DIY Stenciled Valentine’s Pillow with Cricut

This fun DIY Stenciled Valentine’s Pillow, sponsored by Cricut, is the perfect addition to your home during cold winter weather days between Christmas and Valentine’s Day! 

The winter weather we’ve been experiencing here in Utah has me feeling like I live in a snow globe. Really. It’s snowing so much, I haven’t even wanted to step outside the door snap a photo of my house with all the pretty white flakes falling around it.

I managed to snap this photo after the wind blew all of the snow from my yard across the recently shoveled walks. You wouldn’t know it looking at this photo, but there was a bout a foot of snow. Brr. Too cold!

I’ve been spending my time inside cuddling up on the couch in front of the fireplace reading all sorts of good books. I’ve picked up everything from lazy fictional reads to complex business books. One of my favorites was a new book written by my friend Liz, called “A Touch of Farmhouse Charm.”

While my house has more of a modern cottage vibe, I found myself bookmarking many of Liz’s cozy farmhouse-style projects for future reference including a stenciled linen pillow cover.

It should be no surprise that I honed in on this particular project. I have a well-documented pillow problem. The thing is, pillows are a great way to accessorize your home and inexpensively change up seasonal decor (Read: I feel like I can totally justify my pillow-related issues.) and I am due for a winter refresh. I decided to make a DIY stenciled Valentine’s pillow using my Cricut.

DIY Stenciled Valentine’s Pillow

It might be a tiny bit early for Valentine’s Day decor, but I am ready to share the love. This “cuddle weather” pillow is subtle enough that it works well throughout the winter months, but still has a Valentine’s Day feel.

Supplies: 
Cricut – Electronic Cutting Machine
Adhesive Vinyl
Pillow Cover
Fabric Markers

Once I came up with the “cuddle weather” phrase I wanted to include on my pillow, I used a combination of freehand artwork and computer manipulation to create a graphic.

You can download the artwork for personal use.

To create a stencil, I uploaded the image and cut it out on vinyl using my Cricut.

Guys, I get asked all of the time if it’s possible to upload personal images for print and cut on the Cricut. The answer is yes! Most of the projects I create using my Cricut are made from my own original artwork. Cricut Design Space gives you the ability to upload most .jpg, .bmp, .png, .gif, .svg, and .dxf files for free, and converts them into cuttable shapes in just a few simple steps. It’s the best!

If you do a lot of seasonal crafting or plan on creating your own home decor pieces an electronic cutting machine is a great investment!

Once the image is cut, it’s time to weed out the unnecessary letters and place it flat on the pillow cover.

You want to make sure that you use quality vinyl that is thick and sticky. It prevents the ink/paint from bleeding under the stencil and helps to create a crisp image. I purchase all of my vinyl through Expressions Vinyl.It’s pretty easy to make a pillow cover, but to be honest it’s usually cheaper to purchase the plain white covers at Ikea. I purchase a couple every time I visit the store and try to keep at least one or two on hand for projects.

In the past I’ve used craft paint for a project like this (Liz’s book has a great tutorial for creating a weathered-look with paint), but because the script was narrow at points and the fabric had a bit of texture I used fabric markers for this project. I couldn’t be happier with the result. The lines are crisp and clean, while remaining flexible (some craft paints are so stiff and scratchy).

Once I finished applying the artwork, I removed the vinyl and let the ink cure for 24 hours before washing it and placing it on a pillow form.

I love how my cuddle weather DIY stenciled Valentine’s pillow cover turned out. It’s perfect for the bedroom or placement on the couch with a cozy blanket!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.