Snow Days Card and Review of Dollar Store Vinyl

I found vinyl at the Dollar Store. But is it worth $1? I designed this Snow Days Card to be done with vinyl and try it out. On the inside of this card is a pop out snowflake that is just amazing! You can’t design this card in Design Space alone. I used Inkscape to work out the details.

The the front of this card has lots of little parts which make it hard to keep straight and glue. I fixed that by using vinyl. It holds everything in place and makes gluing a thing of the past.

You will need:

- - - Heavy cardstock for the base
    - Dollar Store vinyl
    - Transfer Paper
    - Weeding Tools
    - Pen
    - Glue
    - Download File

First a Word About Dollar Store Vinyl

I know it is only $1, but it isn’t worth it!!! Cutting this vinyl was a nightmare! Every time that I tried to cut it, either it cut the paper backing or with less pressure it didn’t cut all the way through. Or worse yet it did both! The only good thing I can say is it did stick to the transfer tape. Too well. I had problems getting it to stick to the cardstock. It went on fine but wouldn’t stay on. You can see from the picture how messy the igloo looks on the front. That is because I had to re-stick it in several places. I even lost a piece. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT! But I was determined, so I continued.

Paper Choice for the Snow Days Card

As I said earlier, the Dollar Store white vinyl was a nightmare! Done with another brand of white vinyl worked good and is really the easiest way to do this card. If you want you can do all the white in cardstock but that means a lot of gluing and careful placement. The rest of the card looks great. I did the rest of it in blue with the snowflake and the snowmen in glitter cardstock. The snowman parts are done with cardstock too. You can change the colors if you want.

Cutting the Snow Days Card

First cut the vinyl. The vinyl does not need to be mirrored. Once the vinyl is cut, weed it. I go into detail on how to work with premium vinyl in another tutorial.

Cut the card base and the cricut will do the writing. I used a blue marker. The writing on the front is an Access image and the font on the inside is Danken. You can get it free at FontBundles.net.

The snowflake on the light blue is not cut all the way out. This was designed in Inkscape. You cannot do this in Design Space. If you are using the SVG file, be sure to follow the directions in the .docx file to accomplish this effect. The original .docx file left out a step. please redownload the zip file. I have corrected it.

Assembling the Graduate Card

Start by re-creasing all the fold lines. The base card folds as normal. The snowflakes both fold out. Glue the glitter cardstock over the light blue snowflake exactly matching up the fold lines and fold the snowflakes out. Center the light blue overlay on the inside if the card and make sure the fold lines line up properly. Then glue it down.

The vinyl first needs to be weeded and then put on transfer paper. If you need more help with that see my tutorial on working with vinyl.

Next, apply the vinyl to the front overlay of the card. Carefully line up the transfer paper where you want it. The paper is not very forgiving to re-positioning so try not to touch the paper with the transfer sheet. It is best if you use a piece of transfer sheet that is used and has lost most of its sticky. Alternately you can use layers of painters tape. It releases nicely.

Once you have it about where you want it apply the vinyl by the taco method. That means hold the transfer tape so it is shaped like a taco and then place the center first. Then slowly lower each side, smoothing as you go. Squeegee out any wrinkles in the vinyl. Then remove the transfer tape.

Next, place the clothes and embellishments on the snowman. Then glue the glitter cardstock snowmen on the inside. Work the fold a few times by opening and closing the card a few times to make sure everything works,

And your Snow Days card is done. Enjoy! Just don’t waste your money and buy the Dollar Store vinyl!

Snowman Making Contests

Kids Snowman Making Contest – The Village of Kronenwetter would like to bring a little extra something to those cold Wisconsin winter days. What better way to do that than with a Village of Kronenwetter Snowman Making Contest! Residents can participate from the comfort of their yard or a nearby park, no travel necessary!
HELMETTA/SPOTSWOOD, NJ – So do you want to build a snowman? There certainly is enough snow to craft an Olaf or any type of snowman, snow lady, snow dog and snow cat. One winner from each town will be selected and yes there are prizes for the top snowmen.
Tacoma, Washington – Gather your friends and/or family for this annual holiday tradition! Teams of up to 10 will receive a 55 gallon bucket of snow and 45 minutes to complete a snowman (it doesn’t have to be a snowman).
Aurora, Ohio – Your snowman does not need to be traditional! Use your imagination and consider creating your favorite character, animal, or winter scene. Individuals/Teams/Families may add accessories to make their snowman unique. Please make sure your design is appropriate and clean up any decorations when your creation melts.

1 thought on “Snow Days Card and Review of Dollar Store Vinyl”

Joan L Delli Carpini says:

October 4, 2021 at 4:13 PM

Glad to know I’m not the only one who felt the Dollar Tree vinyl was not worth the $1.00. The woman in front of me at the register must have had 30 rolls of it, so I asked if she had used it yet. She shook her head, “no”! I don’t feel so bad that I wasted the dollar!

I also bought two rolls of the faux leather. Haven’t used it yet. Have you?