DIY Holiday Deer Decal

DIY Vinyl Holiday Label Decal Tutorial

Supplies:

• Bottle of Moisturizing Lotion

• Gold Adhesive Vinyl from Happy Crafters

• Transfer Paper

Tools:

• Silhouette Cameo Vinyl Cutter

First, remove the label from your lotion bottle.

I purchased deer head art through my Silhouette Software and used Helvetica font for my letters. I created my design to measure about 3″ x 3″ to fit my lotion bottle. I put in my the vinyl color side up and changed the Silhouette blade settings for cutting standard vinyl and sent to ‘cut’.

Weed away the vinyl surrounding your desired design.

Using transfer paper, I took my credit card and rubbed firmly onto my design to lift it off my carrier sheet.

Pull away the carrier.

Next, place your transfer paper with your decal on it onto the front of the lotion bottle and rub the design again with a a credit card. If your vinyl doesn’t want to stick to your bottle, re-apply and rub again.

Peel away the transfer paper.

Now you have cute guest room accessory!

Or a cute little personalized DIY gift for friends or family, or maybe as a teacher gift?!

*This post is sponsored by Happy Crafters. Tutorial, experience and opinion are my own. See more projects at Happy Crafters blog.

Thanksgiving Jars Tutorial

This year for Thanksgiving, I wanted to show off what I am most thankful for: my new crafting skills! I love the country, rustic look so I thought cute mason jars using adhesive vinyl would be great with my Thanksgiving decor. I made these cute sayings to keep everyone in the thankful spirit round the table.

Materials I Used:
• OraCal 651 Glossy Adhesive Vinyl Brown – Small
• (4) Mason Jars
• Roll of Twine
• LED Candle Lights
• Silhouette Cameo® Vinyl Cutter

*I found my jars, twine and candle lights at Michaels’ Craft Store

Project Time:
20 minutes

After I designed my phrases in my Silhouette Software, I measured how much space I needed on my jars and sized my letters to match. Once they were at the right size, I sent my designs to my Silhouette and cut.

Next, I cut enough transfer paper for each phrase, smoothed it out over top of my sheet of vinyl using a credit card then peeled the paper back revealing only what I wanted to apply.

Next, I just stuck my transfer paper with my phrase straight onto my jars. Smoothed again using my credit card and peeled the transfer paper right off. I tied my twine along the rim of the Mason jar and popped my LED candle lights into the bottom of the jar.

Then I repeated these same steps for my remaining jars.

Once they were done, I finally found the motivation to take down my Halloween decorations and put up my Thanksgiving display.

Hoping these jars spark some happy conversation around the dinner table! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Gobble, Gobble!

You can find more projects like these at HappyCrafters.com/blog, or check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages to see what others are crafting!

“Save the Racks” Tutorial

In honor of the annual Breast Cancer Walk in my home town, I decided to make a custom sweatshirt to wear and show off my pink proudly. I saw an idea similar to this from last year and wanted to try it myself this year.

What you’ll need:

• Happy Face Pattern Iron On Vinyl – Pink Camo

• Happy Face Glitter Iron On Vinyl – Tutu Pink Bling

• Silhouette Cameo® Vinyl Cutter

• Silhouette Software

• Standard Iron

• Sheet or Piece of Scrap Fabric

Project Time:

• 30 minutes

First, I found deer antlers, a Breast Cancer ribbon, and text, vectorized, and uploaded it to my Silhouette Software.

 

Always remember to mirror images before cutting..

Next, send your designs to your vinyl cutter. Be sure you have the right vinyl for the right cut job. I cut my pink camo vinyl first, then my tutu pink bling vinyl. Since my bling vinyl is thicker than my camo, I adjusted my cutting blade to a “3” instead of a “1” and it cut perfectly.

Finally, start ironing! You need to make sure your iron is or the hottest setting possible. The bling vinyl was being difficult because my iron was not hot enough. But with some more pressing time, it worked out perfectly!

 

Slowly pull off the carrier while it’s still warm and you’re finished!

 

My friends were in amazed at how cute it turned out and I may have converted them over to the craft side!

For more project ideas, check out our blog each week with great step-by-step tutorials! You can also go to our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages for more inspiration.

Personalized Halloween Treat Bags

If you haven’t had a good reason yet to revamp your kids’ trick-or-treat bags, check this project out! Roeshel of DIY Show Off shows us how to create these fun, personalized bags for trick-or-treating! Keep them around for the whole month as a school tote or sleep over bag!

