Introducing Cricut Joy! and a Baby Bodysuit Decorating Station

-This post sponsored by Cricut all ideas and opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links-

Last week Cricut announced the addition of a new compact, smart cutting machine, Cricut Joy. This new machine joins the Explore Air 2 and the Maker to complete the Cricut lineup. I actually had the opportunity to get a preview of Cricut Joy about a month before the announcement and have been able to spend the last couple of weeks playing with the new machine.

Cricut Joy is a perfect companion to the other machines. Its small size makes it perfect for quick projects, especially if you don't have a craft room where your machine is out and ready to use any time. With Cricut Joy you can just pull it out at your kitchen table and cut out a quick project in minutes. It also brings new features like long cuts (up to 20 feet), and matless cutting when using new   Smart Materials.

As I was thinking about all of the cool features of this machine, one that really stood out to me, and that I thought I would personally appreciate the most in my own crafting is the portability. I love the idea of having a machine that is small enough to easily pack up and take places. It is easy to bring with you for craft parties, get togethers with friends, even for quick personalization at craft fairs.

Having the option to use materials that don't require a mat makes that even easier because that is one less thing you will need to bring.

One idea that I thought would be a lot of fun is a DIY baby onesie station at a baby shower. I have seen these done before where the host will precut a bunch of iron on designs that the guests can then add to the shirt (or other clothing item) of their choice. There can be some customizing with combining colors or maybe adding different precut elements to one shirt, but you are really limited to what has been cut out, both in colors and designs. Not to mention the fact that you may end up with lots of leftover pieces cut out that no one wanted to use.

I think Cricut Joy would be the perfect solution for this. Instead of bringing a bunch of precut designs, bring your Cricut Joy, a variety of colors of iron on (If you bring Smart Iron On you won't even need mats), and maybe have some designs picked out and ready to cut.

Everyone can choose a design, a color, a clothing item, cut, weed, and press. Quick and easy, and super customizable.

I made up a few examples of the kinds of things you could make and it was so easy. I chose pretty simple designs that only used one color to make it extra easy, and honestly, it was so hard to choose just a few because there were so many cute designs available to choose from in Design Space.

I made my designs with regular and glitter Smart Iron On, as well as one using Infusible Ink (which does require a mat to cut), but there are also patterned and holographic Smart Iron On available so you can have a variety of colors and types.

How to Make a Iron On Baby Clothes Station for a Baby Shower

You will need:

• a variety of plain baby clothes (you could use only bodysuits, or include other items like bibs, leggings, burpcloths, etc.)
• Cricut Joy
• a phone, tablet, or laptop with Design Space ready to use 
• a variety of Cricut Joy Iron On materials (choose a variety of types and colors to give lots of variety)
• (optional) Cricut Joy Mat- only needed if you use materials that require a mat (like Infusible Ink, or regular iron on that you have cut down)
• EasyPress (the small EasyPress 2 is perfect for baby shirts, or the mini is great for smaller items or designs)
• EasyPress Mat

Instructions:

Begin by opening Design Space and choosing your designs. I found so many simple designs that would be perfect for a baby, but you can find all of the designs I used HERE.

I think it would be nice to have a few designs chosen ahead of time that people can choose from, just to make it go a little quicker. 

Once they choose the design they want, and the color of iron on, you are ready to cut. 

Choose the type of cutting (matless or with a mat) and the correct material and you are all set. There is no load button on the Joy, just hold the material up to the feeders and it will sense it and load, then hit go on your device (phone, tablet, or computer)

Once the design is cut it is ready to be weeded. 

Then all that is left to do is press the design onto the clothing item. Use the heat guide found HERE to find the right temperature, time, pressure, and peel for the materials you are using.