One of my very favorite wedding presents was a box full of random holiday decorations - one for each holiday. It was brilliant, absolutely genius. It is the perfect present for someone in transition - leaving for college, living in a first apartment, just married, starting a new job, or even living in the hospital. Here is how you can make your own to give:
Supplies: Cricut Explore, a few different colors of cardstock paper, washi tape, string, mason jar, paint, paintbrush, and chalkboard vinyl.
Process: I wanted to keep the decorations small, manageable, and simple, so banners became the perfect option. In the Cricut Design Space just search for the object you think represents each holiday perfectly. After selecting the shape, adjust the size to about two inches. Then, go back to the search section and grab a simple circle. Shrink it down and place where you want the hole to go on your object. Then simply press attach. Last, duplicate as many as you want to make (I did between 7 and 10 for each object). You can also type in a phrase such as "Happy New Year" for a banner by adding text. I wanted to give the gift in a mason jar for easy wrapping + storage. I painted the inside of the jar with an acrylic paint and topped it with a 2.5 inch circle made from chalkboard vinyl.
Time: This took about two hours to make. But now that I have the shapes saved, I feel confident I could make it in 30 minutes, tops.
This is my first holiday season with something like the Cricut Explore and I have to say that I am really excited. If you are expecting a gift from me, you better get ready for something handmade and by handmade I mean Cricut-made. I have so many ideas for wrapping, gift tags, crafts, garlands, boxes, decorations, etc. that it literally keeps me up at night. Ha! And now they added a print and cut capability that adds another dimension.
This project was submitted as an entry into the Cricut Design Star challenge. Cricut has asked a number of bloggers to enter projects with specific themes as a fun way to test out the Cricut Explore. I chose to participate in this group because I honestly believe the Cricut Explore is a game changer in the world of crafting and, really, who doesn't love a little competition on the side.
