I Can Do That – Cricut Vinyl Decals

This new blog series will share crafting and DIY projects I’ve been inspired to try on my own – the good, the bad and the ugly.

I bought a Cricut. I’ve been terrified of the Cricut machine for ages. It seemed so intricate and above my level of comprehension. But my curiousity won out and I bought one. And I’ve made some stuff with it. And surprisingly, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

So far, I’m mostly trying my hand at vinyl decals and quotes. I’ve done quite a few and I think I have this down pat. The above are the very first projects I did. These were simple (I really like simple) and took just a few minutes. The Cricut Design Space takes some getting used to and I’d suggest watching a YouTube video or eighteen before you start to familarize yourself with it. I also took notes and each type of project I anticipated doing and put them in that nifty Today I Cricut notebook.

This was another of my first projects.

So, to do these you’ll need a Cricut machine – I have the Maker, but there are other models available. You’ll also need several Cricut accessories (cutting pad, vinyl, weeding tool, transfer tape). I do kind of feel like most people are at least aware of the magic a Cricut possesses and I was just very late to the party (not surprising).

These little cards were made with cardstock and a Cricut writing pen. These particular project took a little more research to figure out. And I didn’t get it right the first time. I measured wrong, my cards were cut too big and off the actual cardstock, which was fun. I’m learning.

These little buckets I got at Dollar Tree and cut these cute quotes. I’m using these are trash bins in various locations in my office. 10 Points to anyone who recognized the Harry Potter quote in the HP font. You’re my people.

Super simple, but so cute! I cute this 10 with the Cricut on glitter cardstock and used it in my planner to mark my daughter’s tenth birthday! There is no chance I’d been able to cut a perfect 10 out by hand. Absoltely none. I’m already falling in love with this machine.

And then there was this project. A To Do list for my daughter to do in the morning before school. I got this cute little white board easel at Dollar Tree. It took me at least three tries to get this right! Each time I cut this out, the font I picked was too skinny and it was a pain in the boot to weed out. I’d rip and tear and lose pieces of my words each time. FINALLY figured out a font that would work. And then it fought me getting transfered. It was the tougest project to date, but I did get it. Took a few tries and a few days, but I did it.

The moral of this story is to try new things. Even if they scare you. Whether it’s a Cricut or a different kind of DIY project. Don’t let fear rule your life. Do the thing. Most of the time, things can be fixed if need be and if they can’t, well, maybe they were supposed to be that way anyhow.