It’s no secret that I love my Cricut machine. If you don’t know what a Cricut machine is, you are seriously missing out. They are writing, scoring and personal cutting machines that work with a wide variety of materials. I’m talking everything from paper, vinyl, adhesive foil, craft foam, iron-on transfers, window cling and more. In the past, I’ve made everything from iron-on shirts and pillows, gift cards, customized wine glasses, decanters, mugs, coasters, party banners and more. The crafting-possibilities really are endless with a Cricut machine. (Basically it’s magic.)
I upgraded to the Cricut Maker about a year ago, and my only regret was not upgrading sooner. I always get a lot of questions on Instagram and from friends, family and colleagues about my Cricut – everything from “which machine do I need if I’m thinking about buying one”, to “what can it make” and “is it really worth upgrading to the Maker”.
With the holidays approaching, I thought I’d share some of my favourite things about the Maker!
1. It’s made my life easier – it’s the ultimate customization tool.
This is probably the most obvious selling feature of the Cricut, but it’s also the most important one if you ask me. The Maker can cut tons of materials that the other machines can’t (we’ll get into that later), making it the ultimate customization tool. You can do everything from creating spice jar labels, customizing Tupperware containers, notebooks, t-shirts and even socks! Goodbye writing on spice jar labels with a sharpie, hello clean, beautiful custom labels.
2. It can cut fabric.
Yes, you read that right – the Cricut Maker can cut fabric thanks to the new addition of a rotary blade. I love to sew and let’s be real, the worst part about any sewing project is always cutting the patterns.
The fact that this baby can cut fabric was a huge selling feature for me. This will save so much time on any sewing project and also help create more accurate cuts. (Anyone else incapable of cutting fabric in a straight line?) I always tell everyone who asks me about Cricut machines that if they like to sew the need the Maker in their lives. It’s a total game changer!
2. It can cut thicker materials like chipboard and basswood.
2. It can cut thicker materials like chipboard and basswood.The Cricut Maker kicks things up a notch with the knife blade. With the knife blade, you can cut thicker materials like chipboard, leather, basswood, kraft board, felt and corrugated cardboard. It’s perfect for projects with extra dimension like puzzles, dinosaur skeletons, models, leather goods, dioramas, wood decor and so much more.
3. The new maker tools – engraving, debossing, perforation and and wavy edges.
3. The new maker tools – engraving, debossing, perforation and and wavy edges.Cricut recently launched 4 new tools for the Maker – the wavy blade, perforation tip, engraving tip and debossing tip.
The addition of the new tools open up a whole whack-load of new projects and materials. I was personally most excited about the engraving and debossing tips so that I could customize jewelry and leather accessories with them.
I can’t wait to see if Cricut makes more tools for the Maker, giving us even more materials to work with! (Fingers crossed.)
5. It’s stepped up my DIY game and changed how I approach everything.
I never would have thought that a little machine would completely change the way I go about things.
In the past, no amount of money was too much money when I fell in love with a shirt, mug or accessory. Now, whenever I see something that I think really cool in a store or online with a hefty price tag I find myself thinking, “why pay that kind of money when I can make it and have fun doing it?”.
More often than not, I’m opting to make my own t-shirts, customized accessories, wine glasses, etc. and the best part is they’re one of a kind! There’s nothing more satisfying than getting a compliment on something or being asked where you got it from and being able to respond with “I made it”! It’s a great feeling.
For example, when my friend was getting married this past summer and we were searching Pinterest for wedding decor ideas on multiple occasions I would say things like “we can make that with my Cricut!”, and so we did. We made everything from table signs, to vases and photo back-drops.
Another example is this next DIY! You know those cute make-up pouches you always see with motivational quotes on them? Well, I’ve never been able to find one that I’m 100% happy with so I decided to make my own! For this DIY, you’ll need:
DIY Make-up bag:
- Cricut Maker
- Easy Press 2
- Iron-on material, in the colour of your choice – I used black
- Cricut essential tools
- Standard-grip cutting mat
- Canvas make-up bag – I got mine from the dollar store
- Cricut iron-on protective sheet
Step 1:
Create your design using Cricut Design Space. If you’re creating something with a quote or your child’s name, Cricut has loads of fonts available for free. They also have tons of images and designs for free too. If you’re graphic design savvy you can also upload your own designs in any of the following formats: .jpg, .gif, .png, and .bmp.
Step 2:
Once your design is created, measure the area of your tote bag that you’d like your design to fill. Resize your design and then click “Make It!” Next, connect your Cricut machine and select “iron-on” from the materials. Make sure that you select mirror on!
Place the iron-on material onto the standard-grip cutting mat, with the shiny side facing down. Load your machine and click on the Cricut button once it begins to flash to start your cut. Once it’s done, weed your design – this is the process of removing the negative space from your cut.
Step 3:
Before you iron-on your design, make sure that you iron your tote/canvas bag to remove as many as wrinkles and lines as possible to help ensure a better transfer. Place your design onto your material and then place the iron-on protective sheet on top.
Using the Cricut Heat Guide, set your EasyPress to the right temperature. Once it is heated, set the timer and place your EasyPress machine on-top. For canvas, use 340°F and heat for 30 seconds with light pressure.
And there you have it! I hope that was helpful for those of you might be thinking about buying your first Cricut machine or upgrading to the Maker. You can check out my Cricut made category if you want to see some more posts about my machine and the types of things you can make with it. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions or shoot me an email/DM.
For those of you that have a Cricut machine, what are your favourite things about it?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. While I may have received compensation and/or product mentioned in this post, the opinions and text are all mine. This post also contains affiliate links.
