RE: Provo Craft Boycott

The following is the text of a letter that I sent to the President of MME after receiving an invitation to join their newsletter this morning that included a chance to win a Cricut Expression – I am not looking for a response but if I receive one, I will be sure to share it.

 

29 March 2011

Dear Ms. Cornell,

I am writing to you today to make you aware of a situation that is ongoing within the paper crafting community – something that based upon your association with Provo Craft, you should already be aware of.

Provo Craft recently settled a lawsuit with Make the Cut, makers of an independent software application that worked with the Provo Craft Cricut machines. I am not going to get into the details of the lawsuit – the case was settled and as such no legal ruling was made by the courts.

Andy, the software engineer responsible for Make the Cut, had revolutionized the way paper crafters were able to use their Cricut machines – they were able to download free files created by others from the internet, cut true type fonts from their personal collections and even design custom cuts to suit their needs.

Provo Craft has also filed suit against Craft Edge, the makers of Sure Cuts A Lot, another software application that offers much of the same functionality. That case is still pending. There is one other software, Fairy Cut, that is being marketed by a Canadian company. At this time, there has not been any word of a lawsuit against Fairy Cut.

When word of the Provo Craft/MTC settlement reached the news, supporters of Andy and Make the Cut rallied to show Provo Craft that they will not settle for a cartridge-only machine that limits their creativity. Within days, several things happened:

1. People started actively getting rid of their Provo Craft Cricut Machines, selling them at a fraction of their cost on ebay and craigslist.
   
2. Sales of competing machines – many several hundred dollars more expensive than the Provo Craft machines – have soared! Bosskut offered a weeklong special on their Gazelle machine and sold out several days before the promotion was schedule to end. That's Scrap, the sole US distributer of Black Cat cutting machines, ordered 30 of their lower priced model ($499) and before they even left the factory, they were sold out.
   
3. A formal boycott of Provo Craft branded merchandise has been organized on Facebook and after just over 2 weeks, has nearly 1600 members.
   
4. A youtube video entitled "I Want my MTC" has well over 4000 views in just a few days.
   

Like myself, many people purchased their Cricut machines only after the release of SCAL and/or MTC. We purchased the Cricut for various reasons – lower cost, wider retail availability, local access to the necessary consumables (i.e. mats & blades), and/or we weren't aware of all of the other options available.

This situation with Provo Craft is actually the final straw for many Cricut owners. Provo craft's own message board is awash with tales from people regarding poor customer service, unfulfilled promises, and complaints about the products – at least until Provo Craft decides to delete those threads. Provo Craft has also allegedly shut down many entrepreneurial endeavors by private parties – and later used those same ideas to launch similar products and services.

So now you probably ask, why am I writing to you about all of this. This morning I received an email from your company asking me to sign up for your newsletter and as a result I would have a chance to win a Cricut Expression. I have to tell you as a big fan of MME, I did sign up for your newsletter. However, after reading your March newsletter online, I unsubscribed. I cannot in good conscience sign up for the newsletter of a company that has any business association with a company that I have chosen to boycott.

I love My Mind's Eye papers but I am very disappointed by your association with Provo Craft and will no longer be purchasing your paper packs – there are many other wonderful brands to choose from. It is a matter of choice – just as I feel what I cut with my cutting machine should be.

One final thought for your consideration: there is a whole market of crafters out there who are looking for alternatives. They will voice their approval by spending their hard earned dollars in support of companies who respect their creativity. I bet they would jump at the chance to win a machine that would work with MTC/SCAL– if you were to offer one of those machines, you'd get my attention and I would spread the word to everyone I could possibly reach. As it is, I will be posting a copy of this letter on the Boycott Provo Craft Facebook page. If you care to respond and address our concerns, I'll be more than happy to share that as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

 

A former MME customer,

My first MTC file share!

NOTICE: Please go to the SVG tab at the top of my blog for important information regarding SVG downloads. 

