I just wanted to post an update to this. I bought Katie the Silhouette by QuicKutz for her birthday a week ago. She is in love with this thing. So far she's cut paper, card, and even some vinyl but I've only seen one finished project to far. A thank you card for the present :) She is using Adobe Illustrator and importing the designs into the software that came with the machine.
I got the machine from a store in Toronto
Scrapbooks By Design - Canada?s Online Scrapbook Supply Store for $299 CDN. They do offer shipping for anyone not able to get to the store. I went into the store so I could ask questions and they were very helpful and told me to call them should Katie need help and gave me an email address for a customer service rep at the manufacturer should the store not be able to help. So a very positive experience so far.
I picked this machine because I could get it quickly at a reasonable price. I could get it locally and not have to pay shipping and possible duty.
A finished project: