Personalized Baby’s First Christmas Ornament with Cricut Explore Air 2

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Create a cute baby’s first Christmas ornament with your Cricut Explore Air 2. This post is sponsored by Cricut. This post contains affiliate links which, when purchased through, add no cost to the consumer but help support this site to bring more Cricut related tutorials. 

The holiday season is the most common time for Cricut crafters every where to pull out their favorite Cricut machine. I know that many make holiday decor items for themselves, but personalizing items for gifting is just as popular. Being able to personalize an item for a specific someone remains a major selling point for those looking for a Cricut machine. Crafters can personalize not only made-from-scratch gifts, but also items that they have bought at a store. By adding a name, monogram, or favorite saying, any item can be made into the perfect gift for that special someone.

This year, we have several new babies in the family. I remember the first year that my babies celebrated Christmas. I received a few dated “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments that I cherish and still hang on the tree even though my babies are far from babies now. Since then, I try to gift “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments to those that we know during the holidays.

I designed these two ornaments to use this Christmas season. When customizing items, adding names and/or dates are the most common way to add a touch of uniqueness. These particular ornaments are dated for this year, 2019. To further the personalization, add the child’s first name or the family last name to the ornament. These ornaments would make a cute small gift within themselves or a great gift topper for a larger gift.

Supplies used to make the Personalized Baby’s First Christmas Ornament with Cricut Explore Air 2:

• Cricut Explore Air 2
• Cricut StandardGrip Cutting Mat
• Cricut Patterned Iron-on
• Cricut Solid Color Iron-on (green and black used in this project)
• Cricut EasyPress 2
• Cricut EasyPress 2 mat
• Cricut Weeding Tool
• Small embroidery hoop (find these in an arts and crafts store or an Amazon)
• Baker’s twine
• White cotton, cut to a 5″ diameter circle
• Hot glue and hot glue gun
• Tape measure
• Scissors

The Cricut Explore Air 2 cuts through a wide variety of materials. From different variations of card stock to vinyl to fabric, the Cricut Explore Air 2 opens a world of crafting possibility. The Cricut Explore Air 2 has a double tool housing allows for cutting and utilizing another tool with ease. The Cricut Explore Air 2 has Fast Mode, allowing for up to twice as fast cutting and writing (as compared to previous models) on popular cutting materials like card stock, iron-on, and vinyl.

How to Make the Ornament

Open up Cricut Design Space. To use my already made cut files, click here to open up the project. Click customize. Measure the inner diameter of the largest embroidery hoop piece. Make sure that the size of the image on the canvas will fit within the diameter of the embroidery hoop. If not, resize each image to fit. The images are already sized to fit a 2.5″ diameter. If this measurement works for your hoop size, click “Make It” to send the images to the Cricut machine.

Cut each element of the design on the Cricut Iron-on. Be sure to mirror all elements of the image. Follow the directions to cut in Cricut Design Space, placing the Iron-on vinyl with the shiny side down on the Cricut StandardGrip Cutting Mat. If using the Cricut Patterned Iron-on, the white side of the vinyl will be facing up.

Once all pieces are cut, use the Cricut Weeding Tool to remove any unnecessary vinyl from the design.

On your laptop or mobile device, head to the Cricut EasyPress Interactive Heat Guide. Fill out each part of the form to determine the temperature at which to set the Cricut Easypress 2.

Follow the instructions to adhere the Iron-on vinyl to the cotton circle. Do a “test run” before heating the design by placing the Iron-on pieces in the center of the circle and laying the outer embroidery hoop to make sure that the image fits inside the circle. If it fits, continue with the instructions as directed by the Cricut EasyPress Interactive Heat Guide to complete adhering the Iron-on vinyl.

Once the transfer is complete, place the inner embroidery hoop piece in the back of the design. Place the outer embroidery hoop piece over the top of the cotton, fitting it securely over the inner embroidery hoop piece that is in the back. The cotton should now be sandwiched in between the two hoops. Tighten the outer embroidery hoop to secure.

Use the scissors to trim the excess cotton close to the embroidery hoop. Apply a strip of hot glue around the backside where the inner hoop, outer hoop, and the cotton come together.

Cut a piece of baker’s twine approximately 6″ in length. Tie it to the top of the embroidery hoop. If needed, use a dot of hot glue to secure it in place.

Are you looking for more Cricut Christmas crafting ideas? Check out my full project page here: