Make Your Own Mug with Cricut Explore Air.
Who does not like to drink coffee from a cute coffee mug? Mugs with a unique touch will make a great gift for family or friends. Especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
And if you already own a Cricut, you can make one at home in no time.
In today’s post I will be using Cricut Explore Air 2 and Permanent Vinyl. But you can work with any Cricut Machine. When choosing vinyl, keep in mind that permanent vinyl is the best choice because it is dishwasher safe. This means your design will not fade or peel off after first use.
If you have Cricut Maker 3 or Cricut Explore 3, you can use Smart Vinyl. This type of Vinyl can be used on these machines without a cutting mat.
Materials you will need:
- Cricut Explore Air 2 and Tools
- Permanent Vinyl
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Transfer Tape
- Coffee Mug
Open Cricut Design Space on your Cricut Machine and start a new project. Click “Upload Image” button. You can use an image from Cricut Library, create your own image in Canva or Adobe Illustrator, or any SVG image you purchased previously and already have it downloaded in your computer. Click “Add to Canvas.” Now when you have the image open in your Cricut, you can resize it to fit your mug. Most of the time, the image around 2 inches, is the perfect fit for most mugs. I resized mine to 3” because the height of my cup is 4”.
Turn on your Cricut and set the dial of your machine to Vinyl. Place the mat with vinyl on it inside the machine.
Now in Design Space click Make It button. Click On Mat. Confirm the size of your Mat. It is usually 12” x 12”. To have your design stay together, click Combine Button at the bottom right corner, and then choose Weld from the menu. Keep in mind that you can weld only one color at a time.
At this time your image is ready to be cut. Press the Arrow button. Then press C button to start cutting.
Once your image is cut, release the mat by pressing the Arrow button. Take the mat out and place it face down and peel it away from the design. Trim excess material around your design. Weed away any extra parts from your image using the weeding tool.
Meanwhile you can prepare your mug. Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and clean the area on the mug, where you are planning on placing your design. Rubbing alcohol will remove all dirt or lint and prepare the mug for smooth process of applying the image. Allow it to dry.
After that you will need to trim a transfer tape, the same size as your vinyl design. Next remove the backing paper from the transfer tape and place the transfer tape on your design. Sometimes the transfer tape can be a little bit stubborn. I found out that the Cricut weeding tool can be helpful separating the backing paper from the transfer tape. Using the scraper tool, glide on the vinyl and transfer tape to stick them together.
Center your design on the mug, applying pressure with a Cricut tool. Then peel off the transfer tape gently making sure that the vinyl is properly sealed to the mug. If the vinyl is not sticking to the mug, apply some pressure with your fingers over the transfer tape and peel it again, checking if the vinyl is properly placed on the mug.
Finally allow the mug to dry at least 24 hours before using it.
Care instructions for you mug:
Wait 24 hours before washing it.
Wash on top rack only.
Washing by hand will make the design last longer.