5 Little Monsters: I'm New Here Baby Bodysuit + 5 Things I Love About my Cricut Explore Air 2

I'm New Here Baby Bodysuit + 5 Things I Love About my Cricut Explore Air 2

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




About 3 1/2 years ago I got my first Cricut Machine and it was pretty much love at first sight. At the time I was pregnant with my youngest son and the first thing I made was a little shirt for him. I loved how quick and easy it was. Since then I have owned a few different machines as they have come out with new ones. My first machine was a Cricut Explore Air, then I got an Explore Air 2, and finally a Maker.



All of them have been great machines and because the Maker is the newest machine and can do some things the others can't you hear a lot about it, but the truth is the Explore machines are great too, and the Explore Air 2 is a great machine for someone who isn't going to need the extra features of the Maker, or maybe has a smaller budget. It can still do a lot and cut tons of different materials. So let's talk about what makes this machine so amazing, here are 5 things I love about my Cricut Explore Air 2.


1. Easy to Use


The Cricut Explore Air 2 is easy to use,. I did not feel like there was a big learning curve when getting started with this machine. It is easy to set up, connect to your computer or tablet (I love that you can connect wirelessly via bluetooth), open up Design Space, and start cutting. A knob on the side lets you select the material you want to cut, or turn it to custom to get even more setting options. 


2. Iron On and Vinyl Cutting


One of my favorite things about my Cricut is using it to cut iron on. Seriously, a whole new crafting world opened up to me with the ability to cut iron on. I could also include vinyl here. These to materials have allowed me to make so many more things, and to make things so much easier. Cutting vinyl to put on a sign or use as a stencil to paint a sign versus trying to freehand paint, huge difference. When my kids come to me at 8:00 at night to let me know the next day is a Spirit day at school and they need a specific thing to wear, no big deal, Cricut to the rescue. Need a baby gift? Iron on and a plain baby bodysuit = super cute, personalized gift in no time at all. And you can cut the new Infusible Ink with the Explore Air 2 as well (that is what I used for the project in this post).


3. Huge Variety of Materials You Can Cut


Iron on and vinyl may be my favorite materials to cut and the ones I use most often, but the Explore Air 2's abilities go far beyond that. You can cut so many different materials with the Air 2. This is probably the area where the decision between a Maker and an Explore Air 2 most comes into play. There are materials the Maker can cut that the Air 2 can't, or that the Maker can cut a little better. But, that being said, there is still a lot that the Air 2 can do. There are over 100 materials that the Air 2 can cut including:

  • All of the different types of iron on, regular, glitter, holographic, foil, etc. 
  • adhesive vinyl, including chalkboard vinyl, adhesive foil, glitter, outdoor vinyl, printable vinyl, and more
  • Paper, cardstock, posterboard, vellum, etc.
  • faux leather (or even regular leather with a deep cut blade)
  • printable materials like sticker paper, magnet sheets, vinyl, and iron on
  • party foil
  • bonded fabric or felt 
  • and so much more

4. Quick Projects


One of my very favorite things about using my Cricut is how quick most of the projects are. I love to crochet but even small projects can take quite a bit of time. With my Cricut I can get projects done in hardly any time at all. Sometimes I really want to make something but only have a few minutes. I love that I can sit down with a plain t-shirt and roll of iron on and in just a few minutes have a finished shirt. Often the longest part is actually designing the project, but once it is designed I can make it as many times as I want in a fraction of the time. 


5. Great for Making Gifts

I kind of mentioned this before but one of the things I really like that sort of ties into all of the other things is how easy it is to make gifts. Sometimes it is easier to help my kids make something to take to a friends birthday party than it is to actually take them to the store to pick something out, maybe that is just because I hate going to the store with kids though. I like to keep a little stash of blanks on hand that I can easily add iron on or vinyl to, like baby bodysuits, t-shirts, tote bags, and wooden cutouts. Even if you have something you bought for a gift it can be nice to add a personal, handmade element to your gift. Like a package of diapers for a new baby, along with a little shirt or bib. 

You can also make easily make a card for any occasion, as well as gift tags, and little boxes, bags, and envelopes to hold small gifts. 

And along those lines, today I am going to share a simple little baby bodysuit I made. This was made using the new Infusible Ink, cut on my Explore Air 2, and pressed with an EasyPress 2.


How to Make an I'm Here New Baby Bodysuit with Infusible Ink


You will need:



Instructions:



Cut out of Infusible Ink transfer sheet, place transfer sheet colored side up and don't forget to mirror your design. 

Weed the image, don't forget the tiny center of the R like I did. 


Heat the EasyPress to 385 degrees, place the bodysuit on the mat and put the white cardstock inside. Lint roll the bodysuit to remove anything that may be on the shirt. Preheat for 15 seconds.

Place the design colored side down on the shirt, cover with butcher paper, press with light pressure for 40 seconds.

Carefully lift the press and peel off the transfer sheet to reveal the design. 



Posted by at
Labels: , ,

1 comment :

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )