Merry Cricut Christmas Ornaments

I have had a Cricut a few months now and am still learning how to use it, tricks, tips and still having some trial and error sessions.  I’ve had a few friends help me with my first few posts and am now doing it on my own.  I do finally understand how it works and what it is doing.  But it still seems like magic too!  I’m in a few Facebook Cricut groups and I see some people’s first project and they are amazing.  So, I’m just saying, my bar is a little, or lot, lower!!  I’m not a totally crafty person and before getting a machine I’d never heard of one.  So bare that in mind.  Also, I created a Cricut group on Facebook if you want to join.  For Christmas I created three main gifts.  The first is a set of ornaments for a special needs class.  The class is the first one I started working in as a substitute and I love the kids, aides and teacher.  It is a fabulous class.  I made them and brought the ornaments to class before school let out for winter break.  I included the adults in the class too.

I’m still learning the settings on my Cricut I just learned today the dial top (paper) to bottom (poster board) goes thinnest to thickest for the paper.  Yes, obvious, but previously I didn’t know the difference between each setting.  not sure what custom means, since it is in the middle.  I’ll have to ask someone.  If you know please comment below.

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  I also learned, depending on the vinyl, that sometimes if the letters are tearing or not coming out right that the dial should be moved up one.  Some funky cursive is hard for it to print too, especially if the letters are small.  Of course it helps if I use the right paper.  I used sticker paper the first time few ornaments and it was peeling up.  I was told the vinyl works better so I reprinted most on vinyl.  

I also should have gotten bigger ornaments.  I was searching for them by color and was at a dollar store.  But I think the letters and snowman would have fit better one an ornament a few sizes bigger.  A lot of people also do them on baubles instead of ornaments (they are like ornaments but are flatter).

I used my Cricut mat to hold down the vinyl while printing.  The machine is so user-friendly. 

 

I also need to remember iron-ons go upside down and are mirrored and everything else is face up.  I’ll eventually get that one down!  The names are so cute!  I probably should have connected them, since it is cursive, but I think them spread a tiny bit apart is easier to read.  Especially since cursive is taught less in schools and this is a special ed class.  If I could have done it over I would have done it all in print.  It didn’t pop into my head that they might not know cursive at all until later. 

I did all the names in white and for the other side I used a few pieces of shiny vinyl.  When it catches the light it looks like it is full of rainbows.

I used silver, blue and pink glittery vinyl.  All of it is available from Cricut’s website.  I had it all ordered online and sent to my house.These are the snowmen I was choosing from.  Since the ornaments were small I didn’t want layers.  I chose a basic one and printed one for each ornament in a few of the different vinyl colors.

 

Here is the pink glitter vinyl.  The snowman is so cute and I love the stick arms.

The snowman would have contoured better on a bigger ornament but I’m happy with how they came out.   I chose a mix of gold, silver, red, blue and white ornaments.  That way the vinyl colors would look good on all of them.

I was worried about putting them in a paper bag and having them touch and the letters peel off on the ones I’d done with the stickers so I packed them in an egg carton for easy transport to the classroom.  They were so excited about receiving them.  I hope their families put them on their trees at home.  FYI- I did verify everyone in the class celebrated Christmas before making these ornaments.

Nailed It! Personalized Coffee Mug

The second one was for my son.  His favorite tv show is Nailed It! and i made a coffee mug for him that say the name of the show on one side and a fish skeleton on the other side (my son also loves fishing) with his name.    It was actually really easy to make and I didn’t screw it up.  I should have measured first so that the show name (Nailed It!) fit without rotating the mug a little bit.

The spacing isn’t perfect but that isn’t something my son would notice.  Overall I’m happy with it and it made me smile.  The hardest part was hiding it from him while I worked on it and until Christmas.

 

The third Christmas project was a cookie jar for my dad.  He is a huge fan of sweets, especially cookies.  He runs, plays disc golf,  exercises in his home gym a few nights a week, goes mountain bike riding and more… and some of the reason is so he can eat anything he wants and still be trim.  He is also the hardest person in the family to shop for.  He has everything and if he doesn’t he’ll buy it for himself.  He also doesn’t like clutter or trinkets.  A personalized gift, just for him, is the perfect gift.  I baked some cookies and filled it with a few different types.  He doesn’t bake much so usually eats store bought cookies.  So homemade ones are another good gift idea for him.  I put this big white sticker with ‘Larry’s Cookie Jar’ on both sides.

 

I chose to use the blue colors because my dad is red/green colorblind and can’t see either of those colors well (or at all).  I did large snowflakes on the sides, tiny ones in some corners and one on top too.

I also got a pile of white t-shirts in the whole family’s sizes.  My dad, stepdad, siblings, their kids, myself and my kids.  I didn’t want to do anything like a Christmas tree on the shirts because I want them to be worn more than once a year.  I thought of our last name but there is three family members with a different last name.  So I’m not sure what to do but I have the shirts, iron-ons and everything else.  We decided we are going to have a family dinner at my house so we can figure it out and everyone can work together to make their shirts to make them all similar but still custom.  When I do these I’ll be using my EasyPress 2 plus the iron-ons.  I have some solid colors plus Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars and Hello Kitty designs.    You can see the Hello Kitty tote bag I made for my best friend with the HK iron-on.

I have also seen quiet a few ideas from the Facebook pages I am in.  A ton of Christmas ideas but now people are posting ideas for other holidays, including Valentine’s Day since it is the next major one.  I’m going to have to find some to make for my kids since I always give them candy and a card each Valentine’s Day.  

Here is my beginning Cricut projects.  

• Five Things I love About My Cricut Maker.
• DIY Homeschool t-shirts.
• Little Neighborhood Library Newsstand.

You can follow my Cricut Pinterest page too.  It is new but I’m adding to it a little at a time.

And some projects I want to try next:

• Mugs.
• Light up wine bottles.
• Wooden signs.
• Window clings.

Some awesome ideas I’ve found online:

• Valentine’s Day Card.
• Valentine’s Day Plate.
• Saint Patrick’s Day Sign.
• Personalized Easter Buckets.
• Easter Outdoor Sign.
• Front Porch Mat.
• Diwali Lotus Flowers. 

If you are thinking of getting one you can check out this awesome bundle here; Cricut Explore Air™ Machine + Deluxe Starter Set  That way you aren’t only getting the printer.  You are getting a good starter kit with some supplies.  You can check out Cricut’s Blog  for some inspiration and ideas or search Cricut for Beginners on Facebook for find a non-official Cricut page.

 

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