Are you a crafty person?
Maybe you like to sew and knit like my mother and youngest daughter, or
maybe you are into stamping and scrapbooking like my oldest daughter and a few
friends of mine. Whatever crafting
medium you enjoy, isn’t is so relaxing and fun?
I always wished I could draw, but I can’t even draw a good stick figure.
Well, I can, but nothing beyond that.
So, with a lack of not being able to draw, my hopes of painting and sculpting
things went out the window. After trying
out different arts and crafts and hobbies over the years, I have finally found
something I am good at and LOVE. I love
my Cricut Maker and all the things I can make with it. From personalized gifts to creating fun shirt
and tote designs, I love sitting down at my craft table looking a blank canvas –
in Cricut terms, a blank design space template – and thinking up fun things to
make with all sorts of materials including iron on vinyl, wood crafts, paper
crafting, and so much more. There are so
many things you can make with a Cricut Maker and the Cricut EasyPress 2, that the sky is the limit and just being
creative or wanting to try something new always results in something fun to
make for you, your family or friends.
Or, if you are like a handful of my stay at home mom friends, you can
turn your love for and Cricut skills into a business, offering up gifts and
more to those who don’t consider themselves crafty, don’t have the time, or don’t’
own a Cricut Maker. But, hopefully with
the holidays fast approaching, you may think twice and finally splurge and buy
yourself a Cricut Maker or other Cricut accessories, so that you can get your
Cricut crafting on. 😊 Just this AM I received an email from Michaels,
looking for skilled Cricut users to teach classes to beginners and those
interested in buying a Cricut maker. I
thought this is genius, and a great way for moms especially to make a little
extra money doing something they love, while also showing people of all arts and
craft skill levels that a Cricut maker is not intimidating, and can offer up so
many fun personalized gifts and products.
And, with their all-in-one beginner kits you can find in Michaels to
complete your first Cricut project to online step by step tutorials and
templates in the Design Maker space, you have no reason not to give the Cricut
a try and see all that it can do. In no
time, you will be on your way to becoming a skilled Cricut crafter like me, my
husband and so many other people.
Pinterest and YouTube is filled with Cricut lovers sharing their ideas
and creations, and I love seeing all the creative things people make with the
help of this fun machine.
Now that I am done praising the Cricut Maker…sorry, but I just
love my Cricut Maker so much, and love seeing what fun things I can make with
it, I wanted to share two fun Cricut projects I recently did – one with the help
of my youngest daughter who brought the creative vision, and the other with my
husband’s help, as he was eager to try out a new product line from Cricut, he
saw in my craft room. First, the new
product line, which released exclusively in Michaels back in September is the Infusible Ink line from Cricut. At first you could only buy Infusible Ink transfer sheet, pens and markers and compatible blanks (which consisted of special t-shirts, totes and coasters that you use with this new Cricut line), but
now you can also order all your Cricut Infusible Ink material and supplies through
the Cricut.com online shop. I still find
Infusible Ink products at nearby Michaels craft stores, but they aren’t in abundance
like they were when the line launched back in Sept. So, if you are are struggling to find
Infusible Ink products or never knew about this
line, make sure you head online to Cricut.com and browse their selection
of Infusible Ink products.
Before I go into the two crafts that I made, including
step-by-step instruction, in case you want to make the fun constellation
coasters and Disney Descendants Audrey-inspired personalized trick or trick
bag/book tote that my daughter came up with, I wanted to share a little more
about the Infusible Ink line, which is by far my favorite release, next to the
Cricut Mini Press (which just released and I will be sharing another project
based post next month on, so be on the lookout for that).
So, what is Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets and Infusible Ink™ Pens & Markers* and why should you know about them?
"Get ready for the next hottest thing in heat transfers! Customize T-shirts, totes, and more with pro-level transfers that last a lifetime.
Personalize any compatible Infusible Ink blank with a name, logo, inside joke, or favorite quote using your Cricut cutting machine and these ready-to-cut sheets in complementary patterns.
What is the Infusible Ink process? Unlike an iron-on transfer or vinyl application, where artwork is attached on top of a base material using adhesive, an Infusible Ink transfer becomes one with the material itself.
