Using Text In Design Space


Quick Tips Before We Get To The Long Details:
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How To Use Free Fonts In Design Space

You can use any font in design space!  Unlike svgs, you do not upload fonts to DS, rather, you install them on your device, then find them under the "System" tab when choosing a font in Design Space.
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Etching Cookie Plates - Christmas Gifts For The Neighbors

Etched Cookie Plates for Our Neighbors

The Cliff Note Version:


 This is one of those projects that I started at 7am, thought I'd be done by 10am, and actually completed around 7pm.  But once I got the process down, it really went fast.  

First I tried to use contact paper from the Dollar Tree as my stencil.  But it was too thin, and too clear to weed.  Then I tried 651, but I got part of it stuck onto a plate before I was ready and it was super hard to remove (even though it takes days to fully cure and be permanent).  Then I tried cardstock - but that's a pain, because the centers of my letters do not adhere, they move around.... and I tried the acetate that I bought for the acetate christmas ornaments (I had bought a pack that was NOT for the inkjet printer) but that was a combination of a pain to weed (clear ) and same as the cardstock, the centers would not stay put.  Finally I went to cricut 631 vinyl, and that worked.  I think a solid colored shelf liner would work for this too.

 I could have used the 651. The trick is to place the stencil sticky side up, then place the plate down onto the stencil, rather than trying to place the stencil upside down on the plate.    Once you set the plate down, flip it over and smooth to make sure there are no air bubbles, then remove the transfer paper and add the etching cream.

For the stencil, create a box and slice your monogram out of it.  I added the last names in the split monograms, welded the name with the monogram, then sliced it from either a square, or for the wreath, a circle.

Don't forget to mirror it!  

 I used the split monogram files from here:
http://caluyadesign.com/split-monogram-free-svg.html
and the wreath split monograms from here:
http://caluyadesign.com/wreath-monogram-free-svg.html
I have more options for monograms here:
http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2017/11/free-monograms-split-monograms-for.html

Cover with etching cream.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Scrape off the excess cream, put it back into the bottle.  Then wash off the rest of the cream, and remove the stencil.

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Stocking Stuffer - EOS cards

 
EOS Stocking Stuffer Christmas Cards
Cliff Notes:
I started with the basic reindeer silhouette svg found here.
Upload it into design space, unlocked it, and resized it to 5.034x4.804 - making it slightly thinner than the original, to better frame the round EOS nose.

For the EOS containers, you want a 1.460 inch circle
At the top of the tool bar, under the lock, you can change the size by typing in numbers.

Then I created a 5.5 x 6.9 White rectangle, and sent it to the back.  I added the text "Merry Christmas". Looking at my list of 6  fonts that write in cricut,  (That list now has over 100 fonts to choose from) I chose Simply Glamorous.  Don't forget to switch it to write, over on the far right menu.  

 Next select the red nose, and the white background, and choose slice.  This will cut the hole in the white card stock, for the red EOS container to stick through.  You can delete the red and white circles the slice created, I left the red one in the photo above, but you will not want that to cut.

 Then last, select the writing, and the white rectangle, and attach.  If you do this sooner, you will not be able to slice.  If you forget to do this, it will not write where you want it on the card.

 Here's another example.  I started with this file from Love SVG:

Santa, Snowman & Reindeer Singing
https://lovesvg.com/2017/11/santa-reindeer-snowman-singing-4871/

 Ungroup.  Delete the musical notes. Create 3 1.460  circles.  Resize the images until it looks like the circles will work as the "noses".  Then on each image, ungroup, and ungroup, and ungroup until you can delete the noses and rotate and remove the rest of the facial features.  I rotated the snowman's hat too.

 That left me with something like this:

The next step takes a bit of time.  It's not hard, but you have to ungroup, ungroup, ungroup...  so that you can slice.  You can only choose slice with two images selected at one time.  So if two images are grouped, and you chose the circle as the 3rd image, it will not slice.  Ungroup, ungroup, ungroup.  At this stage, I decide I did not need the pink face for santa, and I removed that completely.  Once the first slice is done for each face, I regrouped each face, so I can move them around without messing up the design.

Then I repeated the process of creating the rectangles, adding the text, and slicing the "noses" out of the white rectangles as well - leaving me with what you see above.  

These are some other svg files I may try using for this project:
https://lovesvg.com/2017/12/penguin-and-reindeer-4942/
http://svgcuts.com/blog/2012/12/08/reindeer-candy-cane-free-svg/
http://svgcuts.com/blog/2012/12/14/merry-moose-cutie-free-svg/
https://lovesvg.com/2017/11/reindeers-are-better-than-people-4684/
https://lovesvg.com/?s=penguin

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Solving Simple Print Then Cut Problems

https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2019/03/solving-common-print-then-cut-problems.html

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Find More Cricut Project Tutorials Here:

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Applying Htv To Flannel Blankets


How To Apply Vinyl To A Flannel Blanket

Since originally writing this post in 2017, I've made dozens of blankets like these.  I've made them for graduations, babies, birthdays, and I've made them for nieces and nephews as Christmas gifts.  They are quick, easy, and inexpensive to make.

