Cricut Easy Press

I've been wanting to make shirts for my family to wear to Disney World in December and have been putting it off because of how difficult/time consuming it was to use HTV (heat vinyl transfer) to add names to Santa bags. It took a few hours to adhere the HTV to the canvas bags. And to generate enough heat with the iron, I had to put a metal cookie sheet under the bag where the name was placed and use the floor as an ironing board wasn't firm enough. The bags came out nice, but it wasn't a fun crafting time. I was not looking forward to having to do this process for sixteen shirts times two for our trip.  (I had planned for two days of matching...now I might make more.)

For my birthday, my husband got me the Cricut Easy Press and this weekend I played with it. I like how easy it is to adjust the temperature for each project and loved the tip sheet it came with the temperature and amount of time for each project, though I found I needed a few seconds more for the projects. The auto shut off feature is another huge plus. No fear of accidentally leaving it on all night. Because of how large the heat plate is, I'm able to heat up a large portion of the t-shirt design at one time, allowing me to finish each project quicker. I also bought the Easy Press mat (it's a thin pillow-like mat that gives a smooth surface for using the press) to protect the surface I was using to press the iron-ons.

 I love the Easy Press! It has made ironing HTV so much easier. I even used the HTV on a cotton canvas to make a print for my daughter. I completed a few shirts on Saturday and then had intended to scrapbook on Sunday, but couldn't resist the Easy Press's pull and did a few HTV projects also. Now, I'm struggling to get my work done today as it's once again calling me to come play.

Here are a few of the projects I completed this weekend: