DIY Citristrip Crayon Tumbler

Teacher appreciation week is right around the corner. This personalized Crayon tumbler is the perfect Cricut and Citristrip DIY project.

Since it is a full tumbler wrap, it’s a little more difficult than beginner level, but I will walk you through step by step.

I’m giving you the template for free so you can follow right along.

Materials

Featured Video

Watch me etch a personalized Crayon tumbler with Citristrip and my Cricut or if you prefer written instructions, keep reading.

General Citristrip Information

I am assuming you have Citristrip’d a tumbler previously. I am going to skip reviewing some of the basics. If you need more information, please read my post: Etch a Painted Tumbler Using Citristrip and Your Cricut

I want to give credit to M2C1Designs on TikTok who originated the process of using Citristrip to remove paint on tumblers.

Citristrip Safety

Safety is very important to me. I don’t want to risk my health for crafting. Please read my post on Citristrip Safety to make sure you are properly protected: Is It Safe to Citristrip Tumblers

Let’s Talk Tumblers and Vinyl

You do not have to use the exact tumbler that I use, but if you do, the measurements will be identical and it will make using the template easier.
Please be sure your tumbler isn’t tapered or is very slightly tapered. This will make your life so much easier when applying the stencil template.
Important: Please remember the amount of time it takes Citristrip to work can vary from tumbler brand, make within in the brand and even color within the same brand and make. So your times might not be the exact same as mine.
You can use any permanent vinyl for your stencil. I highly recommend Teckwrap Vinyl. Oracle 651 also holds up well.

Upload the Crayon SVG Template into Design Space

We have all our materials together and are ready to get started. Our first step is to download the FREE Crayon SVG Wrap from my Freebies page. Save it onto your device where you can find it again.

Upload the SVG into Cricut Design Space. Need help? Check out my previous post: How to Upload a File into Cricut Design Space

Prepare the SVG for Cutting

Now that you have the SVG wrap in Design Space we need to do two things: Size it and Personalize it

Sizing the Wrap for Your Tumbler

Remember, if you are using the same tumbler as me, the wrap is set up to the perfect size. If you are using a different tumbler you will need to measure your tumbler and adjust the wrap size accordingly.

There are three pieces to the SVG stencil:

The top ribbon that wraps all the way around the tumbler
The bottom ribbon that wraps all the way around the tumbler
The center circle that will get personalized.

You will want to measure each piece and resize accordingly.

Make sure the ribbons wrap all the way around the tumbler and overlap slightly so no Citristrip gets through.
Make sure the circle is the correct length for your tumbler – you want the ribbons to end up about a quarter to a half an inch from the top and bottom.
Make sure there are no gaps between the three pieces.

Remember, this is a stencil, so the purple pieces are where the color from the tumbler will stay and the blank spaces are where the Citristrip will remove the color.

Personalizing the Tumbler

I use a font called Cronos Pro Bold Caption. If you don’t want to download and install a font, I also recommend the Cricut font BFC Birthday Party which is available through Cricut Access.

First, select the Text Box and type in your name.
Then, go up to the Font box and select your font. I’m showing both fonts below.

Next we want to create an offset around the name. Go to the Offset drop down at the top of Design Space.
Move the slider up until you are satisfied with the thickness of the offset.
I used .181 for the Cronos font and .139 for Birthday Party.
Click Apply

Next you will select both the name and the offset at the same time.
Go down to the bottom of the layers panel and select the Slice button.

This will leave you with three pieces. Delete the top two and leave the one with the cut out name.

Then you will rotate the name and size it and center it in the circle.
Next select the name and the middle piece and select the Attach button. This will keep these two together. You do not want to attach the ribbons though because you will be putting those onto your tumbler one piece at a time.

Select the Make It Button

Cutting and Preparing the Vinyl Stencil

Cut your vinyl on the normal vinyl setting.

Next, weed your vinyl.

Remember, this is a stencil, so weed accordingly.

After you are done weeding, apply transfer tape to the vinyl like you normally would.

Preparing the Tumbler

The key to nice crisp edges is getting the vinyl adhered to the tumbler very well. Prep the tumbler like you would if you were applying regular permanent vinyl. Start by wiping it down with rubbing alcohol.

Applying the Vinyl

Welcome to the trickiest part. We need to make sure the vinyl is applied well for this to be a success.

Applying the Vinyl to the Tumbler

Let’s start with the top ribbon piece. Remember, if your tumbler is wider at the top, make sure you apply the wider ribbon here.

Cut a piece of parchment paper the runs the width and length of the ribbon. Put your vinyl on top of the parchment paper. Hang about a quarter of an inch of the transfer tape over the edge of the parchment paper. You are going to stick this to the tumbler once it’s lined up.

