Color Etching on Glass

February 3, 2023 by Cyn Gagen Leave a Comment

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase

If you have ever seen glass etching you know how beautiful it can be. We’re going to show you not only how to use your Cricut machine for etching glass, but also how to do color etching on glass. This is such a fun technique that you can use to add a permanent design to glass for any holiday, occasion, or home decor theme.

Glass-etched projects make lovely custom handmade gifts. They’re perfect for weddings, anniversaries, teacher gifts, and so much more.

You can etch on stainless steel too! Check this out – Etching Stainless Steel

Color Etching on Glass

Supplies Needed:

Oh Come Let us Adore Him – https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_file…
Glass canister – https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hob…
Armor Etch – https://amzn.to/3zxsd87
Starcraft Vinyl: https://bit.ly/3uP2GUo
Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/3vFyTA0
Gloves – https://amzn.to/3zUV87C
Rub’n Buff – https://amzn.to/3vHAR2W
Candles – https://amzn.to/3JyrUic

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Working in Design Space

1 – Choose the cut file that you’d like to use for your design. Download it and upload into Cricut Design Space. We’re going to turn this design into a stencil for your etching project.

2 – Add the design to your canvas in Design Space.

3 – Measure the dimensions of the space you have available for your design on your blank. Size your design accordingly.

Pro Tip: Remember to lock the dimensions of your design if you want to maintain them while sizing.

Weld The Two Layers Of The Design Together

4 – With the design we’re using, you can see in the layers panel that it is two layers. If we cut it as is, it will cut each layer on a separate mat. We want this to be one stencil so we need to select each layer and Weld.

Cutting and Applying the Vinyl

5 – Click Make It. Choose your material setting. We used Permanent Vinyl, Removable. Cut out your design.

6 – Weed your vinyl. Remember that this will be used as a stencil. So, you want to weed out the opposite of what you usually do. In this case, you’re removing the letters and decor elements and leaving the negative space behind. Cover your weeded design with transfer tape and burnish it down.

7 – If you’re applying the vinyl to a non-porous surface like glass or ceramic, clean the area where the vinyl will be placed with rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. This will ensure that there is no dirt, fingerprints, or debris to interfere with smoothly placing the vinyl.

8 – Remove the backing from your vinyl. Place the stencil on your blank. Be sure that you get out all of the air bubbles and that the edges are very well-adhered. You want to get a good crisp result from your stenciling. Carefully peel away the transfer tape.

Stenciling

9 – Put on your gloves. This is a very important step – you don’t want etching cream to come in contact with your skin! Paint the etching cream over the stencil. We like to paint it all over, going back into each area again so that we’re sure the cream gets right down into the design well. Move the cream around for 1-2 minutes for best results. Apply a fairly thick layer of etching cream. Set your timer. The bottle directions say to leave the etching cream for 1-3 minutes but we find that 5 minutes works best.

Pro Tip: If you’re concerned about the etching cream getting onto the glass around the edges of the stencil, you can always add some painter’s tape around the whole design.

10 – Use your paintbrush to remove the excess etching cream from your craft project. Put it back in the jar to use again. Wash off your project under running water. Be sure to leave your gloves on for this part.

Pro Tip: Once the design is dry, you can hold it up to the light and double-check to ensure that all parts have been etched to your satisfaction.

Adding color to the etching

11 – Remove the stencil. Apply Rub n Buff to your design to add color. It’s a good idea to wear a glove for this process. Work the color into the etched design.

Important: We recommend only using this on a decorative piece that you aren’t going to be washing. After testing, we found that if we washed it, it would remove the color.

12 – This dries quickly so go in and use a paper towel to remove the excess. Alternate between applying the Rub n Buff and removing excess with the paper towel. Once the design is thoroughly covered with Rub n Buff, your project is ready to display!

Dishwasher Safe Cricut Projects

February 1, 2023 by Cyn Gagen Leave a Comment

You’ve worked hard on a special Cricut craft and now you want to know how to make it safe to put in the dishwasher? We’ve got you covered. In this tutorial, we will show you how to make dishwasher safe Cricut projects. Don’t let all your hard work designing and creating an amazing Cricut craft go to waste. Cricut beginners and seasoned pros alike, this is must-have information to keep in your back pocket for when you need it.

We’ll be honest. We rarely ever seal our Cricut projects. For the most part, we just don’t find it necessary and prefer to leave the design uncovered. But, there may be times when you really want to add a sealant to your craft project and that’s why we are going over the best kind to use to make it safe for the dishwasher.

Dishwasher Safe Cricut Projects

Let’s start by talking about WHY we don’t usually want to use a sealant. When you apply this Mod Podge to your project, it will likely leave brush strokes. If you use it on a clear glass mug or plate, it will probably make the image cloudy. That’s why we are not huge fans of this.

We find that if you use really good, high-quality vinyl, you get great results and truly don’t need to seal it. Our rule of thumb here is that if something is handmade, it should be hand-washed so that the design is long-lasting and the item maintains its quality. However, you may want the convenience of using your dishwasher, and if that’s the case, you’ll need to use Dishwasher-Safe Mod Podge.

Pro Tip: High-quality vinyl that we like and use regularly at Makers Gonna Learn – Starcraft, Oracal 651, and TeckWrap just to name a few.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Cut Files/Fonts Used: What Would Dolly Do? – https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_files/what-would-dolly-do/

Dishwasher Safe Mod podge – https://amzn.to/3Z9JFeS

Coffee Mug – https://www.dollartree.com/royal-norfolk-contemporary-white-square-stoneware-mugs-12oz/18235

How To Make A Cricut Project Dishwasher Safe

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL:

1 – The first thing you need to know about using Dishwasher-Safe Mod Podge is that it will dry in just a few hours BUT that doesn’t mean that it is ready to use at that point. The full cure time for it is 28 days. It should not go into the dishwasher until after those 28 days have passed. This is key to getting the best results from this product.

