Easy Fall Craft: Vinyl Cutouts With Free Maple Leaf Clipart -

Finding time to craft isn’t always easy. Sometimes I just need a simple idea to sneak in a few moments of creativity. This easy fall craft with vinyl cutouts fits the bill. As a bonus, they add a special touch to your fall home decorating.

How to add vinyl maple leaf clipart cutouts to your candle holders for your fall decor.

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These maple leaves dress up my favorite fall candles. But, first I had to remove the original labels and Goo Gone helped me out with that process.

I designed this maple leaf clipart so the color of the candle shows through the vein cutouts. I also included a sweet “hello fall” file to go with the clipart. This cute little sign greets me each morning in my office on my dry erase board. If only I had a Salted Carmel Mocha to go with it!

Supplies For Vinyl Cutouts

Vinyl
Cutting Mat for Cricut or Silhouette
Cricut or Silhouette Machine
Weeding Tool
Transfer Paper
Glass Candle (I love the smell of my Pumpkin Maple candle.)

How To Access The Free Library

To access the free downloadable printables and SVG cut files, subscribe at the top right sidebar or at the bottom of this post. In a few moments you will receive an email confirmation page. You need to confirm your email and then you will receive the welcome email with the password. Go to the library page and enter the password in the empty box located below the word “Password”. You can also access the library on the top menu bar any time you’d like with your password.

Free maple leaf clipart and hello fall SVG files for fall decorating.

Please keep in mind that the password is case sensitive and does have spaces. Also, check to make sure your caps lock is turned off. If you have any problems, email me at laura@heartfilledspaces.com and I’ll do my best to help.

How To Download The Free Maple Leaf Clipart

Once you have subscribed and received your password via email, you can go to the library and view the free files. To download any of the files, click on the link you would like to download. You will see a preview of the file you have chosen. On the top right of the preview page there is a downward facing arrow with a line under it. Click on that arrow to download the file to your computer. At this point a (Save As) box will appear and you can decide where you would like to save your download. If you’re not sure, you can save it to your desktop folder. If you would like to rename the file, you can do that now, then click save.

This file is available as a SVG, Silhouette File, PNG and PDF for your convenience.

At this point, depending on whether you are a Silhouette or Cricut user, go to the appropriate section below for instructions to open your file in the design software.

Silhouette Cameo Instructions

If you have a Silhouette Cameo, open Silhouette Studio. Click file, then open and click on the Maple Leaf file. It will be in the location that you downloaded it to earlier. You can resize the file at this point, if you want. The cut settings I used for this file are:

For Permanent Matte Vinyl: Blade 2, Speed 8, Force 9
For Glitter Vinyl: Blade 3, Force 19, Speed 4

Please keep in mind that materials can vary in thickness and your blade can dull over time. Always do a test cut before sending your file.

Cricut Instructions

If you have a Cricut machine, open Cricut Design Space. On the top welcome bar, click on My Projects. Now on the left menu bar towards the bottom, you should see an Upload button. Click on Upload.

Under Image, click Upload Image. Then click Browse. Now find the file that you downloaded earlier, click on it and choose Open. At this point, give your file an Image Name, Tags and click Save.

Under Recently Uploaded Images, click on the file. Then click the green Insert Images button on the bottom right. Now you can resize and/or ungroup the file if you’d like. Then click Make It. Load your cutting mat with vinyl into the machine. Choose your material size in the software and click continue. For my project, I chose Matte Vinyl, as this is the base material I used. Load your fine point blade. Then click “Go” or the Cricut button on your machine to start cutting.

Weed Your Vinyl Cutout

Once your file is cut, you’ll want to weed away the extra vinyl. I use the tip of an X-Acto knife when I weed vinyl. It’s just what I’m use to. But, the vinyl weeding tools work perfectly well and they’re a little bit safer. It’s best to work in a well lit area when weeding your vinyl.

I find it easier to leave my project on the cutting mat when I weed.

Peel away the extra vinyl from your maple leaf once it's cut out from vinyl.

The outline of this maple leaf would work well as a stencil for painting.

Use the outer part of the vinyl as a maple leaf stencil.

Next, remove the veins of the maple leaf. Start near the stem and slowly pull it towards the top of the leaf. Note: if you’re using glitter vinyl, you may need to hold the leaf parts down as you lift the vein part up. Mine needed a little help separating.

Weed out the center part of the maple leaf with a weeding tool or X-Acto knife.

There you have it. A really cute vinyl decal for your candles, vases or glassware. If you plan to remove these when the season is over, use removeable vinyl instead of permanent vinyl.

Vinyl maple leaf cutout ready to add to fall candle holders or other fall decor.

Tips For Better Application

If you are just using the maple leaf, you can peel it off and position it on your candle by hand. But, if you are using the “hello fall” file, you’ll want to use transfer tape or paper to keep your vinyl aligned nicely. To do this, peel the backing off your transfer tape and stick it on your vinyl decal. Use a burnishing tool to rub the transfer paper onto your vinyl well. Then slowly remove the backing from your decal. Work from one corner and make sure your whole decal is remaining on the transfer paper. Then, line up your decal on you candle and burnish it in place. Finally, remove the transfer paper.

When working with glass or ceramic, I find it helpful to clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and let it dry. Then apply your vinyl decal.

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Follow Along On Pinterest

Do you like budget friendly decor and crafts? Follow me on PINTEREST. Did you know that you can hover over the images below and save them for later? Just click on the red Pinterest button and save it to your Fall Home Decor or Crafts Board. It’s so helpful to Pin It now and save it for later, when your ready to start your project.