Cricut 101- Is It Worth It? and a Unicorn T-Shirt

-This post is sponsored by Cricut, all opinions and ideas are my own. This post contains affiliate links-

I have had my Cricut for nearly a year now and I have really loved having it. It has been a fun addition to my craft room and I use it all the time. For a while now I have been wanting to start a regular blog series about using the Cricut. I want to share lots of little tricks I have learned, fun things you can do with your Cricut, and answer questions you may have about Cricut machines. Before I got my Cricut I would see all of the projects people made with their cutting machines and think it would be really fun to have one. There seemed to be so much stuff that you could do with them. But then I would think about the cost and I wasn't sure it was really worth it. I mean, it looked like it would be cool but would I really use it enough to make it worth it. Then an opportunity came up for me to get one, and in full disclosure it was in exchange for a blog post so I didn't have to pay for it, and I was able to try it out and see how much I would use it and whether or not it was worth the expense. I think that is one of the first questions that a lot of people have when it comes to items like this. It is kind of like getting a sewing machine if you don't sew a lot, or kitchen appliances that you may only use once in a while. Is it worth the expense? I think the answer to that question will vary from person to person but I can share the ways that I use mine and maybe that will help someone decide whether or not it would be worth it for them.


One thing to remember when deciding whether or not to buy a machine is that there are a few different models so depending on your needs and budget you can pick the one that is the best fit for you. There are also frequently sales so you can watch those and maybe get a better price. The differences between the models are that the least expensive, the Explore One, has only one tool holder (so you cant cut and write or score without needing to change out the tool) and it does not work wirelessly without an adaptor so if you plan on using the mobile apps this may not be the best choice for you, if not you will have your computer right there so it probably isn't that big of a deal to plug it in. In fact, the first machine that I had had bluetooth capabilities but I always just plugged it in, it wasn't until I got my newest machine that I started using it wirelessly. The next model up is the Explore Air which can hold 2 tools and can be used wirelessly. The newest and most expensive version is the Explore Air 2 which can do the same as the Explore Air but in addition to that it also has an option to cut twice as fast.

A Cricut can cut lots of different materials so there are tons of projects you can use it for. I have never been much of a paper crafter so I don't use mine for a lot of paper crafts but some people do. I will say however, even if you don't do a lot of paper crafts you can keep a stack of solid colored cardstock on hand and some gluesticks and it is great when you need a card at the last minute. The thing that I use mine for the most are vinyl projects and iron on and of the two of those I probably use iron on the most. I think for me it is my favorite because I can incorporate it into other crafts I already enjoy like sewing (like in these Valentine bags, or this pillow), and I can easily make things for my kids based on things they, or we,  like (like the geeky onesies I made for Ben, or the little activity bags or Christmas shirts I made for my girls). It is also great for really quick baby gifts, cute little onesies take no time at all to make and you can make things that are specific to that person (like this onesie for my sister-in-law who had an arrow theme in her nursery, or this onesie perfect for new parents). I have even used my Cricut to help a group of scouts make t-shirts for a campout. It is kind of cool to be able to  make whatever you want and put it on something. You can subscribe to Cricut Access where you can find lots of fonts and images, you can purchase fonts and images, you can use the fonts you have on your computer and upload your own images, or you can even make your own designs using basic shapes and the slice and weld tools. All of these I will talk about in upcoming posts but suffice it to say that there are lots of ways to use and get designs. For me having a Cricut has been awesome and given me the ability to make lots of projects that I wouldn't have been able to before.

Because I didn't want this post to just be talking about Cricut machines without sharing a project I decided to make my daughter an I Love Unicorns shirt. If you have seen some of my previous posts you know that my 4 year old is currently obbsessed with unicorns so I thought it would be fun to make a unicorn shirt for her. I made it using elements found in Cricut Access so I am including a file that is free to use with Cricut Access. I used Iron On Foil which was something I had never used before but I thought it was perfect for this project, nice and shiny and girly. She insisted that she needed a skirt to wear with her new shirt, she wears dresses or skirts pretty much every day, so I found some unicorn fabric and made her a simple skirt (the same way I made these skirts).

How to Make an I Love Unicorn T-Shirt

You will need:

• Cricut Explore, Explore Air, or Explore Air 2
• Design Space File
• Mat
• Iron on foil in light gold, violet, and pink
• scissors
• t-shirt
• iron
• pressing cloth

Instructions:

Cut out the design space file, be sure to put your foil on the mat shiny side down and reverse your images (check the little box), I used gold for the I, pink for the heart, and purple for the unicorn.

Cut out the around your images and place them on the shirt where you want them to go. I put them all on so that I could make sure everything was exactly where I wanted and then took two pieced off and ironed them on one at a time. 

Cover with a pressing cloth and iron on one at a time, peel of the plastic layer after each one. 

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