Contact paper...the po' mans vinyl.....

I do a LOT with my Cricut...and by far my favorite projects are those that include vinyl. I've learned rather quickly that vinyl is EXPENSIVE, and I'm a "measure once, cut twice" kinda gal, so I tend to make a LOT of mistakes!

I read on a blog once about using contact paper as transfer tape, so I bought some in the hopes of trying it. Then one day, I got an idea...contact paper is sticky...why not use that INSTEAD of vinyl? I've tested it on many surfaces, and I've found that the smoother the surface, the better the hold. Glass being one of the best...

So you can imagine why I would get so excited when I found THIS at my local dollar store:

A double paned frame?!?!??! My light bulb went off rather quick. Surprisingly, the pre-printed word on the glass (family in this case) came off with very little elbow grease, and then I had a nice clean surface to work with :)

I decided the words I wanted on there, and cut them in varying sizes based on emphasis, and in the end I had this:

I couldn't be happier! Not bad for a $1 investment...and it makes a GREAT gift :)

PS-when working with letters this small (varying from 1/4" to 1") I found that scotch tape makes THE BEST transfer tape!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT! Oh and contact paper does come in different colors, but check your home improvement stores for the best selection...