This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.
What is the Cricut Joy and how is it different than the Cricut Maker? Here’s the scoop on this cute little cutting machine that can do BIG things!
What is Cricut Joy?
Have you seen the new Cricut Joy? It’s the newest (and most compact) cutting machine from Cricut! Not only is the Joy super cute, but it’s super functional!
Let me start off by saying I love my Cricut Maker! I really really do!
I’ve written LOTS of posts about why I love my Maker and what you can make with it:
- 5 Reasons I Love My Cricut Maker
- Is a Cricut Maker Worth the Price?
- How to Use a Cricut Maker
- How to Use Heat Transfer Vinyl on Fleece Blankets
- 34 Easy Cricut Christmas Crafts
Just to name a few!
However, I am pretty much OBSESSED with may new Cricut Joy!! It is absolutely amazing and a total must-have, whether or not you consider yourself a crafter!
How is Cricut Joy Different than Cricut Maker?
There’s a LOT you can do with the Cricut Joy, even some things that the amazing Cricut Maker can’t! (And I LOVE my Maker!) In this post I’ll give you the full scoop — what is the Cricut Joy and why I love mine!
1. It’s Much Smaller
Cricut Joy is Cricut’s smallest cutting machine ever! It’s so tiny that you can hold it in the palm of one hand — which means that you don’t need a huge craft table or a lot of extra space to store it or use it.
I actually keep my Cricut Joy on my kitchen counter in case I need to whip up a quick birthday card, labels, or a project that I don’t want to get out all of my regular Cricut tools.
2. It’s Easier to Set Up
Yes, the Cricut Joy can create many crafts that the Cricut Maker can, but the Joy is especially useful for smaller tasks: label-making, quick personalization, and creating greeting cards.
Those are the things that you often need to make in a hurry and don’t want to set up a big crafting operation, but you want the precision of a professional machine.
The Cricut Joy has one power cord, but otherwise it’s cord-free! That’s because Cricut Joy connects to your computer via Bluetooth. Add this to the fact that with Smart Materials you don’t need any mats (more on that later), and you can be up and running in 1 minute!
And that is why I love love love love love my Cricut Joy! (Yes, I meant to type “love” five times!)
3. It’s Whisper Quiet
Another reason I love the Cricut Joy is that it is whisper quiet! I can work on projects after the kids are asleep without worrying about the noise.
Seriously…you can barely hear it!
Related: Click here to see a full comparison of the Cricut Joy, Cricut Maker, and Cricut Explore Air 2!
How Big is the Cricut Joy?
If I had to guess, I’d say that the Cricut Joy is about one-third the size of the Cricut Maker or Explore Air 2. It’s also a LOT lighter!
As you can see, I can carry it in one hand! (Though they also make a chic carrying case for it!)
What Can I Make with Cricut Joy?
Here are just a few of the projects I’ve made so far with my Circuit Joy:
- Decorated wooden garden spoons
- Labels for pantry canisters (where we keep flour, sugar, etc.)
- Greeting cards for all occasions
- Personalized coat rack (see photo below)
When I was decorating the entryway to our new home, I found this wooden coat rack that had 5 hooks — one for each member of our family. However, I didn’t have any chalk to write our names on the chalkboard plaques, and with the current pandemic, we try to avoid going to stores as much as possible.
Cricut Joy to the rescue!! In fifteen minutes I was able to type up our names in a chalkboard font, thanks to all the gorgeous fonts available in Cricut Access. I just LOVE how it all came together and when I first shared the photo on Instagram, it got so many compliments from family and friends.
Because of its smaller size, there are some limitations to what you can cut size-wise — mainly that the maximum width is 4.25 inches. However, the Joy makes up for this with the fact that it can cut extra-long designs! (See the next section for more details on that!)
The Cricut Joy has fewer bells and whistles than its larger cousins. There is one blade/pen holder compared to two holders on the larger machines. It’s also not going to cut thicker materials like balsa wood.
Other than that, the Cricut Joy can do just about anything, and I think the space-saving benefits, quick set-up, and lower price-point make it the most practical of all the machines!
How Big Can the Cricut Joy Cut?
Cricut Joy has its own suite of “Smart Materials” designed to be cut without a mat. Yep, you read that right…no mat needed!
With these Smart Materials, you can cut continuous shapes that are up to 4 feet long — perfect for making banners! Even more incredible, there are Smart Materials that are even longer, which allows the Joy to make repeated cuts (think stars, confetti, etc.) up to 20 feet in length!
However, there are also cutting mats designed specifically for the Joy that allow you to cut designs that measure up to 4.25 inches x 6.25 inches, or 4.25 inches x 11.75 inches.
What add-ons do I need?
When you buy the Cricut Joy machine at Cricut.com, the following items are included:
- Cricut Joy machine
- Blade + Housing designed specifically for the Joy
- Cricut Joy Fine Point Pen, Black (0.4 mm)
- StandardGrip Mat, 4.5″ x 6.5″ (11.4 cm x 16.5 cm), sized just for the Joy
- Welcome card
- Power adapter
- Free trial membership to Cricut Access™ (for new subscribers)
- 50 ready-to make projects online
- Materials for a practice cut
Equipment-wise, that is enough to get you up and running! Of course you’ll need to purchase materials to cut, which will depend on the projects you plan to make.
I also highly recommend the Insert Card Mat, which makes it a breeze to create professional quality greeting cards (one of my favorite things to make!)
Related: Check out my list of the top 5 Cricut Joy Accessories!
Do you have a Cricut Joy? What is your favorite feature? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Click here to shop the Cricut Joy on Cricut.com
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