Tutorial

Christmas Tree Truck Mug • Cricut Holiday Gift Giving

10 · Nov 29, 2017 · 2 Comments

Always, always, always… Looking for fun and unique gifts that I can create for friends and family during the holidays. This Christmas Tree Truck Mug, that I created with my Cricut Maker, has my heart! I Now if you aren’t sure which is better, Cricut vs Silhouette, then make sure you check out that comparison! Anyways, I love how it turned out. This Christmas Tree Mug filled with hot chocolate packets is fun to give to friends, neighbors, teachers, and so on. I typically stick with black and white in my designs because I LOVE black and white. This time, I branched out and layered different colors of vinyl to create a fun look on a white and black enamelware mug. While I was making them I created a video tutorial on how to layer your vinyl when working with multicolored vinyl projects. Come check it out…

+ This post brought to you by Cricut +

Christmas Tree Truck Mug

Inspired by the ever-popular red truck with a Christmas Tree in the back, I thought it would translate nicely into a fun neighbor gift. This project is really quite simple. However, it looks impressive and your friends who receive it are going to LOVE it! I know I would if someone gave it to me. Here’s what you’ll need to make some of your own.

Materials

For the mug, I found some enamel ware mugs at Amazon (I’m not an affiliate) but they can be pretty pricey. If you want a more budget friendly option, I would visit a Dollar Store, Dollar Tree or even a thrift store to find just some basic white mugs.

white mug
design file for Cricut Design Space
black vinyl
red vinyl
green vinyl
Cricut Transfer Tape
Cricut Cutting Machine ie. Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2
Cricut Light Grip Cutting Mat
hot chocolate packets

Instructions

The first thing you might want to do is watch a video tutorial that I created that shows how to create curved text in Cricut Design Space AND how to apply the vinyl to the mug. It would be really helpful. Don’t worry though, I’ve handled the entire design process for you! Once you watch the video, make sure you have clicked on the link to my design file so that you can easily create this project in Cricut Design Space. Select the click it button on the bottom right and follow the steps to cut all three colors of vinyl. Next step, you’ll need to weed your vinyl. That means that you need to remove all of the vinyl around your image and inside the image. Once you’ve weeded the vinyl, you’re ready to apply it to the mug. Here is a quick video tutorial on how to easily layer your vinyl.

WhipperBerry Cricut Design School-How to Easily Layer Vinyl Video Tutorial from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

Now, all you need to do is fill your cute mugs with your favorite hot chocolate packets. Then, make a list of all your favorite friends & neighbors to give one if these fun mugs to this Christmas.

Cricut Questions

Have any Cricut questions? I’d be happy to tackle them if you’d like. Leave a comment or email me at heather @ whipperberry . com and I’ll put together a video to help shine some light on what has been perplexing you.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine. I have included some Share-a-Sale links for tracking purposes only. I am not a Cricut Affiliate.

How to Import and Use a SVG File in Cricut Design Space

55 · Nov 21, 2017 · 2 Comments

I LOVE to create my own designs for all kinds of things like signs, printables, special gifts and now, thanks to the Cricut Maker… Sewing projects! The issue that I ran into at the beginning was figuring out how to effectively use my own SVG files in Cricut Design Space. If you’re like me, and would like to either use either your own designs or other designs that you purchase from Etsy or other sites, this video tutorial is for you! You could use a Silhouette or a Cricut. If you’re unsure of which is better you can read my review of Cricut vs Silhouette here.

Whether you are a sign maker, a paper crafter or you love to work with fabric, chances are you’ve wanted to either create your own SVG files or download files that you’ve purchased and use them with your Cricut Projects. The Cricut Design Space is pretty robust but there are times when you need a little more in the design area. For example, create curved text and such for a project. I stumbled across a way to covert PDF sewing patterns into SVG files to use with my Cricut Maker. Don’t worry, I’ll have a tutorial for that soon. Today, I want to focus on how to import and use that SVG file into Cricut Design Space and use it effectively. I’ve been working on this for a bit so I’ve managed to come-up with some great tips and tricks to help speed-up your work flow in order to cut down on possibly technology frustration.

Video Tutorial on How to Import and Use Your SVG Files in Cricut Design Space

Take a few minutes to sit and watch this video. I promise it will make your time in the Cricut Design Space much easier!

DIY Fall Throw Pillow • Oh, Delicious Fall

9 · Aug 30, 2017 · 3 Comments

Summer is coming to a close and it’s time to start thinking about Fall decor! This DIY Fall Throw Pillow is Perfect for your front porch or any room in the house!

{ This post brought to you by • Cricut }

It’s time to start decorating for Fall and I’m over the moon excited to finally have a front porch that I can decorate! I’ve been working on all kinds of projects for the porch design and today I’m going to show you one of the elements. My DIY Fall throw pillow with the cute saying, “Oh, Delicious Fall.” Earlier today if you have been following my Story on Instagram… You watched live, how easy it is to make this simple accent pillow with the new Cricut Maker & Easy Press along with the Cricut Heat Transfer Material. It’s sooooo cool!!

The Cricut MAKER

You guys… I know you’ve seen all the buzz around the creative world about the new Cricut Maker and Cricut Easy Press. I’m here to tell you, everything you’ve heard is legit. These two new machines are game changers in the creative world. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the stuff the new Cricut Maker can do, it cuts…

fabric { without any type of backing }
felt
leather
balsa and bass wood
crepe paper
chip board
mat board
and the list goes on and on…

The engineers at Cricut have come up with an adaptive cutting tool system that is truly inspired. They have also dramatically increased the cutting power which allows for all of the new materials. They’ve increased the cutting power 10x… That’s seriously impressive! Here are some of the displays with amazing vignettes all created with the Cricut Maker for the launch event earlier this month.

