Cricut launched the Joy 2, a $99 smart cutting machine that automatically creates stickers, cards, and bookmarks. The device connects to your phone and cuts designs from paper, vinyl, and other materials without any skill required.
What makes this interesting is how it removes the biggest barrier to crafting: actually knowing how to do it. You pick a design on the app, load materials into the machine, and it handles the precise cutting and drawing.
Crafting Without the Mess
The Joy 2 is small enough to fit on a desk and doesn’t need a cutting mat like bigger craft machines. It can cut materials up to 4 inches wide and draws with pens for custom cards and labels. The companion app includes thousands of ready-made designs, from Disney characters to wedding invitations.
Cricut makes money by selling both the machine and materials, plus a monthly subscription for premium designs. The basic machine works with free designs, but many users end up paying $10 monthly for access to brand-name graphics and fonts.
This represents a bigger trend of companies making creative hobbies more accessible through technology. Similar to how Instagram filters made everyone a photographer, machines like this lower the skill barrier for traditional crafts.
What’s Next
Expect more craft companies to add smart features to traditional hobbies. Cricut plans to expand the design library and add features that let users create custom designs from photos. The real test will be whether people stick with crafting once the novelty wears off.
