8 Reasons Why the Cricut Joy Makes the Perfect Graduation Gift!

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
It's almost grad season! It's such a fun time to celebrate all our graduate's accomplishments. Many people find themselves at a loss on how to pick the perfect graduation gift to congratulate and honor this accomplishment in a young person's life. I find that the best gifts are those that are useful to them as they start to enter into the next chapter of their life. It's why I think that the Cricut Joy is the perfect graduation gift. Now, you may be thinking, my mom asked for a Cricut for Christmas last year, or Nancy down the street is the only person I know with a cutting machine and she's middle-aged, what would a kid do with a Cricut Joy? Friends, hold on! I'm about to share with you why the Cricut Joy makes the perfect graduation gift and why your kid will be the envy of every person on their dorm floor!

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Must-Have Thrift Store Decor Finds to Create with the Cricut Explore Air 2

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
You all know how much I love a good thrift store! Shopping second-hand is like a fun treasure hunt for me and I'm always taking the time to dig for that diamond in the rough. I love reimagining something that someone has had stopped finding joy in, and give it that spark again. I also like the price tag! I can usually DIY something with my Cricut and some imagination for a fraction of the price of something I could find retail. And there's something about taking someone's trash and making it into a treasure that is part of the real fun for me. Unique bespoke items are kind of the norm at a thrift shop, which sometimes makes it hard for me to share a project and for you all to feel like you could recreate a piece, but I have found through decades of thrift store shopping that there are a handful of staple items you'll always find easily second-hand. I'm sharing those items with you and giving you a few ideas on how you can upcycle them using your Cricut Explore.

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Easy Pet Fashion Personalized Bandana with the Cricut Joy

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own.
Our dogs are like a part of our family. I know I'm not the only one who feels this. Pet adoption rates during COVID have been soaring! If you didn't adopt a pet during quarantine, I bet you know someone who did! Today, I've got a little something for that furry member of your family...or to give as a gift! Create a fashion statement for your pet with these easy to make personalized bandanas. Using your Cricut, you can personalize just about anything for anyone, even the furriest members, and no, I'm not talking about my dad! Why not customize one of the most iconic fashion statements a dog can make and add some personality to a bandana. I'll show you how you can easily sew a basic pattern to make an over-the-collar dog bandana or personalize an existing bandana to fit the personality of your pet. Don't worry, you can even make these for your cat or other furry friends with some tweaks to the pattern. Want to find out how? Come check it out!

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The Cricut Holiday Gift Everyone Wants Under the Tree!

I got a cutting machine as a Christmas gift ten years ago! As an adult, there aren't many gifts that I hope for, but a cutting machine was one of those I hoped to find under the tree. It literally changed my crafting game. I learned how to vinyl all the things, to make custom invitations for birthdays, designed shirts and clothing for basically any event, and cut out everything from paper for science fair posters to leaves I used to create DIY wreaths. 
I couldn't imagine not having a cutting machine. It's like a workshop not having a hammer or a screwdriver. And honestly, you don't even have to consider yourself crafty to use a cutting machine. The biggest game-changer for me this year though has been getting a Cricut Joy. If you have ever thought getting a cutting machine would be a good idea, or even if you have a larger traditional machine like the Cricut Maker, the Cricut Explore, or even the Silhouette Cameo, I'm going to lay it all out there so you can clearly see why the Cricut Joy is the holiday gift everyone {should} wants under the tree.

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Three Little Things To Make with the Cricut Joy {Using Vinyl}

I was always the smallest in school. I had to stand in the front row for pictures and creep up on my tiptoes if I wanted to see anything in a crowd. I heard the phrase "small but mighty" quite often. It's the same phrase I've been using when I think about the new Cricut Joy. I'm no stranger to the cutting machine. I've had one for the past decade or so, but I'll be honest, I just don't have the room to store my machine. I keep my cutting machines in a box in the closet and have to lug them out when I'm ready to use them. While other machines are making bigger, I was excited to see that Cricut made a small machine called the Cricut Joy that can sit out on a counter and be ready for any project. The goal is to create personalized projects that can be created in just a few minutes because not everyone has a craft room to DIY and personalize things. I've got three small but mighty projects you can make with a Cricut Joy using vinyl and I promise you, you'll realize that practical everyday projects have never been easier to make! No craft room required!

