I just purchased the cuttlebug mainly for embossing. I bought 3 embossing plates and I love them! It's so easy to use and gives great results. The best part is I can use my sizzix embossing plates in it as well! It gives just enough texture to the paper to make it stand out. This machine doubles as a die-cutter too. I own the cricut so I won't use this as much, but it's nice that I have the option to cut one little accent instead of buying a whole cricut cartridge. This guy is cute, lightweight, kid friendly, and easy to use. I defiently reccomend it to EVERYONE!