Determine how far you want it from the top and place the vinyl and parchment paper. Stick the end you left hanging over onto the tumbler and wrap the vinyl / parchment paper all the way around the tumbler and make sure the edges line up. If they don’t adjust until they do.

Once everything is lined up, carefull remove the parchment paper from under the vinyl and press the vinyl to the tumbler as you work your way around.

Make sure your edges still line up when you are done. Also make sure the vinyl is pressed flat. You don’t want the Citristrip to have space to sneak under your stencil.

Repeat these steps with the bottom ribbon.
I like to line the edges from the bottom and top up on the same line and make this the back of the tumbler just in case it isn’t 100% perfect.

Next, apply the center section. Make sure there is not a gap in between the vinyl for the center section and the ribbons.

Adhering the Vinyl Using a Tennis Ball and Heat

Before removing the transfer tape from the middle section I went over all of the vinyl with a tennis ball. This helps apply even pressure to the rounded surface.

Remove the transfer tape.
Next, I like to apply a little heat to make the vinyl adhere even better. You have two options:
- Hair Dryer on High for 30 seconds on each side
- Heat Gun on 400 degrees for 30 seconds on each side

Removing Air Bubbles

Even after all that work, you can still get tiny little air bubbles waiting to ruin the look.
Air bubbles are fine as long as they are not close to the edge.
If you have bubbles close to the edge, work them out with your fingers or squeegee.

Adding Painters Tape

You will want to protect the area that isn’t covered in vinyl, but you don’t want to Citristrip. Remember, this is going to get messy because we have to Citristrip around the entire tumbler.
Cover the exposed areas that you want to protect with painters tape.

Finally, we are ready to apply the Citristrip. If you feel like you need a break, letting the vinyl sit and adhere overnight is not a bad idea. However, it’s not necessary. I contined on and mine turned out great.

Applying the Citristrip

The key to applying the Citristrip is coverage. Citristrip stops working if it dries out. Make sure you apply it thick enough that it won’t dry out and also make sure all of the areas you want to Citristrip are well coated.

Time vs Heat Method

Now that all the prep is done and the Citristrip has been applied, you now have a decision to make.

Which method will you use?

Time Method – Apply the Citristrip, check every 15 minutes until the paint is easily removed.
Heat Method – Apply the Citristrip, wait 10 minutes then use a heat gun for a couple of minutes. The paint will then easily come off.

Honestly for this project I did it both ways and I think the heat method worked better. Why? Just because doing a full wrap around with Citristrip gets messy and hard to work with. The heat method lines looked a little crisper, but both ways definitely work. So if you don’t have a heat gun, no worries.

Note: At the time of recording this video I was unsure about how safe the heat method was, but upon some further research found out as long as I have proper PPE, I feel pretty protected and safe. Again, please use the proper safety equipment and read this post for all the details: Is It Safe to Citristrip Tumblers

Time Method

For the time method, after you apply the Citristrip you will want to wrap the tumbler in cling wrap or aluminum foil. This is simply to contain the mess. I used cling wrap because you can see through it and make sure all of your spots are still covered.

For this particular tumbler, it took the Citristrip 50 minutes to work. Most of the paint came up easily, but there were some spots that were difficult. I think perhaps the Citristrip dried during the process without me noticing it.

If you are not using this tumbler, apply the Citristrip and check every 15 minutes to see if the paint is ready. I check by gently scratching my weeding tool against the paint.

Heat Method

For the heat method, after you apply the Citristrip you will want to wrap the tumbler in aluminum foil. The foil just helps protect the vinyl from heat damage.

Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then apply heat. For this particular tumbler I used 700 degrees F for 2 minutes on each side. Make sure you rainbow the heat gun back and forth so it doesn’t sit in the same spot for too long.

The paint came up so easily.

Cleaning and Detailing the Tumbler

Once the Citristrip has done it’s job, you will want to take paper towels and remove as much of the Citristrip as possible. Rinse any remaining Citristrip off. Start with your Scoth Brite Non-Scratch Sponge. I use the non-scratch side to remove the paint. I scrub hard and I’ve never had an issue with any of my tumblers scratching.

After the Scoth Brite Sponge, switch to the Scrub Daddy sponge and go over everything with that. Again, I scrub hard and have never scratched a tumbler.

At this point, it should look pretty good. I like to detail my tumblers a little more by taking a toothpick or orange sticks and running along the edges. This knocks off the loose paint and gives you a nice crisp edge.

Now you have the perfect personalized Crayon tumbler to show appreciation to your favorite teacher.

DIY Crafting Tutorials