Author: christine

I’m super excited to share a new product tutorial with you today! Chemica recently sent me a sample of their Magic Flex heat transfer material to share with Cutting for Business readers! Magic Flex has been available overseas, but is now being stocked in the USA. The material is a heat transfer that puffs up during application for a raised, 3D look. Let’s get to the tutorial.

Magic Flex Heat Transfer Tutorial:

1. Create your design and do not mirror it. This bears repeating: Do NOT mirror your Magic Flex material. After cutting the design, you’ll weed it. I had no problems weeding the material. If you are using a Silhouette Cameo 3, I used my autoblade with the standard heat transfer vinyl setting (smooth) and I double cut the material. Here’s what it looks like weeded: 
2. You’l notice that there is no carrier sheet to transfer the vinyl to your apparel. Instead, you’ll need to use a heat resistant tape or paper like this one. Apply the tape. 
3. Now, remove the plastic backing so that your design is on the transfer tape or paper. 
4. You are ready to press using your heat press. I pressed for 30 seconds at 330 degrees using light pressure. You’ll want to be sure to peel the design while it is hot. In the photo below, you’ll see the Magic Flex on the left and regular heat transfer vinyl on the right. 
5. Here’s some photos of how the Magic Flex looks once applied: 

• Here is the same design in regular heat transfer vinyl: 
• Here is a side view so that you can see the puffiness:

Magic Flex by Chemica is available in white or black and can be purchased through any Chemica distributor. Special thanks to Amy from Chemica US for sending over a sample so that I can show everyone!

Do you dislike the snow, too? Download the SVG I created for this tutorial at this link. As always, feel free to use the file for commercial use, but you cannot sell the digital file. The font I used in the design can be found here.

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As you are doing holiday craft shows and fairs, be sure to have products available in all price ranges. Today, I’m showing you how I quickly created chalkboard ornaments using chalk markers and some inexpensive ornaments I picked up at the Target Dollar Spot.

Supplies Needed

Chalkboard Ornaments – If your Target Dollar Spot is out, check here for some.
VersaChalk Chalkboard Markers –  I purchased these.
Christmas Designs – I purchased this pack and traced the graphics.
Adhesive Vinyl
Transfer tape
Cricut Explore or Silhouette Cameo

Chalkboard Ornament Tutorial with VersaChalk Markers

1. Use scrap vinyl to cut your designs on your Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Explore. 
2. Apply the designs to your ornaments. Since I used round ornaments, I cut the vinyl close to the design to make application easier. 
3. Apply the vinyl using transfer tape to your ornament. I didn’t worry much about bubbles and creases.
4. Use the VersaChalk marker and fill in the design. 
5. You’ll need a few coats to make sure it isn’t streaky.
6. Peel off the vinyl when you are done! Use a wet cotton swab to fix any mistakes. 

If you are selling these, you might consider putting them in a box so that they don’t smear. Here’s a link to a post to create your own.

Want to do a different style ornament? Try my tutorial for wood grain ornaments – it’s like a wooden sign in an ornament!

OH! Doing some holiday shopping this year online at Target? (Me, too!) Get free shipping on your order over $25 when you use this link.

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Like most crafters and small business owners – I hate wasting materials! Remember all those leftover wooden discs after yesterday’s Christmas advent calendar tutorial? I decided to make them into jewelry using my Silhouette Curio.

Here’s pictures of the two necklaces I made:

Here’s how I made these:

1. Created designs in Silhouette Studio. For the text, I used a one line font. You can find a list of free single line fonts (good for engraving, etching, and sketching) from this blogger’s post.
2. Stain the wooden disc and let it dry.
3. Load the disc into the Curio. I used just a mat with no platforms. The discs are a little bit over 3mm thick, so once I put them on the embossing mat, I was set to go.
4. My settings were Emboss (Fine), speed 5, thickness 33, double cut using the Chomas Etching Tool.
5. After the discs were etched, string them on to your favorite corded necklace using jump rings or bails.

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It’s no secret that Silhouette Cameo and Cricut small business owners that sell unique products often do better than those that sell the same thing as other shops. Today, I’m offering a tutorial to create a wood sign advent calendar to sell this holiday season.

Supplies Needed

• Wood. I used common pine and my board is 11 inches by 18 inches. Read more about selecting wood in post.
• Paint. I used spray paint, but feel free to use your favorite.
• Wood stain. I used dark walnut.
• Foam brushes
• 7/8 cup hooks like these.
• Wood discs
• Basic power tools: hammer, drill, circular saw, and palm sander.
• Picture hanger. I use sawtooth hangers.
• Vinyl to use as a stencil.
• Vinyl weeding tool
• Transfer paper or tape. I prefer the paper kind.
• Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Explore

Step by Step Wood Sign Advent Calendar Tutorial

1. Cut, sand, and stain your wood and 25 wood discs. Allow everything to dry completely. 
2. Cut all three stencils in vinyl using your Silhouette or Cricut and weed them. 
3. Drill holes in each wood disc. I put the hole centered and near the middle. 
4. Using the stencils, paint the sign. First paint the reindeer, then add the lettering after the stencil has dried. I like to add a personal touch to my signs, so I used my fingerprint to make a red nose for Rudolph. Need help with crisp paint lines? See this post. 
5. While your sign is drying, paint numbers onto the wooden discs. I turned my stencil upside down and put the discs on, then turned it over, removed the transfer tape, and spray painted them all at once.
6. Next, screw in your hooks throughout the antlers. There is no right or wrong placement. I found it helpful to use a hammer to tap each hook in and then screw it the rest of the way. Be careful not to overtighten or you’ll crack the board. 
   
7. Hang your discs on the hooks, add a hanger of your choice to the back, and you are done!

This is a labor intensive product to create, so be sure that you price accordingly. In my area, I would sell for $80 to $100+.

Download the files used in this tutorial: Reindeer SVG, Christmas is Coming SVG, Numbers SVG or these Numbers SVG. (There’s two sets of numbers to choose from depending on your preference.) The font I used can be found here.

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