, an elegant calligraphy font is going to be more useful than whimsical block letters.
• If the item is a shape cartridge, can you think of at least 10 different layouts you would use it on? For example, if you don't live near the ocean and you hate the water, a cartridge with beach themed designs is unlikely to be very useful for many of your scrapbooking projects.
• If the cartridge features designs that require you to piece the individual shapes together, such as the Mickey and Friends cartridge, is this a task you can realistically see yourself doing? Impatient scrapbookers may find buying a package of Mickey stickers to be a more appealing choice than spending hours making their own embellishments.
• If the cartridge is a seasonal cartridge, such as the Christmas Cheer cartridge, can you use it in other paper crafting projects such as making greeting cards or holiday décor? Although the Christmas season is a popular topic for scrapbook pages, you may not want the same designs on your layouts year after year.

If you're scrapbooking a tight budget, Cricut cartridges can seem like a significant expense. To save money, consider the following tips:

• Large craft stores like Hobby Lobby won't let you use their coupons on Cricut cartridges, but you can check the weekly ads to wait for Cricut items to go on sale.
• Online scrapbook retailers often run special promos on Cricut cartridges. Sign up for free newsletters from your favorite stores to make sure you always know about these offers.
• Look for used Cricut cartridges on eBay. Many crafters decide to unload their cartridges when they've completed a specific project or if they've realized the cartridge wasn't as versatile as they'd hoped.
• If you have a particular cartridge in mind, Google's product search is a convenient way to quickly compare prices on a number of different Web sites.
• Share cartridges with a friend. Agree to swap cartridges for a week or two and you'll be able to incorporate some more variety into your scrapbook layouts.
• If you are interested in a cartridge for just one Cricut project, see if your local scrapbook store allows you to use their machine and cartridges during crops. You may need to buy your paper in the store, but this is still cheaper than purchasing your own Cricut cartridge.

Once you've purchased your Cricut cartridges, make the most of your new tools by keeping in mind these frugal scrapbooking tips:

• Try using different materials on your page. The Cricut will cut cardstock, patterned paper, vellum, and chipboard, so you have lots of different options available for making unique page embellishments.
• Read your instruction manual. The Cricut offers a number of creative features, such as the ability to make shadow or blackout letters and the option to make letter "charms" for your pages. Experimenting with these options can give you plenty of different looks with just one cartridge.
• Add some variety to your page titles by mixing Cricut die cut letters with stickers, rub-ons, rubber stamps, or metal charms.

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