A top priority of this year’s Fall Planner has been to make fan swag in anticipation of the launch of my husband Blaise Moritz’s book, Bar Delicious (Conundrum Press). Bar Delicious collects and reproduces a selection of comic books from Blaise’s monthly comic book series, The Test (June 2019 – present). The five comics that compose Bar Delicious ran as a special sequence ofThe Test, Issues 18-22, published from November 2020 to February 2021. The Conundrum publication brings these comics together in a lovely compact form. And Bar Delicious has already been praised by CBC Books as one of the Fall’s most anticipated releases.
The launch of Bar Delicious will take place on Saturday, October 28, 2023, 6:30pm, at The Beguiling, 319 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1S2.
And for the launch, we’ve made fan swag in the form of hoodies, tees, and stickers using the Cricut Joy Xtra and EasyPress Mini.
Here’s the swag! What do you think?
As you know, I don’t tend to do much, if any, overt product placement or advertisement on SSJ. This is my place and my stuff. So, the fact that I’m even featuring Cricut in the title of a post (particularly in regards to a book which wonders over the human phenomena of consumption and over-consumption) means I’m already on board. Though, it has been a swift introduction. Until mid-August, I was a Cricut know-nothing. If you’d asked me what it was, I would have asked, “the insect?” Obviously, I’ve been living under a rock with other insects, because people have been using Cricut cutting machines and heat presses to create all sorts of things. But serendipity is sweet. Because of my overwhelming interest in everything Christmas (and yes, indeed, SSJ’s daily Advent Calendar posts return for yet another go round the pole on December 1, 2023), I was invited to Cricut Canada’s Holiday-themed preview of the new Cricut Joy Xtra.
For me, the draw of the Cricut Joy Xtra was the compact size. (I adore little things that do a lot!) This little cutting machine is light and easily stored, yet wide enough to work with 8.5×11 iron-on transfer, sticker, and vinyl sheets. Through the free Cricut Design Space app, you can employ the Print Then Cut function to run your sheets through an ink-jet printer before sticking them onto a Machine Mat and cutting them with the Cricut Joy Xtra. All told, I thought the Joy Xtra would fit in with our existing print and design space rather nicely. So, when I was invited to take home a machine, cutting tools, a few sample smart vinyl and sticker sheets, and an EasyPress Mini to test for myself, I knew exactly how I wanted to use them: making edgy swag for the Bar Delicious launch.
First, I used Blaise’s Bar Delicious artwork to make hoodies and tees with Smart Iron-On Vinyl (gold for the hoodies, white for the black tees) and with Printable Iron-On sheets (for the grey). The Smart Iron-On Vinyl may be inserted directly into the Cricut Joy Xtra. You place it shiny side down, upload and format your design on Cricut Design Space, mirror the image, instruct the machine to cut the mirrored image, weed the unwanted portions of vinyl with the Weeding Tool (or tweezers), apply it to the surface of the tee or hoodie and use a Heat Press (or conventional iron) and parchment to set. For the Printable Iron-On, you use Print Then Cut to transfer your image onto the paper using an ink-jet, send it through the Cricut Joy Xtra on a Machine Mat, and then transfer the cut image to your tee for ironing on. Cricut has a Heat Guide for using their heat presses and materials, making the project hassle free.
Next, I used colourized and black and white images from Bar Delicious to make stickers with the Cricut Joy Xtra. After a few free online tutorials on Design Space and Youtube, I put together a one-page spread of stickers. Then, I used the Print Then Cut feature to create stickers in three formats, the matte white Printable Sticker Paper (the easiest to use), a Printable Waterproof Sticker in White, and a Printable Waterproof Holographic Sticker in Transparent. Both waterproof formats require you print the stickers but then apply the waterproof or holographic layers to the page before cutting using a Scraper (or Driver’s License).
I was a complete Cricut newbie coming into these projects. Perhaps you are, too. But, Design Space had a video tutorial for every technique and product I wanted to try. And there are thousands more super-users and fans on YouTube and TikTok. Obviously, Blaise’s drawings and designs for Bar Delicious are proprietary. But you don’t have to be an artist to use Design Space. You can upload basic images or use the many free, pre-formatted projects Cricut and their users provide. Cricut Access™, a paid monthly membership, appears to provide a ridiculous amount of free fronts, images, and complete projects as well as offering deeper discounts on machines and materials. Though, honestly, I haven’t even launched my one-month free trial, yet.
Again, full transparency, I received the Cricut Joy Xtra with a set of Starter Tools, a small selection of Smart-Vinyl, Sticker, and Iron-on Sheets, and the Cricut EasyPress Mini as a gift from Cricut Canada while attending their holiday preview. To this, I added the Cricut Joy Extra Grip Cutting Mat, several more sheets of Smart Iron-On Vinyl, Printable Sticker Paper, Printable Waterproof Stickers, and Printable Waterproof Hholographic Stickers to complete my book swag projects. I also provided parchment, hoodies and tees, our Epson ink-jet printer, and my computer.
If you’re new to Cricut, I would suggest purchasing the Cricut Joy Xtra Machine and Materials Bundle to get yourself started rather than the machine all by itself. In terms of a heat press, you can start with your own iron and parchment. (Just Google search the proper settings.) While I love the EasyPress Mini, unless you sew or quilt, like me, and would absolutely celebrate having a tiny iron to keep beside your workspace (it’s magic!), you’ll probably want to add a 9×9 or larger Heat Press to your set-up, as a large press will be much easier to use on tees and totes. After using the mini to make all of our book swag, with much success, I’m still putting the EasyPress 3 on my own Christmas List.
Now, here’s a second look at the killer book swag we made for Blaise’s launch!
Please ask for Blaise Moritz’s Bar Delicious at your local book or comic shop!
And come to the launch! Saturday, October 28, 2023, 6:30pm at The Beguiling, 319 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1S2
Free Stickers!
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