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Monday, July 14, 2014

Silhouette vs. Cuttlebug

Just recently an about-to-get-serious-about-crafting friend of mine asked me my opinions on whether she should buy a die-cutting machine and what would I recommend.

I gave her all my thoughts on both electronic machines like the Silhouette and the manual ones like a Cuttlebug. At first I told her you probably don't need to get both, and since the Silhouette can do so much more - just get that. But then I started thinking about it and realised that I don't think that's true at all!

I own both types, and although my Cuttlebug had been gathering dust for a year or two there - it's undergoing a revival in my house right now! With all the new metal dies getting released at Studio Calico every month I'm finding that I'm quickly accumulating quite the new stash - and I'm using them ALL THE TIME. (This bow is a current fave.)

 photo Lemon-Lush-Thanks.jpg

A couple of months ago I purchased the "Thanks" die, thinking it would make thank-you cards a breeze, but not with any specific occasion in mind. This week I had a dozen or more thank-you cards to make and I was sooooo grateful that this die made it quick and easy!

Now I know I could have done that on the Silhouette, but it would have been fiddly with all the different coloured papers I wanted to use. And the font is quite delicate so I can imagine having to make a few spare for when I ripped them pulling them off the sticky mat ;-) Plus I think the metal dies leave a nicer smoother finish where they cut, rather than the metal blade.

So I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Silhouette or Metal Dies?
Do you have both? Do you use both? Which do you prefer?

PS. You can find all the Studio Calico metal dies HERE. And there just might be some more getting released with the new reveal ;-)

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5 comments

  1. This is timely for me. I've had a Cuttlebug for years and I initially used it for embossing because I was an avid cardmaker (now it's both cards and scrapbook pages). In recent times, I've purchased dies for the Cuttlebug and absolutely love it.
    I've been contemplating taking the plunge and buying a Cameo and investigated the Cameo versus Cricut and I'm leaning towards the Cameo. However, I worry that the moment I buy the current Cameo, a new version will come out! I have no idea how long the current version has been out for.

    It is an investment and I actually agree with you that having both the Cuttlebug and Silhouette is advantageous. Though they perform some similar functions, they are different tools and they have different selling points.

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  2. I have both and love them both equally....I think :/
    I like the bigshot because I am time poor and its easy to take to retreats.
    But I like the silhouette because its just plain amazing lol!

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  3. Both! But I don't use either enough!!!

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  4. Oh I love your cards!!! I only have a Big Shot, but you are right, there are some really cool dies out there! :D

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  5. I have both and although I have lots of cameo shapes in my library I am also addicted to dies. The advantage with dies is time as it takes a while to set up to my laptop, sort out the shapes and then cut....but the shapes/sizes are almost unlimited with the cameo...

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