Crafting with the Cricut Explore Air 2

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

Lately I haven’t been able to do as much crafting as I’d like to. I have plenty of time and ideas for projects, but over the past year or so I haven’t been doing that well. I began to have slight pains in my hands and quite a lot of swelling. I was having a hard time gripping things and every little movement was painful. I was finally diagnosed with lupus and rheumatoid disease.

Everything immediately came to a stop for me, even diy projects and crafting. I slowly worked myself back up to holding a paint brush properly, but trying to cut paper or fabric became a real hassle. I invested in a paper cutting machine, but it didn’t work out that great for me.

The mats didn’t stay sticky so it constantly moved my cutting material around. I still had to use my hands to cut out small lines because the blades on my old machine wasn’t able to make razor sharp corners or turns. That just didn’t work for me.

I was approached by Cricut to see if I’d like to test out and review the Cricut Explore Air 2. I’ve heard great things about Cricut and have seen some of the most beautiful projects made by its users. I figured that things can only get better compared to what I was already using.

To be honest, I was a little intimidated. With my limited skills on a cutting machine and knowing that I won’t be able to live up to projects I’ve seen online, I thought I was definitely in over my head.

When the Cricut Explore Air 2 came I unpacked the contents. We all know I don’t like reading instructions before I use a new piece of equipment (shame on me), so I immediately plugged up the power cord and usb cable. So far, so good!

Since this is a Cricut and I did want to test out all of its functionality, I read through the manual and followed along with these cute little cards for a quick setup. I downloaded the software, which took just a few minutes and then set up an account with Design Space. I also noticed how much storage space the Explore Air 2 came with, for extra blades and pens.

When I finished registering and was fully logged in, I was blown away by how many projects that I wanted to try. On my first go-round I needed to do something easy. Cricut sent pieces of white, black, and blue cardstock, so that’s what I was going to use.

After I clicked on the card project a list of supplies needed to complete the card showed right there on the screen. It was so helpful because the last machine I used didn’t even have this option.

For the Make a Difference card I needed two colors of cardstock, a fine point blade, the fine point marker, and the light grip mat. I was used to using the mat from my old machine that I thought that if I used the light grip mat, then I’d still have to hold onto the cardstock so it won’t slip around.

That surely wasn’t the case with this one. The mat was a lot tackier than I expected. I even had to change the cardstock position on the mat several times (because my shaky hands couldn’t get it right) and the mat still worked perfectly and there wasn’t any lint or traces from the paper. I finally have the perfect mat!!!

After I placed the cardstock on the mat and fed the mat into the Air 2, I was ready to get this project started. I made sure that everything lined up in Design Space and that the design showed up properly.

The blinking Cricut light on the top gave me the ok, so I pressed it and watched magic happen. I was expecting for the Cricut Explore Air 2 to be as loud as my last machine, but I’m glad that I was disappointed.

No more loud noisy cutting! No more holding the paper while it’s cutting! No more crooked cuts from painful, shaky hands!

The cuts were fast (a lot faster than what I’m used to) and precise. I no longer have to worry about using scissors to finish the work my cutting machine didn’t get done. I loved how clean cut the Make a Difference card came out and how easy it was to put together! My new Cricut Air 2 did it all for me.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Cricut Explore Air 2 machine to anyone who is interested in some beautiful projects with tons of tutorials and free resources and for those who have hard times trying to grip the smallest objects or getting a cut straight. Plus, it cuts everything from regular paper, to fabric, and poster board. What more could I ask for?

Now that I have my new Cricut, you all will surely see more of me! If you have a Cricut, tell me what you love about yours!