Every year our kids meet up with their cousins for an annual Labor Day weekend camping trip. I started making t-shirts for them and this year I was able to use the Cricut to add vinyl. They turned out so cute! The back has their name and age and the front says, Lodge 2012. I used the Jubilee cartridge.

Vinyl Water Bottles

I finally got to sit down to the Cricut again after a day and half away. I'm addicted! I did get to stop at Michael's yesterday though and use a few coupons and get more paper. When I first walked in I found these really cute kid's water bottles for sale for $1. With my coupons I got them for $0.82, so I picked one up for my kids and nieces and nephews. 

Tonight I decorated four of them with vinyl and the Cricut. I used the Create a Critter cartridge to pick out a cute critter for each kid and used the Plantin Schoolbook to spell their names. The critters were 3" and the letters range from 1-1/4" to 1-3/4". I tried some using transfer paper and some without. It is a little tricky either way getting the names straight, but I know the kids won't care either way.

The easiest way is to layer the critters while still on the mat. I tend to skip the bottom layer if I can especially if it is just the black for the eyes. It is also a little easier to cut the vinyl without backing but it can be done either way.

Vinyl T-shirt Prints

I love trying all these new ideas with the Cricut! First glass etching now vinyl prints. I made three t-shirts today within about an hour and half. First one was a Hippo t-shirt for my 3 year old. I wanted to try the Zebra but she insisted on the Hippo from Create a Critter cartridge. I cut it at 4-1/2" and I skipped the basic shape. I probably should have skipped the 1st layer instead though so that the eyes were colored. Layering is a little difficult with the t-shirt vinyl because you have to do each layer separately and they do shrink in between. You can see the tail is very different, but it kind of looks like it's wagging. :)

Next I put an owl on my wife-beater tank top. Again you can see some of the layers but it is still pretty cute. I may add the saying, "Save the Hooters". 

My husband was so impressed that he requested his own! My cartridges are more cutesy than manly but I found this moose on the Give a Hoot cartridge. It was too plain so we had to think of a saying. I used the Schoolbook letters to add the phrase. I probably should have started with this one instead of the others because doing one layer is a whole lot easier.

A few tips on applying vinyl:

1. Make sure you flip your image on the Cricut, especially for lettering! 

2. Do not apply too much blade pressure or it will cut the plastic backing that is necessary for ironing. I started in the middle and ended up reducing it once to 2. 

3. If you accidentally cut the wrong side it is okay, just flip it and start again. I did this on one layer and you couldn't even tell. Of course only if you didn't cut through the backing.

4. Do not set the iron too hot. I almost ruined my first hippo layer even though I had it set on cotton. The setting should be about half way on the dial depending on your iron.

5. Watch the video on Expressions Vinyl. I cannot explain good enough here. This is also where I bought all of my vinyl at an excellent price.

Mason Jar Glass Etching

I am in the process of creating a birthday present for my mother-in-law. She decorates with antique and farm style, so I found this adorable wooden caddy.

I'm going to put 5 mason jars inside each container with homemade bath salts, scrubs and candles. Today I created one of the candle jars by etching a design on the outside using my handy dandy Cricut. This is my first time experimenting with glass etching cream. I know I should I have chosen a scrap jar to work on, but I hate wasting time and material like that.

First of all I practiced cutting my design on white paper so that I could figure out what size I wanted without wasting my precious vinyl. I ended up using the Storybook cartridge and the border on page 55 at a size of 3-3/4". I then cut this out on vinyl and removed the inside cut.

Apply a transfer tape over the top to make it easier to transfer all the little pieces to the jar.

Carefully remove the vinyl and tape from the cutting board. This was a little tricky and I had to use my spatula to make sure all the pieces stuck to the tape. Then I transferred it to the jar using the grid to center it. I was worried that the vinyl would not stick to the jar since I removed the backing before I put it on the cutting board, but it worked perfectly.

Remove the tape and press out any bubbles. This took a little while and I used my spatula again to press on bubbles and even pulled some pieces up and re-positioned them. It is pretty important not to have bubbles or the cream will seep under the vinyl. I did leave some because it is tricky on round glass. As you can see I also added tape so that I didn't have to worry about going anywhere I didn't want to with the cream.

Now I was ready to collect supplies. I choose all disposable supplies because the Armour Etch is pretty harsh stuff. I found my Armour Etch on Amazon.com although it should be at Michaels, Jo-Anns or Hobby Lobby. I just didn't feel like searching the store when the price is comparable online. It is really not that common, so it may be hard to locate.

 I then applied a thick coat by dabbing the sponge all over. Make sure it is a pretty even layer but also thick.

 Armour Etch says to leave it on for 60 seconds, but I do not think that is long enough, so I left it on for 10 minutes. I was planning on 15 but grew impatient. :) I wiped the extra cream off with wipes then rinsed the rest off under water. Supposedly you can save the cream, but I didn't think this was necessary. I had some seepage under some of the vinyl but overall the design I wanted turned out nicely. Actually better that I expected for my first try.

 I put Epsom salt on the bottom and then of course the candle. I think it turned out great especially for my first time and was quite easy to do. I think it took about an hour and half to do (one kid's naptime) from start to finish. I think I may try doing a reverse of the design on the next jar.

Using Armour Etch actually erodes the glass very slightly to create this etching looking. It is permanent and can not be rubbed off with your fingers. You could try a similar look with a cloudy vinyl but it would be removable. Armour Etch says that it is dishwasher safe. I plan to using the etching cream on many more projects like vases, glasses, mirrors and kitchen bake-ware. There is so much potential!