Well, enough about that… Let’s get to work on the Fall throw pillow. Now keep in mind, I am using the new Cricut Maker but, you can use any of the Cricut cutting machines like the Cricut Air 2 for this project. We are using the Cricut Heat Transfer Material that any of those machines can handle just fine. Also, I am using the Cricut Easy Press, which is FABULOUS!! But, you won’t be left out in the cold if you don’t have an Easy Press yet… You can use your iron to create this accent fluffy pillow as well.

Instructions for the DIY Fall Throw Pillow

Materials needed:

pillow cover
pillow form
Cricut Iron-On Lite – black
Cricut Light Grip cutting mat
Cricut cutting machine
Cricut Easy Press or an Iron
light cotton towel
Cricut Design Space

Directions:

First, you need to download the “Oh, delicious Fall” design that I’ve created for this pillow.

Then you’ll need to upload it into Design Space…

You’ll do that by clicking on the upload button on the left side of the screen.

Now, the design is already sized for your standard 15 inch throw pillow but you can size it larger or smaller if you like. You will also need to add the maple leaf from the image library. I searched for a maple leaf in the search bar and then selected the leaf below. You could always select whatever image you like.

Size and place the leaf into the design and then you need to select your designs and then Weld them together and then Attach them to your “cutting mat.”

Now, it’s time to “Make It” by clicking on the Make It button at the top right of the screen. When working with iron-on material, you need to make sure that you mirror the design so that it cuts properly.

Now, you need to place your Cricut Iron-On light onto your cutting mat. Make sure to follow the package directions for how to place it on your mat. Basically, the shiny side needs to be placed face down on the mat. If you were following my Instagram Story, you would have seen that I don’t bother to cut the material off of the roll until I have finished cutting my design. It cuts down on waste and makes it easier to remove your design from the cutting mat. All you need to do is roll it right back up. It’s super slick.

Now, you need to load your mat into the machine, connect your machine to your computer, iPad or other mobil device via Bluetooth and then select your material that you will be cutting.

Click on Iron-On and you’re all set to cut…

Once you have finished the cutting process, you’ll need to weed your iron-on vinyl to remove the excess material.

While you are weeding your iron-on vinyl, you’ll want to pre-heat your Cricut Easy Press or your iron so that you’re ready to go once you’ve finished weeding.

I have found a setting of 350˚ for about 50 seconds usually does the trick when I’m working with the Cricut Iron-On Lite. The nice thing about the easy press is that is has nice consistent temperature over the entire base. Check this out…

This is showing the heat variance with a traditional iron. That’s why some people have been frustrated in the past with creating iron-on projects. You don’t have to worry about that anymore with the Easy Press. It has a large 9×9 inch plate which is AWSOME!! That’s how you’ll achieve professional results without investing in a bulking and expensive heat press machine. It’s light weight and easy to store which is a total bonus.

First, I pre-heat my pillow cover, this helps to start the iron-on process with the vinyl. Plus, it irons out any wrinkles in your pillow cover.

Oh, I also use a portable ironing blanket that you can find at Walmart or Target in the laundry section. It’s perfect for protecting your surface while you’re using the Easy Press.

Now, center your design on your pillow cover.

Cover your design with a light cotton tea towel.

And then, place the Easy Press onto your design with the timer set for 50 seconds and press the Cricut button to start the timer. Lightly press on the Easy Press and wait for the timer to go off.

Now, my design was a little larger than the 9×9 plate so I did it a few times to make sure I had transferred the entire design onto my pillow cover. Then I removed the protective plastic cover, replaced the towel and then did one more go with the Easy Press to make sure everything was set.

That was it! I put the pillow form into the pillow cover and voilá… I had a fun accent piece for my new front porch bench.

How simple is that? If you don’t have a Cricut machine or the Cricut Easy Press… I would for sure start dropping hints to Santa pronto! This is a new era for creating and these are the must have tools!!

Disclaimer • I am a Cricut Ambassador this year and I’m thrilled to be a part of that crew. I truly love these products and for sure would not share anything that I didn’t naturally use in my own life and LOVE. I have received product and payment for my time in putting together this informative post for you guys. I hope you ENJOY!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Embroidery Hoop Bulletin Board

1 · Feb 24, 2014 · 7 Comments

Hey all! It’s Jenn from My Fabuless Life and this month, I’m SO excited to share this simple bulletin board project. I’m just finishing up my daughter’s “big girl” room that we started a little over a year ago, and by “finishing up,” I mean we basically started over from scratch and went a whole different direction than where we started. We had a bulletin board in the room for her pictures and art, but I knew I wanted to change it for something a little different and unexpected. Enter a giant embroidery hoop and some fun tribal print fabric from JoAnn’s. This project cost me roughly $10 to make and the impact in the room is huge (I’m so excited to share the whole room over on my blog next week).

I bought a 27″ embroidery hoop in the fabric section at JoAnn’s–I assume these are for quilting or for embroidery like mighty hoops, but I don’t sew, so who knows. What I do know is that my heart totally skipped a beat when I found out they made them this big!

I started by staining the outside ring of the hoop with Early American from Minwax. (If you need a little staining guidance, you can see my tutorial here).

After the stain dried, I pulled the fabric through the hoop AS TIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE, then hot glued the fabric to the inside of the ring — again, TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT! Then I took the outer ring back off, zig zagged some gold ribbon across, and used thumb tacks to tack it to the inside of the ring.