5 Reasons to Splurge on the UPPAbaby Vista Stroller

If you’re expecting or recently had a your sweet little babe, you’re in the market for a new stroller. By the end of this article, you’ll discover how functional, versatile, and convenient the UPPAbaby Vista stroller truly is.

1. So many attachment options for UPPAbaby Vista Stroller

This is one of the features that makes the UPPAbaby Vista stroller so unique–the attachment options and add-ons. There are so many different attachments you can change the stroller up with.

All of these attachment options are particularly important if you have more than one kiddo, since the UPPAbaby Vista allows you to push up to three at a time.

The UPPAbaby attachment options are:

Car seat adapters

There are several car seat adapters you can attach to the UPPAbaby Vista stroller. This allows you to transfer the car seat directly to the stroller without having to get baby out. Instead of carrying the car seat around, you can just snap it directly onto the stroller. Adapters for: Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Cybex, and Chicco car seats

Bassinet

This is my personal favorite! The UPPAbaby bassinet attaches directly to the stroller so your baby can comfortably sleep while you stroll. I have also added an UPPAbaby drink holder so my coffee makes the trip every time.

The bassinet is truly the best attachment for infants. I also love that UPPAbaby made a bassinet stand, making it easy to transfer baby from the stroller to a room without ever coming out of the bassinet. It’s also easy to pack up and take with you on trips or other outings.

Infant snugseat

This accessory is an infant attachment that connects directly to the seat. I never actually ordered one of these, since the car seat adapter and bassinet offered all I needed, but a few of my girlfriends feel pretty strongly about theirs. This would be a great option though if you were wanting to use the UPPAbaby seat for your infant. The advantage to using this would be the ability to add a second seat to your stroller.

Piggy-back Ride Along Board

Of course this is every kids favorite attachment for the UPPAbaby Vista stroller… the Piggy-back Ride Along Board. The weight limit on this board is 55lb, and it conveniently lifts when not in use. This is the absolute perfect attachment for moms who have three young kiddos they’d like to contain while out and about.

RumbleSeat (second seat)

Originally, this was 100% of the reason I went with the UPPAbaby Vista. The UPPAbaby RumbleSeat is allows you to add a second seat to your UPPAbaby Vista stroller. I was shocked that this was even an option, given the size of the stroller, but let me tell you — it works great. This is also a space-saving way to give you a double stroller, since both seats are easily removable when storing.

2. UPPAbaby Vista Stroller’s Compact Collapsibility

UPPAbaby vista stroller is the best double stroller option

The UPPAbaby Vista stroller breaks down and can squeeze in tight spaces. If you drive a smaller vehicle, this feature is everything. All of the attachments (previously mentioned), pop off of the stroller when it comes time to break it down.

For someone who previously become accustomed to throwing a big, bulky double BOB stroller into the trunk of my SUV, the ease and lightweightness of this stroller made the process so much quicker and easier.

3. That UPPAbaby Vista Bassinet Stand though…

I briefly mentioned the UPPAbaby Bassinet Stand earlier, but this is one of the biggest selling features for many people. The bassinet stand is a secure way to keep your little one in the bassinet off the floor. This makes the bassinet transportable, and gives mom and dad the option to let the baby sleep comfortably with no need to disturb baby.

Another reason I love the bassinet stand is for overnight trips. The bassinet is a the perfect bed for baby, and the stand can easily be folded and brought along for the trip.

4. Ability to tow up to 3 kiddos with one stroller

UPPAbaby is the most compact way to provide a space for up to 3 kiddos. Given the size of the stroller itself, this is a little hard to believe — that three kids could actually fit on the stroller. With the RambleSeat attachment and Piggy-back Ride Along Board, your single stroller becomes a triple.

5. UPPAbaby Vista’s maneuverability in tight spaces

The UPPAbaby Vista stroller is unbelievably responsive. After trying out so many other bulky strollers and knocking everything off the walls at stores everytime I tried to turn, this feature was one worth noting. The small frame’s responsiveness makes for seamless turns, and can squeeze through much tighter spaces than other double/triple strollers.

What are your favorite UPPAbaby Vista stroller features? Let me know in the comments below!

Expectant mommas: Check out my post about the keto diet during pregnancy and how in increased my milk supply postpartum!

