Okay honesty time: I feel like I’m the worst gift giver. Whenever it comes to holidays, I struggle finding the perfect gift for that special someone. And I always wished I could be craftier but now as a full-time entrepreneur, my time is super limited. Still, I want to show my daughter, Lucky, that it can be fun to create personalized, unique gifts you can’t just find inside a store. With Father’s Day around the corner, it is the perfect time for me to brush off my DIY skills and to try the beloved Cricut Joy™. And I am so glad I did as I was able to make many custom gifts for my own dad and husband, including matching father-daughter t-shirts, coffee tumblers, custom cards, and even more!
This blog post is sponsored by Cricut™
About the Cricut Joy™
I have heard so much about the Cricut Joy™ and how easy it is to use to make DIY items and gifts. And let’s just say I AM OBSESSED! I totally see what the hype is about and have had a blast playing with it to make items for both my own dad and husband. At first I was a bit scared, but with using the Cricut Joy™ and Smart Materials™ I was able to create customized and unique shirts, aprons, cups and card. Not only did I make them super fast but I also had fun while creating the gifts!
The Perfect Gift for My Dad
With the pandemic, I have relied on my parent’s help to watch my two-year-old daughter, My dad, who retired right before the pandemic, has been super helpful with watching her twice a week as well as on the fly. His help allowed me to work my 9 to 5 and business with a peace of mind. I wanted create a gift for him on behalf of my daughter to thank him for sharing his time and retirement with her. Since he loves to BBQ and cook, it was a no brainer to create a customized apron for him along with a sweet card.
How to Use the Cricut Joy™ Smart Iron-On
After snagging an apron, I chose a simple graphic via the Cricut Design Space™ app. I then sized it for the pocket area and quickly printed it using Cricut Joy™ Smart Iron-On™ in Silver. I’ll admit, I was nervous if it would apply to the thick apron I chose. But with using the Cricut EasyPress Mini™, Raspberry made it incredibly easy. Small yet mighty, the Cricut EasyPress Mini™, Raspberry heats up fast and has adjustable temperatures depending on the fabric you are using. And the quality of the Smart Iron On is amazing! It so smooth and durable! I’m pretty proud with the way this apron came out for my dad and know he will be using it often to cook BBQ all summer.
Matching Father-Daughter Shirts
For Zell, I really wanted to create a gift that showcased the bond between he and Lucky. While Lucky is certainly a mini me girlie girl, she truly is a daddy’s girl. Zell is in the military so he doesn’t always get to see the funny faces and mannerisms that she has of his. Sometimes it seems like Zell was copied and pasted into Lucky, the girl version of himself.
To share their connection, I thought it would be fun to create personalized shirts for them to wear together.I bought matching grey shirts but decided to use two different color iron-ons. For Zell, I wanted something bold yet masculine and went with the Cricut Joy™ Smart Iron-On™ in Gold. For Lucky’s shirt, I wanted something a little more girlier and used the Cricut Joy™ Smart Iron-On™ Glitter in multi. I simply just chose a simple font within the Cricut Design Space™, sized based on the shirts, and quickly printed them out. Ironing them on was a breeze and loved how the results came out!
Personalized Coffee Tumbler Using the Cricut Joy™ Smart Vinyl™
Zell is a daily coffee drinker and always on the go so he’s always in need of a new coffee tumbler. I snagged a new one for him and decided to personalize it using a Father’s Day decal I found via the Cricut Design Space™ app. To ensure it would apply to coffee tumbler, I used the Cricut Joy™ Smart Vinyl™ – Permanent in silver and then used the Cricut Joy™ Transfer Tape to easily and quickly apply the decal to the coffee tumbler. I’ll be honest: it was a bit tricky making sure that this decal showed up clean without any extra or unneeded vinyl. But Cricut made this easy by using the Weeder from the Starter Tool Set to ensure I got the small letters and pieces clean before using the transfer tape. I can already tell that the Smart Vinyl is going to stand up to the wear and tear Zell will put it thru. And now every time he drinks his coffee, he’ll have a sweet reminder of how much he’s loved.
Easy Personalized Cards with the Cricut Joy™ Card Mat
To round out all these gifts, I then made cards for both my dad and Zell using the Cricut Design Space™ app and selecting two of the Father’s Day templates. Creating these cards was so much fun, mixing and matching colors between the Cricut Joy™ Insert Cards, Princess Sampler and the Cricut Joy™ Insert Cards, Sensei Sampler. All I had to do was insert card using the Cricut Joy™ Card Mat and it was a literally breeze. I quickly had two customized cards. Let’s just say I may not ever buy a store bought card again!
If you’ve been on the fence in terms of trying the Cricut Joy™ and doing more DIYs, I think you need to run – not walk – and snag this small yet might tool! Not only great for Father’s Day gifts and DIYs, I will be using it for years on end. I’m already thinking of the items I can personalized in our home and special items to make next and know it will be fast and easy with the Cricut Joy™.
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