Betta Fish

Click HERE or scroll down for the ‘making-of’ process video

Products Used

All vinyls used for this project are TeckWrap Craft brand vinyls. I am not sponsored nor affiliated with the company. I just REALLY love their products and have a LOOOOOOT of their products on hand.

Here Fishy Fishy

This beautiful layered betta fish mandala is a design available in Cricut’s Design Space. I was looking for spring designs, but got caught up in the beauty of the betta fish mandala and just had to make it. It’s a design that I did see several times before and even saved it as a future project, but just never worked my way back to it for one reason or another. I finally decided to stop procrastinating on it and make it. Super glad for doing so because I’m a bit obsessed with the final project.

Cut Settings

As always, remember that the specified settings are specific to the Cricut Maker. For a reference guide to cut pressures for each Cricut setting, check out this handy chart:

materials-to-cut.pdf Download

Holo rainbow diamond vinyl: holographic sparkle vinyl setting with more pressure
Holo graffiti sparkle vinyl: holographic sparkle vinyl setting with more pressure
Glossy shimmer purple vinyl: glitter iron-on setting with more pressure
Glossy teal vinyl: premium outdoor vinyl setting with default pressure
Shimmer black vinyl: premium outdoor vinyl setting with more pressure

For the black shimmer vinyl, I did try this new setting to see if it would do any better without damaging the design. I had more success, but want to try one or two more settings to see if I can get an even better cut. The less I have to use the exacto knife to free up edges, the better!

Remembering Layer Order

As part of that new work flow I’ve been working on, I am trying a new technique for remembering layer order. It’s noticeable at the top of the process video as I weed. As I cut each layer, I used a Sharpie to write which number layer it was at the top corner. As I weeded each one, I cut that number off and laid them all out to help keep a visual reminder. This was super helpful when it came time to start putting them altogether.

I do also keep notes from planning, an evolution of the swatch pages I began doing last month. These notes have so far proven to be quite helpful in remembering the order of layers as I plan. I also use them to keep track of where the design was found, the setting used for cutting, and even a little check list now to indicate when it’s been filmed, processed, and scheduled on each social media source. I am certain these notes for each project will continue to evolve, so I’ll be sure to share as it does.

Not Trying to Overdo It

So shiny…but not too much. I have so so many shiny, sparkly, holographic vinyls from TeckWrap Craft that it’s near impossible to imagine any decal project as anything but sparkly heaven. It’s important to remember to dial it down at times though, especially when there are multiple layers. I have one ‘basic’ vinyl included for this betta fish project. This layer compliments the other vinyls but helps break up the sparkly factor of it all. This process isn’t always so easy to do, though. I’ve sat in front of my vinyl stash staring at it for an hour before without making any decisions on which vinyls to use for projects.

Funny Side Story

I will always cut dead time from the process video before posting. During this project, I had to cut out almost ten minutes of dead footage. It was all for what I thought was a good reason, though. If anyone likes indie nail polish brands, you may have heard of Holo Taco. The brand was started by Cristine from SimplyNailogical. A new collection of holographic rainbow colored nail polishes was released recently. I had ordered it on launch day, but since I live on the west coast, it took a long time to get to me.

While filming, my watch told me that my package had been delivered. To say that I ran is an understatement. My hands legit went straight up in the air and I toddler ran downstairs to retrieve my package. My husband, who was working at the time, luckily did not have his camera on for his meeting. Otherwise all of his teammates would have seen a strangely excited person running out with their hands in the air like a crazy person. There were still vinyl pieces on my finger when I ran. I found some of that vinyl by the elevator a few hours later.

Don’t Stop the Filming

I had to open the box. Who cares if it was on camera? LOL

I try not to start and stop filming as much as possible to help ensure I don’t miss any little nuances as I work. Being so, I didn’t stop filming as I unpacked it and admired (aka drooled) the packaging. Since the filming lights were on, the box really looked incredible, so I played with it probably longer than is normal. So even though it is cut out of the final video, enjoy these stills above from the ‘ordeal’.