2 – To get the fewest brushstrokes and marks on our design possible, we prefer to apply the Mod Podge with our fingers. It is a non-toxic product and safe to touch, but once finished, we do like to wash our hands right away. If you don’t want to touch it with your fingers, you can apply it with a foam brush, but remember that you will get brushstrokes this way.

Important: Before you apply vinyl to a non-porous surface like glass or ceramic, clean it well with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to remove all dust, debris, and fingerprints that might interfere with proper application of the vinyl.

Snip slits into the transfer tape to help adhere the vinyl to a curved surface.

3 – Remove the backing from your vinyl design. Apply to your mug.

Pro Tip: When applying vinyl to a curved surface, we find it helpful to snip slits into the transfer tape. Be sure not to cut into the design. This allows you to get it nice and flat on the surface of the mug.

4 – Burnish well. We find it helpful to use our fingers to press it well onto the mug.

5 – Peel away the transfer tape carefully.

6 – Using your finger, dab the Mod Podge over the vinyl design. As you apply it, it may change the texture and appearance of the vinyl, so be aware of that. Apply a thin coat. Let it dry for a little while until it’s just a bit tacky.

Pro Tip: Once partially dry, we used the heel of our hand to tap over the design. This helps remove some of the finger strokes. Using a paper towel, we also removed any excess Mod Podge from around the design. Don’t touch the Mod Podge on the vinyl itself, but any that is on the mug around the vinyl.

7 – Wait 1-2 hours. Apply another coat of Mod Podge. In all, you want to apply 2-3 more coats to your mug, drying in between. Be sure to repeat the process of tapping over the vinyl and removing excess Mod Podge from around the design with each application.

REMINDER: Once you put on the last coat, put the mug aside and let it cure for 28 days.

Faux Tooled Leather with Cricut

January 11, 2023 by Cyn Gagen Leave a Comment

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase

If you love the look of tooled leather, you have got to check out this ultimate vinyl hack. We are going to show you how to create a faux tooled leather look with Siser Brick and Siser Soft Flex. We’ll add this to a sweatshirt for a really fun look but there are other uses for it too! You are going to love the many different ways you can use this technique with your Cricut machine to create some gorgeous craft projects.

It took a bit of experimenting to get this technique just right and we’re really excited to share it with you so you can make these faux tooled leather projects too. Let’s jump in and start crafting.

Faux Tooled Leather with Cricut

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Cut file: https://makersgonnalearn.com/cut_files/mandala/

Font: https://makersgonnalearn.com/fonts/valery/

Siser Brick 600 – https://www.143vinyl.com/12-x-20-sheet-siser-brick-600-htv-black.html

Printable HTV – https://www.143vinyl.com/starcraft-transfers-for-dark-materials-8.5-x-11-sheets.html

Canon Printer – https://amzn.to/3C5oL6H

Weeding tool – https://amzn.to/3jn3Q8I

Cricut – https://amzn.to/3FRIuIe

Strong Grip Mat – https://amzn.to/3jAmPg3 (or use fabric grip or a new standard grip)

Standard Grip Mat – https://amzn.to/3PUIZWq (you’ll need a newer one that’s quite sticky as the Brick 600 material is quite thick)

Heat Press – https://www.143vinyl.com/starcraft-heat-press-15×15-clam-shell-mint.html

Teflon Sheet – https://amzn.to/3vhH058

Butchers Paper – https://amzn.to/3GmEYao

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

Working in Design Space

1 – In Design Space, type in the text you want to use and change it to your desired font. We used Valery from Makers Gonna Learn. Since we will be adding an offset for this project, we are going to select the whole text and using letter spacing to space out the letters to accommodate it.

splitting your design so it fits for print then cut

2 – Size your design to fit the area of your shirt or other blank where you would like the design to be placed. Be sure it fits within the dimensions of your heat press too. This design is going to be printed on printable vinyl and you’ll see that it’s too big for the Cricut Print then Cut size restrictions. So, we’re going to have to divide the design into pieces that will fit within those size limits. For our design, this means splitting it in half.

3 – To do this, we simply highlighted the portion of the text we wanted to cut off from the word. On a Mac, we then pressed Command X to cut it and then Command V to paste it (now as a separate layer away from the other part of the word). On a PC, you would use Control X and Control V.

4 – Select both parts of your design and duplicate it. You can move the duplicate out of the way or hide it for now.

5 – With each part of your design separately, add an offset. You don’t want a very big one – just enough to add depth. We used 0.1 as our measurement.

6 – Next, you’ll need to change the colors of your design.

7 – Repeat adding the offset and changing the colors for the second half of your design.

8 – Select one half of your design and Flatten. Repeat with the other half. Now, you can hide or put these over to the side so you can work with the duplicate design.

Using the Paisley Pattern to Create a Textured Look

adding the paisley pattern to the letters

9 – Add the paisley pattern (cut file listed in the supplies as Mandala) to your canvas. Place one half of your design over the pattern. Select the image as well as the letters and choose Slice. Delete the excess slice results.

10 – Repeat with the other half of your design. The sliced letters are going to be the Brick 600 layer. It will go beneath the printable HTV.

PRO TIP: You might want to add a tiny offset (like 0.3) for these letters as well. We didn’t but found later that if we had, it would have eliminated the need for trimming the design before weeding. You’ll see what we mean as you get to the part where we do the actual weeding.

Printing and Cutting Your Design

11 – Press Make It. Luckily for us, with our letters stacked, this actually fits on one sheet of HTV but you might have to cut your design separately on two or more sheets. Since we are using Starcraft for Dark Material, we don’t have to mirror it. If you are using the kind for light material, you will need to mirror as you do with most HTV.

With the Siser Brick 600, you must mirror your design so remember to turn that on for that mat.

