Fun DIY Play Shopping Basket Using Permanent Vinyl

 For Christmas this year, we got our daughter a play kitchen and play food. I saw this pink plastic container at the store and I thought it would make the perfect little play shopping basket. I hesitated to make a whole post about this since it was so easy to make but I wanted to encourage all of you newbies (I know a lot of you got machines for Christmas ;) ) to take those machines out of the box and get crafting!  Crafting or making cute things doesn't have to be super hard or time consuming. I hope this little post gets you excited to create! 

Things you will need:

-Cutting machine (I am using a Silhouette CAMEO 3)

-Transfer tape 

-Oracal 651 Permanent Vinyl (White or color of your choice)

-Plastic container with handles 

-Ruler/measuring tape

-Scraper tool 

Step 1: Measure Your Container & Design On Software 

Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the front and side of the container so that you know how to properly size your vinyl pieces. I simply drew a rectangle on the software and sized it to match the real size of the container (6x6in for the front/back panels and 4x4in for the side panels) that way I can adjust the basket slits so that I know they will fit. 

I used the basic shape function again to draw the little slits for my basket. There are a ton of different styles of basket and honestly you can't really go wrong with any design! Simply make multiple little slits and line them up how you want them to go.

Use the 'align' tool to make sure that the slits are all evenly spaced both horizontally and width wise. You can eyeball it if you want to but I love how clean and crisp this function makes it look. 

Step 2: Cut & Apply 

Lay your piece of vinyl on your mat and adjust the settings to cut the permanent vinyl. Once it is cut, weed out the negative areas and apply transfer tape to lift up the vinyl. This clear gridded transfer tape from EV is the best!

The final step is to apply the vinyl on your basket! Be sure to apply lots of pressure with your scraper tool and slowly peel off the transfer tape. Voila you have yourself a cute little shopping basket. 

Holographic Unicorn HTV Canvas Tote Bag

Hi friends! Today I am going to show you how to create your own magically wonderful unicorn holographic tote bag. I love glitter and I love the unicorn trend that is so hot right now! With a few sheets of 'holo' heat transfer vinyl and a tote bag you can create your own super trendy bag in minutes. Let's get started.

Things you will need:
-Silhouette CAMEO or other cutting machine
-EasyWeed HTV in Mint 
-Holographic HTV in Fuchsia and Pearl
-Canvas Tote 
-Weeding Tool
-Iron or Heatpress

Step 1: Create Your Design

I always like to start off by digitally creating the image to the exact way I want it to look on the final project.  Don't forget to size it all at once accordingly so that all the pieces fit the way you want them true-to-size. My image is about 9 in. x 9 in. total. I purchased the fonts and images from the Silhouette Design Store.

I also like to use the color fill option in the studio software to help me get another visual on how the colors will look together. It is not always the perfect match, but it is a good overall preview of how it will look. Additionally, it helps me remember what HTV pertains to each piece when I prepare to cut.

Once you have your design laid out, I like to group the designs on the mat by the color of HTV that I will need to cut. Below you will see I will be cutting the unicorn and the word 'sparkle' together so I simply placed the other images off to the side. And as always, don't forget to mirror your design when cutting heat transfer vinyl.

Step 2: Cut Your Designs 
Now it is time so cut so we are going to adjust the cut settings. For holographic vinyl the settings are: Blade 5, Speed 5, Thickness 20. The Expressions Vinyl website has a great chart that shows the perfect cut settings for each material. If you haven't used it before, I highly recommend keeping it handy. Check it out here.

When in doubt, do a test cut! I promise test cuts will save you many headaches and you will have significantly less product waste by testing the cut settings before you cut your final design.

Load your HTV onto your mat with the shiny side down. Hit send and watch the magic happen.

Complete these steps until all of your pieces are cut. Don't forget to re-adjust any cut settings for different material types. Since the mint EasyWeed vinyl is different, I quickly adjusted the settings before cutting it. Use a weeding tool to weed out the negative pieces from your vinyl and you are now ready to place them on your tote!

Step 3: Arrange Design on Bag and Press
Place each separate piece of vinyl on the bag and ensure that it lines up correctly like the original design. It always helps to look at the original design on screen to help guide you as you place the pieces on the final product.

I used a heatpress and used the suggested heat settings of 320 degrees and did a cold peel of the transfer sheet. You can also use an iron to apply your designs onto the bag.
Once it is pressed, it will look like this.

It is hard to capture the wonderful sparkle and shine of the holo HTV. It is beautiful and one of my favorite products to use.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and inspired you to create your own magical unicorn bag. If you do, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @kutiekairadesigns so that I can admire your work!

Happy crafting, friends!

DIY Weekly Meal Menu Board Using Chalkboard Vinyl

Hi crafty friends! My name is Connie from Kutie Kaira Designs and today I am going to show you how to make a super cute weekly meal menu made from chalkboard vinyl as well as printable vinyl and 651 vinyl. I love practical projects that I can use on a daily basis to help me stay organized!

Things you will need:
-Chalkboard Vinyl 
-Printable Inkjet Vinyl 
-Oracal 651 White Vinyl 
-A board of your choice (Any material will do since you will be using chalkboard vinyl to make the surface "writeable".)
-Transfer Tape 
-Silhouette or Cricut Cutting Machine
-Chalk Pens 

Step One: Design Your Project In Software 

I am using a Silhouette Cameo for my project today so in Silhouette Software I created a digital mock up of what my final design will look like. I always like to design a digital version to make sure I like it and to ensure that it all fits on the actual board. Use a rule to measure the space on your board and size it accordingly in your software. Now you know how much space you have to design.

Now that the design is final, separate each piece in the software so that you can cut each one individually. Since each design is a different material, we have to do one at a time! But don't worry, it is super easy!  

The days will be cut out of Oracal 651 vinyl, the rectangle will be the chalkboard vinyl, and lastly the floral design will be cut out of printable vinyl.

Step Two: Cut And Apply Your Designs 

Load your chalkboard vinyl and cut your rectangle out (cut settings blade 2, thickness 10, speed 7).

Weed your rectangle piece by lifting the corner using a weeding tool and using your hand to peel it off of the backing. I love that you don't need to use transfer tape for chalkboard vinyl! Apply your rectangle to your board. Set aside while you cut the rest of your piece out

Next, it's time to cut your floral design. *Pro Tip* Use washi tape to hold down the sides of your materials once your mat starts to lose stickiness. This tip has helped me save so much money by extending the life of my mat. The beauty of washi tape is that the adhesive is so light that it won't ruin your material--not even card stock paper--but sturdy enough to hold your material in place while you cut.

Print your registration marks along with your design on the printable vinyl and use the print and cut features on your machine to cut along the edge of the floral design.

Once your design is done cutting, simply lift your floral design and apply it on the board

The final step will be to cut your Oracal 651 vinyl days. For this step you will need transfer tape. Cut out your designs and use transfer tape to apply the letters on the board. *Pro Tip* Use a hairdryer or other source of heat when applying 651 vinyl to surfaces that are difficult to "stick" on.  The heat will further activate the adhesive making it easier to apply.

Now your beautiful project is complete!

I love how easy it is to wipe the chalk pens off of the chalkboard vinyl! No residue at all! 

Hope you enjoyed this project and I can't wait to see what amazing creations you come up with! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @kutiekairadesigns if you do so I can see them :).