The same reader replied:
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OK, I bought the Cricut Explore.
But unfortunately, the box was missing the standard grip mat.
I had bought a extra strong grip mat, but it just destroys paper when you try to remove it from the mat.
So.. I cannot cut any paper items until my standard mat arrives.
Its like dangling candy in front of kid.
I have the machine but not all the accessories. Bummer
In the meantime I am playing with the software. and of course that leads to more questions.. Are most of the crafters using card stock to make the window and door frames and/or the mullions? What about vinyl. Has anyone mentioned if they were able to cut the mullions from vinyl?
I was able to upload the SVG file to the new Cricut design space, In order to get the right size(s) for the houses (I am still working on Howards Little Charmer and Bay Window designs), is the page supposed import as 8.5 by 11 inches? The design window does not have a grid overlay and I am struggling to find the correct sizes.
The software does not let me resize individual windows.
I can select and individual window from the edit tab and change the color of individual windows on a page. Then the software will sort them for the different color paper. The cut preview window does let me move individual windows around for material placement and I can even rotate them, but I cannot resize them.
I'll keep you posted as soon as that mat arrives.
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Thanks for the update. I probably SHOULD buy and try out the Explore myself. But since my old hacked Cricut is still doing the job, and I hardly use it anyway . . . .
I'm probably the only person who has used a Cricut to make more than a few windows. I started the experiment because I believed people should be able to "roll their own" if they wanted instead of depending on a single source. But most people just need a few windows at a time, so it's easier for them to order them.
My best results were using card stock with a shiny gold or silver finish on one side - something you can get at a large craft supply store.
Regarding resizing the windows, I'm sure you can resize the whole sheet in the Cricut software. But to do the individual windows you might have to use a separate VECTOR graphics program. I have a Windows PC and I use CorelDraw X5. Yes it's a LOT of money for this, but it's what I use for other purposes. Inkscape is supposed to be pretty good for SVG files and it's free:
https://inkscape.org/en/I used vinyl for some similar projects, although nothing with the fine detail of the small windows. The only problem I had was the sheet stretching when I pulled it off the mat and being distorted when I tried to install it. I realized later that there is a "backing" product I should have put over the stuff after I cut it and pulled it all off the mat at the same time. That's what the people who cut out those little stick figures for the rear car windows use. DUH.
I would REALLY like it if you took photos and kept a record of your experiments to share online. I believe that the more people who have access to this kind of information, the better for the hobby as a whole.
Sorry for your hassles, but most people who start out with these things experience SOME kind of problems. For one thing, it's a consumer product that is not exactly rigid or built with any great amount of precision, so each one is a bit different and takes some working with to figure out the right combination of media, blade depth, etc.
You just don't hear about the hassles more because after ten or forty failures, once the first sheet comes out right, they're so deliriously happy about figuring out the right combination of preparation and luck that you never hear about their failures.
In the meantime, if you'd like a particular set of windows in a particular size, let me know which windows and what size and I'll redraw them for you and send you a new SVG file. Maybe print out the sheet on a printer, circle the windows you need with a felt-tipped pen, send me a digital photo as an attachment, and tell me the dimensions you need. . . .
Best of luck,