12 – For the Print then Cut portion of your design, you will begin by sending it to the printer. We turned on Bleed and used the System Dialog box to feed it from the rear tray and choose Best quality.

placing printed letters on mat for cutting

13 – Select your material as Printable Iron On Dark. Once printed, load it onto your cutting mat and feed it into the Cricut for cutting. Line it up in the top left corner of the mat and use your brayer to make sure it’s well-adhered before cutting.

14 – Place the Brick 600 on a Strong grip, Fabric grip, or new Standard Grip mat shiny side down. Use your brayer to ensure that it is flat and sticking to the mat well.

15 – Once your Print and Cut has finished cutting, it’s time to weed it.

16 – Back in Design Space, set your material for the Siser Brick 600. We have experimented with several different settings. The Glitter Iron-On setting does cut through it but it has the potential to cut right through the transfer sheet so we used the Medium Cardstock setting instead.

Weeding Your Design

use true control knife to trim letters as needed

17 – After cutting the Brick 600, it’s time to weed. Remember that you are wanting to create a dimensional design to go under the Print and Cut. So, it helps to start with a True Control knife as we found that there were a few edges that needed to be sliced so they didn’t come up with the weeding process. Note: if you used our tip for adding an offset to these letters, you probably won’t need to do any of this trimming with a knife.

18 – Because we didn’t use an offset on our letters, we need to go in with scissors or a True Control knife and trim all the way around the letters.

Applying Your Design to the Shirt

press your shirt to warm it up and add use a t-shirt guide to line up the letters

19 – Press your shirt to warm it up a bit before applying the letters. Our heat press was set to 310 and we pressed the shirt for about 10 seconds.

PRO TIP: We put a piece of butcher’s paper over the shirt because we use the heat press for sublimation and we wanted to ensure that the shirt stayed clean.

20 – Line your letters up on the shirt. We used a t-shirt guide to make this easier. Line up the letters cut from Siser Brick 600 and then remove the t-shirt guide. Cover with a piece of butcher’s paper. If you’re concerned about the letters moving, you can secure them with a little piece of heat-resistant tape on each one. Press your letters using medium pressure at 310 degrees for 10 seconds. This vinyl is a cold peel so it must cool down completely before moving on.

peel away the heat resistant tape and transfer sheet

21 – Remove the heat-resistant tape and peel up the transfer sheet.

Put the regular letters over each one of the textured letters

22 – Peel off the Print then Cut letters and place each one over top of the letters on the shirt. We find it best to do this while the shirt is in the heat press. Top with butcher’s paper. Press for 10 seconds. Normally, we would do a warm peel but we found that caused the letters to want to peel up. So, we did a cool peel instead.

PRO TIP: The butcher’s paper will stick to the letters. That’s okay. Simply peel it off carefully. If any remains, use a damp cotton swab to remove the bits left behind. It is worth trying a Teflon sheet instead of butcher’s paper.

Isn’t it a fun technique? We used printable HTV but some people use Siser SoftFlex instead. Both work really well.

Sweatshirt With Faux Tooled Leather Design

Mama On Sweatshirt In Faux Tooled Leather Cricut Design

How to Sew a Wet Bag

September 14, 2022 by Paula W

We’ve all been there! You’ve just finished up a fantastic day in the sun and pool with friends, changed into your dry clothes and you are left wondering what to do with your soaking wet bathing suit. Do you throw it in your pool bag and risk drenching everything in it? Now you don’t have to! We’re going to show you how to sew a wet bag.

This super easy wet suit bag is the answer to all your wet swimsuit problems, and with this step-by-step video tutorial, even beginner sewists can create a super cute and functional bag that will keep the rest of your belongings from getting soggy!

How to Sew a Wet Bag

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links provided for your convenience. This means, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Cut Files Used:

Flip Flops
Camp Hair

Supply Links:

Multi-Color Striped Cotton Calico Fabric (2 pieces cut to 11.5×14”)
Coordinating thread
Pellon Fusible Vinyl (2 pieces cut to 11.5×14”)
10” zipper
Brother sewing machine
Self healing rotary cutting mat
Quilting ruler 6×24”
Quilting ruler 6.5×6.5”
Sewist clips
Mini Easy Press
Large easy press mat
Small easy press mat
Black matte vinyl
Cricut Maker
Fiskar rotary cutter

Step-by-step Instructions:

Using a rotary cutter and rotary cutting mat, cut 2 pieces of 11.5×14″ cotton fabric and 2 pieces of 11.5×14″ fusible vinyl
Remove the backing from fusible vinyl and place vinyl sticky side down on the “wrong side” of the fabric
Place backing from fusible vinyl over fusible vinyl. Use an easy press to adhere fusible vinyl to fabric. (refer to instructions for proper application of fusible vinyl)
Using a zipper foot, sew zipper to each piece of fabric. (Never sewn a zipper before? Here’s a great instructional video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlpCOp8p6oI)
Once the zipper is sewn on both pieces of fabric, place the fabrics right side together, partially unzip zipper (so you can turn the bag later on), and sew the sides and bottom of the bag together
Next, create boxed corners in the bottom of your bag. Mark corners at 2″ and sew new seam. Trim the edges of the boxed corner.
Flip bag right side out
Measure the finished size of your bag
Size cut file in design space to fit on the front of your finished wet bag
Load mat with HTV (shiny side down). Mirror your image and select “iron-on” as your material setting.
Load mat into Cricut. After the cut is complete unload mat and weed/remove the excess vinyl
Place weeded image on wet bag
Insert a small easy press mat into the bag so that fusible vinyl does not melt together
Use an easy mini press to apply heat to HTV. Cool peel

DIY Disney Ears Tutorial

July 7, 2021 by Paula W

Are you a Disney fan? We just love making Disney craft projects with our Cricut machines. These adorable custom Mickey ears are a great project for any Cricut owner – Cricut beginner or Cricut pro! You’re going to love this DIY Disney Ears Tutorial – you can even make them with either a Cricut Maker OR a Cricut Explore Air 2.

