Retro Cool Cricut Mug & Coasters

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hey!

Happy Wednesday! I'm back with another fun project created with my Cricut Maker - I've explored testing out this sweet machine with fabric as I start my sewing adventure, glitter iron-on materials as it joined forces with the EasyPress 2 so what's left to try out? Yup, good ol' vinyl.

I've always been a fan of a vinyl project, mainly because it's such an easy medium to work with that's super-quick for adding a personal touch to objects. So, without further ado you'll see hat I've used new technology to celebrate old technology with this floppy disk mug.

It was sooooooooooo easy to create; the floppy disk design can be found on Cricut Design Space and all I had to do was resize the image to fit my mug. I'm impressed at the accuracy and intricate detail the Maker cut from white vinyl - I mean, have you seen that tiny decimal point on the reference to the size of the floppy disk?! Amazing! I'd always recommend using the Cricut Transfer Tape to transfer the vinyl design with ease and precision - it makes sure that all of those teeny, tiny elements stay in place *wink*.

This mug was designed for my husband; Mr Gray is a geek at heart and has a soft spot for retro technology. Given that I'd designed this for the front of the mug, I couldn't resist adding a sentiment to the reverse side:

I was happy with the mug as it was, but decided to go just one step further and create a co-ordinating double-sided coaster. Well....I actually made two so I could shoot both sides of them in one go for you!

The coasters utilised the EasyPress 2 and must have taken all of 10 minutes to make, if that!

I can confirm that Mr Gray loves his new mug and co-ordinating coaster and he's fully aware not to pop the mug in the dishwasher. With vinyl it's best to always gently wash any decorated items for longetivity.

Now you don't have to go all 'old school cool' with this technique. The beauty of Cricut Design Space means that there are literally hundereds upon hundreds of designs you could use and so many different colours and varities of vinyl that the looks you can create are endless! So next time you're out and about, grab those inexpensive coasters and mugs and discover just how fun it can be to customise them!

Speaking of coasters and mugs, I think it's time I signed off to fill my own mug with a cuppa. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Cricut EasyPress 2 Review

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hey!

Happy Wednesday - we're halfway through the working week, though mine is proving to be a busy one this week as I'm heading away for a business trip to Germany tomorrow. Kinda hoping I may find some yummy pretzels on the way...*wink*

Anyways, enough about my working week, I'm here with a review of a hot product on the crafty market (I mean literally H.O.T.) - the Cricut EasyPress 2 9" x 9" plus the Cricut EasyPress Mat in size 12" x 12".

Cricut kindly gave me these product to review and here is my honest account of them. Firstly, let's take a closer look at the Cricut EasyPress 2. Now I'm a convert when it comes to playing with Cricut iron-on materials as you may see from past projects here, here and here. In fact, I still treasure this 'Hello' bag I made at the Cricut event waaaaaaay back in 2014.

For these previous projects, I'd cut my project on my Cricut Explore and use my iron to apply the iron-on material. Completely logical, right? So what's different with the Cricut EasyPress 2 and why is it better over a regular iron? Well let me list the many reasons why:

1. EVEN APPLICATION OF HEAT
This EasyPress 2 features a super-smooth ceramic-coated heat plate in sizes beyond that of your regular iron in three sizes: 6" x 7", 9" x 9" and 12" x 10". There's a size for every project, but for me and my needs the 9" x 9" is juuuuuust right. No more moving the iron around over an iron-design to make sure it's all received the same application of heat - hurrah!

2. EASY TO USE
Now I'm not saying an iron is hard to use (well...if it gets me out of regular ironing then I'd argue it!) but this machine is so incredibly easy to use. Simply use the interactive or downloadable guide to say what material your Cricut iron-on material is and what you'd like to apply it to and you'll be told the exact temperature required and pressing time. Simply input that in the EasyPress 2 and you're ready to go!

3. PROFESSIONAL RESULTS
Now, this is the biggy for me. An iron will apply iron-on material just fine, but you need an even heat and pressure over the design if you want it to be durable wash after wash. The EasyPress 2 does just that - especially when combined with the EasyPress Mat.

4. SAFETY
Another biggy here - especially for accident-prone peeps like me! The EasyPress 2 comes with an Insulated Safety Base that protects the heat plate. As an added bonus it's pretty too! I mean, have you ever seen a prettier Insulated Safety Base? I thought not.