Materials:

• Canvas/Linen Tote Bags

• Fabric Paints

• FrogTape® Shape Tape (I used all 3 patterns: chevron, wave and scallop)

• Stencils (I created my own stencils using glossy black vinyl and transfer paper from Happy Crafters)

Tutorial: Part 1 – Shape Tape

Iron the tote bags to remove wrinkles. Insert cardboard into the tote bag (to block bleed-through to the other side). Cut a piece of FrogTape Shape tape a little wider than the bag. Decide placement. Remove half of the strip of wax paper backing from the Shape Tape. Position and press into place. Remove the other half of the wax paper backing and smooth into place. I found that securing the edges of the tape to the table underneath on the sides, kept my tote bag from sliding around, holding it in place for painting. Repeat step 3 to create a ‘stencil’ border/line for the design.  Using a credit card, I rubbed the Shape Tape to make sure it was nice and secure, sticking to the canvas…check closely to be sure the Shape Tape is complete adhered to the canvas.

Paint! Be careful not to lift the Shape Tape. It helps to move the paint brush from on the tape moving to the fabric rather than starting on fabric and pushing paint to the tapeline.  Remove Shape tape. Nice crisp lines!!! Let the paint dry.

Part 2 – Vinyl Stencils

Using my Silhouette designer studio software, I created name stencils as well as purchased a few Halloween shapes from the Silhouette American online store. Then sent it to cut to create vinyl stencils.

Peel away lettering and design to create a stencil. Using transfer paper, position vinyl stencil on tote, rub with a credit card and remove transfer paper – leaving the vinyl stencil in place on the canvas.

Paint and remove vinyl. Allow paint to dry 4 hours.

*Using a black Sharpie, I traced around the ghost where his white body met with the white chevron.

Personalized and so fun! Years of use! Machine washable (inside out) after 72 hours.

*This post is sponsored by Happy Crafters. Tutorial, experience and opinion is my own. See more projects at Happy Crafters blog.

Pink Camo Iron On Vinyl Tutorial

In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October, Roeshel of DIY Show Off created a beautiful shirt using our pink camo iron on vinyl for her sister currently battling breast cancer. If you want to show your support and help raise awareness during the month of October for those who have been affected by Breast Cancer, visit http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/breast-cancer-awareness-month.

Happy Crafters pink camo iron-on vinyl tutorial:

You’ll need:

• T-Shirt

• Pink Camo Patterned Iron-on Vinyl from Happy Crafters

• Vinyl Cutter

• Weeding Tool

• House Iron

• Scrap Fabric for Heat Application

How to Make This Project:

1. First, I started by creating and sizing my design using my Silhouette Design Studio software.  Next, MIRROR/FLIP YOUR DESIGN (right click, “flip horizontally”)!  This is an important step!

2. With the pattern side facing down, load vinyl sheet into your machine.

3. Send the design and ‘cut’.

4. Once it’s done cutting, weed the excess material.

5. Place design onto t-shirt. sticky side down

6. Cover design with a cotton dishcloth or a piece of scrap cotton fabric. Iron on a high temperature, pressing down firmly for about 25-30 seconds on each part of the design for full coverage

7. Remove the clear carrier away from your design

I repeated the same steps to adhere a small design to the back of the t-shirt as well

Here it is all finished!

Here’s the design on the back:

Check out the other patterns available too! *This post is sponsored by Happy Crafters. Tutorial, experience and opinion is my own.

Halloween Pumpkin Decals

Roeshel of DIY Show Off shows how to use our black adhesive vinyl to create stunning Halloween décor using pumpkins!

Materials:

• Happy Crafters Happy Face Large Glossy Adhesive Vinyl (Black)

• Transfer Paper

• Pumpkins

Tools:

• Silhouette Cameo Vinyl Cutter

How to make vinyl decals for pumpkins tutorial:

1. Create design. I purchased a deer silhouette and frame from the online store and sized them in my Silhouette Studio designer software to fit my pumpkins.

2. Send decals to “cut”.

3. Weed the negative part of the design

4. Cut transfer paper to size. Peel away wax paper backing and smooth transfer paper into place.

5. Rub design with a credit card.

6. Peel away paper backing from the vinyl decal, transferring it to the sticky transfer paper.

7. Position on pumpkin and lightly rub decal with a credit card.

8. Peel away transfer paper. This might get a little tricky because of the pumpkin’s uneven surface. You may have to use your fingernail to help with the transfer.

