Disclaimer: The content, thoughts and opinions in this blog are purely my own. I was not paid by Cricut however I was provided with a Cricut Maker, EasyPress2 and other accessories. This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at NO additional cost to you. I have provided links to the official Cricut store, International and Australian resellers.

Cricut Explore Air 2 (left) and Cricut Maker (right)

Choosing Cricut

Although I was a late adopter, I’ve now been a part of the Cricut family for a few years, and my Introduction to Cricut blog has been read by tens of thousands of people. Believe me when I say that I am one to do thorough research before committing to a system. As I know that I will be investing in accessories and products for many years to come, I didn’t want to purchase a system and then realise that it doesn’t suit my needs. As I am primarily a Calligrapher, I needed to be sure that the system I chose ticks all the boxes:

Accepts artwork from design softwares (like Procreate) I already use.
There were no additional costs involved with uplaoding my own artwork and projects.
Software (Cricut Design Space) to be able to vectorise my work as accurately as possible.
As most of my work is intricate, machine needs to be able to cut the finest of details (and hairline strokes!).
Accessories and products to be easily accessible and readily available to me (products are available at Spotlight, CraftOnline and Amazon, Amazon Australia, Cricut.com, etc.).
I was able to use my laptop and iPad with the machine wirelessly (via bluetooth) so I didn’t physically need to be next to the machine.

Although not mandatory (but definitely a bonus selling point for me), I wanted the machine to be attractive as it would be sitting in prime position in my studio. Cricut ticked all those boxes, including the aesthetically pleasing part, so I went ahead and purchased an Explore Air 2 with zero hesitation.

Cricut Explore Air 2 VS Cricut Maker - First Impressions

Even though I was 100% content with my Explore Air 2, when Cricut Australia approached me and asked if I would like to try the Cricut Maker, I thought, why not? It could only get better. And it most definitely is. Before now, I’ve mostly only cut vinyl and paper, I hadn’t had the urge to cut fabric or anything thicker than cardstock, but now that I can cut hundreds of different materials, maybe I will! Watch this space!!

From the get go, the build quality of the Maker looks even more robust. The champagne finish on the lid is gorgeous and the storage compartments are very well thought out. When I first inserted the cutting mat, I could already feel the difference in power of the wheels, stronger pull, greater control and precision than that of the Explore Air 2.

One noticeable physical difference between the Explore Air 2 and the Maker is that the Maker does not come with a dial with different settings. All the settings are controlled online, allowing you to select from over a hundred different materials and thicknesses to cut from. The Maker came with two blades; the premium fine point blade, and the rotary blade. I’ve since ordered the engraving tip (it has yet to arrive) and I’m sooooo excited to start engraving on materials like acrylic.

The rotary blade allows the machine to turn the blade rather than “drag” the blade, so cuts are more precise and intricate. Having up to ten times more cutting force means that I’ll be able to cut things like bass wood and balsa wood without cracking or tearing up the surface.

I’ll keep posting more about the Maker as I get more hands on with my new Cricut. Looking forward to sharing so much more with you here.

Shop

Cricut Explore Air 2 : Cricut.com, Spotlight eBay, Amazon Australia, Amazon
Cricut Maker : Cricut.com, Spotlight eBay, Amazon Australia, Amazon

Please note that this post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at NO additional cost to you (I have provided international links for everyone, but for Australian specific stockists, please click on the alternative links in the list below).

EDIT: This post was first created in 2018. Although the instructions and techniques are still relevant, I have since also posted about the Cricut Maker, Cricut Easy Press, as well as Cricut Infusible Ink.

Those who follow me on Instagram and Facebook will know how much I love my new Cricut Explore Air 2 machine and how much I love personalising things with it. I've received literally hundreds of requests to blog about how I do what I do with the Cricut, so here we go.

One of my most popular items in my shop last Christmas were my personalised mugs. So I decided to break it down for you, step-by-step. Although they can be fiddly and the steps may seem overwhelming, these are easily achieved using the Cricut.

