Super Simple Valentine’s Card With The Cricut Mini

I was recently sent a Cricut Mini for review and, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I decided it might be time to give it a whirl and to make Mr B a sweet, but simple, Valentine’s card.

I often struggle to find suitable cards for Mr B.  They are either, too soppy, not soppy enough, not funny enough or just a bit, well….twee.

So I decided it was time to get my craft on.

I must confess that initially I encountered several problems trying to log in to the Cricut Mini Software that I had downloaded to my Mac.  Unsure if it was my fault, which I felt may be entirely possible, I called the helpline number provided.  My call was answered very quickly and the operator informed me that, to my surprise, it was not my fault but a problem that was happening everywhere.  I gave up for that evening, and several subsequent evenings when I experienced the same difficulty.  Eventually though I was able to log in successfully and I am pleased to say that I have experienced no similar problems since.

Once I had logged in successfully I was taken through a brief instruction video and then found the online craft room fairly simple to navigate.  For this project I simply wanted the Cricut to cut out a square shape with the text ‘my hero’, within it.  The squares on the grid displayed on my laptop screen correspond to the squares on the actual Cricut cutting mat so you can determine exactly what size you will need with ease.

I arranged my square, and letters, as required.  Below you can only view the text layout as the square was within a separate ‘layer’….something I have not quite got to grips with yet.

I then placed some red card on to the adhesive side of my cutting mat and loaded into the Cricut Mini.

Once I had adjusted my blade to the correct pressure/depth setting I was ready to cut.  The Cricut really does cut very cleanly, and very quickly, leaving none of the slightly jagged or wonky edges that would have occurred had I attempted this with scissors.  It also cut out the fairly intricate letters cleanly too.

Once finished I peeled away the card from the sticky mat to reveal my square…

…before peeling away the square itself.  As you can see below I then needed to poke out the centre of the o.

Finally, I stuck my square to a simple white card using small adhesive squares to add some depth, and also the centre of the o.  Here is the final result…

Do you think he will like it?

This was my first attempt with the Cricut Mini and I have mixed feeling about it.  Once I was able to log in to the software I was actually very happy with the quality of the cutting.  I do think it would be great if you had to replicate the same craft more than once.  It cuts cleanly and quickly and the machine is nice and compact so very easy to store away.

Had I needed to make this card in a hurry though the problems I encountered logging in would have meant that my craft would not have been possible to complete in the required time.

The online craft room has a good selection of basic shapes and texts but does not have the ability to let you upload your own which is a shame.  Some seasonal shapes also disappear after a certain period without the ability for you to save them to a personal library, something I think would be a huge asset.

Personally, although the instruction video demonstrations are helpful, I really would also like a detailed instruction manual.  A real, physical, paper one that I can easily reference as required.  I also do not want to print out my own.  When did these stop being supplied with new equipment?  I miss them.  But perhaps I am a bit of a dinosaur in that respect.

I have several more craft projects planned to put the Cricut Mini through it’s paces a bit more so I will keep you posted.

At the moment I am liking, but not loving it.  That may change.

Disclosure: I was sent the Cricut Mini free of charge for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own and completely honest.