9. There are also wrinkles in my vinyl decal…but it doesn’t take away from the design. I just smoothed it down the best I could using my fingernail and credit card.

To complete this display, see the tutorial for the candy corn here.

*This post is sponsored by Happy Crafters. Tutorial, experience and opinion is my own.

Iron-On Vinyl – Quote Pillow

Making your own decorative pillow doesn’t have to be a terrifying experience. See how Gina of The Shabby Creek Cottage makes her very own quote pillow using iron-on vinyl from Happy Crafters.

Quote pillows are so simple to make and can add just the right touch of personality to any space. With only a few supplies with only a few minutes, you can have your own trendy quote pillow.

You will need:

• Flock Iron On (but you could totally use the FREE sheet of iron on vinyl from my friends at Happy Crafters)
 
• Silhouette or other craft cutter machine

• Hook Tool

• Pillow Cover (either buy one or make one yourself with my easy pillow cover tutorial.)

Time Needed: Under an hour

First step, load up your vinyl cutter machine with the heat transfer vinyl of your liking (I only needed about 1/2 a sheet).

Then, using your Silhouette software, lay out your words to the correct size and choose the “mirror” option. The reverse print is needed for heat transfers. Then hit “cut” and cut out using your machine.

After your letters are cut, use the hook tool to help peel away the excess material around your design, so you get a clean cut and don’t heat transfer the extra vinyl.

Flocking material takes a little work to get it all out due to such a thick film, but work patiently, it’ll all come off the backing material eventually!

After you get the image the way you want, place it face down onto the pillow cover and iron right over the backing material. Don’t worry, it won’t melt it but if you want, cover it with an old piece of scrap fabric, just in case. Flock material does take a lot longer than you think, though – so keep ironing for a few minutes. If you check and it still peels up the lettering, just place it back down and keep on ironing with good, even pressure.

When it’s ready, the clear sheet should peel right off without difficulty, leaving your letters perfectly in place.

Finally, put your pillow insert in and you’re done! Quote pillows are so easy to make, and they’re even perfect for holiday decoration!

Iron On Vinyl Heart Onesie Tutorial

I LOVE crafting for new my baby girl! Its just so much fun and I’m kind of obsessed with my latest little girl craft: a gold heart onesie! It turned out better than I imagined. As soon as it was done, I shared this picture on Instagram. I am loving all things metallic right now, especially gold! So of course I went with a gold heart for my sweet baby girl. I also paired this with her arrow leggings; so cute!

Now adding a simple heart or any decal to a shirt is super easy with your Silhouette vinyl cutter. {no sewing required!!} All you need is some Iron On Vinyl {I got mine from Happy Crafters. They carry several brands of Iron On and Adhesive Vinyl, so there is tons of colors/finishes to pick from!}, Silhouette Hook Tool, Standard Iron, and Scrap Fabric.

For this craft, I used my Silhouette Portrait to cut my heat design into my gold vinyl.

Directions:

1. Design your decal in the Silhouette Studio software and be sure that it is a vector art.

2. Load your Heat Transfer Vinyl into your Silhouette vinyl cutter without a cutting mat with the plastic side DOWN. (this is so that the sticky carrier attaches to your garment when ironing on)

3. Then, cut your shape out using the Heat Transfer setting.

4. Weed away the excess material from around your decal.

5. Place the decal onto your shirt with the plastic side UP this time (sticky side down). Place a piece of scrap fabric over the top and press firmly with your iron for 45-60 seconds. My iron was set to the second hottest cotton setting and it took 45 seconds exactly. {see tips below}

*TIPS: Press very firmly with your iron. I like to add a towel or several layers of fabric underneath the shirt to prevent the metal bars in my ironing board to make an appearance on my hear transfer. The thicker your fabric the more firm you need to press to ensure equal heat across your design.

**IMPORTANT TIP: Make sure you use a timer so you can keep track of exact seconds. I typically use the stopwatch feature on my phone.

***How to Tell if the Heat Transfer is “Done” TIP: If done correctly, the heat transfer will appear to almost melt into the fabric. If it looks like it is merely “sitting” or “resting” on top of the fabric, or if you can see the edges curling or pulling up when removing the carrier, you need to iron longer. If your heat transfer material is shiny and splotchy, you have ironed it for too long and probably have burned it. 😦

6. Allow to cool for just a few seconds and then remove the clear plastic carrier from your design. {Caution! it might still be hot so be careful not to burn your fingers!}

You can connect with Happy Crafters on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Have you crafted with Heat Transfer before? What do you like it? Don’t miss a Craft! Follow Craftaholics Anonymous® on Bloglovin and on Pinterest! Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Happy Crafters. I received free products to try. All opinions are completely mine!

