How to make a vinyl car decal with the Cricut Maker

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Welcoming baby Brooklyn into the world not only gives us true blended family status but it also brings our kid count up to four!

That’s right, FOUR kids!

That’s a lot of frigging kids!

Traveling with a newborn, I was on the hunt for the perfect Baby on Board bumper sticker for the back of my SUV. Unable to find something I liked, I decided to make a vinyl car decal with the Cricut Maker!

A while ago, I purchased a paint-your-own doormat with the same message from a school fundraiser. Unfortunately, my preggo brain double-booked myself and couldn’t attend. I’ve been wanting to put this oh-so-relevant message on something, and really, no better canvas than my vehicle!

Get to know the Cricut Maker

This was my first ever project with the Cricut Maker, and it certainly won’t be my last!

I’ve coveted a Cricut machine ever since they first came out, but when the time finally arrived to get my very own I struggled with deciding between the Cricut Explore Air 2 and the Cricut Maker.

Both machines are amazing, but ultimately the Maker won me over as it can do everything the Explore Air 2 can, and then some! The Maker gives the freedom to make virtually any DIY project imaginable, from 3D art to home decor, jewelry, iron-on, vinyl, paper projects and so much more.

The Maker cuts 300+ materials, from the most delicate paper and fabric to the tough stuff like matboard, leather, and basswood.

Cricut Design Space

The real hero behind the Cricut Maker is Cricut Design Space. All Cricut machines come with Design Space, a free, easy-to-learn design software. Design Space is a cloud-based that allows users to access files from any device, any time. Start on your phone, continue on your laptop, and even work offline! Create your designs from scratch, or select from thousands of ready-to-make projects.

Design Space has monthly or annual subscription options giving you access to 100,000+ images. Hundreds of fonts. An ever‑growing collection of ready‑to‑make projects. Not sure which plan is for you? No worries – every Cricut machine comes with a month of free Design Space access to help get your creative juices flowing!

How to make a vinyl car decal with the Cricut Maker

After getting my toes wet with the sample card project that came with my Maker, I was ready to tear into my supplies and make a vinyl car decal!

I knew I wanted a simple design for my vinyl car decal and with the super user-friendly Cricut Design space, I knew I could get the look I wanted without issue. What I didn’t realize was that I’d spend the bulk of my time picking out the perfect font! With 100’s of fonts available, it was hard to settle on just one (or two in this case).

What you need

• Cricut Maker
• Standard Grip Mat
• Permanent Vinyl – White or other colour of your choice
• Cricut Transfer Paper
• Basic Tool Set

After selecting the fonts that I liked, I made a rough estimate of finished vinyl car decal size and scaled my design appropriately. I also played with the font spacing to create a more seamless cursive look to my text. I added a simple heart image from the Design Space library and it was good to go!

Measure twice, cut once

As the old adage says – measure twice, cut once… The same rule applies when you make a vinyl car decal with the Cricut Maker.

Once your design is ready to go, it’s time to prep your materials for cutting. You have a few different options when it comes to cutting your project. You can either attach the entire sheet of vinyl to the mat, or you can cut the vinyl to size.

WARNING: if you decide to cut your vinyl to size before attaching to the mat, make darn sure that you’ve measured correctly so you don’t come up short. I speak from experience on this one!

Get to work

Putting the machine to work is really the simple part. Whether you’re using Design Space on your phone or on your computer, once you select make it, the program will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Feed your prepared mat into the machine, press the blinking button and watch the magic happen!

Once you’ve weeded your design, apply transfer tape to the top of your vinyl car decal and use the scraper to make sure everything is sticking in place as it should be.

Now it’s time to apply your vinyl car decal to your vehicle! Make sure that you have a clean and dry surface. Use glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol to ensure the surface you’re applying your vinyl car decal to is clean and dry.

And, there you have it! Now you know how to make a vinyl car decal with the Cricut Maker! Want to make your own? Grab the template from my Design Space!

What would your vinyl car decal say?

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