If I was selling projects, I'd make these for football players families.  Customize them with the players number and last name in a football...
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Little Red Truck Christmas Pillows - Layering HTV

My daughter in laws asked for some throw pillows for Christmas, and I wanted a few for myself here as well.  I have more to make, but the first two designs are done, and I love how they turned out!

The Red Truck svg is free here:

Ungroup, and hide the Noel.  I added our last name in the Bromello font

I did not use the white circles - I liked it better without them.
Don't forget to reverse your design before cutting!  I use select all and flip horizontal rather than using mirror - because that way I am sure it is all done before I start cutting.

I use a plain old iron (literally old - probably 80s model - I bought a couple of good old heavy irons at the thrift store, and love them.  ) a silicone baking mat, and a pillow case.  I sew my own pillow cases - details are here (and it's SUPER easy - a great beginners sewing project) 
First I ironed the pillow case, and stuck the silicone baking sheet inside.  
Then I layered the design on the way I wanted it to look.
Next, carefully pull back the red truck, leaving the black tires, the tree, and the name on the case, in position.  
Cover with parchment paper.  Then Press the preheated iron (I set mine between cotton and wool) down hard one section at a time, for 10 seconds each.  Be careful near the edges where there are seams, try to keep the iron off the seams, so that it sits flat on the design.  
Remove the parchment paper, peel back the plastic htv backing, slowly.  If the edges peel up at all, replace the plastic and parchment paper and press again.

Once pressed, remove the clear transfer tape.
Place the red truck over the tires and tree, cover with parchment paper, and press again.
Hold the pillow up to the light, you should see the texture of the fabric through the vinyl.  

Jingle All The Way is simply the Samantha font, and a jingle bell svg I found free in a google search.  It was a bit of a pain to line up the letters in Jingle and Way - it took several text boxes for each word.  And I used the charactar map to add the extra fancy J, e, and W.  I used Samantha Upright, and made it italic in design space.

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Free Jingle Bell SVG
I layered the red bells on top of the black letters.  The only real problem with this design is the HUGE waste of htv..I think I'd like to try stenciling this in fabric paint. \
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A Few Of My Favorite Fonts

A Few Of My Favorite Fonts
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Decorating Soap Dispensers With Cricut

Decorating Soap Dispensers With Cricut

These dispensers are all from the Dollar Tree, and they do not always carry the square ones anymore.  They almost aways have soap dispensers - but recently our stores have been carrying the round ones.

 I spray painted a bunch of them, using Rustoleum spray paint, because I wanted more of the off white, and my store didn't have them.  
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Gilmore Girls Ornaments

I found this little glitter tree at Michaels this year.  Be prepared - it's really a glitter tree.  I think you could follow my exact path around Michaels simply by following the glitter..  and after putting it up, everything nearby had a fine coat of glitter on it...  I don't care.  It's my laundry room, it's Christmas, and I LOVE this tree.

 The ornaments I started with are from Michaels I think.  Maybe Wal-mart.  They were already glittered - and they were cheap. Although it's SO easy, and fun, to make your own glitter ornaments, white glitter is hard, and I think, if I remember correctly, these were cheaper than the clear ornaments.
Below I describe the fonts and graphics used for each, and the show references for each.


 The Gilmore Girls font is thought to be Sackers Solid Antique Roman - and it can be found here:  http://fontsgeek.com/fonts/Solid-Antique-Roman-Regular
This is one of my favorites.  I love how it turned out.

Coffee Coffee Coffee! & None +5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Kyt9k8bds
Coffee Coffee Coffee is done in the phonto app on my phone:
http://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/2017/11/how-to-curve-text-in-phonto-for-cricut.html

None: Font- The Skinny
+5 : Font - Milkshake

I Smell Snow
From this scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuS5IrQPqFg
Font- Bromello Letter Space -.01

 Free Snowflake SVG:
http://digitalartbydani.blogspot.com/2013/12/6-free-snowflakes.html?m=1
https://imagesbyheatherm.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/another-pair-of-snowflakes/

Copper Boom
From This Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN3QokD0qp0
Copper:
Font - Huh Girls, Bold, letter space -1
BOOM:
Font - Messy Marker, letter space .6

 I looked at making a No Cell Phones ornament - from the Lukes Diner sign - this site has a free sign you can download and print yourself - http://www.findingstarshollow.com/make-your-kitchen-look-like-lukes-diner-free-printable-no-cell-phones-sign-to-download-and-print-at-home/

Oy With The Poodles & I Jump You Jump Jack
These were graphics my daughter had already converted to use on ornaments on her own tree.  She is using the flat ornaments - which is smart.  These need to be made much smaller than 2x2 for the round ornaments.  Maybe 1.5x1.5 

 Oy with the poodles - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urkXoKCKNkk
I Jump You Jump - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG1CdNS8OMk

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Find More Free Gilmore Girls SVGS Here:




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Free Fonts & SVGS For Monograms

Where To Find Free Fonts For Monograms
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My Favorite Christmas Reads

I keep a list of books of Christmas themed books that I want to read, and as with my full to read list, it grows faster than I can possibly read. (Often my Christmas reading list introduces me to new series, which extends my general to read list... ) Looking back over my goodreads list, I have definitely made a dent over the years, these were some of my favorites:

 Christmas Classics:


Each year, JRR Tolkien wrote letters to his children, from Father Christmas.  
"They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents everywhere; how the accident-prone North Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house. Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humor to the stories. " - Goodreads

  Our copy has pockets that hold the letters, and it's one of the few I insist on keeping in hardcover here at the house. 

