On the keypad of the Cricut Machine, I selected the letters to be used, in this case L and P.

To add depth to my work I used the Cricut Color on the cotton fabric and proceeded as follows:

• First replace the cutting blade with the brown Cricut Color and mark both letters on the fabric. For this purpose I selected Speed 3 and Pressure 2. Note that after placing the fabric on the cutting mat I also secured it with a piece of blue painters’ masking tape.
• Leaving the cutting mat in this same position,  carefully replace the Cricut Color with the cutting blade. Do not move the gray carriage.
• Then, press the “Load Paper”  button again and also the “Repeat Last”  button. Activate the cut key and the result is what you see on the picture below.
  

  Changing the Blade

TIPS:   Secure fabricon the cutting mat with blue painters’ masking tape to avoid fabric movement and torn fabric.

               I have found  it is preferable to replace a blade before pressing the load botton again.  This way it prevents  moving the work from its initial position.

Finished Product

Reverse A cut from fabric.

To cut the letter A out of fabric, I used symphony broadcloth. I applied the “Heat n Bond” ultra hold on the wrong side of the fabric. Then setting my Cricut Expression at a pressure of 4, speed 3 and depth 4, I cut the letter “A”. Note that for this purpose I put the fabric with the right side on the cutting mat having the Heat n Bond facing up. I then used the reverse feature (the FLIP button) on my Cricut Expression Machine that way the letter A was cut backwards.
Then once it is ready to iron on the night shirt, it is properly positioned, right side up.

Tip: I always use the same blade to cut fabric. It is a blade I save only for the purpose of cutting fabric. The benefit of a dedicated blade is a better cut.

I used the Cricut Expression machine and clear Contact paper for my resist. I used a 12″ by 12″ sheet of paper to have lots of room and cut out the name of the birthday guest on my Cricut, using a regular blade. I used a slow speed, for the cut and used a medium to heavy pressure. The depth setting I selected was 3, but you might try a setting of number 4 on the dial as it would work well also. The letters which I selected to cut are the 1/2″ size.

The two photos below show the glass with the resist applied before the etching, and the white creme in place during the etch itself.  Here is a helpful HINT: I used a small wooded stick (actually a coffee stirring stick) to apply the Armour Etch Creme. It works better than a small brush and since I throw it away, there is no brush to cleanup.

The total time I spent with the Cricut was 20 minutes. HINT: I used the repeat feature on the cut, as I wanted the same name on both of the glasses. I did two cuts but only had to input the name once. The etching itself only takes 6 minutes form the start to finish, it was the prep time on the glasses that took the longest. I spent about 25 minutes going over the self adhesive Contact paper to be sue it was pressed down on the glass well and that the name was in the center and straight with the rim itself. There are certain letters that require a bit more care. Mostly the letters that have an internal loop, like the letter O, or D, or P. You have to insert the center part of the loop and press down carefully to be sure it is stuck down firmly on the glass to be sure of clean, crisp edges on your final product.

The guests arrived on a hot Friday afternoon and they were served a cold beer in their own PERSONALIZED GIFT GLASS, which they were told to keep. The glasses were the hit of the week end and I never told them it took me less than an hour to make.

Glass with Resist, Ready to Etch

Glass being etched

Fred wrote a comment about wanting to see the finished product, and believe me he has a good point.  In fact, let me show you two more photos. They not only show a close up of the finished name etched on the rim of the glass, but a feeling of what it is to give/receive a handmade gift as well. This second shot shows the happy face of the receipient who not only received a cold drink on a hot day but a personalized gift to mark the occasion forever. I think I like the second photo best.

Close Up After Etching

Thanks for MY Glass

Then with the key called “card” I cut a 3 inch card. By pressing the “shift” key, the card becomes the envelope. I then cut a 3 inch envelope using the exact same measurement for both the card and the envelope. That way the envelope is just the right size for the card.

This project is really easy and can be completed in just a few minutes from start to finish.

The photo below shows the envelope prior to folding.

Envelope blank ready to fold

Recently we had planned a scrap booking session at a friend’s house.

Because my Cricut Expression is so light, I always carry it with me if I am going to do scrap booking. It is so easy to operate.

You need a birthday card, a fundraiser flyer, a thank you note… Name the occasion and my Cricut Expression will deliver.

I love my new machine for scrap booking. I love my Cricut Expression.

Below is an example of a Thank you card I made…

Thank you card

This time, I am busy preparing a tiny little shirt for my soon to be one year old nephew. This is my first experience with “iron on fabric” on my Cricut Expression. I have one of the Disney’s cartridge that I used for this special project. It came out just perfect. I used red material for Mickey’s pants on a blue shirt and I have succeeded pretty well.

Now all I need is to deliver my shirt. Thanks to my Cricut Expression machine, my gift will have a little something special that will make me smile every time my nephew wears it.