Iron On Vinyl Golf Gift

OH! IO! As much as it kills me to do this project considering I bleed blue and white for dear Old State…WE ARE! It does make me happy knowing my grandpa, who will be turning 80 years young will just LOVE it. As the Penn State black sheep of my deeply rooted Ohio State Buckeye family, I decided to make something for my grandpa incorporating his two favorite things in the world, OSU and golfing.

What you’ll need for this project:

– 12” x 15” sheet of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – Red
– 12” x 15” sheet of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – Metallic Silver
– 12” x 15” sheet of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – White
– 12” x 15” sheet of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – Green
– 12” x 15” sheet of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – Brown
– Silhouette Cameo® Vinyl Cutter
– Hook Tool
– Piece of Fabric (for iron on application)
– Cotton Golf Towel

Project Time: 25 minutes

To begin, I researched the graphics I wanted to use. Vectorized them using Adobe® Illustrator and converted them to a DXF file so that I can open it using my Silhouette Software.

For iron on graphics, you have to be sure to mirror your images. The reason for this is because the smooth un-sticky side of your carrier will need to be facing upward toward your iron – this keeps the sticky side downward so your image will remain secure on your garment and also acts as a heat protector when ironing. Once everything is sized and mirrored to my liking, I send my graphics to my Silhouette Cameo® and hit, “cut”.

Using my Silhouette hook tool, I cut out my graphic and weed the excess material from my design.

I used a loose piece of fabric from an old sheet to buffer the heat over top of my application. This helps from melting my carrier and it sticking to my iron. Not fun.

  

After my first color application is a little bit cool, I then apply my “O” colors. Once these are semi-cooled, I then apply my buckeye and buckeye leaves.

And there she is in all her red, white and silver glory! Let’s just keep this between us…if my fellow alumni knew I was participating in this activity, I might be shunned from the next tailgate. 😉

Be sure to see all of our project ideas here on our Happy Crafters Blog, or check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages for more inspiration!

DIY Bridal Shower Decoration

I’m absolutely in love with rusic, country themed weddings. I plan on having one myself one day in fact! As the bridal shower planner for my friend’s wedding, I wanted to make her something she and her husband could cherish forever in memory of their wedding.

 

What you’ll need for this project:

• 12” x 12” Sheet of OraCal Glossy Adhesive Vinyl – Black
• (2) 12” x 15” Sheets of Happy Face Iron On Vinyl – Antique Gold Metallic
• Silhouette Cameo® Vinyl Cutter
• Silhouette Hook Tool
• Transfer Tape
• Rubber Scraper
• Galvanized Tub
• Painter Drop Cloth
• Burlap Sack
• Roll of Lace
• Roll of Twine
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Project Time: 45 minutes – 2 hours

I first started with the galvanized tub and matching bride and groom signs.

 

 All you need for these is your black adhesive vinyl and transfer tape. First I found a font I liked through my Silhouette Software and sent it to my Silhouette Cameo®.

  I then used my transfer tape to move my text to my signs and tub and signs, and smoothed out with a rubber scraper.

   

Next, my triangle banner. I used painter’s drop cloth, a roll of twine, a small roll of lace, and a 99 cent burlap sack, all of which can be found at your local craft store.

  

After I found my text and designs I wanted to use, I made sure I mirrored  them before I cut them out. The reason for this is so that when you apply your design it is applied upside down. This is so that your carrier faces upward for protecting your design when heat pressing.

 

Using my hook tool, I weeded the excess vinyl surrounding my letters and designs, leaving only what I want to be heat applied.

I take a hot iron and a piece of fabric, and press down firmly onto my design for about 10 seconds. Then I take a hot glue gun to attach my burlap sack and lace to the top of my triangle. Okay! One down, only 15 more to go!

 

I repeat these steps until each triangle piece is completed.

I then place my twine on the backside of the triangle (blank side) leaving about a half an inch of space remaining at the top. Fold over that piece over the twine, and press onto the glue so that it forms a closure around my twine.

 

I do this all the way down my twine and let it dry.

My bride loved her banner and tub and the party was a success!

See all of our adhesive vinyl, tools and cutters available only at HappyCrafters.com. Be sure to check out all of our ideas available on our blog or on our Pinterest and Facebook pages. 🙂