We love our Cricut Expression die cutting machine that we use for card making, gift packaging, tags, cutting vinyl and many other crafty projects. You can see some of our Cricut projects here. Cricut have just released an updated version of their Cricut Mini and we were lucky enough to receive one to review.
As you can see, the Cricut Mini is much smaller, lighter and more streamlined that the larger Expression machine. It is a portable unit that doesn’t take up much room in your crafting space. We found it to be much quieter and faster than our existing Expression machine. The mat size is slightly smaller at 8.5 x 12 inches (instead of the 12 x 12 mat that is used with the Expression) but still big enough for most of our projects.
The Cricut Mini connects to your computer via a USB cable (which is included). On your computer you can download and install the free Crictut Craft Room software. Once installed on your computer, you can design your projects. The Cricut Mini comes with free access to over 500 images and 40+ projects on the Cricut Craft Room. You can also see all the Cricut images available in the image library and you can make digital purchases as required. The Cricut Mini is also fully compatible with existing Cricut cartridges, but it will need to be connected to your computer to run.
In order to put the Cricut Mini through its paces, we made up a few of the free projects.
Cricut Mini Celebrate has lots of great project ideas – including banner, gift bag, card, and lantern.
If you need a gift card in a hurry, this Happy Birthday card can be cut out in less than 10 minutes. It is a great unisex design.
We cut a matching border panel that was adhered to the sides of a small gift box for a co-ordinated look.
Our favourite projects were those using Cricut Mini – Elegant. They included a card, envelope, gift box, lantern, and place-card.
The gift box is really sweet and would be perfect filled with some homemade treats or a little gift.
The place card look effective with a monogram chipboard sticker.
The Thank You card is really elegant. You could make up a set of these to have on hand.
There are also a number of projects centred around School and Baby, as well as free fonts and some basic images. To view other projects that can be made with the free images that are included with the Cricut Mini, you can check out the Cricut Mini Getting Started Projects over on Pinterest.
The Cricut Mini is a great addition to the Cricut family, and the Cricut Craftroom software is easy to use. We love all the free inspiring projects available, and priced at US $129, it is an affordable option for anyone wanting to invest in a die cutting machine.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid sponsored post. All content, photos and opinions are our own. We did receive a Cricut Mini to review.
Like the packaging of card you shared…same like Gift Card envelopes you have shared.
I really need to get one of these, especially after learning there is a mini version. I love the idea of being able to connect it to my computer to use my own designs. Thanks for the tip and the great review!
Thank you for sharing your talents and skills. You can’t imagine the inspiration you have given me and the ideas I have learned for packaging. It’s not as easy as it seems to pick and pack but you guys have made it a breeze for me. Great blog!