 Back to working on the wedding album - less than 3 weeks so I don't have much time to get it done. I've been slowly learning about MTC and this file is the first one that I have designed and cut in MTC and I was very impressed with the results.

My machine seems to cut smoother and faster with MTC than with SCAL - has anyone else with both software programs noticed this? I also love how it shows you what exactly it is cutting!

I finished "the Groom" page and thought I'd share a quick picture of it - sorry I cut off a corner! I hope you can see the groom in the picture - it is black on black but IRL he is pop-dotted so he stands out very well.

I'm keeping these pages quite simple so that the bride will be able to add pics and a little journaling. I am doing about 20 pages for her and then I will be including all the cardstock and B&W patterned papers, flowers, gems, and even a few extra "die-cuts" for her to create additional pages that she may want or need. (She does a little bit of scrapbooking herself but not much.)

First Dance SVG - Trying out Google Docs for file sharing

NOTICE: Please go to the SVG tab at the top of my blog for important information regarding SVG downloads. 

I previously shared pictures of some wedding layouts I've been working on. The First Dance layout features svg files that I created - the bride & groom and the title cut. Here's the layout:

I CHOOSE to boycott Provo Craft

More than two weeks have passed since the settlement of the MTC/Provo Craft lawsuit. Andy and the MTC team have removed the Cut to Cricut option from the MTC software. While I was fortunate to be able to buy and download the latest version of the software prior to this change and can continue to cut with my Cricut, I am not able to do any software updates now. I'm sure there will be many more wonderful features added to this software in the days, weeks, months to come.

Check out this video made by a very talented MTC forum member and one of her friends.

It bothers me that PC believes it has the right to tell me how I can use my machine after I purchased it. Many have made this point over the last couple of weeks -how is it any different from using an HP printer on a Dell computer, apps on a phone, 3rd party inks in a printer, etc.

What if no one ever experimented to see what we could do - would we even have the technology that we have today?

I have never been a "cutesy" scrapper - just not my style - so cartridges never worked for me. Most of my pages pre-Cricut featured detailed paper piecings that I made and cut from coloring pages, etc. The same thing I do now but instead of drawing on paper and cutting by hand, I draw in Inkscape and cut with my machine. Honestly, I didn't even consider buying a Cricut until the introduction of SCAL. I was about to purchase a craftROBO and was doing some on-line research when I found SCAL - bought my Cricut and SCAL the very next day. (For those of you who do not know - SCAL has also been sued by Provo Craft but that case is still pending.)

There are many other concerns with PC besides the 3rd party software issue: poor customer service, false and misleading product representation, poor quality coupled with poor tech support/warranty service, "borrowing" ideas for new products, unethical business dealings (ask some small LSS owners), ....... need I say more?

All of this has lead me to my decision to actively boycott Provo Craft and all its brands - Cricut, Cuttlebug, Yudu, Your Story, etc. What do I mean when I say I am boycotting? For me, it means I will not purchase any new items that are in anyway associated with Provo Craft - no new mats (Aleene's Tack It Over and Over works great!), no new PC blades (roland blades are available on ebay for a much more reasonable price and right now you can buy 5 blades for $15 & free shipping direct from Seikitech here), not even a new CB embossing folder (going to try Sizzix). I am working on compiling the most complete list I can of PC products and will be posting it on my blog soon.

Am I selling my machine and cartridges - NO. I am choosing to continue to use my Cricut for the time being. I am in the process of purchasing a new cutter but still do not plan to sell my Cricut. Selling my Cricut means that most likely the person buying it would then want to buy cartridges - which would mean that I was helping to put money in PCs pockets. I'll just keep it around for a back-up. As for the few cartridges I have purchased- I think 4 total-I've given them to my daughter to use with her machine (she hates cartridges too but a couple were Disney ones so she'll probably use those). I'll just not update the firmware and I'll keep the last MTC and SCAL software on my laptop so I can use it.