The Cricut tips and hacks you will learn in this Mickey ears headband blog post and video tutorial will help you not only with this fun craft project but with other Cricut projects you want to make. You’re going to love putting your own spin on this project. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

DIY Disney Ears Tutorial with Cricut

We are making both Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse ears. These are perfect for your upcoming vacations or just for Disney fans who want to wear them for parties or movie nights or any other day they choose. Just think how much fun it will be to have your own custom Mickey ears to wear!

We have two versions of these Disney ears for you today. We will show you both a sewn version and a no-sew version so anyone can make their very own mouse ears with their die cutting machine. Remember, you can use either your Maker or Explore Air 2 for making either one of these versions.

make your own custom disney ears headbands

Materials we used:

Grab your FREE Mickey ears headband cut file here!

Cricut Maker
Or Cricut Explore Air 2
FabricGrip Mat for your Cricut (only if cutting fabric with your Cricut)
Our Favorite Cutting Mats
Cricut Rotary Blade (only for Cricut Maker)
Your Cricut Fine Point Blade
Cricut Deep Cut Blade
Sewing Machine
Lynn Lilly Hot Glue Gun
Holographic Faux Leather
Polka Dot Fabric
Foam Sheets (any color – you won’t see them on the finished project)
Sewing Clips
Poly Fiber Fill (you can also use quilt batting instead)
Cardstock (if using the Air 2 and you want to make a template so you can hand cut the fabric)
Headband
Fabric shears
Small scissors

Starting in Cricut Design Space

Import your Mouse Ears SVG into Cricut Design Space. You don’t even need to do any resizing or file manipulation or anything – it is already perfectly sized and ready to go as it is.

You’ll see that we have the front and back pieces for the left and right ears. Then we have smaller pieces that are for cutting out the craft foam. If you don’t have any foam on hand, you can use cardboard instead.

In addition, we have the bow cut file. You may be wondering what the finished size of the bow will be. We look at the bottom piece of the bow cut file and this gives us a really good idea of the finished size of the bow. If you want to make it a different size, you certainly can resize it but use that bottom piece as a way to gauge just how big it will be.

We will be using the rotary blade to cut out the fabric, the fine point blade to cut out the faux leather, and the deep point blade to cut out the foam. If you’re using an Explore Air 2, you will either need to bond your fabric or to cut out a cardstock template and cut your fabric by hand in place of using the rotary blade for the fabric.

Click Make It And Choose Your Materials For Each Mat Accordingly

Cutting your materials

Press Make It and choose your materials for each of your cutting mats according to which material you will be using. For the bow, we are using Paper Thin Faux Leather, for the inner part of the ears, we’re using Craft Foam, and for the rest of the ears, we are using cotton fabric.

Load Holographic Leather Shiny Side Down Onto The Cutting Mat

Once you have selected your materials, place your materials on the cutting mats, load each blade for the mats as needed, and cut out your materials. We are placing the Holographic Faux Leather shiny metallic side down on the Fabricgrip cutting mat.

If Using An Air 2 You Can Make A Cardstock Template And Hand Cut The Ears

Remember, if using your Air 2, you can cut out a Mickey ears template and hand-cut your ears. We’re cutting all 4 layers at once. Simply pin the template on the fabric and cut out.

Place Fabric Right Sides Together For Sewing

DIY Disney Ears Tutorial – Sewn Version

Sewing the ears

Place two of your fabric ears right sides together. Sew all the way around except for the bottom of the ear (leave that open) using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Repeat with the other fabric ear.

Cut notches around the curved part of the ears. This will help keep them from puckering when you turn them right side out. Cut little V’s using the small scissors being careful not to cut into the seam. Go all the way around about every 1/2 to 1 inch.

Turn each of the ears right side out. You can use either cardboard or craft foam inside the ears. We like using craft foam because you can bend it slightly to make it easy to insert it into each ear.

Now, it’s time to fill the ears with the Poly-Fil stuffing. You can add it to just one side of the craft foam or on both sides according to your personal preference. Make sure that the two ears are evenly stuffed and that you have pushed the filling so that it extends right up into the edges of the ears.

Fold The Edges Of The Bottom Of Each Ear To The Inside

Fold the bottom edges into the ear. We like to do it by folding one edge over the piece of craft foam and then folding in the other side.

Clip Those Edges To Hold Them Together While Sewing

Clip or pin those edges together to hold them in place. Sew closed using a top-stitch ready close to the edge.

Assembling the bows

Next, we’ll glue the bows together. Apply some hot glue to the center and fold in one side tab towards the middle, lining it up with the center piece. Add another dab of glue to the center and then fold in the other side.

Layer each of the bow sections together and secure with hot glue. Then, starting in the back, glue down one end of the rectangle that wraps around the middle of the bow, wrap it around, and secure the other end with more glue.

Lay Out Your Pieces And Then Secure With Hot Glue

Lay out the pieces, arranging them as you’d like. Then, when happy with how your Mickey ears headband, hot glue the pieces in place on the headband. Hold each piece in place until it dries.

DIY Disney Ears Tutorial – No Sew Version

You can start by assembling the bow by following the instructions above. Then, start putting each ear together. Once again, lay two pieces of the fabric ears right sides together. Instead of sewing, we’re going to hot glue them together. Work in a small section at a time, making sure to apply the glue close to the edge. As with the sewn version, do not glue along the bottom edge of each ear.

Turn each ear right side out. Be a bit gentle with this as putting them together with hot glue isn’t quite as permanent as sewing. Tuck the foam pieces into the ears as shown in the sewn version. Then, stuff them with Fiber-Fil and glue the bottoms of each ear shut. We like to glue one side to the craft foam. Then, fold in the other side and secure with glue.

Assemble The Mouse Ears Headband Using Hot Glue To Secure It

Assemble the mouse ear headband just as we did for the sewn version. Arrange the pieces and secure in place on the headband using hot glue.

