I honestly can’t believe that I’ve been in our studio for almost TWO YEARS and I’ve only now got around to making a sign.
I mean, isn’t that the first thing most people do? Anyway, clearly it was high time to make on. Using, naturally, my Cricut machine. As you guys know, I’m all about the professional finish that’s central to using a Cricut, and it turned what could have been a very basic sign into a seriously elegant design. I love!
Materials You Need
- Cricut Maker 3 Machine
- Round timber panel
- Paint
- Large round dowel
- Timber plank
- Piece of heavy duty leather (or old belt!)
- Drill and screws
- Black Mat Permanent Vinyl
- Standard Grip Mat
- Transfer Tape
Creating My Design
For this project I simply used my company font (Design Space can access any font you have on your computer) and used the curve tool to create a rounded text design in Design Space, matching it with my logo. Design Space also have a bunch of great fonts that you can use from their library, for most projects I use their fonts and they always look great.
Some of my favourite fonts in Design Space are Cochin, Bodoni, Annlie, Happy, Kate’s ABC’s and Parisian Std Regular, but there are thousands to choose from. You can also bring your own logo over into Design Space if you convert it into a svg file.
How to make a circular hanging sign
1
To start with, I painted the round timber panel with a base primer coat and then a pink color that matches my overall aesthetic (I mixed a few different colors together to do this) and my original logo.
2
I then made the wooden hanger out of thick dowel and timber. First I cut the dowel to the length I wanted (around 55cm), and sanded the ends. I marked in the center of the dowel, and drilled a pilot hole. Then I cut my timber plank to size, and sanded the ends.
3
I marked on the back of the timber where I wanted to attach the dowel and drilled a pilot hole, and then used a long screw to screw all the way through the back and deep into the center of the dowel.
4
I then cut out my design using the Cricut. To do this I placed my mat vinyl onto the standard grip mat, and press it down using the scraper. I then inserted it into the machine and followed the prompts in Design Space to make it. The app is so great because it takes you through every step including choosing the right material and the right blade.
5
The next step was to weed the design using my weeding tool. This is essentially a process of removing all the negative space so that all is left is the design. If there are big pieces of vinyl I like to keep those to use for other projects! I just keep some leftover backing for putting these weeded sections on if I want to keep them.
6
I then cut some transfer tape to match the size of the design and pressed the it down on top of the design, flipping it over and carefully peeling back the backing to leave the design on the transfer tape. Then, all that was left to do was to press the design and transfer tape onto the base and use the scraping tool to press the design into the base.
7
Once the design was all transfer into place (yay!) I added a loop of the leather to the top of the base, screwing it into the top edge using three screws to make sure it was secure.
8
Finally, I installed the whole sign onto the wall at the entrance to the studio. First I hung the sign holder in place by screwing it into the wall using three screws. Then I hung up the sign using the leather, and used a staple gun to staple the leather to the top of the dowel so it wouldn't move around.
Voila!
I absolutely love how it looks, it so perfectly matches my aesthetic and has made me feel so happy when I walk into the studio. Looking for other DIY projects you can achieve with your Cricut? Take a peek at some more ideas below!
You can find the Cricut and its accessories at Spotlight, Harvey Norman, Big W and JB HiFi. This project is in collaboration with Cricut.
