I'd like to start this review by saying that I do not own my own but use it every week for a least a couple of hours when I go to my weekly craft club - having now used it for approximately 100 hours I now feel confident about writing a review on this fab little machine.

What on earth is a Cuttlebug?
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Well, I would describe it at a well-designed crafter's mangle. It works by sandwiching your desired card/ paper/ vellum etc between plates which enable you to either cut your own shapes emboss them or cut as well as emboss.
The finished embossed card or die looks professional and makes what may be viewed as a home-made product into one which looks handmade.

The machine is a great asset to those who love cardmaking or scrapbooking.

The machine itself
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It can vary in price from around £60 to £100 so it is well worth shopping around. I have seen them on eBay but, if you are interested in buying one, I would suggest checking what is included. To get started you need the following -
- the machine itself
- 1 x A plate
- 2 x B plates
- 1 x C plate (these act as a kind of sandwich to enclose the dies or embossing folders.

Createandcraft TV have an offer on their website for the Cuttlebug plus 9 embossing folders and the plates for £109.99 + p&p

It weighs approximately3kgs which is a good weight for this type of machine as it needs to be fairly substantial for dealing with the roller mechanism inside which is quite heavy.

It has a handle which pops away and wings either side which mean it takes up slightly less room than other similar machines.

Once the wings are opened then the Cuttlebug stays firmly in place on a flat uncovered surface.

I would say the approximate measurements are as follows - 12" x 4' x 7"

My experience of using this machine
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Once I'd read the very clear instructions and used it a couple of times I felt thoroughly at home with it. Really it's a matter of just not forgetting which plates to use and to make sure the card/ vellum/ paper you are using is loaded the right way up.

The 'crack' it makes when you start rolling the 'sandwich' through is disconcerting - apparently this is normal and you are not breaking the machine or any components! After a while you just see this as satisfying and you know it's doing the job properly.

Personally I prefer to emboss backgrounds for my cards so I use several of the many embossing folders which are on the market. These do not have to be Provocraft so I buy the Sizzix or Craft2 which I can easily pick up on eBay. I rarely pay more than £3.99 for a folder although I've seen some for £15. I bought a set of Christmas folders and everyone agreed the effect on my Christmas cards was much more professional - I even sold some sample cards at a posh craft fair!

I have seen the dies my fellow crafters have made and they all have a lovely crisp finish and have detail that would either be impossible to create by hand or would be far too time consuming.

The dies can cost from between £3.99 upwards unless you can find them secondhand.

What I really like
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Some systems mean you can only use their products but with the Cuttlebug you can use other makes of dies and embossing folders which means it is a very versatile machine.

It seems that little can go wrong with it because the design is so good, yet simple.

It virtually needs no maintenance - just an occasional wipe-over and running through with blank card/paper.

It is portable and you can use it if either left or right handed.

It can be used by people with dexterity problems because you do not need a great deal of strength (as you do with some machines!)

It is a neat and practical piece of equipment which I know a lot of crafty people rave about - I have to say, me included.

So, if you see a demonstration in Hobbycraft or any other craft shop or on TV (with a 30 day moneyback guarantee) spare a minute or two to have a look as the results may surprise you?