Exciting times are ahead with the latest release from Cricut! Today Cricut announced the Cricut Joy! Before you think this is just a smaller, compact version of their popular electronic cutting machines, read on. Here is everything I know about this new machine. 

I was lucky enough to go to the UK meet and greet in Manchester where the new machine was previewed worldwide via a Facebook live by CEO Ashish. I have made a video on my trip that I will post tonight on my YouTube channel. 

Now I was lucky enough in my job as Marketing Manager at Trimcraft to have a preview of the Cricut Joy machine a month before the launch. Trimcraft is the UK distributor for Cricut so we are very lucky to have sneak peeks of new launches before they hit the public domain. Whoop! 

Cricut launched the Cricut Joy machine today saying…

We’re proud to announce the launch of Cricut Joy™, our all-new, super-compact smart cutting machine! While its been five years in the making, it’s 100% worth the wait.

This little beauty writes and draws just like you’re used to, sets up instantly, and fits in the palm of your hand.

Using Smart Materials, Cricut Joy can cut shapes up to 1.2 metres long or make repeated cuts up to 6 metres long – without a cutting mat.

So, I love my Cricut Maker, it is always out in my house and I just run off projects, decorations, stencils, cards and home décor projects, the options are endless. The only downside to this machine is the size, it takes up space on my dining table and has to be moved each time we use the table. The machine itself weighs around 7kg, this is important when cutting thick material as the pressure needed to cut requires a weighted machine.  

Step in the Cricut Joy, it’s tiny at only 8″ x 5″ this machine is lightweight weights roughly 2kg, it’s compact and looks stylish displayed in your home. It is a mighty little machine, cutting most of your favourite material including vinyl, iron-on (HTV), infusible ink & card. The machine also has a drawing function where you can add pens to the machine and sketch out text and images, super handy for creating quick sentiments and labels. 

And wait for this….with its super-smart cutting technology some material don’t even require a cutting mat! Stop the presses, this will save as much time and effort and really speed up the crafting process. The materials are backed onto specially patented backing sheets that support the cut of the material without a mat. I really look forward to this feature, you will no longer be restricted by the size of the mat and will be able to cut really long projects on their 20ft rolls, I believe each image can be 4ft, great for home decor, banners and decorations.  

The great thing about this machine is you can set it to cut and walk away, no more changing mats loaded with materials for multiple cuts and I have also heard it has sensors to ensure your smart material is lined up perfectly and readjusts itself if you put the material in wrong.

There is also a cute tote bag to store your machine and ideal for travel..how many people are already thinking about taking this machine away on holiday or how they can now craft when they are travelling! The tote perfectly complements the machine and has space for cutting mats, pens and charging cables.

They have some great new accessories also, my favourite has to be the mini cutting mat with a built-in wallet, this is designed to slide a card blank into so you can only cut the front of the card and not the back..genius! Also, the smart label vinyl which is writable, so you can choose a really nice font for your organisational labels and then cut a pretty border before sticking them onto your jars, baskets etc.

This machine is perfect for DIY beginners, the Cricut Design space is really easy to use and has 100’s of free projects for you to try. Just register for an account and you can access the free designs or upload your own files. If you use the machine a lot you can pay around £7 a month for unlimited access to Cricut’s library of the images and fonts. 

I can really see this machine being used by families to personalise belongings and handmade gifts, crafters for everyday smaller jobs, businesses for stationery & creative display needs and wouldn’t schools and classrooms benefit from one of these machines! 

At £179 this machine is affordable, yes it is a conscious purchase but over time it will pay for itself with all the DIYs and crafts you can make. Those handmade items you always bought from Etsy, now you can make them yourself in your own home. Your home décor items will be crying out to be upcycled and revamped. 

I will 100% have one of these machines, even though I have a Cricut Maker, I would be able to have my larger machine in my craft room and the Cricut Joy sat downstairs on a shelf for smaller jobs. 

Will you be getting a Cricut Joy? The official launch date of the machine is the 1st March 2020 and I can only imagine there will be a big rush to get the machine. It will be sold on Amazon here is the link to the shop, the details will be live soon and you can add it to your wishlist. What are you looking forward to making? I hope you liked this blog post, don’t forget to follow me on YouTube and Instagram to see what I make with the machine. 

Love
Claire x