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How to Make Stickers Using the Cricut Joy

Just a few days into quarantine, my Cricut Joy got delivered to my front steps and I'm telling ya, that's one of the only things keeping me sane these days. I've had fun crafting and creating with it and learning how to use it. It's actually not hard to use the Joy. In fact, I find the Cricut products to be so much more user-friendly than the Silhouette products.  {read more about which one I think is better, the Cricut or the Silhouette} Because the Joy is the smallest cutting machine out there, it's got its own selection of smart materials that go with it. I'm trying out a new one and making stickers using the Cricut Joy. Come see how I do it!

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How to Make Custom Pet Face Pajamas

We rescued Frankie, who at the time, had lived her life confined to a cage as part of a backyard breeding operation. She was abandoned and broken and as I like to describe her "has more issues than Vogue." Frankie endeared herself to me. Her little Ewok teddy bear face and her cat-like personality have made her one of my favorite things. She's been with us for more than two years now, and bits of her old scared distrustful personality surface, but to say I'm her favorite would be an understatement.

After our Sophie girl passed away from cancer, we ordered socks for the whole family with her face on them. I didn't think that I could create a custom dog face pajama on my own, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I love my Frankie pajamas and know that if you create your own, your favorite pet will be right there making you smile too.

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Backpacks for Foster Care: Crafting for a Cause with Cricut

As a parent, I've always followed the motto that more is caught than taught. I want my kids to see me living a generous life and giving to others. I want them to understand that there are human faces and stories behind every set of numbers and statistics. Did you know that there are more than 440,000 children in Foster Care nationwide?  When most children enter into the Foster Care system it's through an emergency situation. Children are experiencing uncertainty and upheaval in their lives and most of them don't have an opportunity to grab those items that are familiar and comfortable for them. Many kids entering the system are given black trash bags to carry whatever few belongings they do have. 
I've partnered with Cricut to help personalize backpacks for children entering Foster Care. I'll be donating them to The Blue Ribbon Project and showing you how you can join in too!

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5 Reasons I love my Cricut Explore Air 2 for Holiday Crafting

When I got my first cutting machine for Christmas in 2010, I think the words I said were "man, this is really going to up my crafting game." And it has! I've found that the more I've used a cutting machine the more I realize how much the machine can help me in my everyday life. I used to think that cutting machines were only for crafters, but in the years that I've had one, I have seen countless needs it could have met. From teachers in the elementary school to junior high projects, for fundraising activities and everything in between. I can't even begin to tell you about every project I've created because there have been so many, but I can tell you 5 reasons why I love my cutting machine, and recently, why I'm enamored with my newest cutting machine, the Cricut Explore Air 2, especially for holiday crafting.

Stick around for the tutorial for the DIY Santa Snack Holiday Tray. 

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DIY Leopard Print Shoes with Vinyl

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

I've been having a lot of fun creating with my new Cricut Explore Air 2. I've made adulting stickers {I didn't hit snooze!}, luggage tags, and paper succulents. I've made custom state trucker hats with the EasyPress and I've shared which machine I like better {the Silhouette or the Cricut}. The answer might surprise you because I've been a loyal Silhouette owner for nearly 10 years and now I'm sharing with you my latest DIY, these custom leopard print ballet flats.

I'm all about neutrals and basics when it comes to my wardrobe and I rarely buy anything on-trend that won't last multiple seasons. I've never been a big fan of the animal print, though this season, the leopard print is growing on me, I'm not sure how long it's going to stick around. It's why I made these leopard print flats. I took a plain ballet flat and added metallic adhesive foil vinyl so that once the trend has run its course, I can remove the vinyl and have my plain shoes back again. Genius? Maybe. Easy? You bet!

