Tutorials, Tutorials All
Cricut Nails
Sep
Make a cut file once and get endless nail sticker!
These are by FAR the cheapest you will find. A sticker manicure from Walmart will cost you $6.00ish, but a set of washi tape I saw on Amazon was 11.99 for 60 rolls. Each roll was 9 ft.
This makes each washi manicure .02!! Add a little more for your clear coat and you’re still coming out WAY ahead.
I’d LOVE to see all your manicures! Be sure to join us on Facebook.
Gather Supplies
- Washi Tape
- Top Coat Nail Polish
- Cricut Machine & Mat
- Computer Program which allows you to draw a shape. I used Pages on my Mac desktop.
This tutorial does assume that you know basic skills with the Cricut as well as making shapes in your program of choice and saving .jpegs.
Make a Cut File
This will be the hardest part of the entire process… and it’s really not that hard. Basically you need to make a picture of each of the nails.
I bought a set of stick on nails from Walmart to use as a guide. I’m sure there’s a few ways you could make these. Here’s my process:
- Find the perfect nail size for each of my fingers
- Take a photo of the nails
- Upload the photo into Pages (I’m assuming Word would work too)
- Draw around each nail. Fill the shape in black.
- Group all the shapes together so that you can change the size of all at the same time. This will preserve the proportions. On Pages select all shapes and click “arrange”, “group”.
- Save the document as a .jpeg. (I had to save it as a PDF, then open it in Preview to export as a .jpeg.)
Cut File Screen Shots – Pages (mac)
Prep the Cricut file
Once you have a .jpeg of your nails, it’s time to upload and cut.
- Open Cricut Design Space.
- Create a new file and upload your .jpeg.
- Erase the backgroud from your file and save as a simple “cut” file.
- Now you need to get them to the correct size. I did this by measuring one of the original nail stickers. Once I had the size, I made that same nail the correct size within the program. This worked on the first try for me, but you might need a few test cuts before you get it perfect.
- Copy and paste so you have 2 sets.
- Line up the curved portion of your nail on the 1 inch line. This helps in the placement of the washi tape.
Prep the Cutting mat
- Cut a piece of wax or parchment paper larger than your cut file. I used a 8×5 piece of parchment.
- Stick the parchment to the cutting mat.
- Stick the washi tape to the parchment, lining it JUST UNDER the 1 inch line.
- Insert your mat into the cricut and cut.
Applying the nails
- Make sure to clean each nail with rubbing alcohol or acetone first. This will help the nails stay on longer.
- Peel and stick the nails.
- Use a file to take off the tip.
- Finish with a top coat. I used a glitter from Holo Taco and love it!
