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in Crafts· Cricut· Tutorials & Tips

DIY Stamped Book Set | Make a Custom stack of books with Cricut Maker

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This tutorial teaches you how to cut vinyl on your Cricut in order to make a happy little stack of DIY farmhouse book sets.  Cutting vinyl on your Cricut Explore or Maker is so easy!  This project is a great Cricut beginner project and will help you build your skills!

My very merry DIY Christmas continues with a quick tutorial on how to make your own set of stacked books with a custom message on the spine.  I used my Cricut Maker machine to cut vinyl stencils saying “Be Merry. Be Joyful. Be Bright”.

It makes for a super happy book stack.

I started seeing these “farmhouse book sets” around and I think they are adorable! Since I have 6 bookshelves to decorate in my craft room, so I needed at least some books to make it appear like I am a scholar.  

This simple DIY is not onlycute, but I made the entire stack for under $5 using books from the thrift store. If you did not want to deface a good book, you could use wood for this, but that feels so…inauthentic. 

This is a book stack people. USE BOOKS! If your conscience is killing you, just remember you can always slip the dust jacket back on and return it!

Selecting books for your stack

Select three hard covered books that are pretty thick (you know, books that smart people would read). 

I didn’t have any of THAT kind laying around here (ha), so I picked up three from Goodwill. 

My selection was based upon size (I wanted varying thicknesses of the spine) and price (I am cheap and they were getting painted). I selected books that were no more than $1.99. I scored two of the three for only $0.99!

A funny side note. As a good DIY’er, I was going to show you a “Before” of these books. They were all books I randomly picked up at the thrift store, not paying attention to the titles since I was solely basing my selection on price and size

Turns out I had a naughty one in there! Hence and therefore….NO BEFORE PICTURE! 🙂

If I were to re-do this project again, there are a couple of things I would do differently, so read to the end and learn from my mistakes!

Supplies Needed for DIY Book Stack:

  • Three books
  • Clear gesso (optional, but it helps!)
  • Craft paint
  • Cricut Explore or Maker
  • Cricut fine point blade
  • Vinyl scraps

Steps:

  1. Start by applying a layer of clear gesso to the books. This step is optional, but I find that a quick layer of this product saves me from multiple layers of paint. I used gesso on my Easter egg tutorial, so you can see that it’s good stuff!  It makes paint stick!
  2. Paint books desired color. Let dry.
  3. Measure the width of the spine and determine how large you can make your letters. For me, my sizes ranged from just under 1 inch to approximately 1.5 inches.
  4. Cut out your words on vinyl.  Weed your letters, keeping the negative space. 
  5. Apply vinyl to spine of book and using a sponge or stiff brush, stencil in the letters.  This may require a couple of coats depending on how the paint is covering your base color. Let dry.
  6. Arrange your pretty little stack of books!

Cricut Design Space Steps:

  1. Start a new project by selecting “New Project”.  This opens up a new canvas for you to work in.
  2. On the left panel, select “text”. This opens a text box for you to write in.
  3. Type in phrase(s). You can see that the default font is Cricut Sans.
  4. Change to desired font (I used one called “DK Lemon Yellow Sun”).  This is my go-to Rae Dunn knock off font.
  5. Resize letters to the height that you need.
  6. Select “Make It”
  7. Weed vinyl

Tips for cutting vinyl on the Cricut:

Vinyl is probably one of the easiest materials to cut on the Cricut machine! Do not be afraid to try it! For a project where I am using vinyl as a small stencil, I am not fussy about what color I use and quite often I just use scraps that I have saved from other projects.

Place vinyl on a standard grip mat liner side down.  

I use the fine point blade that came with the machine and it works great!

Finishing the Project & Lessons learned:

Not everything went perfectly for this project and I even hesitated to know if I should post it, but I thought it would be of more benefit to you to know what went wrong! Also, you probably wouldn’t even notice the mistakes from far away, so it goes to show it’s possible YOU are YOUR own worst craft critic!

