Shrinky Dinks Meet Cricut Imagine

Yesterday I picked up some Shrinky Dinks from my local Michael's store.  They are the Shrinky Dinks especially designed for inkjet printers.  I also picked up some Grafix clear Shrink Film from Joann's.  I wanted to try both with my Cricut Imagine.  There was quite a price difference and some noticeable differences in results.  The Shrinky Dinks cost 12.99 for six sheets but then I used a 40% off coupon.  The Grafix brand was 4.99 for the same quantity.  I must say that I was a little more pleased with the outcome of the Shrinky Dinks.  I used images from Enjoy the Seasons and Lori's Garden Imagine cartridges.  I put my standard blade on 6 and did a multicut of 2.  The Imagine was able to cut the material without difficulty.  I did notice some differences in the printing.  The Grafix took longer to dry and thus the color smeared some as the machine was cutting.  I had to do some touch up with my Copic markers.  The rubber wheels that hold the mat in place smeared the ink on the Shrinky Dinks with only one image.  Both baked and shrunk as specified by the manufacturers for around 3-5 minutes between 250 and 300 degrees in the oven. I lined a baking sheet with wax paper for the baking process.  The clear Shrink Film gave the images a stained glass appearance.  The Shrinky Dinks made the images look just as if you had printed them on paper.  I plan to give the Shrink Film another try, this time I will use one of the manufacturer's tips of lightly cross sanding the surface before printing.  I took out my glue gun and added some pin backs to these images.  I think they make delightful little pins appropriate for wear with my favorite denim shirts!! Thanks for looking!
Patty

Cricut Imagine + Iron On Fabric Sheets For Ink Jet Printers

It's a windy, rainy day outside and I have a yucky head cold, so I decided to stay indoors, stay warm, and work with some of my crafts.  I pulled out some of my printable iron-on fabric I had purchased a few weeks ago.  I decided to try printing and cutting on this material using my Imagine.  Through trial and error, I found that the edges of this material need to be taped to the mat with a few pieces of tape.  I also set my pressure on 5 to make sure that the material was completely cut.  I used the Imagine Enjoy the Seasons cartridge to print the tree and squirrel for my sweatshirt.  The ink absorbed into the material wonderfully and was easy to iron on to the black sweatshirt.  I then sewed on some coordinating fall leaves and acorn buttons and finished the shirt with a little gold fabric paint.  I then printed the monogram "P" and bird image from the Imagine Baby Boutique cartridge.  I ironed these images onto a white tote bag.  I think I will sew a matching ribbon around the edges of the bag to add some additional embellishment.  I love the print and iron-on material.  I used the June Tailor Quick Fuse fabric sheets for ink jet printers.  With this material, it wasn't even necessary to flip the images before printing.  Looks like I'll be heading back to the craft store to buy more!!  Have a great week!

Patty

Using Cricut Imagine and Printable Vinyl on Acrylic Tumblers

Yesterday I picked up some clear acrylic tumblers at Big Lots.  These were the double-walled ones with straws. I wanted to try my hand embellishing them with the printable Cricut Imagine Vinyl.  I used my Enjoy the Season Cricut Imagine cartridge to create the designs and my Printing 101 cartridge to create the lettering for my name.  I printed and cut the apple at 4 inches.  The color letters for my name were designed from an Enjoy the Seasons theme.  They were cut at approximately 2 inches each.  After printing the designs and adhering them to the tumblers, I used some Plaid aerosol sealer to make sure my ink would stay colorfast.  The sealer can be found in the craft paint department.  I chose this sealer because the label said it was good for sealing the ink on maps and other documents. The sealer gave the tumbler a "frosted" appearance, but the design looks great!!  After I let the sealer dry, I then brushed on some gloss sealer from Delta.  I let this dry and then took a baby wipe and wiped over all parts of the design.  No fading or running.  As an extra test I handwashed the tumbler with soap and water and it turns out the sealing process worked just fine!! I am now in the process of designing a couple more tumblers to give as gifts.  It looks like I will be heading back to Big Lots!!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Patty