Just got my NEW Cricut Explore Air 2 and I’m telling you 5 things I love about it and why I think you’ll love it, too!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
You all know I love my Cricut Maker, but the Cricut Explore Air 2 needs some love, too.
I mostly work with paper and vinyl projects, so the Explore machine does pretty much everything I need it to do.
If you’d like to see the difference between the two machines, check out this comparison chart.
Now, before I get on with my list, let’s see what this baby can do! Here’s a tutorial for creating these adorable Glitter and Felt Hair Bows with the Cricut Explore Air 2.
Glitter and Felt Hair Bow Supplies
- Cricut machine like the Cricut Explore Air 2
- EasyPress Mini or EasyPress 2 (see which one is right for you HERE)
- Hair bow Cricut Design Space Project
- Cricut Felt (I used both the Spring Rain set and the Carousel Set for these)
- Cricut Mat
- Glitter Iron-on Vinyl
- Large Hair Clips
- Small Hair Clips
- Glue Gun (check out my other favorite adhesives)
- Scissors and Weeding tools
Cricut Explore Air 2 Hair Bow Instructions:
- First, open the hair bow design in Cricut Design Space and click MAKE IT NOW. Tip: You may also tweak the design to your needs by clicking CUSTOMIZE.
- Send the document to the Cricut and place the materials with the corresponding board on the mat. You will use a regular blade for all these items.
- Once the felt and iron-on is cut out, weed the vinyl and cut around each bow with scissors.
- Heat up your EasyPress mini. Tip: There is only one setting for the mini. If you have another size, use the EasyPress Guide.
- Place the cut out vinyl sticky side down on the cut out felt and heat it for about 10 seconds. For the larger pieces, do one section at a time, then smooth it over the whole piece.
- Pull off the transfer paper and repeat for the other bows.
- Glue one end of the larger bow piece (the one without the pointy edges) to the other end. It will make a circle like the image above.
- Now place some glue on the inside and middle of that piece, then fold it so it forms a bow.
- Glue the bow to the back piece of the bow.
- Fold the small piece to the middle of the bow and fold it in the back and glue that, as well.
- Glue the bow to the larger or small bow clips and that’s it!
Aren’t these adorable? I need a friend with a toddler to give all these little hair clips. My daughter has gobs of hair and needs the larger ones and I just can’t stand the cuteness of all of these.
I mixed and matched all the hair bow colors, so feel free to try your own designs with the Cricut Explore Air 2!
Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.
Scroll down to see why I LOVE my Cricut Explore Air 2!
5 Things I Love about the Cricut Explore Air 2
- PRICE – starting at only $250, the Cricut Explore Air 2 is so affordable. I’ve used mine to create home decor, gift ideas, and party crafts. It has more than paid for itself!
- COLORS – You all know I LOVE some bright colors and it was incredibly hard to choose between them all. Ultimately, I went with Fuchsia…but you can choose from red, lavender, light pink, mint, raspberry, black, and sky blue. They are always creating new colors, and I’ve found they’re a bit more fun than Maker colors.
- CUTTING PRECISION – the Cricut Explore Air 2 always cuts SPOT ON for cutting out printables and small items. These bows are teeny tiny and it still cut them out perfectly.
- MATERIAL RANGE – while it doesn’t cut thicker materials like the Cricut, this machine still cuts through over 100 different materials, like Cricut felt (obviously), vinyl, iron-on, bonded fabric, infusible ink, faux leather, card stock and more! You can also purchase the deep cut blade for thicker items like Kraft board, poster board.
- EASE OF USE – like I should you with this tutorial, you can simply click an item in Cricut Design Studio and make it right away. Cricut has so many projects to choose from and you literally have to click a button and turn the dial on your machine when prompted.
And because I can’t limit it to just FIVE, I also love that you can draw with the pen tool, upload your own SVG files and create custom designs. It really is a great machine for anyone starting out!
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