Using the Templates in the Cricut Design Space

I've been using the templates on Cricut way more often!  Cricut has a lot of different templates to choose from. I mainly use the shirt templates such as the baseball t-shirts. The templates are about the average size for each template. So, the most likely won't be the exact size that you have. The templates let you see what your design will look like on your project! You are able to change the colors to the color of the template you chose. So, I'm going to do a little quick tutorial for getting to the templates and how I like using them!

1. So, first, when I first open up a new project I always like to have my design prepped and ready for the template
2. The template button is located in the top left-hand corner right under the New button.
3. Once you click on the button it takes you to the page where you can select the template you need. They have a variety of items that you can use. Which, I'm going to be using the Baseball t-shirt for this project.
4. Whenever you click on it, it pops up in the design space and the design is white. If you want to change the color of the template, you can go to the bottom right-hand corner right above the welding button is and click on the little circle area. Whenever you click on the circle, you can pick from a selection of colors or you can customize your color.
5. Once I was all done changing the color of the shirt, I started sizing my design which I also change the color of what I'm going to cut out.

I hope this has helped you! I will not have a post for next week. However, make sure you check in the week after next to see a new post!

Re-Doing Clipboards

My sister and I have just recently done spring cleaning! She was cleaning out her room and came to me with a project idea!  So, today I'm going to be re-doing an old clipboard from several years ago! The clipboard had been used for a lot of projects so it won't require a lot of work! This project doesn't require an old clipboard and you can just use a new one! I don't recommend you use a plastic clipboard because the paint won't stick very well to it and it'll start peeling. So, let's get started!

• Materials Needed:
• A Clipboard 
• Spray Paint (It doesn't really matter what type of paint you use as long as it sticks to the clipboard's surface)
• Vinyl (To transfer the design over)
• Painter's Tape 
• Acrylic Paint 

1. Start off by cleaning the clipboard's surface the best you can. (Try to get any glue or anything that would be sticking up and adding extra texture that you don't want.)
   
2. Put painter's tape around areas that you don't want to get painted!
   
3. Begin spray painting one side of the clipboard! I ran out of one color of spray paint so, I had to mix two spray paints which made a design.
   
4. Let the paint dry and paint the other side of the clipboard. Make sure you paint the edges!
   
5. Once the paint is dry, peel back the painter's tape (Unless you are going to spray paint the design on, then don't peel back the painter's tape)!
6. Next, is the monogram or design part! To make this monogram more permanent, I used acrylic paint!
   
7. Transfer the design over to where you want it on your clipboard.
   
8. Apply the paint to the area of where the decal is. I used a paint sponge to apply the acrylic paint!
   
9. Finally peel back your vinyl and painter's tape (If there is any still on the clipboard)!
   

        

This project is very similar to one of my past posts, Transferring a Design Without Heat Transfer. I hope you like this project and check back in next week for a new post!

Cute Faux-Leather Flip-Flop Project

If you haven't seen my blog posts from last week (Cactus project pt.1 and Cactus project pt.2), I'm already prepping for summer, even though it's still springtime! So, I came up with a very simple project with inspiration from Pinterest! Just a heads up! I got the flip-flops from Target! The flip flops are faux leather. I was experimenting a little because I've never done heat transfer on faux leather and I've also never done heat transfer on flip-flops! I've done two flip-flops with monograms, one was for myself and the other was a gift for a friend! So, I've put together a little project for the warmer weather and I love the result of how it turned out! So let's get started!

• Materials Needed:
• Flip-flops
• A Towel ( Just something little like a dish towel)
• Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Iron
• Parchment Paper

1. Cut-out and weed your design. Make sure you cut your design twice for each flip-flop and mirror the design. I used the Monogram KK Font for both of my flip-flops! I used black heat transfer vinyl for my flip-flops because you would be able to see it easily and I thought that the light gold flip-flops would look good with black heat transfer vinyl!                                            
   
2. Next, I prepped my work area by folding up my little towel and placing it in where the feet would normally go. I did this so the surface was flat and so it wouldn't fall in while I was transferring my vinyl.                                                                                                                   
   
3. Place your design on the flip-flop and make sure it's secured down so it won't fall off and mess up the design!                                                                                                                                
   
4. Place the parchment paper over top so the iron won't mess up the shine on the flip-flops (Which I accidentally did when I did my pair, which was the first pair I did!)                             
   