UPPAbaby vista stroller

What does weld mean on Cricut [+Video Tutorial]

When you are new to using Cricut Design Space, you may be wondering “what does weld mean on cricut?”. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how the weld tool in Design Space is used, and when you would need to use it.

What is the Cricut weld tool?

The weld tool allows you to combine two (or more) separate objects or letters and turn them into one combined object or word.

Using Cricut weld to combine two shapes

An example of this would be combining a square with a circle as shown in the slider image below. They are two individual objects: square and circle.

When I select them both and use the weld tool in Cricut Design Space to combine them, they become one uniform image. Using weld will remove any overlapping cut lines.

Use the slider to see the difference between an image that has not been welded (with the yellow square) and the welded image (the combined image). Instead of cutting two separate images, the Cricut will cut just one image.

what is the weld tool cricuthow to use the weld tool cricut design space

It is important to note that once you weld something together, it is irreversible once it’s saved this way. For this reason, I always like to duplicate my projects before using the weld tool, then hide the pieces I don’t plan to cut.

Using weld tool in Cricut for cursive fonts

You’ll probably be using the weld tool for more welding letters in design space than anything. I use the weld tool mostly for cursive fonts. Here’s an easy tutorial for downloading free fonts to your Cricut!

What happens if I don’t use the weld tool for cursive letters?

I recently did a tutorial on DIY personalized popsicle holders, and several people had reached out and asked how to keep cursive letters from cutting into one another.

If you do not use the weld tool when your letters overlap, like cursive fonts, the letters will cut into each other (complete tutorial here). If you’ve ever made this cutting error, I’m sure you understand that this doesn’t make for a very smooth project!

In the slider images below, the black font looks clean, but what’s really getting cut is shown with the white outline. You can see that the letters

Weld letters together to create words

To prevent the each letter from cutting into the the letter next to it, you’d need to weld the word. To do this, select the typed word, then select weld.

how to weld with cricut tutorial
what does weld mean on cricut?
  • You can see that after welding the letters together, the letters do not cut into each other. This will look so much better if you are cutting on paper, vinyl, or HTV!

Have you recently used the weld tool? If so, let me know by describing your project in the comments below! Also, post a picture of it in the Facebook group!

What if my cursive letters are too spaced apart?

Here is my more in-depth video tutorial on cursive fonts! It will show you how to correctly space and connect letters in Cricut Design Space.

what is cricut weld and how to use it

How to Download Free Fonts for Cricut

In Design Space, you are able to use quite a few fonts that Cricut provides you for free. But once you’re ready to start using a wider variety of fonts, for projects like making shirts and personalizing tumblers, you’ll need to know how to download free fonts for your Cricut!

In my previous post I talked about how to make personalized popsicle holders and I used a font from an outside source, called Dafont.

I’ll walk you through the steps needed in order to download free fonts for Cricut, then upload them into Design Space.

Where to find free fonts for Cricut

My favorite place to download free fonts for my Cricut is from Dafont. Head to this site and pick out a font you’d like to use with your Cricut machine. **note: do not open Design Space yet. If you have Design Space open,

How to download free fonts for Cricut

how to download fonts for cricut machine - tutorial

For this example, I’ll be downloading the font: Palace. Select download, then open your zip file. (Here is how mine looks on my macbook.)

how to download fonts for cricut machine - tutorial

Open the font file in the format .ttf to download it to your computer.

how to download free fonts for cricut

When this box pops open, select download.

downloading free fonts to your cricut design space

Next, you’ll see a list of the fonts you’ve downloaded on your computer. You should now see the new font we’ve just downloaded, Palace.

how to download free fonts to your computer then upload them to cricut design space

Uploading font to Cricut Design Space

To use your newly downloaded font, open Cricut Design Space and create text.

Open Cricut Design Space. **If if was already open, you’ll need to close Design Space and open it again now**

how to download free fonts to your computer then upload them to cricut design space

In the top bar, select your font under the “font” option. In this case, I’ll select the font we just downloaded called Palace. If you are using an overlapping cursive font, you’ll want to check out my tutorial on welding letters together before you cut your design.

download free fonts to your computer then upload them to cricut design space

You can adjust the spacing of your new font using the letter spacing and line spacing tools in the toolbar.

You can repeat this process for as many fonts as you’d like to add to your Design Space library!

For the popsicle holders I recently created, I used the font called awesome sauce.