This base means you don't have a hot plate exposed to accidental touching like I do with my iron. Even better, the EasyPress 2 will also automatically turn off after 10 minutes of inactivity as an additional saftey feature.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
When you open the EasyPress 2, Cricut share in the excitment with their fun branding and design:

I love how Cricut make you feel so special when you open one of their products - it's that attention to detail that gets me smiling like the Cheshire Cat!

You can get started straight away as Cricut kindly include a cotton drawstring bag and a sparkly green Cricut logo iron-on design! I'm saving the bag for a future project, I just need to decide what to put on it...

So that's the EasyPress 2. Now let's look at its partner in crime: the Cricut EasyPress Mat. Now this is not complusory to have alongside the EasyPress 2, but it definietly aids in achieving that professional finishing result thanks to the technology it incorporates. You can use a regular folded towel under your projects, but the EasyPress Mat features five layers of heat-resistant, moisture-wicking insulation and this is key for achieving that durability with iron-on designs. The mats come in three different sizes, each one complementing each size of the EasyPress 2 family.

Now, let's have some fun and combine the Cricut EasyPress 2, the EasyPress Mat, the Cricut Maker, some gorgeous gold glitter iron-on material to show just how easy it is to create your own iron-on projects!

STEP 1 - PRE-WASH YOUR ITEM
Whatever you're going to apply your iron-on to, it's recommended that you pre-wash it without fabric softener. This helps to improve the durability of the finished project.

STEP 2 - PICK A DESIGN
There are soooooooooooo many designs you can choose from in the Cricut Design Space library - many specifically designed for iron-on designs. Some of them are free, some you have to pay a small price for. I wanted to customise a black tote bag with artwork I'd purchased from Etsy by liliumpixelsvg, and the joy of Design Space is that you can do this with no problem whatsoever and for free!

STEP 3 - CUT THE DESIGN
Don't forget to mirror your design when cutting it from iron-on material! Also place the iron-on material shiny side down onto the mat.

You can leave the Maker to it, but I can never resist watching the cutting process  - it's quite hypnotising!

STEP 4 - WEED THE DESIGN
Basically, remove the background from the cut design. This is easy done when combined with the weeding tool. I find it quite theraputic!

STEP 5 - SET UP THE EASYPRESS 2
Simply access the interactive guide here or download a guide to determine the settings required on the EasyPress 2.

Input the required temperature and timing into the EasyPress 2.

A green light will show and it'll  beep to let you know when it's ready (another feature I appreciate!)

STEP 6 - PREP THE BASE MATERIAL
Place the base material (in my case, a tote bag) on the Cricut EasyPress Mat (or alternatively a towel) and apply the EasyPress 2 on top for five seconds to withdraw any moisture. This step is really imporant to achieve that durability - don't skip it!

STEP 7 - PRESS IT, BABY!
Position the iron-on design on the project and press the EasyPress 2 on top for the required amount of time by pressing the Cricut button to activate the timer. You don't need to press down super-hard. Then flip over the project and press the reverse side of the project for 15 seconds.

Again, this is an imporant step for durability purposes so don't skip it!

STEP 8 - PEEL AWAY
Depending on the material used, peel the shiny backing of the iron-on design away while the project is still warm or when it's cooled. The interactive and downloadable guide will inform you whether to adopt a warm or cold peel for you project.

STEP 9 - TA-DAH!
Your project is complete!

Allow 24 hours after application before washing and always wash and tumble dry the project inside out.

I think I'm going to find it hard to part with this bag, much like the first 'Hello' bag I made back in 2004, this one is going to stay with me. *wink*

I hope you found this review and project useful! I'll be back with more in the future for sure. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Making it with the Cricut Maker...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Hey!

Happy Tuesday! How the heck did it get to March already? Spring is waiting ever-so patiently to arrive here, but winter wanted the last word this past weekend which was fine by me as it gave me the perfect opportunity to play with a new crafty toy: the Cricut Maker!

Now those of you that follow me on my crafty adventures know that I'm a huge fan of Cricut since I got my crafty mitts on the Cricut Explore One waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2014. I loved that it opened doors to experiment with a wide variety of crafts and introduced me to fun with iron-on materials, vinyl and more.