5. Start ironing your design on! Make sure your iron is on the highest setting possible and that you are putting even pressure on the design! If you are using the flip-flops that I'm using, make sure you don't iron over the knot at the top of the flip-flop. I didn't use my heat press for this project because I couldn't figure out a way to apply pressure and heat onto the flip-flops without completely ruining them.                                                                                                                
   

I absolutely love the way the flip-flops turned out! I can't wait till warmer weather to start wearing these! If you know anyone that may be interested in this project, make sure you share this with them! Hope you liked this project and make sure you check back in next Friday for a new post!

Cactus Project pt.2

As you know summertime is coming up! And I'm trying to get prepared so, I've created a little project that I think is EXTREMELY cute! If you don't know, I'm not able to keep plants alive for too long! So, I've found a solution for that and I'm in love with it! However, if you didn't see my post on Wednesday, you might've not seen the frame and stand I made for the cactus that I'm making today! So, if you have extra time go check out the post from Wednesday!

• Materials Needed
• Cardstock/ Scrapbook paper (I recommend you use a green color)
• Liquid Glue
• Puffballs (Recommended for decoration)
• Cut-Out for the cactus (I'm currently working on how to upload an SVG. to my blog so, I can only upload the outline for it.)

                                             

                 

1. Cut-out the cactus. I had to cut-out the cactus twice because the paper I was using didn't have the design on both sides. So, when I did the cut-out for the second time, I mirrored the image.                                                                                                                                               

1. After the cactus parts are all cut out, start gluing them together! I let the glue partially dry before I placed the pieces together so the pieces don't fall off of the other pieces. I also used a paperclip to hold up the cactus while the pieces dry.                                                                    
       
   
   
2. Add the puffballs/ fuzzballs. Which I did the same as I normally do and I let the glue partially dry so the puffballs wouldn't fall and slide down.                                                                           
   

Last but not least, hang up in the frame and put the cactus in the stand (that I showed you how to make in the blog from Wednesday). I added a little decoration to the frame!                             

Overall, I think this project turned out to be extremely cute! Make sure you come back next week for a new post!

Cactus Project pt.1

So, if you didn't see my post from last week, I'm posting two posts this week! This is the first one which as I said in the post from last week, this part of the project doesn't require any cutting machine! So, in this post, I will be making the "frame" and the stand that the cactus will be staying in! Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you that the next post will be making a little 3-d cactus! So, now that you know what the "frame" and stand will be used for! Now, without further ado, let's get started!

•  Materials Needed:
• A-ton of Popcicle Sticks
• Glue (I'd reccommend wood glue however, liquid school glue will do perfectly fine)
• Scissors (Or something that can cut popcicle sticks)
• A Scrap Sheet of Paper (Just a reccommendation)

1. Place three popcicles out which will form a hexagon shape soon. Speaking of hexagons, I made a hexagon guidline so I knew where I was going to be placing my popcicle sticks.
   
2. Place little glue dots on the end of each popcicle stick.
   
3. Start stacking the popcicle sticks on-top of eachother! Only the ends should touch! And remember, this is going to be stand up and not laying down! So, don't stack it too high!
   
4. Once you are all done and satisfied with how high it is stacked, set aside and let dry!
5. Now is the next peice of the project, the stand! You're going to start off with five popcicle sticks!
   
6. Cut each of the popcicles in half and you can take out one of the pieces that you cut in half!
   
7. Line three pieces up. Which, you should have three groups, all lines up! Put glue in-between each line and let fully dry!
   
8. Next, put a line of glue on the end of each group where the ends curve and let partially dry!         
   

9. Once the glue is partially dry, attach the groups together by placing the edge that was cut to the glue! Let it fully dry!

   

Now it's done! Makesure you come back on Friday and check for a new post for the second part of this project!

Vinyl Organization

If you don't know, I have a small workspace for my Cricut. I try to find the best ways to organize all my supplies for my Cricut! I've just recently finished my organization for all my vinyl! So, if you have a limited craft space for your Cricut, I recommend you keep reading! 

So first, when you pull out the drawer that contains all of my vinyl, you get this view:

• I've been using Iris Portable Project Case to store my vinyl and I have another one to hold all my Cardstock paper. I absolutely love using the case! It's the perfect size for all the 12"x12" vinyl sheets that I have! 
• I use little tab dividers which I've created to separate my regular (indoor), outdoor, and aluminum vinyl.
• On top of all my vinyl, I keep rolls of vinyl that's too long to fit in the case.                                           

• Right under the case, I keep my heat transfer sheets. Most of them are too long to fit in one of the cases so, I just place them under my vinyl 

   

• I also have a little bin off to the side that contains scraps of vinyl for whenever I do small cut-outs.

