Let’s Cut Leather with the New Cricut Explore Air Gold!

Using a simple Cricut ”life hack” and some scraps of leather, you can create a set of adorable tassel earrings that are perfect for gift giving!

The Cricut Explore Air Gold is HERE! They let me and a few of your favorite designers make cool projects exclusively for this new machine, and today I want to share a quick tutorial with you. But first…let’s talk about leather. I’ve cut leather with my Cricut before, but didn’t do it very often because any time I cut leather my mat would end up like this:

I was feeling a little sad for myself so I mentioned it to my girl Melissa at Cricut and she said “what about putting transfer tape on the back of the leather?” – WHAAAATTTTT??? YEEESSS!!!!!!! And…a new obsession was born. So for those of you who’ve avoided leather because you didn’t want to ruin your mat – join me in the awesomeness of this little life hack that will change everything. Now let’s make some earrings! You know what we WON’T make? Comments about my lack of a manicure. 😉 Someday I’ll remember that you can actually see me in these photos. Ha! {FTC Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post with affiliate links, so I may make a little money if you buy something!}

supplies needed:

·       Cricut Explore® Air and Design Space software
·      Cricut Explore® Deep Cut Housing and Blade
·      Cricut® Strong Grip mat
·      Cricut® Transfer Tape
·      piece of leather – could also use pleather
·      liquid glue
·      two (2) gold eye pins
·      two (2) gold fish hook earrings
·      scissors or wire cutters
·      pliers

how to Cut Leather with the New Cricut Explore Air Gold:

Cut transfer tape slightly larger than your leather. Remove backing and apply sticky side of transfer tape to the back (rough side) of the leather. Trim to fit.

Place leather (transfer tape side down) on to a Cricut Strong Grip mat. Put deep cut blade in to the Cricut, set custom dial to leather and cut earring images from Design Space. Peel cut leather pieces from the mat – transfer tape will remain.

When you’ve removed both earring pieces peel the transfer tape/remaining leather from your still clean mat!

Use scissors or wire cutters to cut off portion of eye pin so it will not stick out of the tassel when it is completed.

Apply a small amount of liquid adhesive along the top (area that is not cut) of the leather.

Lay eye pin on one end of the leather (with the loop overhanging the flat edge of the leather) and begin to gently roll the leather around the eye pin until it forms a tassel.

Use pliers to attach eye pin loop to fish hook earring.

These earrings are so quick and easy to make – and take just tiny bits of “scrap” leather. What a fun project this would be for a girls sleepover or birthday party!

I loved the earring idea so much that I made even EASIER gold tipped triangle earrings (which are also available exclusively with the JoAnn Cricut Explore Air Gold machine) using the new Cricut Adhesive Foil! If you haven’t gotten your hands on the Adhesive Foil yet you MUST. It adds the perfect touch of glam to any project and comes in a variety of finishes/colors. LOVE it!

Join me Thursday when we’ll be all about necklaces – and I’ll tell you why wood is one of my new favorite things to cut on my Cricut Explore Air! In the meantime…for your “behind the scenes” photo of the day…Don and I were not fortunate enough to have children, so we are absolutely in HEAVEN when our nieces and nephews come to visit. We had to take some of these photos when they were here – and our youngest niece INSISTED that we include her craft project in the photo shoot. And so I give you “swan with flowers” by Alexandra – age seven.

Jewelry has always been one of my favorite things to create with my Cricut – here is other jewelry project that is fun and easy to make!