I drafted a copy of this post and am so glad I waited to publish it because Christine from www.scraptime.ca has just put an extremely thorough video on the eCraft machine on her website so I am happy to include it here with the other information. There is a lot to see but this seems to be an amazing machine. It accommodates 12″ paper and you can use both a pen and the blade at the same time instead of having to stop and change them out and then make two passes for your project to be finished. You can also use a roll of paper for a long banner or vinyl wall project. The best part is that there is no mat needed! While it cuts without the use of a computer, the pro software option (regular is $69 but may be free for a short while and pro version is $169) will also allow you to make your own .svg images and upload them to an eCraft website for sale to others or you will can purchase SD cards with images already on them. The pro version of the software will also give you access to a ton of images from their SD card library and allow cutting of true type fonts.
Scrap Time – Ep. 467 – The eCraft by craftwell from Mark Giles on Vimeo.
And then again at CHA 2010
and even has an iPhone app ($20) available for use wih the eCraft.
The eCraft comes in several models, all with the same great cutting capabilities.
Our basic model comes in 3 beautiful colors, Magenta, Periwinkle and Pearl White. Each comes equiped with a 2.8″ B&W display, paper tray with built-in roller, Image Card Fundamentals 1, two black pens and five blades. MSRP $259
The eCraft Deluxe comes in a sleek black exterior finish that would fit into any home or office decor. It comes equiped with a 2.8″ Color LCD, paper tray with built-in roller, Image Cards Fundamentals 1 and 2, two black pens and five blades. MSRP $349
The eCraft Pro is clad in a brushed aluminum finish and is equiped with a heavier duty motor than other models. Ideal for high volume cutting, it comes equiped with a 3.5″ B&W display, paper tray with built-in roller, Image Cards Fundamentals 1 and 2, two black pens and five blades. MSRP $399
The eCraft Pro XL is also clad in an brushed aluminum finish and equiped with a heavy duty motor drive. It can handle materials up to 30″ wide by any length. It comes equiped with a 3.5″ B&W display, Image Cards Fundamentals 1 and 2, two black pens and five blades. MSRP $599. Go to http://www.craftwellusa.com/pages/products for more information and images available.
Scrapbook Trends magazine has a fabulous FREE mini book magazine on their website. It contains over 150 pages of great ideas for mini books, fantastic photos and also includes an insert on how to bind your own mini books at the back. Even if you don’t like mini books I would recommend checking out the magazine just because of the photos. You can use the same ideas for scrapbook pages or cards. If you have been wondering whether or not you would like to read a magazine or subscribe to something online, this also gives you a great chance to give that a try to see if this format is for you or not. After all, what do you have to lose?
I do have an oven glove that I will probably use instead of my bare hands. Here is the recipe courtesy of Sue Neal (
I like to make cards as gifts but always feel like the presentation comes up short if I just give the recipient a clump of cards, even if they are nicely ties with ribbon or something. This note card holder makes a great presentation and was pretty easy to do.
It seems to work just like leather crafting which uses the same kind of metal stamps. I still have a lot of my stamps from when I did some leather crafting and will be trying these to see if they create the same effect. 
