Cricut Expression 2! Christmas came early friends!

I'm sure I say this in all of my blog posts, but I have a Cricut. For the past few years I have been using the 6" Cricut--which I do not knock--I loved that Cricut and have made many many lovely things on it. However, my projects are getting better and so should my Cricut so for Christmas my parents got me the new Cricut Expression 2! So I though I would share some the awesome features.


 

*One thing I really like is that it comes with two (or if you go all out and get the 5th year anniversary edition, four) cartridges preloaded. Pretty good ones at that! One is called "Cricut Alphabet" and the other "Cricut Essentials". You also get the flip books, which I think is nice. I always like to have the physical books infront of me. When you turn the Cricut on, they are always in the menu.
* The Expression 2 has the Cricut Design Studio build into it. This means you can flip and manipulate images!
*LCD touchscreen, no more keyboard. This feature also eliminates the need for the size, depth, and speed dials on the sides.
*As you can see from the picture, there is a light on the cutter! This is much more helpful than it looks! When your mats lose a little bit of sticky, it's nice to see what is cutting and if something gets snagged.
*One way they have updated the size, depth, and speed dials is preset options. You can set your settings name it and save it. Say you are cutting a cotton fabric. You can set your speed, depth, and pressure and name it "cotton fabric" and the Expression 2 will remember and let you pick that again.
*There is also a wi-fi option, I haven't used this yet, but I believe this works with the "Craft room" part of Cricut.com
*The Expression 2 also works with the original Cricut cartridges, and the immagine cartridges-however it will not print, just cut.

Those are just a few of my favorite features so far. When I learn more I will keep you all updated on my project endeavors.
Here is a video I found to be helpful from Provo Craft, the people who make the Cricut.

"Love Birds" wall hanging how to

Much like many of us, I have succumbed to the fall fashion trends and I am into birds. I love the shapes and all of the different things you can do with birds. I recently made a wall hanging for the living room in my home that is pretty simple.

You need:

A 4”X16” wooden wall hanging

2 bird cutouts

2 small jewel stick on gems

“Love Birds” chip board or letter cutouts

Branch cutout

Buttons

Black paint

Paint brush

Glue

12”X12” paper (yellow luster)

The first thing I did was paint the border of my wall hanging black; then I covered the inside with my 12”X12” paper. I covered the inside with paper because I really liked it, it would probably be easier to paint the inside as well.

After you have your surface finished I added my branches then placed my birds, with jewels as eyes, on. Once I had my birds where I wanted them I added my buttons along the branches. I used different colors and sizes, however they were all mat and fit my color scheme. This is something I played with until I had the right combination and placement. I then placed my “Love Birds” phrase down. Once I knew everything was in place I glued it down.

If you wanted to Mod Podge this wall hanging I would recommend doing it before placing the jewel eyes on your birds and the buttons on.

As a modification, you could also use button as eyes, and even place jewels on top!

How to make an easy and cute fall wall hanging

As fall is mid-way through, I thought my first craft I would bring you is a fall wall hanging. It’s pretty simple and easy to modify if you choose to have a different saying or picture.  

The supplies needed are:

1 pumpkin cutout

1 “Autumn Blessings” cutout

Various leaf cutouts, amount depending on the size of your plaque

1 wooden wall plaque (I used 9”x13”)

1 bottle of dark brown crafting paint

1 bottle of cream crafting paint

Foam or regular paintbrush

Glue/ Mod Podge

Ribbon (optional)

Sand paper

The first thing I do to all of my wooden wall hangings is sand them down. I think that the paint looks better on a smooth surface. Once your wooden plaque is sanded down, apply 1-2 coats of the dark brown paint and let dry. Once dry, apply 1-2 coats of the cream paint, once dry give a light sanding to the outside edges to give a warn look.

Apply your pumpkin and “Autumn Blessings” with a thin coat of glue, making sure to coat the entire surface of the cutout completely. Using too much glue will cause your paper to buckle and give your hanging an uneven look. Once all the cutouts have dried I applied 1-2 coats of (matte) Mod Podge to seal all of the cutouts onto my wall hanging. This will also help seal any edges down that may have pealed up while drying.

Some wall hangings you purchase at craft stores come with nail brackets on the back, others come bare. I like to add ribbon with hot glue to smaller wall hangings. It gives them a more decorative look and is a simple solution for hardware free wall hangings!