As with any project, patience is the key. 

I got excited and lost my patience, so I rushed the stenciling step and have some bleeding of my paint.

It’s especially bad on the green book. THAT’S THE NAUGHTY BOOK! So it makes sense

I could have avoided this by either: 

1. Stenciling first with my baseline color (which would have sealed the edge of the vinyl a bit) and letting that dry completely before moving on to my letter colors, or

2. Stenciling on several dry layers of my stencil colors.  Stenciling is best done with very little paint added on in multiple layers using an up and down motion. 

I rushed it and used too much paint at once and it crept out of the lines (oops).

Another thing I don’t love how some of my letter colors look over the base colors (like the red letters on the green book).  I will not win a prize at the county fair for this project. Sad frown face 🙁

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy project! Let me know if you have any questions.

Looking for some other quick Christmas crafts? Well then check out some of my prior posts where I show you how I made A LOT of this decor for my craft space!

  • Christmas Craft Foam Garland – Cut foam on your Cricut Maker!
  • DIY Pom Pom Garland – So simple you’ll eek a little!
  • DIY Yarn Christmas Tree – The base will SURPRISE you!

If you make a happy little book stack, let me know! I’d love to connect with you on Instagram!

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The Lucy Bird Connection

the.lucy.bird

Hello I’m Steph!
I ❤️ to tell stories, sew, scrapbook, paint, woodwork, DIY, and collect junk...
Let’s craft a connection and be friends 👯‍♂️

The Lucy Bird
The shop is stocked and the gang is all there!
🐰
Hop on over (link in profile).
They have all had their official portraits taken a They have all had their official portraits taken and were safely stowed in a safe place (or at least I think it was safe).
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I have decided my two rascally pups will not be responsible for stopping Easter and spring gnomes from getting into your homes!
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Etsy restock will be done by noon central time!
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And dare I say, these are the cutest ones yet! 
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But I know I say that every time!
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UPDATE: The crime scene is taped off and the crimi UPDATE: The crime scene is taped off and the criminals have been booked.
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At approximately 9:45 am the call came in 🚨. 
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Two criminals remained at large after looting The Lucy Bird headquarters (aka basement).
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Inside job. 
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Authorities have no reason to believe it could happen to you!
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After questioning, it turns out the loveys that the gnomes are holding were mistaken for “squeaker toys”. 
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In what has been recorded as the “squeaker toy heist of 2021” multiple gnomes were damaged and carelessly strewn about. 
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The carnage was real.
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Some may never use their legs or feet again 😔.
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The perps? 
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They were proud and “showboated” the their loot around the house, tossing it into the air with reckless abandon.
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It was this evidence that led authorities to the scene.
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They will be thrown the book. 
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For further updates please check back. This is an ongoing investigation and details will be made public when available.
I know I’m ready for spring because I want to mo I know I’m ready for spring because I want to monkey around with bunnies and rainbows! 🌈 
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Have you ever wondered what I keep in these lockers and how I sort and store my quilting and crafting supplies?
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Any interest in a blog post on it?
Once the temperatures hit “melting” I was so r Once the temperatures hit “melting” I was so ready for spring!
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This first batch would be perfect for Easter or could just be “neutral” for spring!
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I’ve been getting some requests for gnomes that could be used year round (ie not so seasonal looking) and these guys are it!
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Ps: the lovey I put on them is just attached with a pin, so could be easily swapped out and your gnome could hold something new.
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These be hitting the shop soon!
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#etsyshop #etsy #etsysellersofinstagram #etsyseller #etsysellers #smallbusiness #smallbusinessowner #omahasmallbusiness #omahanebraska #bosslady #bossladylife #nebraskalife #omahablogger #omahaboutique #midwestblogger #gnomesofinstagram #gnome #gnomes #gnomefortheholidays #gnomesweetgnome #gnomelife #gnomelove #gnomelovers #springdecor #springgnomes #springgnome #springiscoming
I am struggling with the size of balls. . Pom poms I am struggling with the size of balls.
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Pom poms.
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I’m talking about pom pom balls.
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Trying out a new pom pom maker where supposedly you can make 4 at a time, but so far I have just wasted yarn in quad-like speed.
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Tell me, if you were making balls for bunny butts (swipe, and you’ll know), then what is you go to pom pom maker?
It’s available today! 🌈 Go grab your FREE p It’s available today! 
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Go grab your FREE pattern for this perfect little pinwheel wall hanging!
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This will come together quickly and is a great skill builder for new quilters! 

