New year, new hobby! Save over $130 on a Cricut die-cutting machine

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Cricut Explore Air 2 has die-cut designs to die for. (Photo: Walmart)

So one of your New Year's resolutions is to become the DIY maven among your friends and family? The person who's suddenly creating imaginative designs, even though you can barely draw? Well look no further than Cricut, soon to be one of the most versatile products in your craft toolkit. If you're not familiar, a Cricut (pronounced "cricket," not "cry-cut" as yours truly once asked a confused salesperson) is an electronic cutting machine that creates all manner of designs from paper, vinyl, card stock, iron-on transfers and tons more. In short: it can cut just about anything you would typically do by yourself using scissors or an X-acto knife — only better (and a heck of a lot faster).

That said, there are a lot of Cricut products out there. So which is the one is right for you? It's the Cricut Explore Air 2. Why? It's so easy to use, and cuts more than 100 materials — from vinyl to cardstock — twice as fast as other Cricut machines. You can create personalized home décor, clothes, handmade cards and much more in minutes. Design on-the-go from your laptop, phone or tablet, and cut wirelessly via Bluetooth. And best of all, Walmart now has this precision cutting machine for $169 — that's 44 percent off its regular price of $300!

And if you want to score free shipping while you're at it, make sure you’re signed up for Walmart+. Not yet a member? No worries; you can sign up for a free 15-day trial here, and a quick three-question survey will add on an additional two more weeks for a solid 30 days of use. (Nevertheless, those without Walmart+ still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)

$169 ~~$300~~ at Walmart

Close up on the Cricut's control panels. — Even the Cricut dial looks sleek. (Photo: Walmart)

Crafty types agree that this is the most beginner-friendly yet dynamic of all the Cricut products. "Great and easy to use," reported one. "I bought a different brand and it was very difficult to use. I returned it and purchased the Cricut. I love it!" Echoed this user, "I absolutely love my new Cricut. So many options I can do. I already made some vinyl projects, and did pictures on shirts and about 10 iron-on projects. Have many ideas just not enough time!"

In addition to scoring big savings with Walmart's Cricut Explore Air 2 sale, you'll also get $30 worth of exclusive digital designs for free. Taken altogether, that's over a 50 percent discount! So you can get started designing for that sporty, outdoorsy or free-spirited someone in your life — or better yet, start with yourself! According to a Cricut mom, "This is one fun machine. I bought it for my daughter on Christmas. She's already made t-shirts, signs, and labeled all her containers in her craft room."

$169 ~~$300~~ at Walmart

Close up on internal workings of the Cricut cutter. — This Cricut cuts like butter. (Photo: Walmart)

And if you're not sure how or where to begin, Cricut has tons of tutorials to get you up and running. As this shopper reported, "It looks a bit intimidating, but there are YouTube videos that will literally walk you through opening the box and setting it up, all the way to creating things! I love my Cricut Air 2!!!"

This shopper praised Cricut's Bluetooth capabilities — so useful if your WiFi isn't great — as well as its sharp look. "It's impressive that it connected by Bluetooth, and I never had to pull out my computer. I could take my phone out of the room and watch the process of the cut while I watched TV. LOVED this functionality. And the machine is very classy and sleek. Overall: I am very pleased with this. It's very high quality and there is *so much* you can do with it!!"

But hurry because this discount won't last long. Before you know it, you'll be the Cricut Master.

$169 ~~$300~~ at Walmart