This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
When I bought my first Cricut Explore Air, my entire crafting game changed, it opened up so many possibilities. It is still, years later, an amazing machine that I LOVE using and I recommend to all my friends and family.
The Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut and write up to 2X faster than previous Cricut Explore models, and cuts more than 100 materials — everything from cardstock, vinyl and iron-on to specialty materials like glitter paper, cork, and bonded fabric. From cards to custom T-shirts to home decor, Explore Air 2 makes it easy to realize your creative vision. Design on the go on your laptop, iPad or iPhone. Browse and play with thousands of images, fonts, and ready-to-make projects. Or create your own design from scratch.
5 Things I Love About My Cricut Explore Air 2
Versatility– This is hands down my favorite thing about the Cricut Explore Air 2. It is for any kind of crafter. You are a scrapbooker? This is perfect for making your own die cuts and frames out of paper. Do you want custom shirts? No problem, it cuts heat transfer like a dream. Tumblers and picture frames are more your scene? Vinyl is super easy to cut with this machine.
Personalization! I went a little crazy when I first got my Cricut and I was slapping names on everything! It is just so easy. I love that you can make the perfect gift for any occasion.
Teeny Tiny Cuts – One of the biggest reasons I ended up going with a Cricut was how intricately it can cut. With my Cricut, I have cut tiny designs small enough to use on manicures and large enough to cover a whole wall.
Super User-Friendly – The Cricut Explore Air 2 is such a simple machine, that anybody can learn to use it! Even people who struggle with computers will find this machine and its software easy to walk through and understand. It is absolutely the best machine for a beginner.
Huge Library of Images OR upload your own! – The Cricut Explore Air 2 is perfect for any user level. You can subscribe to access to use their library of thousands of images or you can upload your own SVGS or even trace your own pictures. It is incredibly easy to find anything you could want to create.
Personalized Spirit Bows
To help you see some of the things I love about my Cricut Explore Air 2, I am going to walk you through how to make personalized spirit bows!
Beginner? No worries! Start here: A Beginner’s Guide to Crafting With Cricut to learn some basics.
You will need:
- Cricut Explore Air 2
- Cricut EasyPress Mini
- White Heat Transfer
- Spirit Bow in your school’s color
When you open the new Cricut Design Space, it will look like the photo above. The top banner will be followed by projects that you have created. You can see some of my latest projects like the cat shoes, I just made for my little one. Below your projects will be Make It Now Projects, a fun variety of predesigned projects that are great when you are looking for something cute and fast to make. To get started in the New Cricut Design Space, hit the plus sign on the left-hand side of your projects.
After you select New Project, a blank canvas will open up for you. The canvas is a grid, so you will be able to see exactly how big your project is. Each of the little squares is an inch.
Huge Library of Images OR upload your own!
Select the image button on the left-hand menu bar. It will list the price of using each individual image and if the image is included in the Access subscription. If an image is included in the subscription, you will see a little green A right by the image.
In the top left corner, you will see a search bar. Use that search bar to type what you are looking for. For this project, we are looking for a Lion, you will look for whatever your school mascot is. You will see a variety of different options, find one you like, click on the image and then hit the green Insert Images button in the bottom right corner. Once you have inserted the image into your project you can resize it and move it around. Resize the image by clicking and dragging on the double arrow symbol that appears when you have the image selected. There is also size box at the top of the screen that lists how big the text or image is, you can adjust the width and height here if you don’t want to manually toggle the blue arrow key.
Personalization!
Once you have your elements, measure your bow and resize your items. I resized all of my elements to be two inches wide.
Add a text box and type the name you want to use in it. I used the font Cricut Sans for my name. Change the fonts of each line by clicking on the line and then selecting a font from the drop-down menu in the top left corner.
Teeny Tiny Cuts
Weed off the excess, by peeling a corner and taking away the negative parts of the vinyl. When you weed, make sure to watch that the little tiny elements (like the claw points) don’t come up with the excess but stay on the sticky sheet with the design. Look how well it cut all of those lines!
Cut apart your elements on lay them on your bows. Use the Cricut EasyPress Mini and press down on all parts of the design for at least 30 seconds.
Peel off the plastic carrier sheet and you have cute personalized bows!
Repeat the process for any additional school colors or spirit items! I used a lion and paw prints.
There you have it! The perfect school uniform accessory. Who would you make a spirit bow for?
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