So you got a Cricut Explore Machine One or Cricut Explore Air for Christmas, now what?!?! I got an Explore One last year for Christmas and I LOVE it! Here are pictures of some of the things that I have made.
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I made this customized sign using the Cricut Explore and a wood slice. It was an awesome wedding gift!
Want the ability to easily make a personalized wedding gift or perhaps some unique home décor? Then you might find Cricut electronic cutting machines to be the best DIY crafting tool since the sewing machine.
I designed and created the Personalized Cricut Sign using the Explore for a wedding present. The bride and groom loved it!
I made this fun snowman card using the Cricut Explore. I designed it in Cricut Design Space, which was pretty easy. I like how you can see the size of things before you cut them. For example, with the Expressions, you think cutting something at 2″ is the right size, then it turns out much smaller than you imagine.
This Snowman card was so much fun to make. The snowmen are on the Snow Folks Cricut Cartridge, but I didn’t have it. However, it was included with my subscription to the Cricut Craft Room.
Creating your own projects is fun, but one of the coolest things about the Cricut Explore Machine is all of the free projects that the Cricut Access Subscription offers. There are always free images and pre-made projects. I love going there when I’m stuck for an idea. See all the Free Projects in Cricut Design Space.
I turned this gold Dollar Store Bucket into a beautiful Christmas Decoration by adding a gold strip of glitter and the work “Joy” in adhesive vinyl using the Cricut Explore.
This Gold Joy Bucket was such a simple project, yet it’s beautiful! I was so happy with how easy it was and how pretty it turned out.
These Halloween Mason Jars were such a fun project. You only need a few supplies to create a great project!
You will be surprised how easy these Halloween Mason Jars are to make.
There are two machines that Cricut currently offers on their site:
Cricut Explore One™
Cricut Explore One™ is a simple design-and-cut system. It’s versatile, easy to use, cuts very precisely, and is also incredibly affordable. With its irresistibly low price and limitless cutting potential, the Explore One is perfect for a new or beginning crafter. Here are a few notable features of the Explore One.
With the Cricut Explore Machine, you can design and cut monograms and personalized out of heat transfer vinyl. I made these monogrammed shirts for my daughter and her bridesmaids.
Materials to Cut With the Cricut Explore Machine
All Cricut Explore machines can cut an unbelievable variety of materials, for example:
- Paper
- Vinyl
- Iron-on
- Craft materials
- Upcycled materials
- Fabric
- Plastic
- Thick materials
Use the Cricut Explore to create handmade cards. There are tons of shapes for every occasion, frames, decorative accents, and sentiments available in Cricut Design Space. Click the image for more details.
Precision – Features Cut Smart™ technology, which allows you to cut a wide range of shapes and sizes with exceptional precision, from ¼” tall up to 11½” wide x 23½” tall.
Smart Set® Dial – Each machine features a Smart Set® dial, which sets your settings (e.g. speed, pressure, etc.) for you so you don’t have to keep track of them. You just select the material that you’re using on the Smart Set® dial and the machine’s Cut Smart® technology will deliver a clean, professional cut.
Images and Fonts – You can upload your own images and fonts for free on all three Cricut cutting machines.
Cartridges – Both machines work with any Cricut cartridge and have the capability to hold all of your cartridges “virtually” in the cloud within your Cricut Design Space online software. So once you’ve loaded a cartridge, you’ll have it everywhere you go.
Cricut’s Design Space™ and iPad® app – All Cricut Explore machines work hand-in-hand with Cricut’s Design Space™ (for PC, Mac®, iPad®, and iPhone®) that you get access to for free.
Cricut Explore Air™
The Explore Air is the whole kit ‘n caboodle. It offers all the impressive features mentioned for the Explore One, but two key things set it apart:
- It has a dual carriage for cutting and writing or cutting and scoring in one step. If you do a lot of paper crafting, this is the machine for you!
- It has built-in Bluetooth® capability. You just use Cricut’s free iPad app and design anything you want from your iPad, just like you would on your home computer, but with the convenience of being able to take your projects with you anywhere. Then, you can just wirelessly send your project from your iPad to your Explore Air to bring it to life.
Now that you know a lot more about how Cricut Explore® machines work, I’ll focus next week’s post on how you can design here, there and everywhere with Cricut Design Space. You’ll be blown away by how easy it is.
Lorrie Nunemaker on YouTube has great videos showing you how the Cricut Explore works and the fun projects you can make.
Until then … Happy crafting!
This is Part 2 in a series. If you missed the other parts, visit Part 1 Cricut Explore Machines, Part 3 Cricut Design Space and NEW iPhone App, and Part 4 Cricut Explore Inspiration.
