I was so excited to get my hands on the brand new Cricut Explore Air 2! I couldn’t wait to use it to create these cute wood slice napkin ring holders and cute Fall mason jar centerpiece. They are the perfect 15 minute project for a Fall dinner party. Read on to see how to make them and to read my review about the Cricut Explore Air 2. (Read all about frequently asked Cricut questions on my post —> HERE.)

I was provided a Cricut Explore Air 2 in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. This means, if you make a purchase through my links, I’ll receive a small portion of your purchase at no extra cost to you.

First of all, isn’t the new mint color of the Cricut Explore Air 2 so gorgeous? It almost blends in with my mint desk-obviously I am a big fan of the color. I also love all the shiny chrome pieces, especially the little machine itself. It’s just so pretty! 

Along with my machine, I received a roll of six assorted colors of metallic vinyl. I thought it was a great fall color selection and immediately wanted to make something that reminded me of the fall leaves. Last fall, a neighbor was cutting down a dead tree in his yard and he was kind enough to slice up some of the branches for me. I had been saving them for just the right project. I decided they would make great napkin ring holders for a fall dinner party. Read on for the tutorial.

 

Materials Needed: (Click on any of the words below to purchase) 

Cricut Explore Air 2
StandardGrip Mat
Cricut Adhesive Foil Sampler
Transfer tape
Burlap Ribbon
6 wood slices (about 2 1/2- 3 inch diameter)
Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Open Cricut Design Space. Click on Insert Images and search for “leaf” in the search bar in the top right corner.  These 6 different leaf shapes were about halfway down in the search. At first I was going to do all the same leaf, but I decided 6 unique leaves would be fun. My wood slices were about 3 inches wide so I adjusted the leaves to fit.

Select Make it in the top right corner and place your vinyl on your mat.

I was excited to try the new feature to have the Cricut Explore Air 2 cut twice as fast. I put my vinyl on the mat and hit go and the machine zipped into action. My leaves were cut out in no time at all! I could definitely see the difference in how fast it was cutting. It’s so nice to be able to select the option if you want to have things cut faster.

Weed your vinyl, and use transfer tape to place each leaf on the wood slices. Use hot glue to attach the burlap ribbon on the back. Here’s how they all turned out.

I wanted to add a little something to some jars I had as centerpieces, so I decided to quickly cut out a larger leaf for the largest jar.  To make your own simply use different size canning jars and layer with split peas, red lentils and yellow lentils. Then place a candle in the middle and you have a great fall centerpiece.

I love the new Cricut Explore Air 2. There are so many possibilities to bring your ideas to life, and I love the option to cut twice as fast. If you have any questions about the machine or the napkin rings and jars let me know in the comments below.