The Infusible Ink system includes Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets in a variety of solid colors and patterns, as well as Infusible Ink Pens & Markers. Plus a growing list of compatible Infusible Ink blanks, including T-shirts, tote bags, and coasters.
Infusible Ink™ Transfer Sheets --
These sheets of ink come in a variety of solid colors and unique patterns and are made for use with Cricut® cutting machines and Cricut EasyPress® 2.
Infusible Ink™ Pens & Markers* --
These sets of basic and bright colors are specially made so you can design your own transfer sheet on regular copy paper! Use in your Cricut® cutting machine or draw freehand.
How to use them...
1. Choose Your Materials
Select your Infusible Ink™ Transfer Sheet and your compatible blank.
2. Make Your Design
Use your Cricut® machine to cut your design out of the transfer sheet, keeping it ink-side up.
3. Apply Heat
Peel off the transfer sheet to reveal your bright, feather-light design!"
---
As mentioned above, the Infusible Ink line from Cricut hit Michaels
store shelves in Sept. and has been inspiring Cricut crafters and DIYers like
me to make fun new products with these new transfer sheets, which when applied to coasters with
the EasyPress 2 is smooth to the touch, or stretches and doesn’t look faded
when applied to a canvas tote or t-shirt.
"The Infusible Ink system includes Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets in a variety of solid colors and patterns, as well as Infusible Ink Pens & Markers. Plus a growing list of compatible Infusible Ink blanks, including T-shirts, tote bags, and coasters."
Here are just a few of the Infusible Ink products available
through the Cricut.com online shop, as well as at your nearby Michaels craft
store…
- Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets - Create unbelievable projects with pre-inked sheets, available in an array of solid colors & patterns.
- Infusible Ink Pens & Markers - For illustrated creations, draw original artwork with a variety of colors and two different line weights.
- Infusible Ink compatible blanks - Cricut blanks are specially engineered and tested to give you great results with Infusible Ink transfers.
As with most Cricut supplies, I found it hard trying to narrow
down my wish list of Infusible Ink products I wanted to pick up and try out, as
the colors were all so vibrant and pleasing to the eye, and my head kept
spinning with ideas of things I could make with the different Infusible Ink transfer sheets, pens and markers. But, thanks to the folks at
Cricut, they sent along a welcome kit to introduce me to their new Infusible Ink line back at the end of August, and after watching a few tutorial videos and instructions (which
you can see here) through their website, I turned on my Cricut Maker and went
to work trying out the new Infusible Ink line.
My youngest walked in when I was making coasters for our dining room
table, and saw the Cricut® Infusible Ink™ Transfer Sheet Patterns in Animal Brights.
She said it reminded her of her favorite Disney Descendants character, Audrey, as she has pink/light purple hair
in the new Descendants movie. I could see she was thinking what she could have
me make with the purple Infusible Ink transfer sheets, and before I could say something, she
blurted out, “Let’s make a one of kind trick or treat bag for me for Halloween.” Even though she isn’t going as her favorite
Descendants character as we can’t find a costume in her size ☹ she still wanted to show her
love for princess Audrey and her favorite movie.
Together we browsed the Design Space over at Cricut and she knew
when she saw the crown template that this was what she wanted. She said that Audrey wanted to be queen and this crown was perfect and reminded her of the one Audrey put on her head before she turned evil in the new movie.
Below is the step by step process I took to create the fun Princess/Queen Audrey inspired tote, which I personalized with my daughter’s name. If you have a Descendants fan in our life who
may be going as one of the characters from the movie, or is in need of a new
Halloween trick or treat bag/tote, which when the holiday is done can be used as
a book or busy bag tote, you may want to give this project a try, using the
Cricut Maker, EasyPress 2 and the new Infusible Ink line…
Step 1 -- Cut Your Design:
1. Place Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet onto StandardGrip Mat, liner side down
2. In Design Space, select and size your design to fit on the tote blank. **Be sure to mirror your design when you print it out with your Cricut Maker.
3. Select Browse all materials, then Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet.
4. Load mat and blade into machine, then press flashing go button.
Step 2: Weed your cut design
1. Remove cut design from mat and trim away unused area of sheet.
2. Gently roll cut design so cut lines separate and are more visible. "Cracking" the cut this way makes it easier to remove excess paper from in and around the design.