A short story from the author of the Wizard Of Oz.
After failing to tempt him to their own vices, Santa is kidnapped from the Laughing Valley by the five Daemons of the Caves (Daemons of Selfishness, Envy, Hatred, Malice, and Repentance) on Christmas Eve. Can Christmas be saved?

"A young boy and his mother spend Christmas 1943 with relatives in northern Minnesota while his father is fighting in the war in Europe.  They take a long journey by train to a snowy land of vast frozen lakes, deep and sparkling cold, and the most magical Christmas tree the boy has ever seen.  He knows this will be the last Christmas he will spend with his cousin, who is dying.  The boy's uncle overhears the two cousins say there is no Santa Claus, and in a grand gesture that is nothing short of a Christmas miracle, he restores the children's faith in the spirit of the season." - Goodreads

 Cozy Christmas
(Light reads, but not mysteries)

 Christmas on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Ladybug farm is one of my favorite light summer reads - the whole series is a quick read, and there is a Christmas book in the series!

 The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
Another Patterson that I liked a lot - this one is not a mystery. 

 Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is another of my favorite authors, and while this is far from my favorite book by her, it's a good read.  Like many others, it's a typical Hallmark Christmas Movie plot.  Divorced woman, goes on a trip to avoid the holidays, makes a detour, crosses path with a child who has recently lost his mother.  " When the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.     But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find."

 Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
A  retelling of the story of the Prodigal son

 The Christmas Box Trilogy by Richard Paul Evans
Looking for short, sweet, and sappy? This will be a great choice.  

 The Mistletoe Series by Richard Paul Evans
Three Christmas romances - each one is the plot of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Quick reads.

 The Noel Series by Richard Paul Evans
Labeled "The King Of Christmas Fiction" on Amazon, this series by Evans is one I have not yet read.  The first is about a son, returning to his family home  after his mothers death.  
"Jacob’s mother had become a hoarder and he must excavate through two decades worth of clutter. As Jacob digs through the detritus, like an archaeologist, he uncovers many puzzling items including a diary left by someone named Noel, a young woman he has no recollection of, who stayed with Jacob’s family during her pregnancy. That’s not the only echo from the past. Jacob has an unexpected visitor, Rachel, a woman looking for the mother who put her up for adoption thirty years before. United by their quest to make sense of the past and rewrite their futures, Jacob and Rachel begin a search for Noel. Along the way they find more than they possibly imagined, including grace, forgiveness and a chance at love."


Cozy Christmas Mysteries
Another one of my favorite (mystery)  series, Her Royal Spyness.  This is book 6 in the series, it's stand alone, you don't need to read the first 5 to love this book.  Although once you read it, you might want to read the whole series....  
Georgie is 35th in line to the throne, expected to live as royalty, but with no income to do so.  As she moves from home to home, and visits with the queen, she stumbles into all sorts of mysteries, and of course, solves them.  


Duck The Halls by Donna Andrews
A Meg Lanslow mystery - book #6.  If you are looking for a silly mystery, with lots of laughs, try this one.

 The Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle
There are two Christmas books in this series..  this one I liked a lot, the other was just ok.  This is another series I would love to read more of..  mysteries set in a coffee house!

A Christmas To Die For by Marta Perry
I read this and loved it even before I learned that this is a local author, who I eventually met at our local library!  An Amish mystery.
More about Marta Perry


A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
Another charming (but not TOO sweet) Cozy Mystery.  This was my first introduction to Hamish Macbeth. I keep meaning to read the rest of this series, but I have not yet gotten back to it...

 Rest Ye Merry - a Peter Shandy Mystery by Charlotte McLeod
An extremely light, traditional, Christmas mystery
A Christmas scrooge discovers a murdered librarian in this holiday novel from an Edgar Award finalist known for her “witty, literate, and charming” mysteries (Publishers Weekly).

 Christmas Detective Stories

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie
The Hercule Poirot series is one of my favorites!  
There's also The Adventure Of the Christmas Pudding

The Christmas Mystery by James Patterson
This is a bookshot - less than 100 pages I think...  it's a Detective Luc Moncrief mystery.  (There are a lot of Patterson's books that I do NOT like, this is one series I like a lot.)

Silent Night by Robert Parker
A Spenser Novel - this book was unfinished when Parker died, it was finished by his agent.

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Which Apps & Websites To Use With Cricut -


A list of websites and apps to help make the most of your cricut machine.
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