5 Reasons I am Obsessed with my Cricut Explore Air 2
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
I have had my Cricut Explore Air 2 for a couple months now and each time I use it I fall more and more in love with it. It makes such a huge difference in my creating process. I find myself making projects just so I can use my Cricut because it is so satisfying to use and extremely helpful.
I thought I was all done making things for Christmas but then I realized I didn’t have ANY gift tags and I knew that would make the best project on the Explore Air 2. So today I want to share with you my top 5 reasons why I am OBSESSED with the Cricut Explore Air 2 and how I made the CUTEST fabric gift tags!
1. The Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut so many different materials! There are so many possibilities with this machine it really is endless. I love that I can cut out fabric, vinyl, leather, cardstock, and SO MUCH MORE! I have been playing around with all the different products that the Explore Air 2 can cut and have found it to do an amazing job cutting the finest details in a piece of glitter vinyl or on a piece of stiff felt. I LOVE that it can cut fabric so easily and beautifully!
For my gift tags I cut out tags using the fabric from a cricut tote bag. I have found that the BEST way to get an amazing cut of fabric on the Explore Air 2 is to back the fabric with Heat n’ Bond. If you do that then you will have no troubles cutting fabric. I cut enough pieces for a front and a back for 8 tags.
2. The second thing I am OBSESSED with on the Explore Air 2 is that I can create and design my projects straight from my phone or ipad. All I need is the Cricut Design App and I am ready to create no matter where I am.
When I decided to make gift tags I was watching TV but was able to pull out my phone right then and start creating the project. It was perfect because I didn’t loose that spark of inspiration but instead was able to capitalize on it in that moment. I decided to do four different pictures, one for each member of our family. I went to the Cricut Design Space to see what was already available and found do many great designs. I chose to do a Christmas tree, a truck, a reindeer, and a gingerbread man.
I also never realized how annoyed I am by a bunch of cords everywhere, but having Bluetooth between the machine and my phone has been AMAZING! No need for extra cords and it leaves more room for creating!
3. Cutting out fabric is probably my least favorite thing to do while sewing and The Explore Air 2 fixes that completely. I can cut out any project that is max 12” by 24”. It does the cutting much quicker than I could ever cut out by hand giving me more time to create.
It even cuts faster than any other machine previously released and there is a fast mode that cuts 2X’s faster! Talk about making my projects so much easier and quicker to make!!
To cut out my gift labels it took about 1 minute to cut out 8 labels, when it would have taken me probably 5-10 minutes. Like I said above, once backed with heat n’ bond, the Explore Air 2 cuts the fabric beautifully.
4. While creating my gift tags I was having to switch between the fine point blade and the bonded fabric blade. I also needed to switch between tools to weed the fabric and the Infusible ink sheets. If your anything like me, I am the messiest crafter and tend to miss place tools all the time while I’m crafting. But that is the great thing about the Explore Air 2, there is so many storage options that everything has its place and won’t get lost in the shuffle of crafting.
I used the buffalo check Infusible ink transfer sheets for the shapes on my gift tags and they turned out so cute! I love how quickly I can transfer the machine to cutting out the transfer sheets to cutting out fabric. This was my first time using the Infusible ink and I LOVE how it turned out. I can’t wait to make more projects with it!
5. When I got the Explore Air 2 I was worried I would have a really hard time figuring out how to work the machine and the software but boy was I mistaken! Cricut does an amazing job offering resources for you to learn all you need to create the perfect project. I love how the machine is very straight forward. There is an open button on the left and a dial on the right to pick what you will be cutting out. Below the dial are three buttons, one for loading, one to cut, and one to pause the cutting.
After cutting out the Infusible ink for the gift tags, I placed it on the tags and used the Easy Press Mini to transfer the design following the heating guide you can find here. The colors and pattern turned out better than I expected! I love how fun it makes these tags.
I finished the tags off by sewing around them with a gold thread and attaching gold thread at the top to then attach the tags to the presents. Ribbon would also look really great here, I just wanted to keep with the gold theme. I love the pop of sparkle the gold adds and how the buffalo plaid gives it a little more spunk!
These gift tags are a great way to personalize any Christmas present and will last year after year! Using my Cricut Explore Air 2 elevated this project to another level I wouldn’t be able to reach on my own, and I am OBSESSED!!
Happy Creating Friends!!
