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This post is sponsored by Cricut
I know that the mailbox isn’t traditionally thought of as home decor but mine was soooo plain- I had to do something about it.
Create DIY Home Decor Designs That Fit Your Style
Backup to winter of 2016…..IL had received a ridiculous amount of snow and the plows were running non-stop. We woke up one morning to find our mailbox in our driveway. The rest of our neighbors were all leaning at an interesting angle as well. I got a new pretty black mailbox and then never put numbers or anything on it. I figured because the pizza delivery guys have been complaining they can’t find our house, I should probably put some on there.
The problem was that I honestly could not find numbers for my mailbox that weren’t plain or just ugly. Very utilitarian. Since I have a fancy Cricut Explore Air™ 2 machine and I found a roll of my outdoor vinyl, I decided to remedy the issue. I made my own unique numbers. We are a family that loves music a little too much. Any way we can express that we usually do. Ornate guitars are favorites of both myself and my husband so I looked through the graphics in the Cricut Design Space™ and found the perfect graphic.
In order to do outside decor, you need outdoor vinyl. For this project, I had to use the vinyl+ setting on my machine and two 12 inch mats. (Ignore the makeshift cutting table, I was having a bad pain day and the awesomeness that is this machine allows me to use it pretty much in any room in the house with my iPad app.)
When you are done cutting, remove your vinyl from the mat. Then using transfer tape face down on the mat, take the white backing of the transfer, flip the cut design over, face side down. DON’T throw out the white backing of the transfer tape. I had to trim this project to fit the graphics for my mailbox for one side so they would lay correctly. Make sure you measure it all out and have it reflect in your design in the Design Center.
I use my older mats for these projects so excuse the cat hair. My cat thinks Cricut mats are mighty fine cat beds when mom isn’t looking. Why the old mats you ask? It helps keep my other mats for more intricate things in better shape.
Now pull off the backing and extra vinyl of the cut design. Replace the white transfer tape backing, make sure it’s stuck really well. Then pull off the design from the mat super careful. Repeat again if you are putting the design on both sides.
Make sure the area that you are placing your design is cleaned. Then carefully remove the backing of the transfer tape and place on your mailbox starting at the top and smoothing it all the way to the bottom.
Then use your small scraper and rub it over the tape really thoroughly.
Pulling upward very slowly, peel the transfer tape off. Stop and use your scraper if any of the vinyl tries to come off with the transfer tape.
We did a full address plus graphics on one side because it didn’t have the flag obstructing the surface area (and that’s the direction the pizza guy comes from ;-)).
On the other side, we cut out the guitars and just put the address.
We have a nifty little newspaper/magazine slot on the bottom of our mailbox so my daughter and I decided the guitars would look really cute there. Follow the same directions with the smaller items as you do with the larger designs. Slow and steady is key.
I LOVE the way it came out.
The combination looks completely adorable but not too girly. I wanted it to represent the boys too!
It was very easy to do. I think it looks stunning and puts the utilitarian numbers to shame. The design is quirky and fun, like my family. The more and more I use my Cricut Explore Air, the more I fall in love with it. I have so many, many ideas for projects so be prepared for a lot more over the next year. Let me know if there are any specific types of crafts you want to see, I know I can pretty much make anything with it!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.
