Where did September go?! I don’t even know, but here it is 3 days into October already and I’ve no idea what we’re doing for Halloween costumes. That is not. normal. around here. We have been so busy the last couple of months that I’m ready to just take the kids to the thrift store and say “Pick a costume.” Also not normal. Whatever is this world coming to?
Okay, on to the topic at hand. Several years ago I was a rep for Miche Bags, which are these awesome purses with inter-changable “shells” so you can change the look of your purse without actually changing your purse. Like I said, that was several years ago, but up until just a few days ago, I had a big ol’ MICHE vinyl sticker on the back of my van. My dear, sweet, patient husband asked me a few times when I was going to take it off and I always told him “never.” Because I really liked being able to spot my van easily in the sea of minivans in this great state we call Utah.
But, ladies and gentleman, the time had come to remove it. Because I had a NEW sticker I wanted to put on the back (but not so big). I recently acquired a Silhouette Portrait machine (and by “recently” I mean like a year ago) and more recently, some vinyl, so I really wanted to play around with that sucker a bit.
The problem? No transfer tape. The solution? Google. Of course.
After watching this great video, I decided to give it a go with some painter’s tape (because that I have in abundance). So for the first time in a long time, I have an actual review of something I’ve tried as per the original purpose of this blog. You’re welcome.
THE PROCESS
I started with my already cut-out vinyl and a roll of painter’s tape. I didn’t have any of the fat stuff, so I just layered the skinny stuff on there.
TIP: You want to make sure you get that tape down flat without any bubbles at all.
Once I had it all covered up, I took it out to the car, having already cleaned and dried the back window thoroughly (that’s muy importante). I very carefully peeled back the tape, making sure it pulled the vinyl up with it. If the vinyl doesn’t come up, press the tape back down a little and try again. Take your time.
Next, I carefully pressed the tape/vinyl down onto the window. You need to take your time here and really make sure you get it down flat without any bubble. Use a squeegee or plastic scraper or something to really make sure.
I just carefully peeled off the tape, and VOILA! my Zumba (R) love for all to see.
THE RESULT
WHAT I LEARNED
*Really do be careful when applying your vinyl to the final surface. It’s a good idea to start in the middle if you can and work your way out, squeezing out bubbles as you go. You can see here where I did not do a good job of that and ended up with a LOT of bubbles:
THE VERDICT
Painter’s tape worked fantastically for the transfer. I think I would only ever use the more expensive made-for-the-job transfer tape if I were doing a HUGE piece that would be a pain in my royal tookas to do with painter’s tape.
Less Pinning More Doing 