When Cricut reached out to ask if I would review and play with the Cricut Maker I was thrilled. I've been eyeing up these mystical Makers and wondering if it was something I was missing out on. I didn't make the jump from the Cricut Explore Air to the Cricut Explore 2 as I felt that I could get along just fine with my Air. But was I right in thinking that I was missing out with a Maker?

In a word, yes. That's the short answer and based on the fact that this machine opens a whole new world of creative opportunities with the cutting capabilities and tools available. At the core of this is the Maker's amazing adaptive tools system that can hold tools such as the rotary cutter and knife blade:

That rotary blade cuts through fabric like a hot knife through butter with extreme precision. It's also a much safer option than your traditional rotary cutter for accident prone peeps like me! I found that I normally had to add a backing or stabiliser when cutting fabric with my Explore, but with the Maker and this blade I simply pop my fabric on my FabriGrip mat and let the Maker do the rest. No stabilising required whatsoever! I can't wait to find time to play with felt - hello, felt flowers!

The knife blade (not included with the machine) cuts with 10 times more pressure than the Explore Air 2 so thicker materials are no problem for this machine. If you like experimenting with materials such as leather and wood then this a the game changer. Don't be fooled by its strength though: this machine can also handle delicate materials too such as crepe paper.

That adaptive tools system hosts a variety of other tools that can be purchased separately. Along with the knife blade I’ll be eyeing up the scoring wheels. The good thing is that I can use my scoring stylus from my Cricut Explore Air while I wait as it fits the Cricut Maker.

If you're already familiar with the Cricut machine family, then you'll know and appreciate that extra detail they go to upon opening the box to guiding you through your first project. It's no different with the Maker.

Oh, and did I mention it also features a handy stand for your iPad/tablet? Don’t even get me started on how much I love designing on the Cricut Design Space app on the iPad: I can be designing on the go (or curled up on my sofa) whenever inspiration strikes! :)

Here's a breakdown of what's included with the Maker:

• Cricut Maker® machine 
• Rotary Blade + Drive Housing 
• Premium Fine-Point Blade + Housing 
• Fine Point Pen, Black 
• FabricGrip™ Mat, 12" x 12" (30.5cm x 30.5cm) 
• LightGrip Mat, 12" x 12" (30.5cm x 30.5cm) 
• Welcome Book 
• USB cable 
• Power adapter 
• Free trial membership to Cricut Access™ (for new subscribers) 
• 50 free ready-to-make projects, including 25 sewing patterns 
• Materials for a practice project

Now, it wouldn't be right if I didn't share a project with you that I created while testing out this machine. I set myself a real challenge as I wanted to test that rotary blade with fabric. I wouldn't call myself a sewist, but I do have a sewing machine and I've found myself wanting to play with it so I was hoping that the Maker would make this easy for me. Typical Aimes here picked not a beginner but an intermediate project, but the fact that the cutting was all done for me by the Maker and that full instructions were provided through Design Space gave me the confidence to try. Well....the instructions that showed all I needed to do was stitch straight lines anyway!

Now don't look too closely at the stitching, but that fact I was able to whip this up as a total newbie to sewing got me excited!

Anyone for tea? 

I'm now eyeing up the rest of the fabric I've hoarded along with all of the other materials I've got stashed in my craft room and feel totally inspired to cut into it and make something of it!

So, do you need a Cricut Maker? In my honest opinion it depends entirely on what kind of crafter you are and your budget. The Maker is more expensive than the Explore Air, but offers so much more versatility. This is a machine that is going to grow with me as I try my hand at projects beyond papercraft and vinyl. That's exactly what I thought I was missing out on by not having one. I know that I am going to get some serious use (and fun!) out of this machine.

Right, I've shared one project with you but I have so many more crafty Maker adventures to share with you soon....Watch this space!

Creative forces unite!

Hey!

Hooray for the weekend! It's started here now as I've got today booked off work to take a trip across to see my buddy Caryn as we head across to Port Sunlight for the Happy Stampers festival tomorrow. I can't wait!

But I'm guessing you're not here to check in with my weekend plans, you're here to see something crafty! I've been meaning to share this project with you for ages, but had to keep it top secret as it was a birthday present for my sweet friend (and fabulous colleague) Natalie!

