Tag Cricut

Thing 1 & Thing 1 & Thing 2,3,4

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At my day job the team decided to dress up as Things 1-4 from Dr. Suess’s Cat in the Hat. While I chose not to participate in the donning of red leggings and blue wigs, I did come up with a way to celebrate with the team.

Most of the team partakes in coffee on the regular, so I thought cute coffee mugs could work as a fun add on to the theme (and a quick Google search inspired this). I went out and bought some white mugs and black 651 vinyl and got to work.

I did get lazy with trying to draw these all myself and found that people sell these ready to go in vector format on Etsy. This is where I got my version: JLCraftsCreations. (This takes you right to the item in her store)

mug with care instructions

Due to who is in and out and going to parties there are two Thing 1’s and then Things 2-4 for the rest of the team. The first go round I forgot to measure what size to make the circle, but I did remember 2 Thing 1’s. Second go round I make them the size I needed, but completely spaced the second Thing 1. Luckily I hadn’t closed anything yet and was able to whip out another Thing 1 on the Cricut. (Tip: you can select the little eyeball to hide any item in Cricut Design space you don’t want to “make” at the moment.)

care instruction cut out

While this was a fairly simple project, it still took quite a bit of time getting the pieces off the paper and onto the mug. I used Glad Press n’ Seal to lay the vinyl onto the mugs. Usually I think contact paper is recommended, but Press n’ Seal isn’t as sticky, but it does wrinkle easily.

Overall it was a fun little project to help me avoid doing actual work over the weekend.

I apologize for the lack of during photos. I did Snapchat some video, but unfortunately that can’t be uploaded to this blog due to restrictions on the free service.

Follow along on Snapchat!

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line up of mugs 1-4

just because…

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I told you I would write about stamping attempt #3, so here it is.

A brown plaid card on its own isn’t very exciting, but with my new stamping venture I was excited to start thinking of ideas. I had already affixed the plaid wallpaper to the card and chose to have the darker section at the top. After going through my new cards this one got tagged for needing something more.

Next I went to my stamps to pick something out, just because in a typewriter font seemed like a great idea. I found a button that would look good with the paper and found paper that would match nicely to stamp on.

I decided I wanted a rounded corner rectangle. I can’t remember if this is possible to do within the Cricut design space, I wasn’t finding anything quickly so I made my rectangle in Illustrator and uploaded it into the Design Space.

The cutting, stamping and embossing went off without a hitch.

The attaching to the card is where things went awry.

After I make a wallpaper card I mark the back with 2 small dots to let me know the bottom. Mistake #1: I failed to look at the back. Mistake # 2: I didn’t try to open the card the way a typical person/non-lefties do.

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So this is what happens when you don’t check something and just start taping and gluing. I was so proud of this card until that moment. I am left handed, but have adapted to the spine being on the right and opening on the left.

I felt that even though the whole thing is backwards (and upside down, however you want to look at it) I can still use it based on the words I chose to adorn on it. “just because” Now it’s more of an ironic statement that “just because” I decided to make this card upside down.

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Customized Thermos

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I’ve been seeing more and more customized products, mugs, tumblers, wine glasses, etc. Before the end of last year I thought people were just magical being able to create such items.

The backstory: I wanted to create my own stencils so I wouldn’t have to rely on other people’s designs and size constraints. I started looking into flexible plastic (still haven’t gotten any) and how to cut it with more precision than an exacto knife and hand drawn lines. That’s when I stumbled on a product called the Cricut.

Upon this discovery my husband set out on a journey to find which machine and starter kit would work best for my beginner needs. I ended up with the Explore Air 2 which had just come out and a huge variety of items to try out.

thermos_0718_01My favorite item so far has been the adhesive foil. I have a variety pack of metallic adhesive foil that I have used on a variety of cards and paper projects. This is the first project where I am using the foil on a much used item.

I’ve had this thermos for many years, as you might be able to see it’s a little beat up, the paint is chipped…it’s seen better days.

I wanted to get a purple one, but can’t find it in stock. So I am still using this one and wanted to make the leap to making something that’s popular. Luckily I have a graphic design background and understand Illustrator, making the Cricut less of a learning curve than it seems to be for many new users. I drew the camera in Illustrator and exported my SVG file to cut out my pattern.

I know the foil isn’t considered “permanent” but we don’t use the dishwasher so I think with hand washing it should stick for a while. So far it’s made it 3 days.

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All commissions from affiliate links go to the maintenance of this blog. Thank you for your support!

Class of 2018

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This was a fairly fast project. 2 colors and my first design out of WinStitch. I’m still figuring out the program, it seems a bit on the clunky side. I could just be spoiled by using Adobe for so many years and having many customization options at my fingertips.

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In progress

The framing took a while. I had to attempt to re-cut the matte, that didn’t end well. Then trying to get the tiny letters cut out with the Cricut to stick semi-straight onto the matte board was a frustrating mess. But hey now it’s done and it can be wrapped and packed.

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Stitching

Started: May 15th
Finished: June 3rd

Framing

Started: June 4th
Finished: June 6th

Feel Better! – A Bandaid card

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This card was inspired by a Pin I saw for Get Well Soon. Now mine is not near as cute, but for a first attempt and being in a rush, I’d say it’s ok.

I also discovered that Sharpies don’t retain their ink forever if you don’t use them. Mine crapped out part way through making this look a little odd.

I also chose to hand letter this card instead of printing and tracing using my lightboard or having the Cricut do the writing for me. The paper was really thin, so putting it on a mat for the Cricut wouldn’t have been the best choice to get writing on it that way.

