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A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.
– Phyllis McGinley (American Author)
If you are interested in making professional-looking crafts in the comfort of home, a computer-driven cutting machine may be the way to go.
The Cricut Maker 3 is a powerful craft machine that can cut, draw, emboss, engrave, perforate, and more than 300 materials, including fabric, balsa, wood, leather, chipboard, and more. It is Cricut’s most advanced and flagship product, targeted at crafters looking for a top-of-the-line craft machine in the market.
Besides making decorations during festive occasions and customized gifts for family and friends, such a crafting machine will also be a source of entertainment and an outlet for creativity all year round.
So imagine my excitement when the Cricut Maker 3 landed on my doorstep for a review! Here’s my impression and experience with the Cricut Maker 3:
Aesthetic design of the machine
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If the Cricut Joy looks like a mini printer, the Cricut Maker 3 looks like a wide-format printer. It has pleasing rounded edges and a baby blue body topped off with a metallic lid.
Lift the lid and the front panel will gently unfold itself, revealing the feeder where you insert the craft material for the machine to work on. The body of the machine also features nifty built-in storage for organizing tools and replacement tips.
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Easy and intuitive to set up
Setting up the machine is pretty much idiot-proof. No assembly is needed. All I had to do was to plug it into an electrical socket and then connect it to my laptop via the USB cable provided. When using the Maker 3 for the first time, its software- Cricut Design Space- will walk you through the steps of using the machine, and from there, you will be familiar with the basic functions of the machine.
Lots of design resources and supportive community
All new users get a one-month free trial subscription to Cricut Access, which is a rich library of craft templates, fonts, designs and more. Even if you choose not to subscribe after the free trial, you can still find free fonts and design templates- just filter search for free options.
There is also Cricut Learn, a supportive community to make the crafting journey more fun and easier!
There are also free live workshops on Zoom where you can learn from the experts alongside fellow crafters. Not to worry if you cannot make it for the live sessions (there are many different time slots!), there are also recorded videos where you can watch at your own time and comfort.
A clear list of the materials and tools needed is provided for each lesson. so you can prepare easily for it.
There is a variety of different content to suit different skill levels, from newbies to intermediate to more advanced crafters.
Colourful Vinyl stickers, card-making and intricate paper flowers were some of the lessons available that caught my eye.
What I made
I added a touch of Christmas cheer in the home.
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I wonder who are the lucky ones receiving the Cricut Maker 3 as a gift for Christmas? With endless permutations of crafting possibilities, the Cricut Maker 3 certainly counts as a gift that keeps on giving.
Here’s a round up of what others made for Christmas:
Chinese new year is just around the corner! Look at this Chinese new year themed craft:
Auspicious pineapple:
Cost and availability
The Cricut Maker 3 is available at various retailers in Singapore, including Popular, Shopee, Lazada, Spotlight Singapore and Harvey Norman, where at the time of writing it is retailing at the lowest price of $559. Do your own due diligence!
If you just want to dip your toes and not plunge headfirst into the world of computer-driven crafting, the smaller Cricut Joy is a more wallet-friendly option.
If you are a serious hobbyist or even thinking of starting sideline selling cards and crafts, the Cricut Maker 3, with its myriad options for tools and materials, can be a worthwhile investment given its versatility- It supports many more tools and materials compared to the Joy, with heads that can work with fabric, leather, wood, and even aluminum sheets. You can also make larger-sized crafts with with the Cricut Maker 3, as it can work on materials up to 12-inch wide, compared to the Joy’s 5.5-inch.
Nonetheless, note that different tools and materials are sold separately, so be prepared to fork out more than the machine cost.