Aren’t these the cutest? You can easily customize these Disney ears to any color or design you want, not just Mickey and Minnie. Avengers, maybe? Or how about Winnie the Pooh? We can wait to see the Disney ear headbands you make. Just tag us using hashtag #MakersGonnaLearn on social media.

Need a more in-depth step-by-step video tutorial? Check out the one below!

How to Etch Wine Glasses

June 30, 2021 by Paula W

We can’t wait to show you how to etch wine glasses. It’s so easy, especially with the help of your die cutting machine. Etching on glass allows you to add a design that is permanent. Yes, permanent!

More and more people are getting into etching and we’re really excited about that because etching glass is so much fun! We will show you how to make stencils with Cricut and then use those stencils so you can stencil glass at home.

Want to add vinyl to your wine glasses instead? We’ll show you how!

How to Etch Wine Glasses

We will give you all of the etching tips and tricks you need to have a successful etching beginner project. This is also a fun Cricut tutorial about how to make stencils too!

Materials we’re using:

Step-by-step tutorial:

We are using a standard stemless wine glass for this project. It’s about 5 inches tall and holds 15 ounces.

For the vinyl, you can use any basic adhesive vinyl for the stencil. We just grab some scrap vinyl or some leftover in a color that we’re not likely to use in a future project.

When it comes to using the etching cream, please read all of the instructions that come with this product.

Be sure to put on gloves before using the etching cream. If it can eat through glass in 15 minutes, it will also eat your skin. Use with care.

Creating the stencil:

To create our design, we have pulled in 2 cut files and welded them together. We measured the wine glass to determine how large we wanted the design to be and sized it to fit the glass.

We are using the Camper cut file and the Happy Camper cut file from here on Makers Gonna Learn.

Since we’re using regular vinyl as a stencil, we don’t need to mirror. We do want some extra space around our design though to allow space to put on the etching cream without worry. We like about 1/2 to 1 inch around our design.

Cut out your stencil with your Cricut machine.

Remember to burnish the vinyl to the mat before weeding.

You’re going to weed the opposite parts that you usually do. Remember, this is being used as a stencil. So, you want to weed away anything where the etching cream will be doing its job.

Apply the transfer tape. Burnish.

Flip mat over and remove the mat from the vinyl. Burnish again from the back to ensure that you’ve got really good adhesion.

Applying the stencil:

It’s really important to place your stencil on a clean surface. Use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel to clean away any oils from your fingers, dust, and debris that can not only interfere with your stencil sticking well, but can also interfere with the etching process.

Since we’re placing the vinyl onto a curved surface, we are cutting slits all around the design. Be sure not to cut into or too close to your design as you don’t want any etching cream seeping under.

Place your design on the glass. As we place it, we like to push from the center out to remove any bubbles.

Take off the transfer tape. Work out any bubbles that are close to the design. Use your thumbnail and press hard to get them out. You don’t want any cream to get underneath and ruin your design.

If there are any cuts from the slits we made that are now encroaching on the design, be sure to cover over them with masking tape.

Using the etching cream:

Apply the etching cream with a craft stick over your design. Remember that it will etch anywhere it touches so use care not to splash it on other parts of the glass.

We don’t like to “rub” the etching cream on because then we might accidentally move the stencil and get cream under. Instead, we sort of pat it on.

Let it sit for 15 minutes where no one will touch it and it won’t roll around. We like to use a roll of masking tape as a “holder” for the glass.

After 15-20 minutes, remove the etching cream from the glass using your gloved fingers or the craft stick. Put it back in the jar because it’s reusable. Another great reason to have excess vinyl around the design is so you don’t have to be as careful when you remove the excess.

Rinse. Remove vinyl. We like to do this at the sink in case there is any excess that we need to rinse after taking the vinyl off.

To care for your glass, simply follow the washing instructions for the glass. If it was dishwasher safe before etching, it’s still dishwasher safe.

Tips for Making Your First Cricut Project

April 13, 2021 by Paula W

You got a brand new Cricut machine – congratulations! You’re probably really excited, but maybe a bit overwhelmed too. There are so many fun ideas to choose from and now you need some tips for Making Your First Cricut Project.

We’ve got you covered. We’ll go through our best tips for your very first die cutting craft project and show you some ideas for the best types of projects to choose below.

Tips for Making Your First Cricut Project

Let’s begin with something that’s really important. Why did you buy your Cricut? What motivated you to invest your money into a Cricut machine?

Most of us saw some projects and thought, oh I really want to make that too! We were inspired to get our own machine because of those projects! So, this is definitely where you should begin when it comes to making your first craft project.

Making something that you love is the best way to motivate yourself to overcome any hesitation or frustration! Cricut offers the materials and tutorial for a specific project (making a card) to get started, but if that really doesn’t inspire you, feel free to choose something that does.

Craft Along with Tutorials

We make a lot of video tutorials. One of the reasons we love making them is because they can be so helpful, especially for beginners. We highly recommend that you find a video tutorial for a project that you love and follow along with it.

You can pause it as often as you need to. Rewind it. Go over sections more than once until you get it just right. It’s such a great way to learn something new!

We highly recommend our 30 Day Master Your Cricut challenge, which has received rave reviews from those who have worked their way through it. It’s a great way to go step by step through how to use your Cricut and best of all, it’s free as part of our yearly membership.

What Supplies Do You Already Have on Hand?

It’s a great idea to consider what supplies you already have on hand before planning your first Cricut project. The craft possibilities are endless when it comes to making things with your die cutting machine and that means that the craft supplies needed could be endless too.

Narrow down what you want to make. Think about what you already have available for use. For example, maybe you knew that you wanted to make some vinyl projects so you ordered a roll of vinyl. Just with that, you can make so many different types of projects: car decals, mugs, stencils for painting, and so much more.

Start with what you have and make a few projects. Find out what you really love making and master it before moving on to others.

What Do You Already Know about the Machine?

