Please don’t shoot the messenger, but there are only 51 days to go until Christmas.
I know, time to panic. But gifting doesn’t have to be complicated.
If you’re worried about not being able to get it all done before Christmas (tell me about it) there’s one sure fire way to make your gifts seem like you’ve put in more effort than you have. Personalise them!
I’ve already put together a gift guide of the best personalised gifts, but if you’re thinking about how you can take your Christmas cards and decorations to the next level, look no further.
Every year, I make my own Christmas cards, and let me tell you: with a whole lifetime of practice, doing everything by hand takes way too long to make it worth it.
Luckily for me, Cricut is on my radar this year.
Earlier in the year, I got my hands on a Cricut Joy. If you’re not already familiar, these handy dandy machines allow you to customise your very own designs for cards, stickers, and decorations, which it then cuts out for you.
Yup, that means you barely have to do any heavy lifting to get a customised design that looks great.
Naturally, I’ve been fantasising all year about what I’m going to make come Christmas time.
But now, the brand has launched two new machines that will make my life so much easier when it comes to wrapping.
Absolutely top of my list is Cricut’s StickerPix machines, which print labels, custom stickers, cards, and photo prints in mere minutes. Phew.
There are two machines to choose from: Cricut StickerPix Print + Cut (£249.99), which prints, laminates, and precision-cuts custom stickers in minutes, and Cricut StickerPix Print (£159.99), which can do that and create personalised photo prints.
If you’re the type of family to make a group shot Christmas card each year, I imagine this will be absolute music to your ears, because it means you only have to upload a photo from your phone straight to the Cricut Design Space, and you’ll be able to print your cards in just a few clicks.
I also love the idea that you can make your very own Christmas labels.
Forget the tedious work of finding store-bought stickers that at best look half-decent; Cricut StickerPix lets you design and print your very own, so you can stick pictures of your dog all over every present you give (if you like).
But that’s not all, Cricut has also launched another machine (they just can’t quit winning): the Cricut Maker™ 5.
This sleek machine comes in at £399, which might sound pricey, but it’s totally worth it considering the brand touts this as its most versatile machine yet. Not to mention that it can also cut and engrave more materials than ever before, meaning the crafting possibilities are endless.
If you’re wondering what the hell this all means, Cricut Maker 5 can really do it all, so it’s ideal for anyone who likes to make their own gifts.
As well as engraving, Cricut Maker 5 can write, draw, foil, score, deboss, emboss, and so much more, meaning you’ll have no problem bringing to life whatever design you’ve concocted in your head.
It’s also compatible with materials up to 3mm thick, which is a 25% increase compared with the previous generation, and includes anything from wood, to leather, foam core, corrugated plastic, acrylic and felt.
But never fear: if you’re a totally new crafter, Cricut makes the entire experience completely seamless, thanks to offering a whole range of classes and AI-powered design tools that can make the time between coming up with a present idea and executing it almost zilch.
All I’ll say is Santa could never…