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What Can I Make with the Cricut EasyPress?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

One of my favorite things to make with my cutting machine is custom shirts. I'm a sorority girl at heart and if you don't have a shirt that says something happened, then did it really happen? One of my first projects after getting my cutting machine was making custom t-shirts for a yearly family Turkey Trot. We are entering the 9th year, and every year, I've designed and made a different t-shirt for friends and family that have wanted one. Every year, I use my iron to press each and every one of them and think, who needs a heat press when you've got an iron? Not me. 
That was until I started to notice that my heat transfer vinyl {HTV} wasn't sticking as well as it once had. Maybe I wasn't putting as much care and attention into pressing my iron or maybe the HTV was starting to change and wasn't sticking as well as personal cutting machines became more popular. Whatever the reason, I thought I could survive with just an iron, until I began to notice that every shirt I had made was starting to peel after just a few washes. I caved and got a Cricut EasyPress and I'm telling you, if you use iron on vinyl more than once a year {and that's probably all of you with a cutting machine like a Silhouette or Cricut}, then you need an EasyPress. So what can you make with a Cricut EasyPress and why do you need one? Read on my friends, I'll tell you why I'm completely sold on this new addition to my craft room!

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So Which is Better, Cricut or Silhouette?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

I received a cutting machine for Christmas in 2010. I jumped onto the Silhouette bandwagon and knew for sure that this machine would take my crafting to a whole new level. And it has! At the time, Cricut had a cutting machine that was dependant on cartridges. I didn't like being limited in my designs. I liked the idea of having a design space that was only limited by my own imagination. That's not to say that there wasn't a steep learning curve. I'd spend days designing and creating birthday invitations for my daughter. At one point, I did the math and found that each invitation cost me around $115 to create!

I have watched Cricut grow and evolve through the years and from the sidelines, I saw them making some pretty amazing advancements for a cutting machine. Heck, a machine that could cut leather, fabric and felt? You've got my attention. Talk about upping your craft game! When Cricut invited me to try out one of their Cricut Explore Air™ 2 machine, and write an honest review, I jumped at the chance. So here you go, an honest review from someone who isn't new to the cutting machine game.

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How to Make a Large Frame Wood Sign for Under $10!

My favorite projects are always upcycled projects. If you've been reading along for any length of time this wouldn't be a surprise to you. It's part me being super cheap and part resourcefulness. I've always had a knack for being able to see something in a different way. Back when I started to DIY and craft Martha Stewart was big on the scene. I remember one time feeling inspired to create something she had shown on her show only to be disappointed that my limited budget couldn't {and didn't want to!} afford the supplies. I tweaked the project idea Martha Stewart had featured and used supplies I had on hand. The project didn't turn out exactly how Martha Steward had shown, but it had a Rachel flare to it that I liked better. 

I'm sure this is my own memory but it's my memory {and my blog, so roll with me}. One of the projects I remember reading about in the Martha Stewart magazine I flipping through at the library pre-thanksgiving the first year after I got married, had a project that required picking berries and then using them to create a dye that you would then use to color the tablecloth that you hand-stitched. I'm not kidding. I was crafty and resourceful but I wasn't crazy! And that's why I try to focus on real projects here.

It's why the final part of my tagline is real projects {real people, real projects, real life!}. I don't want you to feel like you can't make something. I never want you to feel limited based on your abilities or in your access to materials or heck, even intimidated by the process. The crafts and DIY projects I share are one-of-a-kinds, but they should also help you feel inspired to create your own, one-of-a-kind project using similar items, like this large wood frame sign. I see these all the time at thrift stores and garage sales so I know you have too. And if you don't shop second hand we can't be friends you might just have something similar hiding in storage.  Here's how I made a large frame wood sign for under $10 from an ugly castoff.

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Canvas Cactus Bag Tutorial with Tassels

There are some cities in our area that charge for bags now. I hate to pay for bags! I'll walk out with my arms overflowing dropping things behind me as I go just to avoid the 5 cents per bag they charge me. It's why I'm making more cute tote bags and leaving them in my car so that I can avoid the extra charge. I whipped up this cute cactus tote bag because who doesn't love a snarky cactus? I'm hoping people don't really try to give me a hug when I use this bag. I'm pretty sure I'm kind of prickly like a cactus if a stranger were to come in for a squeeze. The thing that makes this bag are the cute little embroidery floss tassels. Aren't they adorable? I'm showing you how you can make your own canvas cactus bag with tassels. It's sure to save you at least 5 cents. That is, if you remember to bring it into the store with you!