Natalie's birthday was approaching recently and my talented friend and colleague, Vicky, and I were discussing what we could buy for her. After lots of ideas, we figured that seeing as we're both creative peeps, why not create something for Natalie from our heart? A gift that no-one else on the planet has in their possession. An exclusive piece of our crafty endeavours just for her! And so the idea was born to combine our skills and get busy.

We knew that Natalie is a fan of Mexican sugar skulls and upon seeing some sugar skull wrapping paper in Paperchase, we decided that this had to be our theme. A little short of cash to send Natalie on an all-expenses paid trip to Mexico to celebrate Cinquo de Mayo, we opted to get busy with my Cricut Explore, some black glitter iron-on material and an image of a sugar skull.

Vicky, my technical, kick-ass teamie was challenged to find an image of a sugar skill that we could use. As a talented Art Editor this proved to be no problem for her and she gave me the following image to work with:

I think I got the easy part of the deal as I had to simply upload this file (ours was saved as a .png file) to my Cricut Design Space and click go! Here's how it's done just to show you how easy it is:

Step 1
I logged into the Cricut Design Space and clicked on upload image. I clicked on 'Basic Upload' as we were working with a .png file:

Step 2
I upload my file and clicked that this is a simple image to edit. A pure black and white image - it doesn't get much simpler!

Step 3 
I then edited the image by clicking on all of the white areas of the design to remove them and make them transparent. I need these to be negative spaces for the cut lines to be on the edges of the black areas.

Step 4 
The next step shows how the image will cut before saving it. The red lines are the cutting lines. You have the option to go back and make further changes if you need to, or if you've missed an area.

Step 5
Then I saved my image and inserted it by finding it at the bottom of the 'Upload Images' tab (along with others I've uploaded and  used in the past!)

Step 6
Here's the image ready to work with. I simply changed the size of it for the canvas bag - so easy! Just remember that if you're working with iron-on material and your design is not symmetrical you'll need to click the mirror-image box after clicking on the 'Go' button. :)

Then it was a simple case of ironing this onto a canvas bag and the job was done! A creative present that Natalie liked so much that she wants to frame it rather than use it! Well, that's what she's told us anyway, I hope it's not because she doesn't like it! ;)

Creative forces unite! Vicky and I made a pretty good team and the best part was that this image was FREE! Yup, remember that you can upload your own .png and .svg files for your Cricut Explore to cut for free. Total bonus!

Well, that's all from me today as it's time to drive across the peaks to the Wirral for a good catch-up with a good friend! I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Paper Crafter's Library: Featured Artist

Hey!

Happy Good Friday Eve! I'm just popping by today to let you know that I'm flattered to be the Featured Artist over at the Paper Crafter's Library. I've created an exclusive project for them which contains some of my favourite things: Crate Paper, Studio Calico and Clearly Besotted goodies.

Oh, and I've also thrown in some gold sparkles thanks to the product that I can't get enough of at the moment: Cricut Gold Iron-on Glitter material. I love the shed-free sparkle it adds to a project and it's a bonus that it works in my Cuttlebug with my dies.

So if the sneak peek above has you curious, be sure to check out the full feature here!

I'll be back tomorrow with some Clearly Besotted sneak peeks! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hello...?

Hey!

Hello? Is anyone there? Well after a near two-month blogging break I'm wondering if anyone might actually be visiting by here anymore! To anyone who is reading this, welcome! It's been a while and a lot has happened in the meantime (more on that later though!) but the main thing is that I'm B.A.C.K. :D

It certainly feels fabulous to be back blogging and I'm going to be sticking around over the next few days with some serious enabling of the new Clearly Besotted February release!

Oh it's felt so good to get back on the CB bandwagon and get busy with these amazing goodies. The release is available to purchase from 5th February 10pm (UK time) and there's something for everyone! From cute to contemporary, CB has it covered. :)

I thought it might be tough to get back into the cardmaking habit for the blogeroo after so long away, but when you have yummy products to work with it certainly kicks the mojo into gear. Today's card features stunning images and a sentiment from the new set, Sketched Blooms. I fell for this set instantly. The beautiful, detailed images. The wonderful font used for the sentiments. I think it's fair to say it's a favourite!