You don’t want to start a new craft project without having some know-how behind it. Watch some of our Youtube videos and learn more about the tools and techniques involved. Having some background knowledge helps build confidence and can increase your chances of success.

Pro tip: No matter how many videos you watch and how much you learn, you will experience a craft fail from time to time. We all do! Just be sure to give yourself grace and try again. A failure is just a stepping stone to success and you will learn from each one.

Focus on One Project at a Time

It’s easy to see so many different projects that you want to make and have a hard time choosing which one to start with. So, then you start one and before that’s even finished, you start a new one. And then another new one.

As much as it can feel temporarily satisfying to start something new, you never get that feeling of accomplishment in seeing one project all the way through to completion. Focus in and finish one project at a time.

This will help you master your skills and be better motivated for your next craft project! When you have more Cricut crafting experience, you will likely be able to manage 2-3 projects at a time (working on one while the other one dries and so on), but for beginners, this can result in frustration.

Don’t Choose a Lengthy First Project

One layer t-shirts are a great first project to choose. They are quick and easy to make and don’t have a lot of steps to them. If you choose a really long, involved craft project, it’s easier to get confused or frustrated and lose motivation.

We like making wearables as a first project too, because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to be able to show off their amazing creations? Make it today and show it off tomorrow!

We can’t wait to see what you make! Be sure to share it on social media and tag us using hashtag #MakersGonnaLearn!

Tips For Making Your First Cricut Project 1

Make Spiral Betty Artwork with Cricut

April 7, 2021 by Paula W

Spiral Betty artwork has really taken off lately and we are seeing it everywhere. So naturally, we wanted to try it for ourselves. Today, we’ve got a step by step tutorial to show you just how easy this super trendy artwork is and how you can make some of your own.

You might be wondering – what IS Spiral Betty Artwork? It gets its name from the Spiral Betty website where you can upload a photograph and turn it into a one-line spiral design. It’s a fun, fresh way to create a design from a favorite photo.

Note: The Spiral Betty website is free to use. You will be asked to make a donation, but that is optional.

Make Spiral Betty Artwork

We love this idea. It was based on a famous piece of artwork by Claude Mellan, a French engraver from the 17th century. One of his most famous pieces is called The Face of Christ or Sudarium of Saint Veronica in which he engraved an image of Christ with a single line starting at the tip of His nose.

We think it’s perfect for wedding and anniversary gifts as well as something very special to give for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Several people we have talked to are making them as special memorial gifts in honor of loved ones who have passed on. We’re sure you could come up with tons of reasons to make one of these fun spiral designs.

Materials Used:

Cricut Maker

Our Favorite Cutting Mats

Our Favorite Weeding Tool

Masking Paper Transfer Tape

Alcohol Pump Bottles

Black Matte 12”x12” Sheet of Vinyl

Black Photo Frame

Instructions:

Head to the Spiral Betty website.

Drag or upload your chosen photo onto Spiral Betty. There is a toggle at the bottom where you can zoom in or out to choose where you’d like to crop the image. You can move the image around within the circle as well. Once happy with it, click on the checkmark at the bottom.

The website will go ahead and spiralize your photo. There are a variety of colors to choose from, but these are not appropriate for our purposes. Instead, move one to the right of the color Spiral Betty has selected for you and choose Black and White. This keeps it really simple for your Cricut machine when you import the image over there.

Toggle At The Bottom To Increase Or Decrease Spirals

Using the toggle at the bottom, you can increase or decrease the number of spirals. The more spirals you have, the more detail you have to your image. However, remember that the more detail, the longer it will take your Cricut to cut this design out. You might want not want to choose the most detailed option because of that.

Click The Download Button To Download And Save To Your Computer

Downloading your Design and Uploading into Cricut Design Space

Click the download button to download the image and save to your computer. You will be given the option there to “Buy Betty a coffee” and to purchase a commercial license for your image if you’d like.

Upload your image into Cricut Design Space and add it to your canvas. You want to be sure to choose Complex when prompted for the type of design you are uploading.

You’ll see Select and Erase next. Click on the area around your image to make it transparent. Remember to add to Design Space as a cut file. Click Upload and then click on your image to add it to your canvas.

Sizing and Cutting Your Spiral Design

We have added a square to represent the working space within our frame that is available for us to place our design on. This is really helpful when it comes to visualizing the project and sizing it.

We have chosen to size ours as large as we can because the larger it is, the easier it will be for the Cricut to cut your design and the easier it will be for you to weed it.

Click Make It and then Continue to connect to your machine. Select your material – we’re using Premium Vinyl. Since we’re using a new blade, we’re leaving it on default pressure. This is definitely not a project where you want to use Fast Mode.

Lay the vinyl on your cutting mat and be sure to burnish the vinyl down really well to the mat. Another tip: make sure you’re using a good, sticky mat for this (but not a StrongGrip mat. You want it to stick but not to be too difficult to remove.)You want it to be really well adhered!

Then, load the mat into the Cricut machine. This will take about 10-15 minutes to cut. Press the flashing Cricut button to start cutting.

Remove Excess Vinyl From Around Your Cut Design

Weeding Your Design

We use our TruControl Knife to remove the excess vinyl from around our design. We can save this scrap to use for other projects.

Burnish Your Design To The Mat Really Well

Burnish your design down to the mat really well using your scraper tool. You want to burnish gently though so that no pieces accidentally get pulled up. Burnishing is a crucial step in being able to weed flawlessly.

Use Your Weeding Tool To Remove The Border Of Vinyl From Around The Design

Continuing Weeding By Pulling The Thin Piece Of Vinyl As It Spirals Around

You’re going to start by weeding away the vinyl border surrounding the spiral design. As you pull it up (gently!), you will see that you are starting to weed away the spiral. Continue gently pulling as the design circles around in the spiral.

On occasion, the vinyl may pull up entirely on you. If that happens, you just need to use your weeding tool to find the end of the spiral and gently lift it up so you can begin pulling the spiral away again.

