Make it Now -Paper Pines with the Cricut Explore Air
If you missed the post on Monday introducing the Cricut Explore Air Machine, be sure to pop over there quick to get the low down on this amazing machine!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
Last week I shared with you our fun Social Artworking Paint party! There were some super adorable decorations there, and the best part about them was how easy they were to make. I made them with my Cricut Explore Air. Because we were painting “Snow on Pines” during this Christmas holiday season I wanted to go with a pine/Christmas tree theme. These adorable Make it Now Mini Pine Trees were the perfect little addition to the decor! Let me show you how easy they were to make with the Cricut Explore Air!
I love the feature in the Cricut Design Space called Make it Now. There are hundreds of ready to make projects made by professionals just for you. It’s as easy as selecting a category, and then picking a project!
For these Mini Paper Pines I chose the “Mini Pine Trees” Project in the Christmas Category.
Instead of green patterned card stock, I used Cricut Pearl Paper in three shades of green from the Pearl Paper Sampler Pack. I made three trees, cutting the pattern three times, one time for each of the different green pearl papers.
The project is already set up for you, all you have to do is load the cutting mat with your material on it, and press GO! Because this amazing design is so intricate and delicate, it takes a little while to cut each color. It’s so nice to be able to press go, and then go work on something else while the Cricut does all the work for you.
After the Cricut Explore Air is finished cutting the trees, carefully remove the excess paper and pull the tree parts off the cutting mat. If you missed the helpful tip from Monday, you can reduce the stick on a brand new mat by pressing the sticky side of the mat to your tshirt and peeling it off. A too sticky mat will ruin paper projects and the fuzz on the tshirt gets rid of just the right amount of stick!
Use your scraper tool to clean the remaining scraps off the cutting mat.

I added them to our fun goodie table for the Paint Party and they were so perfect to go with the Snowy Pine trees we were painting (and eating).
I have one more post to share with you about the Cricut and the super amazing things it can do. Check back on Friday for a totally custom idea and a free graphic you can use!
Follow along with Cricut and the Craft Shack on Pinterest for more awesome ideas