• The leaves appear behind the flower thanks to a simple masking technique. I always keep any masks I make for future projects too.
• Distress Inks were used to colour my images by tapping them onto my acrylic block, misting them with water and using them as watercolours.
• I placed the mask back onto the flower before adding some green Distress Ink splatter to protect the pink bloom. 

Well I'm sure you probably came here from Stephanie who is sharing a list of everyone joining in the release fun including our fabulous guest designers, Lucy Abrams, Jo Nevill & Jen Nelson! But if you haven't, then do pop across as there's plenty more enabling to be done!

***Warning! Plenty of non-crafty pictures ahead! Please feel free to hop along!***

As for me, I mentioned that a lot had happened in my near two-month blogging break. Christmas came and went and I've been creating a lot for publications that I can't really share here yet. But most importantly, I gained a husband, changed my name and had the best day ever. Our wedding day! Yup, I'm now Amy Gray and I'll be updating things with my new name in time. I could seriously bore you all day week month about our wedding but I won't. I'll just leave you with some pics from the talented Jo & Simon from Shoot Lifestyle Photography:

We kept things non-traditional and both got ready at home. I loved how casual the morning was - not a single nerve was felt by this bride!

I love that we have pictures to treasure of our home. We're lucky to live in a hall from the 1600s and seeing as we're looking to move soon, we wanted to make our home a big part of our day.

I debated on paper flowers for my bouquet (after all, I am a papercrafter with hay fever!) but I'm so happy that I opted for real flowers. I had pussy willow in my bouquet as a tribute to my dear dad who passed away two years ago. I think he would have loved the fact that it complemented my faux fur coat too. A happy coincidence.

I couldn't get my craft on half as much as I would have liked to but I did love creating our cake topper thanks to a Lia Griffith template to use with my Cricut Explore. :)

We had every weather going that day. Snow, rain, hail and fortunately some winter sunshine - just in time for the photography! :)

We were married at Chatsworth which is beautiful in itself, but at the same time sentimental to me. It's where I spent many summers growing up, jumping in the river from a rope swing (which you'd never catch me doing now!)

Though you can catch me jumping on a horse for a photo opportunity! It was much easier getting up there than it was getting down...

I'm pretty sure that's enough for you but just in case it's not (Ha! Who am I kidding?!), the extremely talented and lovely Jo and Simon from Shoot Lifestyle Photography have shared more pictures here. We can't thank them enough for the precious moments they captured.  Oh and the miracles they can work with a camera too! :)

And if you're still with me after all of that, thank you so much for your patience with my blogging break and for stopping by today. I'll be back tomorrow with another CB sneaky peek!

Kid's got a brand new bag....

Hey!

I told you I'd be back with something crafty this week and here it is. Albeit a previous project I'm yet to share with you, but it still counts, right? ;)

Over the past few months I've been on an exploring adventure with my Cricut Explore and found a reason to enjoy some time ironing. I know, you heard me right. This machine, once teamed up with Cricut Iron-on material, has me loving ironing. I never thought I'd say those words. Ever.

We've celebrated a few special occasions that the Cricut Explore has catered for perfectly. I decided to create some personalised tote bags to celebrate my guy's goddaughter's first birthday. Nothing but pink glittery sparkles for the special little lady. :)

So impressed was I at the ease of creating the design, that I tweaked it to celebrate the arrival of our friends' baby boy.

I though this tote made a sweet way of presenting the gift we'd bought the happy parents. It literally took minutes to make which is always a bonus as this was a last-minute idea of mine. :)

I was surprised a few weeks ago to receive a request from our friend to create two more bags for her to give to her friends' children as gifts. I think it's safe to share them on here now - it was probably safe to share them as soon as I made them but you never know who may be peeking at your blogeroo. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram you may recognise these bags as I snapped them during the creative process on the ironing board. :)

It was just a case of opening up the previous design I'd saved on the Cricut Design Space software and chaining the names. The only thing I had to double-check is that I'd spelt the names correctly. I had. Phew!

That's all from me today, thank you so much for visiting and I hope I've managed to show you that ironing can be fun. Well, fun when it's in the name of creating anyway! ;)

Products Used

Cricut Explore Machine

Cricut Iron-on Glitter, Pink

Cricut Iron-on Lite, Teal

Pack of 10 Natural Cotton Shopping Tote Bags - Shoppers

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