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CuttleBug or Big Shot?


GinnyW

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I'm trying to decide which to purchase and wanted to see what true user opinions are of these two machines.  Which is better?  Is the slightly higher price of the Big Shot worth it?  And... what accessories would you consider as must haves?  Like plates, platforms, mats etc? 

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I have a Big Shot (it's blue). I love it, but I have no experience with the Cuttle Bug. I definitely recommend a magnetic platform, I use mine all the time. Don't forget to use coupons if you buy it at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or Jo Anns!

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21 minutes ago, CRS said:

I have a Big Shot (it's blue). I love it, but I have no experience with the Cuttle Bug. I definitely recommend a magnetic platform, I use mine all the time. Don't forget to use coupons if you buy it at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or Jo Anns!

I'm curious do you need like the spacer plates?  I've never used either one and I don't want to get started on a project and have to make a 2nd or 3rd trip/order

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I don't use spacer plates. You can always add another piece of paper or several if you need to get a better cut or impression. But I should warn you...those embossing plates and dies are addicting! They are so pretty!!

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I have a Cuttlebug & have been very happy with it. I use the B & C plates & also have the silicon mat. I have heard that the Big Shot is a bit better when it comes to cutting thicker materials. I have hundreds of dies for my CB. 

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I'm a Big Shot user. I got mine at a garage sale for a song - lucky find! I'm with Carla, my magnetic plate is a lifesaver! And, yes, embossing folders can be addicting AND you can use them in so many ways, like inking them and then using them. Using versa mark on them is especially nice because it brings out a deeper shade (water marks) of the paper you are using in the design of the folder. (hope that makes sense).

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5 hours ago, scrapgran said:

I have a Cuttlebug & have been very happy with it. I use the B & C plates & also have the silicon mat. I have heard that the Big Shot is a bit better when it comes to cutting thicker materials. I have hundreds of dies for my CB. 

Just added the silicon mat to my wish list.  Had a spray adhesive "experiment" yesterday that kinda left me with a bit of a mess lol

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19 minutes ago, Bride said:

I'm a Big Shot user. I got mine at a garage sale for a song - lucky find! I'm with Carla, my magnetic plate is a lifesaver! And, yes, embossing folders can be addicting AND you can use them in so many ways, like inking them and then using them. Using versa mark on them is especially nice because it brings out a deeper shade (water marks) of the paper you are using in the design of the folder. (hope that makes sense).

ohhh lucky you finding it at a garage sale!!  I keep going thru the dies and folders at the different stores online and keep adding things to my wish lists.   BTW just added the versa mark to my list :)  That is a great idea

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21 minutes ago, GinnyW said:

ohhh lucky you finding it at a garage sale!!  I keep going thru the dies and folders at the different stores online and keep adding things to my wish lists.   BTW just added the versa mark to my list :)  That is a great idea

Ginny, there are a ton of ideas on Pinterest and Youtube ... BEWARE! It will add more to your list. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to Punch Board/Big Shot (Lei Maier) if you are interested.

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5 hours ago, Bride said:

Ginny, there are a ton of ideas on Pinterest and Youtube ... BEWARE! It will add more to your list. I have a Pinterest board dedicated to Punch Board/Big Shot (Lei Maier) if you are interested.

Thank you Lei!  I will check that out for sure.  I ended up ordering the Big Kick.  Everything I read says that the Big Shot and the Big Kick are basically the same machine but it was a tad cheaper plus I had coupons that JoAnn would let me stack.  But I limited myself :)  My wish list is long, but I only ordered a couple basic items from it until I learn a little more.  Believe me, my list is full of "oooh that's pretty" items.  ok, off to check your Pinterest board.

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7 hours ago, diannecp said:

I'm just going to pretend I never read this post LOL!

Oh Dianne, with all the hybrid  and crafting you do, you really NEED one! The other thing I'm glad hubby gifted me with is my Silhouette! 

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10 minutes ago, Bride said:

Oh Dianne, with all the hybrid  and crafting you do, you really NEED one! The other thing I'm glad hubby gifted me with is my Silhouette! 

See that's what started me down this road, my husband gave me a Cricut Explore 2 for Christmas.  I started playing around with it a bit and now I've been pulled in :)

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I had many months of that with my Silhouette to start with. Finding tutorials was not easy back in the day, lol! I bought mine when I lived in NY, so at least 6 years ago.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/4/2017 at 1:13 AM, scrapgran said:

I have a Cuttlebug & have been very happy with it. I use the B & C plates & also have the silicon mat. I have heard that the Big Shot is a bit better when it comes to cutting thicker materials. I have hundreds of dies for my CB. 

ok, so have to admit, when I read this post I didn't realize the Big Shot used a silicon mat.... ummm once I got the machine and started looking at the tutorials etc I realized that you were talking about one for the machine, not my desk top LOL... such a newbie here :)  So after ordering things and then being away from home for a week I think this weekend I'm going to actually get to use it and try to make something!  wooo hoooo!  There are so many things I want to try it's hard to decide where to start.  But I've picked out a particular design of a card I'm going to try and "card lift" and see how it turns out.  Thanks for all your help ladies!

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On 7/21/2017 at 9:25 AM, GinnyW said:

ok, so have to admit, when I read this post I didn't realize the Big Shot used a silicon mat.... ummm once I got the machine and started looking at the tutorials etc I realized that you were talking about one for the machine, not my desk top LOL... such a newbie here :)  So after ordering things and then being away from home for a week I think this weekend I'm going to actually get to use it and try to make something!  wooo hoooo!  There are so many things I want to try it's hard to decide where to start.  But I've picked out a particular design of a card I'm going to try and "card lift" and see how it turns out.  Thanks for all your help ladies!

We want to SEE what you made!! :D

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It does take a little time to learn the tricks etc.  I did manage to finish one with just the Cricut and now I'm playing around with some stamping and using the Big Shot, an oh... I played with some of that mousse stuff... lol that was kinda fun.  Have to say tho, just figuring out what size of card I should be using and what adhesives to use etc is a bit of an adventure for me.  I've thrown away a few because I've messed them up when almost done just by using liquid glue instead of dots/tape/or whatever I was supposed to use.  Had no idea so much actually went into creating cards.  I'm sure soon it will be old hat and I'll be reaching for the right things to use without a 2nd thought.  Promise, I will show you what I create once something is actually worthy of showing :)

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3 hours ago, GinnyW said:

It does take a little time to learn the tricks etc.  I did manage to finish one with just the Cricut and now I'm playing around with some stamping and using the Big Shot, an oh... I played with some of that mousse stuff... lol that was kinda fun.  Have to say tho, just figuring out what size of card I should be using and what adhesives to use etc is a bit of an adventure for me.  I've thrown away a few because I've messed them up when almost done just by using liquid glue instead of dots/tape/or whatever I was supposed to use.  Had no idea so much actually went into creating cards.  I'm sure soon it will be old hat and I'll be reaching for the right things to use without a 2nd thought.  Promise, I will show you what I create once something is actually worthy of showing :)

Can't wait to see, Ginny! :) 

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So here are my endeavors so far.  I have 5 birthdays and an anniversary in August alone lol... so almost done for this month.  I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do for the last two for this month. My husband has requested a Penn State card for my grand daughter, and then I have one more for my soon to be 16 year old grandson. 

 

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Thanks Carla... Yeah I had a bit of an issue with the ribbon... took me three glues and who knows how many pieces of ribbon to get it to stick and then it ended up a tad short on the one end and I said ummmm NO... you will have to do!

Lei sent me some links to tutorials on our blog, so I'm going to check those out and see what I can do.  Still trying to find my "style" but the search for it has been fun.

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