This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.
I can tell it is mixed emotions for a lot of parents heading back to school with their kids this year – whether you are distance learning, in school, or homeschooling – we are all choosing the best path for our own families. The world is a little different this fall, but I’m going to share a few back to school Cricut projects I’ve been working on for my kids! A cool personalized retro graduating t-shirt for kids and a custom modern backpack decal with the Cricut Explore Air 2 and the new Cricut EasyPress Mini.
I love how the Cricut machines and the Cricut Design Space App are versatile and easy to use. As a result I can create any DIY project that pops into my head!
When I graduated, which feels like a long time ago, the trend was to wear grad year shirts for group shots with friends. This year I wanted to create a beginning of school photo that my kids will be able to recreate when they graduate grade 12! They will wear Cricut Iron-On retro inspired grad shirts with their graduating class years on them (the year 2033 feels so far away!) because then it will be a super cute throwback photo one day.
Then I am going to upcycle a plain backpack that I’ve had for years that my oldest child who wants to use this year. I’m going to modernize the backpack with Cricut Metallic Iron-On material and use the Cricut EasyPress Mini to apply them.
Retro Graduating Year T-Shirts For Kids Tutorial
Step One: Personalize The Design On Cricut Design Space
First off, download the Cricut Design Space app onto your iPhone or iPad to personalize your child’s graduation year (use a calculator is you need assistance with the math!). It’s super easy to adjust, you can find this design here!
Step Two: Use The Cricut Explore Air 2 To Cut Design
Using your Cricut Explore Air 2 machine, connect your device with bluetooth to start cutting design. Make sure the dial is set to “Iron-On” and that the design is mirrored on your Cricut Design Space app! When you put the iron-on material make sure the shiny side is facing downward onto the cutting mat.
For these retro graduation class shirts I used the Cricut Everyday Iron-On in these colours: wine, parchment, mustard, and orange.
The parchment is the frame of the design. Then the letters are created with wine, mustard, and orange.
Step 3: Weed The Design
Weeding the design means to take a Cricut Weeder and remove the negative space that you do not want to iron-on to your shirt. Weeding is so easy with the right Cricut accessories! It is super satisfying to see the cool design come to life.
Step 4: Time To Layer And Use The Cricut EasyPress 2
The Cricut Blog recommends a maximum of 3 iron-on layers for the best durability of your iron-on design. Therefore to create the retro design I layered the orange first, then applied the wine, and lastly the mustard sticking to their 3 layers rule.
For these iron-on colours I thought a white cotton shirt would be the best backdrop for the design to stand out on.
Before I started I consulted the Cricut Heat Guide to find out the best time and temperature to use the Cricut EasyPress 2. It asks you what type of iron-on material you’re using, what material you are ironing on to, and if you are using a Cricut EasyPress Mat or a towel underneath your project.
For this project I used 155 degrees celsius (315 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 seconds. Then flip the shirt over and press for 15 seconds more. Peel off the see-through part when it is cool.
Do the same prior steps for the next layers. I offset the 2nd and 3rd layers (wine and mustard) of lettering by 1-2 cm diagonally.
The last layer was the parchment frame around the letters. It was easier to see a more accurate placement for the frame after the letters were applied rather than apply the frame before the letters.
Voila, that is how I create the first back to school Cricut tutorial! If you make these or a variation of them make sure you send me a picture or tag me in a post so I can see your beautiful creation!
Easy Modern Metallic Dots Backpack Decals Tutorial
Step One: Open Design On Cricut Design Space App
You can find the exact design I used here on the Cricut Design Space app! The dots are the perfect size for creating a cute pattern on your backpack.
Step Two: Use Cricut Explore Air 2 To Cut Design
This dot design is simple enough that I used the fast mode on the Cricut, it cuts precisely and makes cutting 24 little circles easy!
For this project you do not need to have the designed mirrored before you cut, but make sure the gold iron-on material has the shiny side face down.
Step Three: Weed The Design And Cut The Dots To Be Individual
Using the Cricut Weeder remove the negative space around the dots – it should come off in one giant piece. Then cut the dots to be on individual squares with scissors. Cutting the dots into individual pieces will make it much easier to apply them where you want them to go on the backpack!
Step Four: Use The Cricut EasyPress Mini And Apply The Metallic Dots Evenly Over The Backpack
I consulted the Cricut Heat Guide again and indicated that I wanted to use the Cricut EasyPress Mini with Everyday Iron-On onto a polyester surface. It recommended that I use the medium heat setting for 25 seconds, then turn over the bag to heat it for 15 seconds on the other side, and peel it off when it is still warm.
I evenly applied the metallic dots over the front of the bag, and it turned out super cute! It was such an easy project that I definitely want to do it on more of our plain backpacks.
I hope you find some back to school DIY inspiration for this year from these two Cricut tutorials!
Which back to school Cricut DIY project would you rather create – personalized shirts or a custom backpack? Let me know in the comments below!
If you like this post, check out my Cricut Explore Air 2 Review For Beginners post before you go!
Make sure you pin this post on Pinterest so you can come back to it later!