So, what am I buying? I've read reviews, compared cuts from all of the machines, watched tons of you tube videos and seriously evaluated my cutting needs. Based on everything I've read and what I want/need from a machine, both now and in the years to come, I've decided that the 12" Black Cat Lynx is the best investment for me. It'll probably be a few months before I have it but I know that it will be worth the wait.

Do I expect everyone to agree with me? Absolutely not! That's what's so great - we are all entitled to our own opinions and even though we may not agree, I RESPECT your opinion and your right to express it. I just ask that if you disagree and choose to voice that here, that you do so in a respectful way. I've changed my comments to require approval for now - I will approve comments that voice another view as long as I don't feel they are rude, hateful, or disrespectful.

I did it!

I joined the MTC family before they pulled the Cricut capability. I bet they had a boom in sales the last few days - I never planned to purchase MTC but with all the hype about the settlement, I decided to check the program out for myself and am SO GLAD that I did. MTC is amazing and I am so excited to get started using it.

Yes, I know I can no longer update my Cricut firmware - but since I don't use cartridges at all there is really no need. I updated to v. 2.34 in order to be compatible with the latest release of MTC and will be content with that for the duration of my Cricut's useful life - it's over 3 years old so I don't really expect it to last much longer.

Been out comparison shopping new cutters so I'll be ready to make a purchase as soon as I can save up the funds. I've got my heart set on a Black Cat Lynx (and Black Cat supports MTC development - I read that they actually sent Andy a machine so that he could write the necessary drivers for it).

Still waiting to hear what the outcome will be for SCAL (since PC has also sued them for the same reasons).

That's it for today - have to get ready for work - but I do have some new files that I'll be sharing soon!

Greek Alphabet

NOTICE: Please go to the SVG tab at the top of my blog for important information regarding SVG downloads. 

Someone posted on the svgcuts forum that they would like a greek alphabet to cut things for sororities, etc.

I wasn't sure if everyone realizes that the Greek alphabet symbols are available in many of the Windows fonts that we all have on our computers. To use them you have to utilize the Character Map and copy and paste them into your application. This can be time consuming so I thought I'd put together one file containing all of the upper and lower Greek alphabet symbols converted to svg format.

I used the Book Antiqua font but there are many other styles that you can use - just like there are different font styles for our alphabet.

The download is one file that contains the upper and lower symbol for each letter - I've included the name of each in red text - the red text is not a path and will not cut. Here is a screenshot of what the file looks like when you open it.

Download Greek Alphabet

Hope someone can use this!

SCAL or MTC - your opinions please?

I have been pondering all of my options in light of everything that has happened with MTC and Provo Craft. I'm really kind of in limbo right now waiting for an official statement from Andy at MTC. I am seriously considering the purchase of a Black Cat cutter but I want to be assured of the future of MTC before I take that step.

I have to state that I was never a cartridge user - think I bought 4 or 5 and I have personally used only ONE of them. I gave all the others to my daughter because she had access to a cricut at some crop nights she was attending. I'm left with Plantin Schoolbook that came with my machine - and when I just need some quick text without welding, etc - I like the font and will use it.

I love the combo of SCAL & Inkscape and have become quite competent at creating the files that I want/need for my pages. Even before the advent of the cutting machines - I made my own intricate paper-piecings rather than purchase stickers and die cuts - I'm just not a "cutesy" scrapbooker. Don't get me wrong - there is adorable stuff and I love a lot of it - it just doesn't fit with my scrapbooking style.

While I wait for an official statement on the future of MTC, I decided to download the trial version of the software and see if I can figure it out. I keep reading how it is more user friendly than SCAL. I don't see it yet - but maybe it's just because I've used SCAL from the beginning.
I will say that the trace feature seems to work very well - I haven't tried breaking any images yet to clean them up and separate them ( I haven't figured out how to do this yet).

I'd love to hear from any of you who own and have used both software applications - which is your favorite and why?

