Father’s Day is right around the corner! The kids and I thought it would be fun to make simple personalized t-shirts to celebrate with our Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine and the Cricut Easy Press. The Cricut Explore Air makes it so easy to create meaningful and thoughtful t-shirts for any occasion. This post was sponsored by Cricut, but all opinions are my own. [#ad #cricutmade]
We absolutely loved completing this project together, and the kids are already thinking about what our next project will be with our Cricut Explore Air! I really hope this blog post inspires you to get crafty and make your own personalized t-shirts for any special event.
Simple Cricut Shirt Ideas
I think the hardest part of this project was committing to what we actually wanted our matching Father’s Day Cricut t-shirts to say! Here are some ideas we came up with-
1. Dad’s Shirt– The Legend. Kids’ Shirts- The Legacy.
I’ve been calling Scott “The Legend” for years. I’m not sure however that that he would want it to be known publicly and all over the Internet. Ironically, Ian’s contact in my phone has been “Little Legend” for as long as I can remember, and I don’t plan on changing it anytime soon, unless of course he makes me! I also have a thing with Legacies! You can read all about our new construction project entitled, “The Layden Legacy” and follow our home building journey. Regardless, we decided this shirt idea would have to wait until the future!
2. Dad’s Shirt- I Like Golf and maybe Three People. Kids’ Shirts – I’m one of the people.
And my immediate response, was- “What about Me”? I get it. After 16 years of marriage, I know there are things Scott doesn’t “like” about me. Still not fair I’m NOT “one of the people”. Regardless, this idea hurt my feelings too much so it got axed!
3. Dad’s Shirt – You’re Killin’ Me Smalls. Kids’ Shirts – Smalls.
This was Ian’s pick as we know how much he loves baseball season. I love it too- especially concession stand dates! I was however worried that not everyone knew “The Sand Lot” and wouldn’t understand the shirts. Ian informed me that EVERYONE has watched the movie. Let me know… Is he correct? I figured we better not chance it, and we moved onto the next idea!
4. Dad’s Shirt – Copy. Kids’ Shirts – Paste.
So it’s been secretly bothering me for a long time now that all of my kids favor Scott’s looks. I guess that strong Italian gene dominated. But then a couple of years ago, I read an article that revealed after so many years that husbands and wives start to look alike, so I came to peace with it. Now if they all would have gotten his demeanor, they would be easier to raise. The girls didn’t like this shirt idea so it got rejected.
5. Dad’s Shirt- The Original. Child 1’s Shirt- The Remix. Child 2’s Shirt – The Encore. Child 3’s Shirt – The Mic Drop.
In case you’re new here, Scott has been an aspiring rapper for many years. He performs locally (Okay- maybe just at the local high school he teaches at); but, he does have some epic performances on YouTube if you want to check those out!– at any rate he dreams of making it big time. His rhymes are no joke, and I hope someday more people get to hear them. I guess it was a no brainer that this idea was the winner!
Cricut Project Materials Needed
- Cricut Explore Machine (Is anyone else super excited about the new Cricut Explore Air 3 that was just released?)
- Matching Adult and Kids T-shirts (For this specific Cricut project, I ordered my shirts at Jiffyshirts.com mainly because I was looking for a specific color of baseball T-shirt that wasn’t available anywhere– but you can find shirts for your projects at many places! We like getting shirts at Michaels, Amazon, Old Navy, and Target. The Walmart clearance racks also usually always have ones that are very inexpensive. I’ve found several shirts there for $1-$2!). You can also get t-shirts directly on Cricut’s website which makes it super easy if you are already placing an order for other materials!
- Iron On Vinyl (For this project, I used the Everyday StrongBond HTV Iron On Vinyl in the colors Black and Blush.)
- Weeding tool
- Standard Grip Cutting Mat
- Cricut Easy Press / Household Iron (I love using the Easy Press for t-shirt projects because it is the exact size you need and the heat is distributed evenly. Again, not necessary but if you’re making lots of shirts, it will definitely streamline the process and give a more consistent result!)
- Cricut Ironing Mat (You could use a towel or ironing board instead of this, but the mat makes it so easy because it is the exact size!)
- Laptop to connect to the Cricut Explore Air Machine and Cricut Design Space
Are you new to Cricut? The easiest and most cost effective way to get started creating is by purchasing a bundle of products. The Cricut Explore Air 3 Bundle is a great way to begin! The Easy Press Bundle is a great addition to make projects easier. The Cricut Explore Air 2 Bundle (the exact one I used for this project) is currently on sale for an amazing price! It will sell out so act fast. Be prepared…making projects with your Cricut will become addicting!
Cricut Shirt Project Tutorial Video
Each shirt actually took less than 20 minutes from start to finish. You can watch the video I created below to see just how easy it is to make your own shirts with the Cricut Explore Air and Easy Press!
Easy Cricut Shirts Video Tutorial
My Top 3 Cricut Tips
- Don’t forget to mirror your image!
- Cut with the matte side up, but remember to press with the shiny side up.
- Most importantly…HAVE FUN!
We used the Cricut Explore Air to not only create amazing t-shirts for Father’s Day, but we also created amazing family memories too! As with any project, as soon as one ends I’m already thinking of the next one. I hope you will stay tuned… Thank you so much for reading my blog, and I hope you all come back soon!