Hey everyone! Aubrey here from @projectsilhouette and I'm here to show you a fun project you can do any time of the year! I love camping, but that's not always possible with our busy schedule. Even when it's not summer, you can still get the feel of camping by hosting a party with all sorts of fun outdoor favors and snacks. Want the know-how? Read on!
Supplies:
- Oracal 651 glossy vinyl in deep orange, golden yellow, brown and green
- Color Chimp Essentials Heat Transfer Vinyl in orange, yellow, brown and green
- transfer tape
- home iron or heat press
- weeding tool or craft tweezers
- cutting machine (I used a Silhouette CAMEO)
- bottled water
- blank muslin bags
STEP ONE: Create your design
Open your software (I used Silhouette Studio) and import your designs. I found these from a royalty-free website, and knew they were perfect for my project!
Since these designs aren't originally an SVG, I need to create my own cut lines. To do this, use the trace function. Move the threshold bar over until all of your design is yellow, then click trace. This will create cut lines.
Now I like to fill in my cut lines with color so I can visualize my designs better. Another tip is to draw a rectangle the size of your muslin bags so you can size your designs accordingly.
STEP TWO: Cut designs
Looking good! Now before we cut, we need to mirror our design since we will be using heat transfer vinyl. Right click and select flip horizontally.
Now move your designs where you need to on the working area, and place your HTV onto the cutting mat, shiny side down. I like to cut several colors at once to save time! Go to cut settings and select smooth HTV and adjust your blade.
Now let your machine get to work!
We are going to do the same thing for our vinyl water bottle decals, but no need to mirror since we use transfer tape. Go to your cut settings and then select vinyl, glossy and adjust your blade.
Place your adhesive vinyl on your mat (right side up) and cut that as well!
STEP THREE: Weed designs
Next, we need to peel off the vinyl that we don't need. This part can be time consuming with intricate cuts, but I find it rather relaxing :)
Use a weeding tool or craft tweezers to get the little insides of the designs. Look at those great cut lines!
Now we have both the heat transfer designs weeded, as well as our vinyl water decals! (Look how cute those tiny boot prints are?!)
STEP FOUR: Adhere design onto the material
Let's start with the adhesive vinyl. Grab a piece of transfer tape (I love gridline transfer tape to help keep things straight) and place it directly onto your text.
Use a scraper tool to push out any bubbles and make sure the tape is adhered.
Now turn it over and peel off the paper backing.
It's time for the fun part! Carefully place your vinyl decal onto a bottle of water (I peeled off the labels beforehand) and rub the design onto the bottle. In case these decals got wet, I decided to use permanent glossy vinyl. The downside is you have one shot at placing it onto the bottle...thus why gridline transfer tape is a must!
Once you have the design rubbed onto the bottle really well, peel off the transfer tape and voila! Your very own customized bottle of water.
Let's move on to our fun trail mix treat bags. I love having these blank muslin bags in my craft supplies because I always find a use for them!
Heat up your iron to cotton settings (or follow the manufacturer's guidelines for your heat press) and smooth out the wrinkles on your muslin bags.
Now place your HTV designs onto the bag and move them where you'd like.
Next, place a thin cloth (or a piece of parchment paper) over the designs and press down for 15-20 seconds. Move your iron to the next part and repeat.
I found this HTV works best with a warm peel. Wait about 20-30 seconds for the bag to cool down just a bit and then carefully peel off the clear carrier sheet. If any of the vinyl starts to come up, place the carrier sheet back down and add some more heat and pressure.
Now we have our cute outdoorsy treat bags all ready to go! I'm loving all the colors!
Put all your bottles in a fun basket, fill your treat bags with trail mix and your party will sure be a hit! These are a perfect idea as party favors, outdoor group activities, kids camps, you name it!
Make sure to visit Craftey.com for more inspiration, amazing prices on products, and don't forget to join the ever-growing community of creators and crafters just like you!!