I bought my Cricut Explore Air 2 in March of 2019 and I’ll be honest, I had only known what the heck it was for a couple months before I made the purchase. When I initially heard about this wonderful cutting machine, I knew I had to have one. I tried to resist for a bit but resistance was futile (& i’m really glad it was lol!). Also- if you’re wondering how it’s pronounced, it is said like “cricket”. Pretty sure I mispronounced it for a solid month, oops!
So..what is it?
A Cricut is a cutting machine that can cut over 100 different types of materials with a variety of different blades. You create (or upload) a design on the Cricut provided program, called Design Space, on your computer, tablet or phone and then the machine cuts it out for you. Some common materials that can be cut include: cardstock, adhesive vinyl, heat transfer vinyl (iron-on), felt and sticker paper, just to name a few.
There are 3 machine types that are currently being sold: the Explore Air 2, the Maker & the Joy. I upgraded to the Maker this past year to be able to access the many different tools that are exclusive to the Maker including the engraving tip, being able to cut fabric & chipboard, debossing, and sooo much more! The Explore Air 2 was a great introductory machine however if you can afford it, I’d go straight to the Maker so that there are no limitations to the materials you’re able to use! The Joy is a small, portable machine that I think is best for those looking for a machine that travels well (i.e. to a craft show) or only has a small space to craft and doesn’t want the machine taking up too much room! I could go on and on about the differences and my opinions on each but perhaps that will need to be its own post one day.
To give you some inspiration on what you can make with a Cricut, using a variety of different blanks (i.e. blank signs, drink ware, onesies, t-shirts), here are some samples of things I’ve created:
Project ideas using adhesive vinyl:
Add vinyl designs to drink ware, windows, chalkboards, coasters, walls/cupboards & wood signs. “Live More Worry Less” was made using stencil vinyl on a canvas.
Project ideas using card stock:
Use card stock to make cards & envelopes, an advent calendar tree with drawers, 3D cards, mailbox for Valentines, banners, bookmarks (also used the writing feature), etc..
Project ideas using Heat Transfer Vinyl (aka HTV, Iron-on):
Add HTV to wine bags, framed canvas, birth stat elephants, baby onesies (or any clothing type), pillows, tote bags, etc..
These are just some of the things I’ve enjoyed creating so far. There are so many possibilities of what can be made, so stay tuned for upcoming tutorials! If you’d like to see anything specific made or have any questions, please reach out! 🙂
Happy crafting!
