Geocaching is a game - sort of a treasure hunt, but there is no real treasure other than the find. You download the app - geocaching.com - and then look for geocaches near you. Go find them, sign the log inside, and then log it online.
Some of the geocaches will be on guardrails and stop signs, or in a lamp post in a parking lot. NOT my idea of fun. Other caches are hikes in the woods, overlooks, beautiful and historical locations.. those I love. My husband is an avid geocacher - he not only wants to find them all, he builds caches and teaches others about geocaching.
Me? I go along for the fun stuff - the pretty hikes to overlooks, and historical spots. We've found so many cool sights we never would have found on our own, through geocaching.
I've made a LOT of geocaching shirts over the years. But this Geocaching is out there is his absolute favorite. He's always asking me to make him another one.
I've never been able to share the svg with you, because it's someone elses design that I adapted.
But today I realized I could share the link to the FREE design I started with, and just upload the svg that I added to adapt it. So you have to download from two different places, contour out the adventure and is, then add in the second svg and weld them together.
Weld, or combine, whichever you prefer - but you want to weld or combine so that the overlapping h in geocaching doesn't leave cut lines in the "swoosh"
Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials For Cutting Paper With Cricut
The first thing I try to tell everyone when they first get a cricut is "don't try to learn it all at once."
What you need to know to make a t-shirt is so different than what you need to know to make a card. What you need to know to cut a felt flower is completely different than what you need to know to make a print then cut sticker.
In this post, I'm going to go over the basics of Paper Cutting, then direct you to some of my favorite paper crafters to follow.
Reminder - I'm an affiliate for a number of sites, including Amazon. If you click on one of the links below and then make a purchase, I may possibly earn a small commission. It will not change the price you are charged.
Choosing Your Glue
Bearly Art and Art Glitter Glue [there's no glitter in it] are two of the most popular brands of precision glue. Many crafters LOVE them. I prefer plan old Elmers Glue sticks [like the kindergarteners use...], and for precision tip, the Elmers Craftbond Precision Tip Glue. Not nearly as fancy, but much les expensive, and much less likely to clog up.
For 3d paper projects, shadow boxes, paper flowers, 3D Models, etc, you may want to use Hot Glue. I use hot glue a LOT. Way more than I would have expected. When looking at a Hot Glue gun, look at the cordless models. I SO
Mats are color coded by stickiness, with Blue being the least sticky, and made for paper.
HOWEVER, if you use your green mat a couple of times, it will no longer be super sticky, and will work great for paper. You'll see that I use green mats almost exclusively in my craft room. When they are super sticky I use them for vinyl, when they are less sticky, I use them for paper. When they are no longer sticky, I wash them.
For more on how to wash the mats and make them sticky again -
This is when you will often hear the word "brayer" used. A brayer is a roller tool that you can run over your paper to make sure your paper is "good and stuck", with no air bubbles, to the mat.
I just use the scraper tool that came in my original Cricut Tool set. The same tool I use to scrape all the pieces off the mat to clean it when I am done.
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CUT SETTINGS
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[Photo from Cricuts Website]
I have two Cricut machines, and my [very] old Air 2 is hands down my favorite. It nearly always cuts better than my Maker. And it has a dial - so for card stock I either choose Cardstock, or, Cardstock Plus [for heavier cardstock]. Quick and easy!
On my maker, there are dozens of paper settings - but for a decent cut, the best choice for me is nearly always "Cardstock For Intricate Cuts". Even if the cut is not all that intricate, that's the setting that I often get the best results with. Exceptions would be when I am cutting vellum, or something special like crepe paper [for which you want the rotary blade]. But for most basic cardstock projects, try "Cardstock For Intricate Cuts".
Once you find Cardstock For Intricate Cuts, I recommend clicking on the star beside it - that adds it to your favorites, so you won't have to go searching for it next time.
To cut 100lb cardstock on Cricut, I use the Posterboard Plus setting on my Air 2, and Posterboard with "more pressure" on my Maker.
If your cuts are still not clean, TRY:
Cleaning the blade. Sometimes a little piece of something gets stuck to the blade, and your cuts will not be clean. You can poke the blade into balled up tinfoil - this does not sharpen the blade, but it does help remove tiny debris and adhesive.
Sometimes it's just the paper. Not all paper cuts well, and even something like moisture in the air can effect the cut. In really humid climates, some crafters iron their paper [NO TEAM] before cutting it. It's maybe worth a shot.