3.Use fingers and tweezers to carefully remove the negative pieces in and around your design, leaving design on liner.
Step 3 -- Apply Your Design
1. Heat your Cricut EasyPress 2 to 385 degrees for 15 seconds.
2. Cover Cricut EasyPress mat with cardstock to protect it from unwanted transfer.
3. Position mat and cardstock inside tote.
4. Use fresh lint roller to clean entire surface to remove debris or loose fibers, which could create imperfections with the final transfer.
5. Cover tote with butcher paper.
6. Pre-heat application area to remove moisture and wrinkles.
7. Remove butcher paper and let tote cool completely before movin onto next step.
8. Place your design face down on tote.
9. Place butcher paper on top of design.
10. Press design at 385 degrees for 40 seconds. Do not move hands or slide Cricut EasyPress during transfer or you could smudge design. And, never reuse butcher paper.
11. When timer beeps, slowly lift up the press. Let cool completely before handling.
12. Slowly remove butcher paper and then remove laser paper or design. You just made a tote using the new Infusible Ink from Cricut. :-)
1. Place Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet onto StandardGrip Mat, liner side down
2. In Design Space, select and size your design to fit on the tote blank. **Be sure to mirror your design when you print it out with your Cricut Maker.
3. Select Browse all materials, then Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet.
4. Load mat and blade into machine, then press flashing go button.
Step 2: Weed your cut design
1. Remove cut design from mat and trim away unused area of sheet.
2. Gently roll cut design so cut lines separate and are more visible. "Cracking" the cut this way makes it easier to remove excess paper from in and around the design.
3.Use fingers and tweezers to carefully remove the negative pieces in and around your design, leaving design on liner.
Step 3 -- Apply Your Design
1. Heat your Cricut EasyPress 2 to 385 degrees for 15 seconds.
2. Cover Cricut EasyPress mat with cardstock to protect it from unwanted transfer.
4. Use fresh lint roller to clean entire surface to remove debris or loose fibers, which could create imperfections with the final transfer.
5. Cover tote with butcher paper.
6. Pre-heat application area to remove moisture and wrinkles.
7. Remove butcher paper and let tote cool completely before movin onto next step.
8. Place your design face down on tote.
9. Place butcher paper on top of design.
10. Press design at 385 degrees for 40 seconds. Do not move hands or slide Cricut EasyPress during transfer or you could smudge design. And, never reuse butcher paper.
11. When timer beeps, slowly lift up the press. Let cool completely before handling.
12. Slowly remove butcher paper and then remove laser paper or design. You just made a tote using the new Infusible Ink from Cricut. :-)
In addition to making the above Halloween trick or treat
tote, I also used the Cricut Infusible Ink line with coasters (again which can
be purchased at your nearby Michaels store or through the Cricut online shop) to
make one of my daughters’ outside homeschool teachers a constellation coaster
set.
Her birthday was coming up and my girls wanted to give her a special gift that would remind her of them, and also have a design of something she liked. Just like my girls, their teacher loves Outer Space and astronomy, so I thought it only fitting to make a set of constellation coasters, which I saw while learning about the new Infusible Ink line from Cricut.
Her birthday was coming up and my girls wanted to give her a special gift that would remind her of them, and also have a design of something she liked. Just like my girls, their teacher loves Outer Space and astronomy, so I thought it only fitting to make a set of constellation coasters, which I saw while learning about the new Infusible Ink line from Cricut.
Like so many of their tutorial videos, the constellation coaster one, which I will share a step-by-step instruction
below, is so easy to make, and once you are done, you will be amazed at just
how crafty you are, thanks to the help of this magic machine I like to call it.
😊
Cricut let me know which supplies and
machines I needed to complete the constellation coaster project. While I didn’t have the suggested Cricut® Infusible Ink™ Transfer Sheet Patterns, Watercolor Splash, I did have leftover purple from the Cricut® Infusible Ink™ Transfer Sheet Patterns, Animal Brights package, from the Halloween craft tote I had just
made for my daughter, so I thought I would use this – waste not want not, right?! And, I have to say, the coaster came out
amazing with the purple Infusible Ink transfer sheet I chose. My youngest said the color really
did remind her of the galaxy and Milky Way filled with stars. In addition, my girls’ teacher was quick to point
out that purple was her favorite color, and she loved this particular
pink/purple shade. 😊
Just like with the Halloween Trick or Treat Tote, here is a
short step-by-step instruction on how to make your own constellation star
coasters using the new Infusible Ink transfer sheets and coasters from Cricut.