    

• Right next to the scraps is my transfer tape for my vinyl

     

I hope this post has helped you with some organization! I will be posting two posts next week! One will be on Wednesday and the other one will be on Friday (at normal time)! The post on Wednesday will be a little part of the project that doesn't involve a Cricut or any cutting machine. So, make sure you come back next week for two new posts!

Might as Well Face it, I'm Addicted to Vinyl

I've just recently made some decorations for my room! I got inspiration for this project on Pinterest! I absolutely loved this idea because if you don't know, I have a ton of vinyl! So, I thought that this project would match it perfectly! This project is a really easy project so, it doesn't require a lot of explanation! So, without further ado, let's get started!

• Materials Needed:
• A Blank Canvas (I just used a piece of wood) - Please remember that if you use a normal canvas or you don't spray paint the canvas, the vinyl won't stick to it very well. 
• Spray Paint (Optional)
• Vinyl (I used outdoor vinyl)
• Weeding Tools
• Transfer Tape

1. Cut-out and "weed" the design
2. Prep and spray paint your canvas and let dry (I did this step because I didn't want a wood background)
3. Put transfer tape over the decal
4. Transfer the decal over and smooth it out making sure there are no air bubbles
5. Peel back the transfer tape and admire what you did

I will be editing this post and be adding some pictures on Monday! I hope you make this or make something close to this! Don't forget to check in next Friday for a new post!

Cute and Simple Water Bottle Design

I haven't been so good lately with keeping up with drinking the amount of water I generally need to drink. So, I found the cute and free SVG on https://lovesvg.com/ (Click Here for a tutorial on how to upload an SVG.) and I thought that it would serve a good purpose! I'm using a glass water bottle that I thought would look well with this project! So, without further ado, let's get started!

• Materials Needed:
• Water-bottle (Preferably a see-through one)
• Outdoor Vinyl
• Transfer Tape
• Glass Cleaner (Or anything to wipe a surface clean)

1. Cut-out design and "weed" the design 
2. Clean off the water-bottle surface with glass cleaner and prep placement
3. Put the transfer tape over the decal
4. Transfer the decal over to the water-bottle and smooth out, trying to get all air bubbles out
5. Last but not least, remove the transfer tape and be amazed by your results!

I hope this post has helped you or just simply inspired you! Make sure you come back next week (On Friday) to see my new post!

How to Give your Cricut Mat More Stickiness

As you know, in order to cut stuff with your Cricut, you have to use a mat. Well, I have five, 12"x12" mats and two, 12"x  24" mats. I've used each of them more than 20 times! They are all sadly losing their stickiness. So, if your mats are doing the same as mine, keep on reading and even if your mats haven't started doing it to you it might still help you in the future! So, without further ado, let's get started!

1. Give your mat a quick cleaning by getting any left-over paper or lint off to the best of your ability!                                                                                                                                             
2. Next, I love using the Zig Memory System Two Way Glue Pen, Carded, Jumbo Tip to re-stick my mat! So, run this over your mat in an even layer and let dry!
   
   
   
3. And now, you've re-stickied your mat! You can tell when your mat is dry by the glue becoming clear!
   

I've re-stickied my mats for the 3rd time now and they are still working perfectly fine! I recommend you buy the  Zig Memory System Two Way Glue Pen, Carded, Jumbo Tip and use it for your mats in the future! It has saved me a lot of money because I've been able to use the Cricut mats over and over again without having to buy new mats! I hope this post has helped you and make sure you come back next week (on Friday) to see my new post!

Transferring a Design Without Heat Transfer

So far, I've done three projects where I use paint instead of heat transfer vinyl! I don't really mind using paint instead of heat transfer. But, I still prefer using heat transfer instead of using paint. However, when you are using this method, if you use fabric, you want the vinyl to be flat because if it isn't flat it'll let your paint underneath the vinyl and cause the paint to spread. So, without further ado, let's get started!

What you will need:

• Vinyl (Doesn't matter what type) & Transfer Paper to transfer the design over to the desired surface (Not required)
• Paint (Whatever paint will bond to your material)
• Sponge Brush
• Weeding tool (To weed the design)
• A bag or whatever surface you're transferring the design onto

1. Prep and cut-out the design
2. Weed the inside of the design                                                                                                          
3. Transfer the design over to the desired surface                                                                                
4. Use paint and a sponge brush to fill the design in (I prefer to use acrylic paint but it also depends on what material I'm using)                                         
   
5. Let the paint partially dry and peel back the vinyl
6. Let fully dry/ cure

Now you have a personalized bag that you didn't have to use heat transfer with! I hope these instructions have helped you with your project or help you with a project in the future! Make sure you come back next week (on Friday) to see a new post!