PROCESS
Let's Talk Stickers!
Through hand-lettering and doodling via Procreate - stickers and vinyl decals have been a fantasy for a handful of years. I (me, Hae - the "she" in AstroloShe) hesitated to order from big-name sticker production because I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in 100+ stickers of the same design and try to sell the full inventory. Through research and testing I have been able to create a weather-proof/protected sticker that I can make per each order and/or in lower quantities!
How The Stickers Get Built
Step 1 | Design & Save Out That Design
Step 2 | Through Cricut Design Space, Print Your Sticker Design
Step 3 | Apply The Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheet
Step 4 | Set The Layered Sheet On The Cut Mat
Step 5 | Cut The Sheet With Your Cricut & Separate
Step 6 | Label & Store!
What does "protected" mean for the stickers?
In the most transparent window I can provide, I will state that I am uncomfortable saying that my stickers are "waterproof". The fact of the matter is, they are hand-crafted and hand-assembled. The stickers can stand up against water/condensation and dry out just fine (see my Instagram highlights for testing video) and ideally, it can hold up to the item its' stuck on being rough-housed. "Protected" is the terminology that I use to indicate that your sticker will last a LONG time, but it is a sticker with a paper base, rather than a printed vinyl product.
List of Supplies
Sticker Paper: Staples
Laminating Sheets: Avery
Vinyl Brands: Cricut, Oracal
Machine: Cricut Explore Air 2
Printer: Epson XP-440
Crafting: iPad (6th Generation), Apple Pencil, Adobe Photoshop 2017, Adobe Illustrator 2021, Procreate
All About Vinyl!
I look at my vinyl products in three primary ways: vehicle and decorative, label.
Vehicle Vinyl
- I use Oracal 651 for all of my vehicle vinyl decals.
- These decals don't have to be just for "vehicles", however, I do use an alternative kind of vinyl engineered to withstand being outdoors.
- This is "permanent" vinyl.
Decorative/Label Vinyl
- This is where I utilize the Cricut brand (mainly) vinyl and is more-so meant for indoor use or lightly used accessories/spaces.
- The "holo-vinyl" I like to use is considered this type of vinyl, however, I have seen this vinyl type on vehicles and/or on outdoor surfaces. Place at your own risk!
- This is "permanent" vinyl.
Label
- Utilizing a mix of Cricut and Oracal brands, I create "labels" with removable vinyl. At least for me, my ideas change rapidly - so one container might need a new name/label in a few weeks.
