My New Favorite Crafting Toy!

So, in case you couldn't tell by my cardbox project, I got my cricut back and it is up and running perfectly!  And I also happened to have purchased a Gypsy a couple weeks ago!  In case you don't know what that is...

At a party? On the road? Just thought of a new design idea and you're away from home? Pull out your Cricut Gypsy and design away! And when you're ready to cut your projects, simply connect to your Cricut and press a button. It's that easy! Gypsy, the handheld design studio for Cricut, lets you escape and design anywhere. Gypsy stores Cricut cartridges and offers a wealth of design features you know and love - all in the palm of your hand. Gypsy works with existing Cricut machines - just connect and cut! Design anywhere with the Gypsy. Gypsy includes 2 Exclusive Pre-Loaded Cartridges: * Gypsy Font Cartridge * Gypsy Wanderings Cartridge The Cricut Gypsy is updated by connecting it to a PC or a MAC with an Internet connection. What's included: * 1 Cricut Gypsy * 1 Instruction Booklet * 1 Gypsy Case * 1 AC Power Cord * 1 USB Cable * 1 Cartridge Transfer Cable

I don't just love it because it is a portable Cricut design studio, I like the added features it comes with!  First of all, the two cartridges it comes with are awesome.  The Gypsy font cartridge is gorgeous, and the gypsy wanderings cartridge is a great "sampler" type cartridge.  But what I love about it is that I can create projects with multiple layers and multiple cartridges at once.  I made my Thank You tag for the top of my cardbox by messing with the layers of the Lacy Labels cartridge.  And you can "weld" images together so they cut as one piece (most useful for cutting out words, then you don't have to glue down each letter individually).

I'm officially obsessed.  And, it'll make traveling with my cricut a million times easier.  For instance, Bryan really wants to go visit his Grandma and work on a wedding project with her (because she has expressed and interest in doing so).  Now I don't need to lug all my cartridges with me because they're all loaded on my gypsy!  So much easier!

Bottom line, yes it was a significant purchase (these things are not cheap) but I'm glad I got it.  I even play around with different designs while I'm on my way to and from work.  How else could you say you are able to work on wedding projects on your commute?  So, if you are a cricut addict like myself and you're looking to splurge on a new toy, I totally recommend it.

And I know there were some bad reviews for it.  But I have got to say I haven't had any issues with mine so far.  And beyond that, Provocraft really does stand behind their products.  Take my cricut for example...I bought it on ebay and they still followed through with their warranty and paid for me to ship it to them, paid to ship it back, and now it is in perfect working order.  So I know if I ever have a serious issue with my Gypsy they'll fix it!

And now some personal photos of my new favorite toy (I got the silicone case from Overstock):

So pretty...

The "Cricut Application" - you can create a new project, open a saved on, open a saved one as a template to start a new one, update your cricut, delete a saved file, or link a cartridge to the gypsy.

This is the mat view.  Along the right are all the functions, and you can zoom in using button that are to the left of the screen (not shown in this picture)

This is the keypad view.  You can browse through all cricut cartridges or just the ones you have linked, and if you hover over an image it gets bigger so you can see it better.  Also, when you click the different functions (shift, shadow, layer, etc.) it actually changes the whole keypad to show what you are selecting - no more flipping through the little books that come with the cartridges!

Have you gotten any new crafting toys that you love lately?