So school's out and you now have to entertain your kids all day, every day! I try to keep them away from electronics as much as possible but coming up with fresh ideas can be tough. I also don't want to go to the store and just buy them more toys, we already have WAY too many.
What's a crafty mom to do?!?Well, make them a new game of course!!Best of all, you already have the supplies on hand.
The Supplies Needed:
Even if you don't own a Cricut machine you can use the software to design your project. The software is free!
Open up design space and upload the images, the second image has the transparent background.
The next prompt will ask you what type of image it is, I said complex so I didn't lose any details.
It gives you the option to delete any items, but I didn't need to, so just hit continue.
This will be a print and cut project so select the right image and save it.
Repeat the process for all of the creatures you want to print.
Select the images, you can select more than one at a time, and insert them.
They will all show up in your canvas.
Since we're making cards, you'll need the rectangle shape to place the animals on. I originally made it 5"x7" but shrunk them down to 3"x4" later.
I made the card color white and sent it to the back, then you can move the animal on top and scale it to fit. Once you're happy you can use the align tool to center it perfectly on the card.
To move the card to the back, right click to pull up the shortcut menu.
Repeat the process for each card design. Look at all of those cuties!!!
To make the animal design "attach" to the card you will select the card and animal, right click for the menu, and select 'flatten'. Repeat for each card.
Notice that the black line around the edge of each card has vanished. Click the 'make it' green button in the top right-hand corner.
The software will automatically fit the cards to a sheet of paper. Hit the green continue button in the bottom right.
The next screen will prompt you to print.
Before we move on I want to mention that I used one of the predesigned patterns from the design files and created a full sheet paper pattern and printed it first. I did this in other software because Cricut limits you to a smaller print size. Basically, open the file and repeat it as many times as needed to fill the page and print.
Now insert that patterned paper back into your printer the correct side up for it to print on the white side.
Double sided prints!
Ok, back to the screenshots above! Once the patterned paper is loaded hit print for the card designs. You'll want 2 copies of each design since this is a matching game.
Once printed, load the paper onto your cutting mat and set the material then send it to be cut.
The Maker will now cut the cards out perfectly for you! If you don't have a fancy cutting machine (umm...first of all, go get one, trust me!) you can use your good old scissors or paper cutter to cut them down to size. Repeat for each set.
A trick to not bend your paper when you remove it from the mat is to peel the mat away from the paper, not the paper away from the mat.
We had to play the game as soon as I was done making them for him! Lay all the cards face down and let them play. I had to get one pretty shot before he attacked of course! :)
He loves them! This will keep him busy for about 15-30 minutes each day, now to come up with a million more game ideas for the other 720 minutes or so he's awake.
Happy Parenting this summer!! Let me know if you make your own adorable set of cards.
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