Make sure the paper is FIRMLY stuck to the mat. If your mat is not sticky enough, or there's any sort of debris on the mat, it can lift the paper and cause the cut to not be as crisp
Is your blade old and dull? I cut a LOT of paper, and my blades typically last me months. But if all else fails, try changing to a new blade. I do not use Cricut brand blades - they are pricey! Other replacement brands work just as well.
Here's a video from Cricut on how to change your blade
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REMOVING PAPER FROM THE MAT
After cutting, flip your mat upside down, and peel the mat away from the paper, rather than the paper away from the mat. This will minimize curling.
This video, from CraftECorner, shows the process of rolling the matt back off the paper, at about the 1:37 mark.
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MORE TIPS
This was a tip I learned from The Bearded Housewife - those toddler lunch trays from the Dollar Tree are excellent for sorting out the small pieces in a paper project!
I often use painters tape to hold onto those little detailed pieces. The paper will remove from the tape without tearing.
Attach those score lines. When Uploading a project to Cricut, the score lines will NOT be attached by default, in most cases.
When cutting text out of cardstock, there are typically two good options:
1. Use a cursive font, and weld it so it cuts all as one piece. [see the word "Roadtrip" above. ]
2. Use a stencil font and attach it, so it cuts out of the paper without you needing to glue a bunch of tiny little pieces in place - when using a stencil font you layer a solid piece of paper behind the text, to show through, as shown above.
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ORGANIZATION & STORAGE
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I found an old office armoire at our local thrift store - the type that probably came out of a hotel room. That may sound like a rare find, but watch Facebook Marketplace, I've seen quite a few of them for FREE since I bought mine! It's not a Dreambox - but then, it was also only $50, not $2,500. And it better fits both the look, and size, of my space.
For a more detailed look at my craft space - which is a corner of my laundry room - go here:
[We have a spare room I could make into a craft room - but I would never make time to use that. With my craft room right in the laundry area, I can craft while working in the kitchen, or send something to cut before going out back to work in the garden... I rarely have the time to "just" lock myself away and craft. Multi tasking is my life. ]
I use a paper trimmer to trim up my paper scraps before storing them
For 8.5x11 paper, I use file folders - the ones with the closed sides - as dividers. The dividers then hold my scraps
For the scrap storage dividers for my 12x12 cardstock, I used the cardboard backing from the back of packs of cardstock
For a much more detailed look at my paper storage, and how I made my dividers - Go Here:
Did you know that L.L. Bean made the first tote bags in the 1940s? "Beans Ice Carrier" was a tote designed to carry ice from your car to your ice chest - before most homes had electric refrigerators. In the 1960s they update their Ice Carrier to the "Boat and Tote", still available today, and still one of their best sellers.
This one is not in a zip file. It will open in google drive. To download, click on the down arrow at the top right of the screen.
This Transwonder Matte Black is my go to favorite HTV for tote Bags.
It's about $1 a sq foot [inexpensive!], goes on beautifully, and there's just something about matte vinyl on canvas that I think works especially well.
For My Favorite Tote Bag making supplies, a look at what I use all of these tote bags for, some of the designs I have used [including free svgs], and more, go to the tote bag index here:
Did you know the word ‘tote’ is a colloquial term that means ‘to carry a heavy load’? Quite ironic considering that nowadays the tote bag is often used to carry a few light things for day-to-day wear.
L.L.Bean is often credited with creating the first tote in Maine in 1944 when they launched "Beans Ice Carrier" - a sturdy, durable, water-resistant canvas bag. Designed to “carry ice from car to ice chest”. At the time, Maine was known for stocking a large quantity of premium ice. The majority of American households didn’t have refrigerators, so the bag was the solution for transporting ice from the car to the freezer.
Before long, people began using it for all kinds of other things, like groceries and other household chores.
In the 1960s, L.L.Bean renamed their popular bag "The Boat and Tote". They upgraded the design with some stylish elements, and the result is still one of their best sellers today.
In the 1980s, the New York Book Store the Strand pioneered the trend of tote bags for advertising. The first Strand tote was made with cotton duck canvas (more tightly woven than canvas) and an interior lining, and it boldly advertised the store’s name, address, phone number, and slogan.
Tote Bags are one of my absolute favorite things to make with Cricut They are typically a quick, easy, and useful project! Here's a look at my favorite supplies, tips, Designs, and free svgs - as well as what I use all of these tote bags for.
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