Thanksgiving DIY Project: How to Apply Adhesive Vinyl on Glass Votives

Hi friends! Elise here from Polka Dotted Blue Jay. I am having so much fun getting ready for fall that I already have my Thanksgiving table set up! Pumpkins are great, but if you have a Silhouette Cameo, the decorating possibilities are endless! In this tutorial I will show you how to use adhesive vinyl to turn glass votives into Thanksgiving themed decorations.

ESTIMATED TIME: 20 minutes

Here's what you need:

Creating Your Design:

Open up your Silhouette Studio®.

Select the Page Setup Window and adjust your cutting mat size to 12x12 (or the sized mat you are using).

Download your free design from the Craftables Free SVG Library and then open your word art in Silhouette Studio. Click File>Open>Select your downloaded file.

Delete the words from the design you don’t need, just leave the “thankful” and the crest of leaves as your design. If you need further instruction on how to do this, refer to the early steps of this post.

Click and select the whole design and select Object>Group.

Measure your votive holder and re-size your design to the correct space on your 12x12 template. Be sure to move the design as a group so it keeps everything lined up. You can do this by clicking and dragging to cover the whole design and then moving as one piece.

Copy and paste to get multiples of the same design and keep them the same size.

Attach your Adhesive Vinyl to the cutting mat, color side up, and load into your machine. I always trim my vinyl to slightly bigger than my design – that way I don’t waste or damage a whole sheet.

Follow the prompts in the Design Studio to adjust your blade (if using a ratchet blade) for Adhesive Vinyl and double check to make sure your design has been selected to cut.

Select “Send” to start cutting.

Select “Unload” when your machine has finished cutting your design to remove the cutting mat from the machine.

Preparing Your Design:

Remove your sheet of Vinyl from the cutting mat – go slow so it doesn’t curl up.

Trim your vinyl to make individual vinyl designs.

Use your fingers or a wedding tool to remove the excess vinyl. Be sure to leave your design on the backing sheet.

Carefully remove the centers of the letters and graphics. The crest of leaves can be delicate, so take your time.

Creating Your Votive Holder:

Place a piece of transfer tape over your design.

Use the scraping tool to make sure the design adheres to the transfer tape.

Gently pull transfer tape and make sure the entire design lifts with it.

Place your design on top of the votive holder. Because it is curved/round, you will want to line up your design on the glass at the bottom of the crest of leaves and then roll the design on. If you try to place it flat onto the votive holder you’ll get a crooked or bubbled design. *Use both hands!

Use the scraping tool to smooth the design onto the votive holder.

Slowly remove the transfer tape.

I am absolutely in love with these votive holders and think they are the perfect addition to my Thanksgiving table. I dropped a small pumpkin spice tealight into each one and they cast the most beautiful and warm light on my table. You could also give them as a little gift, perhaps paired with this sweet little Thanksgiving tea cloth.

Craftables Permanent Adhesive is so easy to work with! The regular permanent vinyl comes in 31 colors, but if you feel like getting extra crafty you can check out their glitter, metallic, or irridescent adhesive vinyl. Every order comes with instructions on how to cut and apply the different types of vinyl. Check out the Fall Pinterest Board for endless Thanksgiving project inspiration!

About the Author

Elise Laney

I am Elise from Polka Dotted Blue Jay – a blog full of crafts, party inspiration, and desserts covered in sprinkles. I live in sunny southern California with my husband, our baby boy, and our two fluffy cats. My Grandmother ignited my creative spark as a little girl and I loved getting to visit her and work on whatever craft project she had dreamt up. I am a legal accounting clerk by day (hilarious because I am terrible at math) and a crafting tornado by night. Sometimes all a woman needs is some craft glue and glitter to find balance in daily life. I’m thrilled and honored to be a part of the Craftables team and can’t wait to get crafty with you!

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