Wow, life has seriously changed for all of us. No longer do we walk into a restaurant to casually meet up with friends or a bar to have a drink and socialize. In fact, I’ve not sat in a restaurant and ate since this whole thing started. I have supported local restaurants and fast food by utilizing take-out and drive through windows, but that’s about it.
One would think with all of the “safer at home” time, I would have been doing more crafting, and in a way, I guess that is true, but I’ve not been doing lives with my crafting. So that is my fault. I have such slow internet that I’m never confident my lives will work. But this is a live I did back in February before all the insanity began. I had decided before the virus hit to make some things for my graduating crew, but after the postponement of graduation, I was super motivated to get the packages to my graduates.
Making the Cards
In this live, I take on making graduation cards for my my 9 graduates using my Cricut Maker. I also eventually enlisted my Cricut Explorer 2 to speed up the process. Other than those two machines and a variety of card stock, the only other tools really needed for this project is a really good glue. Many people make the mistake of thinking any glue will do for making cards. And that is true, but if you really want your cards to stay glued, you should put some thought into the type of glue you use.
I remember having some issues with the recording of this video, so the video doesn’t actually begin until about two mins in. Just fast forward or scrub until you see the video begin. When it comes to glue, I HIGHLY recommend using Art Glitter Glue. It comes with a fantastic tip for working with SMALL areas, and it dries clear avoiding any messiness (link below for ordering).
As for the card stock, I do not have a favorite. I pick up a lot of my card stock at Tuesday Morning. Their prices are sooooo much better than any place going. If you have a Tuesday Morning near you, check it out. They have a lot of craft supplies at down right highway robbery prices, especially when it comes to card stock.
The cards were fun to make. Finding colors that went together in a clashy kind of way was fun. What’s even better is that the students loved the packages they received. Their graduation was postponed, and quite honestly, I’m not confident it will ever happen, and getting something in the mail that celebrated their accomplishments really meant something to them.
Bags for All
Finally, I made them a canvas backpack using a Chalk Couture stencil and their ink. I was afraid my stencil would give out before I was able to get all 12 bags inked, but I managed to get them finished. I had to take a paint brush and touch up spots, but I love the way they turned out, and I think it was the perfect sentiment to send them off with.
So there you have it. That wraps up the items I made for my graduates and sent in the mail. Honestly, the postage cost more per box than what was in the box!! 🤣
Materials
Here are some of the materials.
- Cricut Tools–totally endorsing
- Cricut Design Space–necessary
- Card Stock–from either Michael’s or Tuesday Morning.
- Cricut Maker (Cricut Explorer 2)–also totally endorsing (Use the Chrome extension “Honey” for discounts)
- Art Glitter Glue–This stuff is AWESOME for card making!!
- Cricut Cutting Mat–necessary
- Plastic Knife–There’s three in this set. Works good for removing card stock
Video Equipment
- iPhone X
- iPhone 7Plus
- iPad mini 5th generation
- Arkon Stand
- Cowboystudio 4 Piece Continuous Photography /Video Studio Digital Lighting Kit with Umbrellas and Background Lights–NOT tonight.
- Ecamm Live–only problem is that it’s for Macs only, which I’m great with, but I know many people are not.
For other videos (in case you got here through a direct search) head to The Maker Nerd.
