Architectural Ornaments

By: Mandy Fitzgerald Artwork
November 6, 2017

Inspired by a famously beautiful train station in my hometown of Richmond, Virginia - I used the new Cricut Maker and Americana Premium Acrylics to create a unique ornament with lots of charm! 

Items needed:

• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Strong Grip Mat
• Cricut Explore Deep Cut Housing and Blade
• 1/16” thickness Balsa Wood (at least 4 x 4”)
• Scissors
• Ribbon or Yarn
• Glue

Instructions:

Connect the Cricut Maker to your computer. Simplify your design image as much as possible. When you upload it to the Cricut Software it will allow you to create a vector image. If you plan to cut first, save it as a “Cut Image”. Insert the image onto your “Canvas”. Shrink it to the size of the piece of wood you plan to cut. (Example is for 3 x 3” Wooden Ornament). 

*Note* If you are cutting balsa wood, be aware that the grips on the Cricut Maker will make imprints on your wood. I recommend reversing your design image on the Canvas before cutting. This way when you flip over the cut out design, you won’t see any grip marks on your finished piece. 

1/16” Balsa Wood is thin enough that you can cut it with scissors. Cut it to a size that will fit on your Strong Grip mat. Image shows 3 x 3” piece of wood. It doesn’t have to be perfect, the Cricut Maker will cut out the details. Place in the top left corner of your mat. 

On Cricut Software, click “Make It” in the top right corner. Follow Cricut Maker instructions on your computer. Set material (Ex. For Balsa wood, I selected “Birch, Permanent Adhesive: Pressure “More”). Load the tools and mat that it requests.

Remove the mat and your cut out. Very carefully pop out your cut out wood. If it doesn’t come out easily, use an exacto knife or a palette knife. Balsa wood is very brittle, so don’t stress when you see wood chips jutting out all over the place. Lightly sand the edges and the surface, this will remove the wood chips and give it a nice soft finish, perfect to paint!

Create a background for your cut out. Using a scrap piece of balsa wood, use the Cricut to cut a piece just slightly larger than the building cut out. 

Now it’s time to paint! Make your design as simple or as complex as you like using Americana Premium Acrylics. Glue the pieces together and use glue to stick ribbon or yarn on the back so it can hang. 

See more DecoArt and Cricut holiday creations and enter to win some fantastic prizes (including the NEW Cricut Maker) all month long on the DecoArt Blog!

Be sure to visit Mandy Fitzgerald Artwork  for more projects and to learn more about Mandy.