**You follow the same instructions for the Infusible Ink tote above for Steps 1 and 2. When you get to applying the design to the coaster, it is a little different. See below...
Step 3 - Apply Your Design:
1. Set your Cricut EasyPress 2 to 400 degrees and 240 seconds.
2. Use lint roller to remove debirs from coaster
3. Cover Cricut EasyPress Mat with cardstock to protect it from unwanted transfer.
4. Place design face-down on coaster, clear liner on top.
5. Flip coaster so bottom is facing up (top of coaster with attached design will rest against cardstock and mat).
6. Cover coaster with butcher paper.
7. Press at 400 degrees for 240 seconds.
8. When beeps, slowly lift press, trying not to move the stack and butcher paper. Let cool completely before handling.
9. Slowly remove butcher paper, tape if used, and design. You now have your own coaster set! :-)
I picked up the coasters at Michaels for only
$12.99 and a package of Infusible Ink transfer sheets is
only $12.99 -- making this an affordable and fun project to make and gift to someone
for their birthday or holidays, or just keep for yourself and dress up your
dinner or living room end table. I have bought ceramic coaster sets as gifts in
the past and easily spent $40+ on them, and they were not the amazing quality
like the ones I made with my Cricut Maker and the Infusible Ink line – the smoothness
of the design once applied will catch your eye, and you don’t have to worry
about it fading or wearing with use over time.
It will stay vibrant and bright, which I love!
**You follow the same instructions for the Infusible Ink tote above for Steps 1 and 2. When you get to applying the design to the coaster, it is a little different. See below...
Step 3 - Apply Your Design:
1. Set your Cricut EasyPress 2 to 400 degrees and 240 seconds.
2. Use lint roller to remove debirs from coaster
3. Cover Cricut EasyPress Mat with cardstock to protect it from unwanted transfer.
4. Place design face-down on coaster, clear liner on top.
5. Flip coaster so bottom is facing up (top of coaster with attached design will rest against cardstock and mat).
6. Cover coaster with butcher paper.
7. Press at 400 degrees for 240 seconds.
8. When beeps, slowly lift press, trying not to move the stack and butcher paper. Let cool completely before handling.
9. Slowly remove butcher paper, tape if used, and design. You now have your own coaster set! :-)
---
At last, heat transfers that last a lifetime.
Experience pro-level personalization at home for the first time with the Infusible Ink™ system.
I could spend the entire day talking about just how amazing
the Cricut Maker and their new Infusible Ink line is. But, if you are Cricut owner then you
probably are already in the know and hopefully have had a chance to pick up
some Infusible Ink transfer sheets to try out. If
not, and are looking for a reason to splurge and finally buy yourself a Cricut
maker, the addition of their new Infusible Ink line, along with all the other great
products including the new Cricut Mini Press as well as new Martha Stewart line
I saw at Michaels the other day while picking up my Infusible Ink compatible blanks coasters and
canvas tote, should convince you this is a must own product for your crafting
needs. You really can create and do so
much with this machine. I am truly
amazed at all the crafter and DIYers out there and what they create using the
Cricut Maker and EasyPress 2.
You can learn all about Cricut, their maker machines,
supplies, accessories, etc. by visiting www.cricut.com.
And, be sure to be on the look for two
upcoming Cricut posts I will be
sharing. Next month I will share more
about the new Cricut mini and will share a step-by-step tutorial on making a
beautiful fall-inspired table runner for Thanksgiving. And, in November I will
be sharing some fun personalized gift ideas using your Cricut maker….so, stay
tuned!
Stay up-to-date on all things Cricut related by following their
social media channels below…
I'm like you,and can't draw too great! Every time my grand son wants to draw something,he most of the time has to guess what it is!!LOL!! This would be the answer to help me! Pretty neat machine!!
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