Looking forward to seeing your color combinations! You can turn this tradition block into something modern with fun and fresh fabric!
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Full YouTube video is available and a pdf download is on my website!
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Tag your creations and let’s connect!
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 #tula #tulapink #tulapinkfabric #tulatroops #freespiritfabrics #tulapinktruecolors #tulapinkhomemade #quilting #quiltingismytherapy #quiltsofinstagram #quiltersofinstagram #ilovesewing #sewing #sewityourself  #sewingproject #handmade #makerlife #pinwheelquilt #freequiltpattern #freequiltblockpatterns #freequiltpatterns #pinwheelquiltblock #patchwork #patchworkquilt #patchworkquilts #patchworkquilting #quiltingtutorial #quiltingtutorials #beginnerquilter #beginnerquilting
A few years ago my husband and I were in Ireland 🇮🇪 cruising the countryside.
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We took a carriage ride through the Gap of Dunloe and our driver kept calling me “Hey Lady”.
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“Hey Lady! You want a picture?”
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“Hey Lady! You look scared” (fact: horses scare the 💩 out of me because they are large, fast and unpredictable)
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“Hey lady! Are you Irish!?”
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I told him I was not and then he said something like, “I knew that!” And he proceeded to puff out his cheeks like a chipmunk and he said, “your cheeks are too big to be Irish”
☘️ 
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I don’t know what that clown totally meant by that, but I will say his gratuity suffered.
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These tall gangly Irish gnomes are in my #etsyshop and I swear they will NOT give you grief about the size of your cheeks!”
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They have manners!
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Link ☝🏼in profile ☘️
I spent the weekend double checking the measuremen I spent the weekend double checking the measurements and she is ready!
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Full blog post and video on how to make a perfect pinwheel will drop on Tuesday. 
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There will also be a pattern on how to make a wall hanging that is cute, fun and can be pieced together in less than a weekend.
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Make sure you check back for ALL the details! 
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#tula #tulapink #tulapinkfabric #tulatroops #freespiritfabrics #tulapinktruecolors #tulapinkhomemade #quilting #quiltingismytherapy #quiltsofinstagram #quiltersofinstagram #ilovesewing #sewing #sewityourself  #sewingproject #handmade #makerlife #pinwheelquilt #freequiltpattern #freequiltblockpatterns #freequiltpatterns #pinwheelquiltblock #patchwork #patchworkquilt #patchworkquilts #patchworkquilting #quiltingtutorial #quiltingtutorials #beginnerquilter #beginnerquilting
Today my husband and I celebrated double-digit tem Today my husband and I celebrated double-digit temperatures ☀️ by getting out. of. the. house!
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We ate cheeseburgers and drank beer. 
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We scoured 2 antique shops and emerged with an arm load of goodies.
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We hit up a quilt shop and while he was encouraging as he followed me around, it quickly became annoying to have a husband trailing me.
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So I bought 5 fat quarters and made a mental note to return without him under foot! 
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He’s a good sport though! This vintage lunch box was one of my finds! 
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Hope you have double digits ☀️ wherever you are at!!
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#thriftstorefinds #thrifting #vintagestyle #secondhand #thriftedfinds #thriftedstyle #thriftedhome #fatquarters #quilting #quiltingismytherapy #quiltsofinstagram #quiltersofinstagram #ilovesewing #sewing #sewityourself  #sewingproject #handmade #makerlife
#cosmiccow
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