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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The Ultimate Guide to Using a Cricut Machine

Cricut machines are such a versatile tool to help empower you as a crafter and DIY enthusiast and to help you bring your creative visions to life with ease. Whether you're a seasoned crafter or a beginner looking to dive into the world of personalized crafting, learning how to get started with your Cricut machine is the key to unleashing your creativity. I've had various cutting machines since 2010, and there is always a learning curve. And of course, there's always a chance to learn more even if you already think you know what you are doing! So dive in with me and check out this ultimate guide to using your Cricut cutting machine!

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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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A Beginner's Guide to Using Your Cricut

You just got a Cricut machine and you’re so excited to use it, but you are feeling overwhelmed and a little bit lost. Cricut is one of the most popular cutting machines in the whole world, and this is one of the best, most user-friendly options available out there. So before you make your first cut, here is a beginner’s guide to help you get started.

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Introducing the Cricut EasyPress 3 and the Cricut Hat Press: An Honest Review

Are you ready to take your crafting and creating to the next level? Cricut has done it again with two new user-friendly products I want to introduce to you today. I had the opportunity to get both the Cricut Hat Press and the Cricut EasyPress 3 before the launch so that I could give them a try with the new Cricut Heat App and let you know what I thought. Know what I thought? It was amazing.
Seriously. I'm not going to lie, I was slow to join cult Cricut. I was team Silhouette all the way. Back in the day, Cricut just wasn't keeping up with the technology {cutting cartridges anyone?}, and Silhouette had the far superior product. Every time I sat down with my Silhouette to do something it was a process. If you've been around long enough you'll remember these very basic birthday invitations from 2012 that took me a whole week to make! I've spent hours designing and printing and cutting, throwing away expensive materials and hours of my time. That is until I had the opportunity to try Cricut back in 2019 and I've been singing a different song ever since.
Know the short answer of what I say when people ask me what I think of Cricut? I say I think they are the most user-friendly product that will allow you to craft and create just about anything you could imagine. And you know what, these new Cricut products are just adding to the family of user-friendly products that will help you take your crafting to the next level. I know you are going to want to see what's possible so read on!

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The Ultimate Back-to-School Experience with Cricut

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own.
I've had kids in some form of school since 2000, so after 21 years, I feel like I'm probably some kind of expert. I have a closet stocked full of frequently used school supplies because you don't ever want to run out! With my youngest entering into his junior year of high school, there are fewer back-to-school supply shopping lists and more of finding supplies that work for each kid. My teens are beyond particular about what pens and pencils they use and while I liked multi-subject notebooks for notetaking, I can't get anyone else on board with my system! Everyone has their own thing and that's totally ok which is why I LOVE using Cricut for all of our back-to-school supplies because it allows us to be creative with otherwise ho-hum supplies. And there's nothing more teens like than having their own unique style and with the Cricut, you can make that happen! Come check out how I elevated some plain school supplies and made them into something my teenager would love to go back to school with.

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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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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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Personalized Picnic Backpack with Cricut for the Perfect Fall Bucket List Afternoon

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
Most people love fall! Probably because the change of seasons gives some relief from the sweltering heat of summer. Crisp fall days are just calling for an escape outdoors to soak up the beautiful weather before winter creeps in. If you are planning your perfect fall bucket list, add to that list a fall picnic. I've got everything you need to personalize a picnic backpack with Cricut to help you enjoy the perfect fall picnic!

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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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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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DIY Removable Vinyl Wallpaper made with the Cricut Joy

I have one space in my home that is solely my own. I don't have to share the space with anyone and other people's personal effects rarely creep into it. It's my master bedroom closet. It's been my favorite part of the house since we moved in and it's seen its fair share of transformation through the years. This latest transformation is one of my favorites. It's an idea I've had brewing and am so glad I was able to make it come to fruition. When I got my Cricut Joy earlier this year, I have been calling it my small but mighty crafting tool. This little workhorse was all I needed to create a HUGE transformation in my favorite space. And I did it in a flash!