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Before I announce the winner of the TWO PART BLOG CANDY - I want to take a moment to thank EVERYONE who stopped by to visit us during the hop and give a special thank you to all the ladies who shared their incredible talents with us! Also thank you to all of you who have elected to become followers of Notes from the Scrapbooklady - I feel so honored that you have chosen to join me!

I won't keep anyone in suspense any longer - the winner of the prize package is comment number 80:

Pat N. said...

The mini book is beautiful. The butterflies are so dainty and pretty. Great job. And thanks for a chance at your great giveaway.-- Pat N. http://patsscraps.blogspot.com/

March 12, 2011 10:55 PM

Pat, please send your mailing information to Celeste and Lora as soon as possible.

PC Lawsuits - my thoughts

Just stumbled across this link to the actual complaint filed against Craft Edge (on Cricut forum of all places so I'm sure it won't be there long).

So, I'm sure by now that most of you have heard that Provo Craft and Make the Cut have reached a settlement. Until there is an official announcement from either company or the court documents are released, we can't know for sure what the terms are. The word that is circulating on the web doesn't sound good for Cricut owners - apparently any future sale of MTC cannot include support for Cricut machines. You can read more of the details at scrapbookupdate.com. Since Provo Craft filed suit against Craft Edge in January, will SCAL users soon be faced with the same dilemma?

I've done a lot of reading today and it really got me thinking. How many of us purchased a Cricut only after SCAL and/or MTC became available? I know there are a lot of us. I used to demo the baby bug when it was first released - hated it something awful. I said I would NEVER buy a machine that tied me to cartridges and that was so difficult to get the result I wanted. After the Expression came out, I started really thinking about getting one but then my sights turned to something like a Wishblade since it had the ability to cut true-type fonts. About the time I had the money to purchase that machine I stumbled upon the newly released SCAL - within 48 hours I had my Cricut and SCAL and never looked back.

I read several comments today that people would not have purchased MTC or SCAL if Provo Craft had offered a software with similar functionality. Let's be honest - those software platforms probably would have never been developed if Design Studio had been the program that it could have been. Rather than supporting the end-users who buy the machines, PC opted to try to keep them dependent upon pricey cartridges. ETA: According to the filing linked above - PC alleges that Craft Edge violated the EULA of CDS by reverse engineering CDS to create SCAL. I don't know anything about software development - is this the only way this software could have been created?

I know that those of us who spend our hard-earned dollars on the products can't change the outcome of these lawsuits. However, I can send a message through my spending of those $$$. My E is over 3 years old and has started making some protesting noises off and on. I WAS planning to purchase another E while the original model was still available because I was fearful that the version 2 machine would be like the Imagine and not compatible with SCAL. Not now - I am seriously exploring my other options because my next cutter WILL NOT bear the Cricut logo.

I've posted a few poll questions about this topic in the right sidebar - just curious to see how many people are like me - purchased Cricut BECAUSE of the availability of 3rd party software, rarely use a cartridge and will be looking for a new cutter soon ETA: the poll questions have been moved to the Boycott Provo Craft FB page - you can click the link below the logo in the sidebar to take the poll.

Spring Forward - Day 2

I didn't plan to post a new entry for day 2 of the blog hop but I've had an idea for an easter card in my head and I finally found a coloring page that helped me bring it all together- what I was missing was the egg shaped card! So, this morning I created my files and made this card - there are some things I would do differently next time - more contrast for the lettering color so it shows up better, maybe add a foam dot under the center flower and on the bunny, some type of dimensional centers on the flower would be nice and of course, I forgot to dot the eye on the bunny before I took my pics - but all in all, I like the layout of the card and will probably make a few more to send out this year.

You can download the .scut2 file for this below the picture - the password is listed at the top of my blog. And, like the butterfly mini-book available 2 posts below, this file will only be available for the duration of the blog hop!

Easter Card Files no longer available for download - Offered only for duration of Blog Hop.

