My Cricut Air Explore 2 has brought back my love for crafting! Find out the 5 reasons why it’s so fun…plus an easy Dollar Store craft!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
When I was younger, I was such a crafty kid. I was always making something, from knitting to painting and more. Every holiday season, 90% of my gifts were handmade with love. After high school, life got in the way and I somewhat lost my love for crafting. I have so many unfinished projects stored away in closets.
Earlier this year, when we decided to move, I put aside some money for a Cricut Air Explore 2. Over the past year, I’ve become obsessed with watching Cricut craft videos and I had so many great projects pinned on Pinterest. I knew that I could make so many great personalized items for the home, plus gifts and branding items for my line of cocktail kits.
Although I’m still considered a beginner Cricut user, my Air Explore 2 has really been quite simple to use. I truly love it! Here are 5 reasons why I can’t stop crafting now…plus why you should check out a Cricut Air Explore 2, as well!
It saves me so much money!
Yup, you heard that right: I have been saving money! Fun t-shirts? I can make them in less than 30 minutes. Personalized stockings? Saved at least $50 by making them with glitter vinyl iron-on and my Cricut. For the holiday season, I made shirts for the younger cousins in the family, plus tote bags and cups for gifts. I rarely buy cards anymore since I can make them using cardstock and easy designs on Cricut Design Space.
Learning to use the Cricut Air Explore 2 is quite easy!
After seeing many comments online about people who are intimidated by their Cricut, I was concerned about how easy it would to actually execute projects. Would it be too hard? Are designs hard to make? I can honestly say, about 4 months in, that I’ve only had a handful of mess ups. If I have any questions, the Cricut website has amazing help videos or step-by-step tutorials. Even my kids have quickly learned how to use the Air Explore 2.
Glitter!
I am a glitter lovin’ fool and the sparkle items Cricut offers are ah-mazing. Vinyl, Iron-On, Paper…you name it! While it can be hard to weed (peel away negative vinyl after cutting), once you get the hang of it, it’s quite simple. I recommend using the custom material option on your Air Explore 2 dial, then also the “MORE” option to create a bit deeper of a cut.
Personal branding items for my business has never been easier!
As a small business owner of InBooze, money is always tight. When I go to shows and events, there is always something I’d love to have branded and now I can easily achieve amazing results using my Cricut! The price of the machine is worth it for this perk alone!
Item’s I’ve created:
- Branded t-shirts. My holidays ones were such a hit, many people asked to purchase for themselves!
- Labels for my drink dispensers
- Tags for gift sets
- Packaging stickers. In the heart of my busy season, I ran out of stickers, but I was able to make my own! Whew!
- Chalkboard signs
Stickers!
My planner is EVERYTHING…especially since I suffer from major #MomBrain. We’ve been creating so many fun stickers using the Printable Sticker Paper and our inkjet printer! The Cricut cuts them perfectly and it’s so fun to have personalized planner stickers. I also have created stickers to label our home library of books, since my girls tend to lend them out to friends.
I found these super cute snowman mugs at the Dollar Tree and I knew that I could make fun, customized hot cocoa/soup mugs for my girls. The best part about this project is that you can make different seasonal mugs for all of your gifting needs.
Dollar Store Snowman Mugs
Materials
- Fun Mug from Dollar Tree
- Black Glitter Vinyl
- StrongGrip 12x12 Mat
- StrongGrip Transfer Tape
Instructions
- Find a fun mug from the Dollar store. They have great seasonal options, such as this snowman mug.
- Use a fun font to create the names desired. This is Jolly Unicorn.
- Set your Cricut dial to Custom Material, then "Glitter Vinyl" and "More" above.
- Place vinyl on the StrongGrip Mat. This makes weeding glitter much easier. Cut your design with the Cricut.
- Weed the negative vinyl away from the designs. This can be hard to see, at first. Just take it slow and steady!
- Cover with StrongGrip Transfer tape and use your Scraper to transfer the vinyl onto the tape.
- Remove paper backing and center your name on the mug. Carefully peel away the transfer tape.
- Enjoy your custom creation!
Notes
This contains affiliate links.
What do you love about your Cricut Air Explore 2? I’d love to hear about your favorite project!
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