I made my own DIY removable repeat pattern vinyl "wallpaper" with the Cricut Joy and it's something awesome. I mean, flamingos. Come on. Keep reading and see how easy it is to make a complete transformation of your space and quickly and easily personalize just about anything {including your walls!}, with the Cricut Joy.

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How to Make Your Own Vintage Style Varsity Sweatshirt Using the Cricut Explore Air 2

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own.
One of my earliest memories happened when I was shopping at a garage sale. I was barely school-aged buying some newborn baby clothes for my dolls. I remember digging in a cardboard box for the perfect yellow pajamas with snaps in the smallest size they had and offering up the quarter I had in my sweaty palm. I haven't stopped buying second-hand clothes and love that I can take someone's trash and make it my own treasure! Check out how I upcycled my own DIY varsity vintage sweatshirt using the Cricut Explore Air 2 and some garage sale duds I bought for $1.

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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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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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DIY Patio Update on a Budget with the Cricut Explore Air

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut for Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.
I always hated yard work. I'm not sure if it was because so much of my time as a new homeowner was spent weeding during my kids' naptimes only to find myself in an endless loop. It seemed that as soon as I started weeding one area I'd return to where I started only to have to do it all over again. It was exhausting and not one where I could really enjoy the fruits of my labor. My kids have gotten older and I have been a homeowner for two decades now and I'm cautiously going to admit that I think I've fallen into a new love of gardening. It's so satisfying to see new life bloom, spread, and grow and I'm getting more confident in my skills that now it seems like I can sit back and enjoy it. Which is why creating an outdoor patio area where I can sit back and relax is important to me.
Like all things, I'm always on a budget and hit my local thrift shop for some items to help me upcycle my patio space just in time for summer. I used my Cricut Explore Air 2 and I'm excited about the fun updates. I'm going to show you how you can take some thrift shop finds and update them to create a space you can enjoy all summer long! 

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Personalized DIY Love Letter Anniversary Box for Him Made with the Cricut Joy

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own. 
Things have changed so quickly in the past few decades. My husband and I met and started dating in college in the late '90s. The internet barely existed and during the first summer we were together, 2500 miles separated the two of us. Long-distance dating isn't for the faint of heart, and home phones and calling cards were our reality. We knew exactly how much it cost per minute to talk on the phone, and since several times zones separated us, we wrote a lot of letters. A lot. I'm fairly certain the reason Hallmark stayed in business was because we both bought cards on the regular from there. {Thank goodness for my Cricut Joy now so I can make my own cards for a fraction of the price!}. We just celebrated our wedding anniversary, and instead of tucking away our old love letters in a box in the garage, I pulled them out and made a personalized DIY love letter anniversary box for him using the Cricut Joy. It's such an inexpensive way to store special memories but with the personalized vinyl using my Cricut, it sure looks like a million bucks! 

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Creating Boho Bedroom Decor with the Cricut Explore Air 2

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own.
We are in a transition phase of our life where we have more bedrooms that are empty than full. We've got young adults who are moving out on their own {and even buying their own houses!} and while I've had a few naysayers tell me to save room because "they'll be back," I'm pretty sure the only time the big kids of mine will be back is to visit. I recently transformed one of the kids' bedrooms into a boho guest room using my Cricut Explore Air 2, and it's slowly becoming my favorite room of the house. I didn't have a huge budget to work with, but it's easy to DIY on the cheap making something custom you love using the Cricut.

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Personalized Holiday Gift Using Handwriting with the Cricut Joy

There is something distinctive about handwriting. Handwriting is very personal and in a world where everything is typed and texted, those personal connections are becoming a lost art. Finding something written by someone close to you who has since passed, can immediately tug at your heart.  You can identify the loops of the letters or the scrawled cursive to the one who created it. Creating a personalized gift with someone's handwriting creates the ultimate gift to give this holiday season. I'm going to show you how you can take a handwritten note, a recipe, or a signature and create a keepsake gift using the Cricut Joy. 

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