As You Weed You Will See Your Spiral Design Start To Take Shape

Applying Transfer Tape and Placing Your Design in the Frame

As you weed, you’ll see the spiral design start to take shape. Remember, the larger the design, the less time it will take to weed. Once fully weeded, apply transfer tape to cover your entire design.

Burnish the transfer tape to your design. Flip it over and peel the mat away from the design gently. Burnish once again from the back of the design.

With A Circular Design We Like To Trim The Transfer Tape So That Its Circular As Well

With a circular design, we like to use scissors to trim around the edges. It makes it much easier to line up and place your design.

Before applying our design to the sign, we like to clean it with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel to make sure all finger prints, dust, and debris are removed. This helps ensure that it adheres perfectly.

Carefully peel away the backing. You want to peel it straight down and away from your design, moving slowly and carefully and keeping the backing tight against the design. If you encounter any issues, lay the backing back down and burnish again.

Place your design carefully onto the frame. Be sure you like exactly where it is and lay it down carefully because you won’t be able to peel it up and lay it down again. Start from the center of the design and burnish out.

Peel away the transfer tape to reveal your beautiful design.

spiral betty finished design photo of a man and woman

We think this Spiral Betty artwork would make fantastic gifts! Perfect for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, wedding gifts, and baby gifts. We can’t wait to see your Spiral Betty designs. Share them on social media using the hashtag #MakersGonnaLearn.

We have TONS of Cricut craft projects that would make beautiful gifts. Check them out here: Gifts You Can Make with Your Die Cutting Machine

See the full step-by-step video tutorial below:

Using the Cricut Mug Press

April 6, 2021 by Paula W

The Cricut world has been all abuzz with the news of their new mug press! Many of us got a little sneak peek of it so we were intrigued from the very beginning. So, here we are with our brand new machine showing you what you need to know about using the Cricut Mug Press.

Before we get started, you might be wondering why you might want a mug press. After all, we’ve given you several craft project tutorials showing you how to apply vinyl to mugs. Well, the Cricut Mug Press is meant for making infusible ink designs on your mugs easily and flawlessly.

Using the Cricut Mug Press

Be sure to check out our Cricut Mug Press unboxing video too!

Okay, let’s start crafting. We can’t wait to see the results with this new mug press!

Materials Needed:

*Get the best deal and find many more of our amazing cut files and fonts as part of our Makers Gonna Learn membership.

How to Use the Cricut Mug Press

Using Template For Cricut Mug Press To Size Design

Creating your design in Design Space:

Begin by adding the mug press template to your canvas in Cricut Design Space. Next, we pulled in a square from Basic Shapes and resized it to make a rectangle because we want the majority of the mug to be black and then we will cut the Makers Gonna Learn logo out from that. So then, we imported the MGL Logo cut file and duplicated it twice so that we have 3 of them.

Click Make It To Send Your Project To The Mat

Arrange the logos in the rectangle. Once happy with the placement of your design, select everything. Choose Attach. Press Make It. Since we’re going to be using Infusible Ink, be sure to select Mirror. Press Continue.

Placing Infusible Ink On Standard Grip Mat

Cutting out your design:

Choose Infusible Ink for your material setting. Place your Infusible Ink sheet on your cutting mat. We like to start in one corner and carefully lay it down from there, using our brayer to ensure that it is laying down properly on the mat without touching it too much with our fingers. The oils from your fingers can dilute the ink and prevent you from getting results that are as vibrant or bold as you expect.

Cricut Machine Cutting Out Infusible Ink Design

Load the mat into your Cricut machine and press the flashing Cricut button.

Remove Excess Infusible Ink Sheet From The Design

Remove the excess Infusible Ink from around the design. Then, weed the rest of your design. Once your design is completely weeded, flip the mat over and gently peel the mat away from your design.

Prepping your mug and adding the design:

Prep your mug by cleaning with rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. Once you have cleaned it thoroughly and let it dry completely, use the lint roller to go over the mug and ensure that there are no little bits of debris left.

Line up your design and wrap it around the mug. We like to sit the mug on our work surface while we do this to ensure that it’s good and level. You want to be sure that the handle of the mug is centered between the ends of your piece of Infusible Ink. Once you’re happy with it, lay one side down and then pull on the remaining part of your design to create a little tension as you wrap it around the rest of the mug. This will help ensure a nice, flat design with no bubbles.

Using Tape To Secure Your Design On The Mug

Press down the tabs well. Then, we like to use some small pieces of heat resistant tape around the top and bottom of the mug to ensure that our design is really well adhered.

Placing your mug into the Cricut Mug Press:

Heat up your mug press. Once it’s heated, the green light will come on. When inserting your mug into the press, you might want to go in at an angle (especially if you haven’t taped it all around the bottom) so the Infusible Ink doesn’t get caught on the sides of the press. You also want to be sure to place it so that the handle is right in the center of the opening. You want to be sure that the mug press completely covers the Infusible Ink on each side.

Leave the mug in the press until all 5 lights are lit up and the green button is flashing. It will beep at you to indicate it’s finished as well! Lift the lever and carefully remove the mug from the machine. We like to place it on the EasyPress mat to cool. It can take quite a while for it to cool thoroughly. After 20 minutes, ours felt like we had just put a warm cup of coffee in it.

Carefully Peel Away The Tape And Peel Up The Infusible Ink Sheet

Once it has cooled, you want to carefully peel up the tape and start peeling away the carrier sheet for your Infusible Ink design.

Look at our beautiful finished mug! We found this to be an easy process, but it is a bit time-consuming given the heating and then cool-down time. Still, we love the results and can see us using this mug press time and time again.

Check out the full step-by-step video tutorial below:

Cricut Wedding Gifts You Will Love

April 5, 2021 by Paula W

Wedding season is nearly upon us! Whether you’re able to attend in person or watch from afar, we know that these Cricut Wedding Gifts You Will Love will give you the opportunity to make an amazing handmade gift for a special couple.