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DIY Personalized Wedding Gift Tray

The invitations have already started arriving in my mailbox for this summer. It's wedding season! I love creating fun easy personalized gifts for the bride and groom. The trick is to make something they are going to actually use too, not just something that will take up space. When I saw this blank tray at my local Goodwill, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it! Come see how I took this boring tray and created a fun personalized wedding gift that the couple is sure to enjoy.

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Take Your Letterboard to the Next Level: Using Die Cuts and Stickers

I am obsessed with my new letter board. I've been using it to make snarky sayings and general observations. I happened to be in the craft store the other day and started thinking about getting more letters for my board when I came up with a different idea. Why not use die cuts and stickers to create a fun playful effect? The possibilities are endless! I'm sharing with you what I did and how I got them to stick to my board AND be reusable. Get ready to take your letterboard to the next level with die cuts and stickers!

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White Pumpkin Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Forgive the dark and moody photos, but I've been dark and moody lately. I have no idea where October went. I swear we just started school a heartbeat ago but alas, it's time to move on and prepare for the next holiday. It's always kind of a weird transition for me from Halloween to Thanksgiving, but it wasn't that difficult this year. I had a fairly neutral decorating palate this year probably because I really dig white pumpkins. I always have. I wanted to help transition from pumpkins for Halloween to pumpkins for Thanksgiving and I think I came up with a way.

I created some pumpkin leaves, some with sayings, some without, and printed and cut them on my Silhouette machine. I'm sharing the cut file with you so that you can create some too. Come check it out!

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Faux Enamel Mug with Vinyl

It's never to early too start about crafting holiday gifts. Just ask Hobby Lobby. They've had their Christmas crafting supplies up since July! I digress...It's a great time to start thinking about those handmade gifts you want to make for the loved ones on your list. Who doesn't need a good mug? I found this faux enamel mug at TJ Maxx for a few dollars and it was screaming for some vinyl. I will say, it's hard to find plain mugs now days. When you do, it's like finding a unicorn! OK, maybe not that rare, but for all the crafty folks who want to make and create their own design, when you find them, you better stock up!

So what do you do once you find that elusive blank mug? I've got all the details for how you can create your own design and what kind of vinyl you should be using to make that design last.  Are you ready?

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Digital Dudz DIY Halloween Costume with Layered HTV

I wasn't lying when I told you last week that I was not even a little bit ready for Halloween. My youngest son was playing a game on the computer when he saw an ad for a costume he just had to have. Well played marketing director at Digital Dudz. Well played. Neither of us had ever heard of this company before so I had to look it up. I'm going to assume you are just like us and have no clue either so let me explain. Digital Dudz are digital t-shirts for those people who may not want to dress up in more than a t-shirt but still look like they put a little effort into it. This is perfect for that middle school boy who might think they are too old for a costume but still wants to dress up. 

Long story short, we looked around and couldn't find any of the t-shirts he wanted in stock. We had just days to get the shirt in the mail, but shipping was estimated for the second week in November. That wasn't going to work. So we decided to put our heads together and we DIY'd our own Digital Dudz t-shirt that is going to work perfectly for Halloween. I actually made my 12 year old do most of the work, and he is wearing that shirt with pride. Come check out how you can make a DIY version in under an hour. Perfect if you are still looking for that last minute costume idea or maybe you just want something nobody has seen before.

 

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Sweet as Pie Printable Gift Tag

Did you know that Walmart has these little boxes of mini pies in their bakery for fifty cents? Seriously, this has got to be one of the best buys out there right now. Can you imagine having these as favors at a wedding or a fall party? You could even give them as gifts to your friends. I decided that to make them an even better gift to give, you need a printable gift tag to go with them. I've got one for you, plus, if you want to design your own gift tag, I'm telling you step by step how I did it in PicMonkey  {one of my favorite design softwares} and then cut it on my Silhouette Cameo.

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