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The balloons I drew myself in the design space for Cricut and cut out of wallpaper I have on hand. (Seriously huge drawer full of wallpaper samples!)

The googly eyes on the BandAid are glued on with some E6000, again something I have on hand from a previous project.

I made this card initially for my line manager who had a double knee replacement at the temp job I’ve been working, but I’m not sure if she’ll end up getting it, or if it will end up for sale. Who knows! This card is just a floater for the moment.

 

This post uses affiliate links. This just means that if you go to the site and end up buying something I’ll get a small percent, this doesn’t increase the cost to you at all. 🙂

To the Graduate

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This card is for my husband’s cousin. Today is his graduation party. I made this card the weekend before. Completely my own design! It was a bit of trial and error to make my own tassle.

This card I relied fairly heavily on the Cricut. The ‘Congrats’ is cut from Cricut‘s adhesive foil. The hat I drew and cut from wallpaper I have on hand.

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The tassel was an interesting thing to make. I have some jewelry making supplies from years ago when I thought I could make jewelry (ha!). Anyway I would say don’t use memory wire, that stuff is stuck in whatever size it comes in. I did find a more flexible wire that wasn’t silver that worked really well to hold the thread together. (You might recognize the colors from my Mother in law’s Mother’s Day card)

I am planning to make another of these cards for my niece. I know her school colors, so I will work on a tassel in those colors and maybe integrate them more throughout the card. But for something generic and graduation, black and gold works well.

For the inside of this card I cam up with a “brilliant” way to put money in without it falling out right away. Using mounting tape I attached my white cardstock piece to the inside of the card. Since it’s raised slightly I was able to slip some money in behind the message and it stays pretty well!

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This card has a lot of pieces that needed to be assembled, but I was able to do it all in maybe an hour or less. I was working on 4 cards that day and different pieces were cut and assembled at different times.

 

This post uses affiliate links. This just means that if you go to the site and end up buying something I’ll get a small percent, this doesn’t increase the cost to you at all. 🙂

May the Fourth Be With You

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For the first time I’m planning ahead! I thought about doing May 4th cards in March and finally got around to them mid-April.

These aren’t perfect by any stretch. I still can’t get placements correct on the Cricut. The biggest downfall of their design space when you go to make the item, you have to start over placing items every time.

T2S photography

The mishaps continue on the inside of the cards. I decided not to write with a silver marker as I did for my nephew’s birthday card (scroll to the bottom). Instead I attempted to make insets with cardstock. While the first one was too narrow and the second one was quite askew. Using double sided tape there’s no going back once you put it down.

Something else to work on and improve as I keep trying to create more appealing cards.

T2S photography

May Day

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How are you planning to celebrate May Day with your family?

Growing up I would make a basket for the neighbors who lived behind us growing up. It was like a friendly ding dong ditch, because you left them treats in a basket. Once I was older they informed me that they knew it was me, and I was terrible at hiding. Either way it was fun for both sides.

Last year I made some cookies and took them to my previous temp job and the neighbors. This year I won’t be ringing any doorbells, just sending some snail mail. These will be arriving in DC hopefully today!

I decided some May Day cards were in order.

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They are a mix of paint, wallpaper, scrapbook paper, and of course a dab of glitter glue. I used the Cricut to draw the word outlines and to cut out the tulips. I think I did fairly well lining up the text pretty close to the center. I’ll get there eventually with this more complex cards. I know they aren’t the most gorgeous things you’ve ever seen, but it’s a work in progress.

 

This post uses affiliate links. This just means that if you go to the site and end up buying something I’ll get a small percent, this doesn’t increase the cost to you at all. 🙂

Apples, Sharpies, and Glitter Glue

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I finally broke down and bought the 50 pack of glitter glue at Sam’s. There are so many possibilities now! For these cards I also broke out the Cricut (affiliate) again. It’s been collecting dust the last few weeks.

As I was going through all of my wallpaper cards and cataloging them I found two with a single apple on them. At the time I didn’t see a reason to do anything extra and found them artistic in their own way. With my new crafting tools I decided to spice up these cards.

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With the help of a friend I started looking for sayings involving apples. Unfortunately many are quite long. I did find one to use. The other card has

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become a Get Well card because of the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” I guess it will take someone with the right type of humor to accept receiving the card as something that is not some underhanded jibe.

So there you have it, the new cards for the month of March!

Birthday Panda

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The combination of two wonderful things, cards and cross stitch. This project combines both in a wonderful way. I got the Birthday Panda as a free chart from cross-stitching.com. When I saw it I just knew it had to go to my cousin Amanda for her birthday. (Which is today by the way)

She is finishing up her podiatry residency all the way on the East Coast (we’re from Nebraska) and I wanted to send her a little something special. I’m on a card making spree this year!

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The full card took probably 12 or so hours to make. And that’s not including the time to hunt down the colors for it (which aren’t all “correct”) I’ve been trying to use up thread from years of previous projects. I think it turned out pretty good.

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I was going to use ribbon at the bottom like the example, but found this adhesive rhinestone ribbon stuff at my mom’s in with her other ribbon and felt it was just perfect for this project. The next cross stitch card I am making my mom told me I have to use this on as well. (Coming August 2018) So you’ll have to wait a while to see that card.

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I used the Cricut to cut a box the size I needed, it took 4 cards (2 nice pink ones, then 2 practice sheets) to place the square where I needed it. Eventually I got it and away we went!

I used double sided tape to attach the design to the blue paper, then used the non cut half of my white practice card to hide the back of the design, using more double sided tape to hold everything together.

Feel free to share this on Pinterest or make one yourself!