There are a few other ladies who have posted a day 2 project, so, if you haven't yet completed the blog hop or if you just want to check and see who has posted a new project, here is the complete list:

YOU ARE HERE
1. Lora at http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/

YOUR NEXT STOP SHOULD BE:
2. Celeste L. at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/

3. Brandi at http://joyfullycreative.blogspot.com/
4. Carrie at http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
5. Celeste B. at http://ccscards.blogspot.com/
6. Karel at http://karelj.blogspot.com/
7. Kacee at www.youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com
8. Melanie at www.arkmom-scrappilyeverafter.blogspot.com
9. Michelle at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
10. Patti at http://lilbitcreations.blogspot.com
11. Sue at http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
12. Amy Jo at http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
13. Yolie at http://www.justyolie.com/

#100?

Whos' going to be my 100th follower? Send me a screen shot when you join showing you as #100 and I'll send a little something your way!

Spring Forward Blog Hop

Welcome to the Spring Forward Blog Hop, jointly hosted by Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly and myself here at Notes from the Scrapbooklady. Thanks for stopping in to see the great spring themed projects offered by the talented ladies at each of the blog stops.

This blog hop will offer one lucky blog hopper a TWO PART blog candy. Celeste and I have both put together prize packages and we will each mail our prize package to the ONE LUCKY WINNER! The rules are pretty simple - visit each participating blog and leave a comment - a winner will be chosen from among all comments left at Notes from the Scrapbooklady blog and then we will verify that the winner has visited and commented on each blog. The winner will be posted at both Notes from the Scrapbooklady and Touched by a Butterfly and will have one week to contact Lora or Celeste with a mailing address for their prize packages.

Some of the participants may also be offering their own individual blog candy - please note their terms and conditions which may vary from the main blog hop rules.

So, for my project, I decided to create a mini butterfly book/card. The scut2 file for using in SCAL2 is available for download at the link below the project pictures - this file will only be available for the duration of the blog hop. The file includes both front and back versions of each page as well as the detail cut butterflies to add for embellishments. I chose to make my project as a mini card to honor my good friend and co-hostess of this blog hop - Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly. Celeste this card will be on it's way to you this weekend! Without further ado, here are the pics of my project - The papers are from the SEI Poppy Paper Pad:

Mini Book Files no longer available for download - Offered only for duration of Blog Hop.

Here's a picture of my Blog Candy package that will be awarded jointly with a prize package from Celeste to ONE participant who visits and comments on every blog. See details on prize give away above.


Now it's time to get hopping! Here's the complete list for you in case you need to refer back to it.

YOU ARE HERE
1. Lora at http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/

YOUR NEXT STOP SHOULD BE:
2. Celeste L. at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/

3. Brandi at http://joyfullycreative.blogspot.com/
4. Carrie at http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
5. Celeste B. at http://ccscards.blogspot.com/
6. Karel at http://karelj.blogspot.com/
7. Kacee at www.youhadmeatscrap.blogspot.com
8. Melanie at www.arkmom-scrappilyeverafter.blogspot.com
9. Michelle at http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com
10. Patti at http://lilbitcreations.blogspot.com
11. Sue at http://susanascorner.blogspot.com/
12. Amy Jo at http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com/
13. Yolie at http://www.justyolie.com/

Thanks so much for hopping with us this weekend - we hope that you find lots to inspire you for spring projects.

And, a very special thanks to all of the talented ladies who are sharing their work with us!

ETA: Closed comments at the end of the Blog Hop - winner will be announced 3/14/11 both here and at Touched by a Butterfly!

Pages for a Wedding Album

On my way to work so just some pics this morning:

Chocolate Chip Cookie svg

NOTICE: Please go to the SVG tab at the top of my blog for important information regarding SVG downloads. 

This file is a special request for Jennifer - hope this will help you finish up that Happiness is Homemade layout!

Chocolate Chip Cookie

And while I was at it, how about a cookie sheet?

Cookie Sheet