Products Used
- Fish Mandala SVG File from Creative Fabrica
- Translucent White to Blue Color Change Adhesive Vinyl
- Glossy Holographic Rainbow Adhesive Vinyl in Rainbow Mermaid
- Three Piece Weeding Tool Set
- Precision Craft Knife
- Fiskars 8 inch Scissors
- Fisco Craft Transfer Tape
- Ahchay 6” Vinyl Squeegee
More Fish!
While not as ‘glamorous’ as the betta fish, this little special fish is fun for a different reason. This special fish is swimming in its very own aquarium. Even though you can’t really see it in normal temperatures, I promise that it’s there. Just get the special fish into cooler temps and watch the water appear!
This is definitely a fun project to watch on YouTube!
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:
- Translucent color changing vinyl: premium outdoor vinyl setting with more pressure
- Rainbow holo mermaid vinyl: holographic sparkle vinyl setting with default pressure
This special fish is the first time I have used TeckWrap’s rainbow holo mermaid scale pattern. I’ve had it for a couple of weeks now, but needed to have the right project to try it out. The vinyl is translucent, so whatever was going to be underneath would show through enough to effect the look of the rainbow vinyl. This is another reason why I continue to do the swatch notes for each project.
Swatching and Notes
With the new way of working, I’ve been trying to keep better notes as I work. I mentioned the notes process a couple of times now, most recently on the betta fish project where I showed how I keep layers in order. As you can see below, I have a little check list for when projects are scheduled for each social. Since Amazon’s influencer videos do not have a way to schedule posts in advance, those are usually left unchecked until the day of the project post. Notice that the fish mandala at the bottom doesn’t have any check marks yet? That’s because I’m working on it now. 😀
I did make a quick little sticker for future notes on Microsoft Word to make notes a little cleaner in the future. So instead of having my chicken scratch everywhere in no particular order, it’ll look like this in the future:
Each time this new work flow reiterates, it gets better and more efficient. I am really finding myself becoming much more organized. It’s been easier to get ahead on my work as well, so if anything comes up and I can’t work for a little bit, it’ll be ok.
Color Changing Magic
I am having a LOT of fun with the color changing vinyl! I’ve incorporated it into layered projects before, such as the snowflake I put on my office door and the heart for Valentine’s Day. It is always so neat watching the design change as the temperature does. The design can take on a completely different look at times when the color changes, just like this special fish in their special aquarium.
To make sure the color change is visible while filming and for completed project photos, I use a cold compress pad that I picked up at CVS a couple years ago for physical therapy. The cold compress packs were always super handy for other uses like squishable lunch ice packs. I like that they don’t freeze to be a solid block, but stay pliable after reaching freezing temperatures. They are nice to have on hand for color changing vinyl projects too.