Which font did you download? Let me know in the comments below!

how to download free fonts cricut

3 Minute Noatmeal – Keto Oatmeal Recipe

This noatmeal, or keto oatmeal recipe, is among the healthiest and tastiest keto diet friendly foods. This particular recipe is a staple in our house. My kiddos wake up begging for chia seed oatmeal and a peanut butter pancake.

The healthiest oatmeal alternative

This recipe is made with superfoods, so it is more than just a tasty breakfast. This keto-friendly oatmeal won’t spike your blood sugar the way regular oatmeal will. It will also satiate you since it such a fibrous food, but also packed with a little protein and healthy omega-3 fats.

Ingredients for the keto-friendly oatmeal recipe

The ingredient list for keto oatmeal is short as you can see. There are many premade low carb oatmeal alternatives you can order online, but they are costly. Making your own noatmeal is a much more affordable alternative.

All you need to make the keto oatmeal are: 3 tablespoons of chia seed, 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, 1/2 tablespoon of a low glycemic sweetener (like Lakanto) — or more depending on how sweet you like it, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, a cup of unsweetened almond milk, and a dollop of peanut butter.

If you’re not a peanut butter person, you could leave it out of the noatmeal and substitute it with a tablespoon of butter.

Keto oatmeal: chia seed, flax seed, peanut butter, vanilla, monk fruit sweetener, unsweetened almond milk

A few other add-ins for the keto-friendly oatmeal are cacao powder, coconut flakes, and/or frozen berries (yum!).

How to make keto oatmeal

The noatmeal is very quick to make! Just mix your chia seeds and ground flaxseed with a cup of unsweetened almond milk or water. Let the seeds sit for about a minute in the water until the chia seeds start to swell.

After the seeds start to absorb the liquid, pop it in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Then add in the monk fruit, peanut butter, and vanilla.

It’s best when served hot!

keto oatmeal recipe made with chia seeds and ground flaxseed
Print Recipe

Keto Oatmeal

3 minute keto oatmeal recipe • Noatmeal
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time2 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1
Calories: 320kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine chia seeds and ground flaxseed with a cup of unsweetened almond milk or water. Let the seeds sit for about a minute in the water until the chia seeds start to swell.
  • Microwave the chia, flaxseed mixture for 2 minutes
  • add the peanut butter, vanilla, and sweetener of choice and stir
  • add any additional ingredients (like berries, coconut flakes, or cacao powder

DIY Personalized Popsicle Holder

A personalized popsicle holder is the cutest, most functional way to keep you little ones’ hands from getting cold when eating their ice pop popsicles! The neoprene sleeve holders are perfect for all kids, not just the young ones!

I make each kid in our neighborhood a personalized popsicle holder every summer. They are such an affordable little gift that the kids go nuts over, so I wanted to share the whole process with each of you!

Materials needed to make personalized popsicle holders

The process is extremely quick and easy, and you’ll have the popsicle holders ready to hand out in no time!

1. Head to Cricut Design Space to create your name labels for your personalized popsicle holder

First, head over to Cricut design space, where you’ll build your custom name labels. Here you’ll create a new text box as shown below, and type the name you wish to have on the popsicle holder. **If you are using a cursive font, you’ll want to make sure you weld your letters together — tutorial here!**

Popsicle holder tutorial

I chose the font Awesome Sauce for the project. If you are unsure how to download free fonts to Cricut Design Space, follow this tutorial! I recommend using a bold font for the popsicle holder 🙂

Popsicle holder how to

After you create and design your popsicle holder label, you’ll want to use your machine to mirror print each name. Don’t forget to click mirror image!

Personalized popsicle holder

2. Pick out the color of heat transfer vinyl that contrasts with the color of the popsicle holder

For this demo I’ll be using white. Be sure to place the shiny side of the HTV (tutorial here) downward on the cricut cutting mat, then weed your design.

4. Use heat (an Easy Press or t-shirt press if possible) to transfer the HTV to the popsicle holder

Follow the instructions on your HTV for heat temperature and time. Since I’m using Siser Easyweed, I’ll set the temperature to 305ºF and press for 15 seconds, according to the Siser Easyweed instructions.

Siser Easyweed instructions

5. Enjoy a popsicle with your new personalized popsicle holder

Personalized popsicle holder tutorial
DIY personalized popsicle holder tutorial