Here's what I used (below are links to where you can find these items):

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (click here for Amazon Australia)
Procreate App
Procreate Brushes
Apple Pencil (click here for Amazon Australia)
Cricut Explore Air 2 ( click here for Amazon Australia and Spotlight eBay)
Cricut Gold Adhesive Foil (click here for Amazon Australia and Spotlight eBay)
Scissors (click here for Spotlight eBay)
Kassa Clear Transfer Tape
Cricut Weeding Tool (click here for Spotlight eBay)
Cricut Standard Grip Mat (click here for Spotlight eBay and Amazon Australia)
Cricut Scraper (click here for Spotlight eBay and Amazon Australia)
Cricut Design Space
Mug

To make this blog easier to follow, I have broken it up into three sections: DESIGN, CUT and ADHERE.

DESIGN

So before we can cut out our design, we need a design. In this tutorial I will be personalising a mug for "Danny".

IMPORTANT NOTE: For the Cricut to cut out my lettering, it will need to be in a .PNG format. I personally LOVE lettering on the Apple iPad Pro, using the Apple Pencil with the Procreate app. The Apple Pencil is only compatible with the Apple iPad Pro, so it won't work with any other iPad. My custom Procreate Brushes are available here. Procreate is also only available for iOS, so unfortunately for those using other platforms, the first few steps won't be applicable to you. (*Note: I was an avid Windows and Android user until I "needed" Procreate and the Apple Pencil, and now I am an Apple convert).

Step one: Open the Procreate App on your iPad pro and create a new canvas.

Step two: Select your favourite brush/es and create or letter the design you would like on your mug. My custom Procreate Brushes are available here. Try not to make your design too thin or intricate as it may be difficult to cut and adhere later.

Step three: Go into the layers panel and uncheck the background layer, making it transparent.

Step four: Select Share, and save Image as a .PNG file to your iPad.

CUT

Step one: Turn on your Cricut Explore Air 2 or other Cricut device. Turn the dial on your machine to Custom.

Step two: Open the Cricut Design App on your iPad and Open New Project.

Step three: In your Cricut Design App, Upload your .PNG Image and Select from Camera Roll.

Step four: Insert your image to your new canvas (the checkered background means that it is transparent) and resize the image to your desired size. When you are ready, click on Make It.

Step five: Cut a piece of adhesive foil to the size of your project. Stick it on your mat, coloured side upwards.

Step six: On the Cricut Design App, follow the prompts to set material to Adhesive Foil. I use the original Cricut Adhesive Foil as I find that it sticks well to smooth surfaces. If it's stuck down properly, you can wash the mug forever without the adhesive ever peeling off, and that's what you want.

Step seven: Next, follow the prompts to load the mat. And finally, CUT!

ADHERE

Step one: After the Cricut Design App tells you that cutting is complete, unload your mat.

Step two: Carefully peel your adhesive off the mat, and then peel off the excess foil and negative space (the transparent part of the design).

Step three: Using a Cricut weeding tool, carefully lift off the negative space in between the letters and in the centre parts of the letters such as a, g, d, e and o. Once you're done, your adhesive should look exactly how you'd like it to look on your mug.

Step four: Next, cut a piece of transfer paper/tape, the size of your adhesive foil design. I use Kassa Clear Transfer paper/tape (Use coupon code "LETTERME" to get 20% off your Kassa products) as I find that it works best with foil adhesive. To make alignment even easier for you later, the Kassa Clear Transfer Paper comes with blue gridlines. You can use the guidelines to cut your transfer paper to size (the lines are exactly 1 inch apart) and I love lining my work up to the gridlines to help keep my work straight.

Step five: Stick your Kassa Clear Transfer Paper over your foil design. Using the Cricut Scraper tool, go over the design to make sure that the transfer paper is properly adhered to the foil.

Step six: Slowly and carefully, remove the backing paper of the foil adhesive off the transfer paper. Be careful as to not touch the adhesive surface of the foil as the oils from your hands will effect the adhesiveness and longevity of your adhesives.

Step seven: Making sure your mug is clean, carefully line up the transfer tape with your foil design on to your mug. Using the Cricut scraper again, scrape down every part of the foil adhesive on to the mug, ensuring that all bubbles are removed.

Step eight: Carefully remove the Kassa transfer tape off your mug. Voila, your mug is complete!!

*Please note that Adhesive Foil is not recommended for dishwashers, and of course, do not ever put foil in the microwave!

Hope you've enjoyed reading this blog! Please "like" the blog and leave me a message!!

CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOGS: Hello Cricut Maker!, Cricut Easy Press 2 and Cricut Infusible Ink.