Cricut for Newbies: How to Use Your Cricut Machine with Confidence. Master Design Space, Build Your Skills with In-Depth Project Tutorials, and Enjoy ... & Tricks (The Cricut for Newbies Collection)

Okay first and foremost I would just like to start by saying this book really knocked my socks off!I am a crafter, always have been, so I decided to splurge and by a cricut. Seeing all the cool things I could do with it, I was thinking “yeah this is gonna be so cool. I’m so excited!”. Get the thing and I just can’t figure out how to make it work. It’s gathering dust in my office currently.So today I decide no more! I’m either going to use it or sell it because it’s wasted money at this point. So what do I do? I come over to amazon and search for some sort of guide to help me through it and by some grace of god, I happen upon this beautiful thing. It opens with some quick facts about the cricut machine (including how to pronounce it.. who knew I was saying it wrong this entire time). And then hops into how it works. It gives a rundown of the parts and how/ what each part is used for.Then it breaks down the specifications for each machine to find the one best suited for you!It shows what each machine can do, the pros and cons, and who would benefit from buying this machine based on the needs you need to cater to. What I have found super helpful is that she also includes the accessories and extra tools she feels is necessary to give the cricut a real running shot!At the very end of the chapters going over the machines to choose from, she gives a chart that will help you decide which cricut machine is best suited to the crafting needs you have. It takes everything into consideration from budget you may have to how often you craft to as simple as what materials you’d like to use. Its very helpful to see it all written out to help make a dedicated decision because at the end of the day, crafting isn’t cheap so making sure you have the best machine for you, is important. And one that you love being a major factor as well.Now that you’ve chosen your cricut machine, she dives into how to set that bad boy up! Now I really struggled with setup when I got mine so I can really appreciate how I’m depth she got with her instructions. She gives instructions for a windows computer/ apple computer/ iOS and android phones. She then runs down what’s in the box and how to use said items in your test project! Which is very important!She moves right into the tips and tricks of the cricut machine and although this book is super bad-a in giving you all the necessary info, she does include to make sure you familiarize yourself with the manual. It’s the best way to be able to know the ins and outs of your specific machine.She then goes into the thing I probably enjoyed the most about the book, and that’s mastering design space. Now design space can be super intimidating because there is just so much you can do with it. She breaks down each section of design space and helps you through step by step (WITH PICTURES!!!) and it’s just so easy to follow. And let me say, no rock goes unturned in this section. She has literally thought of everything to include in this book. I can’t stress how detailed it really is. I know that I will forever keep this chapter specifically flagged in my book so I can return to it whenever starting a new project to make sure I am getting it done correctly the first time!Now that we have mastered design space, we have finally gotten to the part we’re truly excited about and that’s actually creating our first project. She breaks down the specifics on how to create each project; shirts, mugs, cards, etc. she shows how to set up the machine for each type and what you’ll need for each project. She also gives great after care tips for said projects! I’m telling y’all, she truly thought of everything!Last, but very not least, she goes into the care of your cricut as well as some troubleshooting you may have with your machine! She goes through the basics of getting you machine back on track and back to creating your crafts again and it’s just wonderful.Overall, I am so impressed by this book (if you couldn’t tell). I feel like it eliminates all the anxiety you feel when you open up a new toy and don’t know the first thing about it. I feel like I can effectively go into my office, dust off my machine and become a crafting QUEEN! And if I have any hiccups, I know I can rely on this book to help me along the way!

Just got my first Cricut machine on 3 days ago. (I can already tell there will be more in my future.) I wanted more information, more tips, more explanations than those that were given with the machine, so I chanced upon this book.I devoured this book in one sitting. It's AWESOME!!! The author takes you from deciding which machine to buy, how to set it up and how to make 3 really easy projects. She gives tips, answers questions you're going to have and does all that with humor and clear, easy to understand writing. She gives the reader a comprehensive tour of the software needed and explains WHY to do things a certain way. (I am so much happier when I know why I'm doing things.) The author makes a point to give specific instructions for each different Cricut machine, it's not just a one-size-fits-all thing. This is a valuable reference book, a comprehensive guide and a fun read.The print is just the right size, and it is organized efficiently for when I need to refer back to something she's covered.I already bought her 2nd book, which is dedicated to Design Space, the software used to create projects on your new Cricut machine. Can't wait to see what is in it!

It contains pictures and easy to follow instructions for lots of projects to do in design space. Thee price wasn't bad either.

I recently got a new cricut Explorer and like many was clueless. I wanted to search out a cricut for dummies so when I found this book I was so excited. I love that this book covers everything from the different types of machines to how to get started with crafting. I love the authors intro where she explains how lost she had gotten and how it had made her put off the cricut. The one complaint I would make for my own personal preference is the fact that while easy to read I still got a bit lost and skipped certain sections. The sections i had to skip where were the author goes into the history of the machines and some more technical bits that may be intresting to others. Luckily with this book if there's a section you don't care for or need it can be skipped without losing out. There's so much more you can dive into and learn. Overall a very helpful read that is easy,informative, and relatable for us Newbs. I've already found myself reccomending it on many occasions to friends who are also starting out.

I love crafting and I am always keen to give new crafts a try. I was on the fence about getting a Cricut; very keen to give it a go but worried about whether I could justify spending that amount of money on something I wasn't sure if I could do or would enjoy. After seeing videos online of the things people can do and having a friend with a machine make me some things for my wedding I decided it was something I would enjoy, I then decided to read this guide to see if it was something I could do.This book is written with the absolute beginner in mind, it doesn't assume any previous knowledge of Cricut and explains everything in clear, understandable and detailed language. I loved that it started with some information on each of the machines and what they can do so that you can decide which machine is the right one for you. It then walks you through all the set up and some tips and tricks to make it easier to use. She then explains Design space in detail, how to use it and some more tips and tricks with lots of pictures of each step you go through when using it.You then get a walk through of making a mug, a card and a T-shirt in easy to follow step by step detail. The book finishes with some cheat sheets, information on taking care of your machine and a trouble shooting guide of common problems.Overall this was an amazing book and helped me make the decision to take the plunge and buy my own machine which I now know I will be able to use thanks to this book.

Useful tool

It's fine gives a lot of tutorial notes and way To use each machine

I am new to Cricut and I found this book very helpful and encouraging.“Cricut for Newbies…” is very easy to read and understand. This book explains everything you need to know about Cricut Explore/Maker/Joy. If you don’t know how to start and what to do with your Cricut, this book will introduce the tools you need, explain how to set up the machine and will even guide you in details- step by step- on how to make your first projects: a mug, a card, a t-shirt. There even is a chapter on Design Space - really worth reading!What I love in/about this book is:- its simplicity - I connected with it from the first sentences;- the illustrations - that make it easier to follow the instructions and explanation;- the citations - perfectly picked to encourage me to do something creative;- tips and tricks - very useful and helpful in doing things the right way;- suggestions on other useful resources and links.I think this book is great for everyone who is struggling to get started with their Cricut machines, but it also has useful tips that even current Cricut owners might find they didn’t know about.I recommend this book to everyone with a Cricut machine.

Brilliant book. So easy to understand. Great value

Excellent book, really helpful for beginners.

I bought this book after purchasing a cricut explore 3 and had no idea what I was doing. What I love about this book is it explains all the different machines and what they are capable of without waffling on. Then it goes onto explain the basics about design space and also provides you with 3 projects to practice (greeting card, t-shirt design and design a mug) as per my photo I did the greetings card which was super easy to follow the instructions and complete the project.I have also purchased the 2nd book which is more about design space specifically and looking forward to using it for my future projects.