I just got a New (to me) Cricut!

Hello!!

I recently just purchased a Cricut Explore off of Facebook. I didn't know much about it before purchasing it, but I looked up some of the things it could do and decided it was a must have. I was able to get it for a great price ($130), and it came with the bluetooth adapter. The machine is in excellent condition. 

As I stated before, I didn't know much about the Cricut, but I am learning more and more everyday. I have joined a few Facebook groups and watched several YouTube videos, which has been very helpful. The Facebook groups are very helpful because you are able to get assistance, learn, get creative ideas, and informative information from fellow Cricut users. YouTube is very helpful also because there are a multitude of tutorials explaining various techniques and topics.  My favorite Facebook Cricut group is Cricut Beginners and Beyond *No Negativity .  I do not have a favorite YouTuber yet, but one of the favorites mentioned in the different Facebook groups I follow is Auntie Tay .  I have checked out her tutorials and they have been helpful!

I am very creative, artistic, and creative person, so the Cricut just enhances my ability to create. The first thing I did to test out my Cricut is creating small cutouts out of card stock paper. After doing a couple of those I was asked by my sister in law to create a cake topper for my 6 month old nephew. I looked up a few videos and studied the picture of the cake topper she wanted and created my version. It was simple for the most part and I was proud of the work that I did. Also, not only did I make the cake topper, but I also had the privilege to play photographer and capture this milestone!

Since completing that project, I felt confident enough to move to doing vinyl. I have seen the Welcome Porch signs and decided I wanted to make one for my porch. I have not made it yet, but yesterday and today I decided to work on my first vinyl project for practice. Last night, I took one of our scraps of wood and sanded it , and then took some white chalk paint I had and painted it white. 

This morning I sanded it lightly to give it a distressed and rustic look. After sanding it, I put a coating of Mod Podge on it to give it a smooth surface.

 Also, this morning I designed the vinyl print I wanted for my sign. My Cricut Explore cut it perfectly.

I removed all of the excess vinyl and weeded out the small pieces in the some of the letters.

Then I added the transfer paper to the remainder vinyl and removed the bottom paper from the vinyl and put it on the wood. I used the Cricut tool and smoothed it on there. I will say when trying to remove the contact paper the vinyl would not stay on the wood. I think it may either be because I did not put enough Mod Podge or because the transfer paper was too sticky. I am going to do another test sign before I do the big project (Welcome Sign). After I added the lettering I put a coat of Mod Podge on it to seal the lettering and it gave it a nice glossy finish. 

 Overall, I love my sign. I think it came out better than expected. Especially since it was my first time!!

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts or any tips.  Also, please share and/or follow my page for upcoming posts for projects. Thank you for reading!!