Whether for the wedding itself or a bridal shower, we have lots of lovely and fun gift ideas for you here. With your Cricut or other die cutting machine, you’ll be able to make special custom craft projects that are simply perfect for the newlyweds. Be sure to check out the DIY wine glasses. It’s one of our favorite gift ideas!

Cricut Wedding Gifts You Will Love

Many of these take very little time or materials, but still pack a big punch when it comes to just how amazing they are. They are sure to be met with smiles of appreciation and cherished for years to come.

DIY PERSONALIZED CRICUT SIGN From Makers Gonna Learn

Newly married couples often love celebrating the start of their new family. Things like this sign that are personalized with their family name or monogram are popular gifts that are sure to be appreciated.

Personalized Cricut Wedding Shower Gift made from square Plexiglass with text The Langston's Established 2018

SMORES CADDY WITH FREE SVG From Happy Go Lucky

How fun would this be for an outdoorsy couple? Set them up for a summer of making memories together with this super cute Smores Caddy.

Smores Caddy with text saying Making S'more memories

SHADOW BOX FRAME From The Crafty Blog Stalker

Another approach to the family name sign – this one is in shadowbox form and filled with paper flowers you make with your Cricut!

Cricut Personalized Gift Frame with text saying the Adams est.1973

CUSTOMIZED INFUSIBLE INK BLANKET From The Country Chic Cottage

Warm and cozy, most people we know find they can never have too many comfy throw blankets around, especially during winter. This one, while practical, would also look beautiful thrown over a chair or the back of the couch.

DIY WINE GLASSES WITH CRICUT From Makers Gonna Learn

If the couple enjoy a glass of wine together from time to time, they are sure to love these fun wine glasses. Add a corkscrew and a bottle of special wine (you could even personalize the bottle with a label containing a photo of the happy couple) and you’ve got a special gift.

Diy Wine Glasses with text saying Time to wine down

CRICUT PERSONALIZED SLATE COASTERS From Glitter And Graze

These are so beautiful – trendy and sophisticated, they will add flair to anyone’s home decor. Personalized with their family name, these are another gift sure to please. Want to take it to the next level? Include a set of glassware to go with it!

Cricut Personalized Slate Coasters with a square on it and a text brooks overlapping on a capital B

CUSTOM ENGRAVED SERVING UTENSILS From Well Crafted Studio

Aren’t these gorgeous? You could personalize them with the family name, a monogram, an amusing saying, or anything you’d like! Round out the gift with a beautiful cake stand or a personalized pie plate.

PERSONALIZED VINYL PHOTO FRAME From Makers Gonna Learn

Pretty much everyone loves to receive a special photo frame and especially when that frame is personalized. Newlyweds are sure to have plenty of special photos they are itching to have framed so we are sure this gift will be well-loved.

Personalized Vinyl Photo Frame with text saying The Langston EST 2018

CUSTOM NEWLYWED GIFT TOTE From Artsy Fartsy Mama

What a fun idea for the couple to take with them on their honeymoon – or on weekend jaunts all year long! Give as is or fill with personalized beach towels, sunscreen, customized flip flops, and other summer necessities.

Custom Newlywed Gift Tote with a text saying let the adventure begin

CUSTOM MR. AND MRS. MUGS From Hey Wedding Lady

Bring a smile to their faces with these adorable, quirky mugs. Give as is or combine with some custom coffee blends.

Custom Mugs with text saying Mr Right and the other one Mrs Always Right

PERSONALIZED PYREX DISHES From Doodle Craft Blog

These are a perfect gift! Not only are they personalized with the family name, but when taken to a potluck, there will be no doubt as to who they belong to! This is one baking dish that will never get lost. Give a dish filled with customized tea towels, some basic kitchen utensils, measuring cups and spoons, and other small kitchen essentials.

Personalized Pyrex Dishes with text saying Shaw and the other one Wheeler

VINYL MONOGRAM RING DISH From Makers Gonna Learn

This is the perfect place for the happy couple to store their rings when washing dishes or washing their hands – anytime they need to take them off. You could even make separate ones for each of them.

DIY GOLD FOIL HEART PLATE AND MR & MRS MUGS From The DIY Mommy

Mugs and a fun plate for the treats! We love this gift set and know the happy couple will too.

VINYL MR. & MRS. VASE From Makers Gonna Learn

How fun is this? Present them with a plant in a personalized mason jar vase. Or how about a whole indoor herb garden in a variety of jars in different colors and with different messages on them? Such a lovely idea.

DIY PERSONALIZED ACRYLIC VOW BOARDS From Something Turquoise

Have their vows commemorated for them so they can enjoy seeing them forever with this beautiful project. Give as is or with a coordinating photo frame for one of their wedding pictures.

DIY WOODEN PLAQUE From Makers Gonna Learn

So sweet and simple, yet so beautiful! You could even put this design on a larger plaque with space to personalize it with the happy couple’s names and wedding date.

Wooden Plaque with text saying You will forever be my always

JUST MARRIED DOOR MAT From Be Spoke Bride

This is such a fun way to let the world know about the big event! You could even personalize the other side with a different saying or their name or monogram so they can enjoy it for years to come!

IF YOU CAN READ THIS SOCKS From Makers Gonna Learn

Okay, hear us out. We think coordinating pairs of these socks could be really fun wedding or shower gifts. Just think of all the possibilities of phrases you could put on them! Make it into a bigger gift with a big popcorn bowl, some DVDs, packages of microwave popcorn and candy, and other fun items for a movie date night at home.

If You Can Read This Socks You Can Make With Your Cricut

Aren’t these fantastic ideas? So much to choose from – there is pretty much something here for every couple! We can’t wait to see how you take this inspiration and run with it. Share your craft projects on social media using hashtag #MakersGonnaLearn so we can see it!