DIY Marketing using Cricut Maker and Mug Press
Have you been wanting to up your game on marketing and create promotional items for your business? I have some great ideas using your Cricut Maker and Cricut Mug press. Not only are these items super fun to make, they make great giveaways that create a lot of engagement on your social media platforms. They are also great for sneaking in self promotion in your images. I am going to show you how I created these amazing mugs and coasters and how versatile they are for your brand.
This post is sponsored by Cricut. As always, all opinions are my own. #ad #CricutMade
What you will need:
- Cricut Maker or Explore Air
- Cricut Mug Press
- Cricut EasyPress
- Cricut Mug Blanks
- Cricut Coaster Blanks
- Infusible Ink
- Heat resistant tape
- Weeding tools (optional)
As you know, I don’t sell a physical product or have a store front. Everything I do is online. This makes it a little trickier to create a connection with my customers. All our marketing is done online. Trying to be creative with some of our social media posts can be a challenge. I don’t need a box of 1000 coffee mugs with my logo or 500 sets of coasters. That is way out of my budget and I have no use for bulk orders. That is where my Cricut products come in super handy! Being able to create one of a kind marketing and promotional items on demand is very helpful and gives me the key to personalized marketing.
When the Cricut came out with the Mug Press, I knew I needed one in my life. It is so much fun to use. Mugs are super easy to make and there is a wide selection of templates / projects in Design Space. I wanted to make some mugs that have my logo but also reflect my personality. I drink a lot of coffee and LOVE coffee mugs that make me smile. They are so fast and easy to make too! Working with the infusible ink transfer sheets is probably my favorite part. They cut so well and are so easy to weed. If you choose to do an intricate cut, I do recommend putting in a fresh blade to be sure all the cuts are nice and clean/sharp. I used my fine point blade, which is perfect choice for these projects. The Cricut mug blanks are such a great quality and the infusible ink really pops on them. The best part is they are microwave and dishwasher safe. If you want to make any of these mugs, you can find the project here. Pretty sure this is my new favorite mug.
If you have never used Infusible Ink, I highly recommend it. It really is my favorite product to work with. I made some Christmas coasters awhile back with it, you can see those here. Infusible ink can be used on a bunch of Cricut products or products that are sublimation ready. One thing you will notice, the transfer sheet will look a lot lighter than the box depicts. This is normal. Once the ink is heated and transfered to your mug or coaster (or fabric), it will become very bright and vibrant. You can see that my black infusible ink actually looks brown but don’t stress, it is black.
To make the mugs, it’s really easy. Cut your design out using your Maker or Explore Air. Be sure your image is MIRRORED. Clean your mug with a paper towel and a little alcohol. You don’t want any finger prints or oil anywhere. You can also use a link roller to get any remaining bits off of it. Place your design on your mug where you want it. Use your heat resistant tape to hold it in place. You don’t need much – a piece along the top and bottom is sufficient. Place it in your preheated mug press and click the start button. It will take a few minutes. When it is done, carefully take the mug out by the handle and place on a heat resistant surface to cool. Once it is cool, you can remove the tape and the transfer sheet. Your mug is ready to use now, easy peasy right!
I also made these amazing coasters. I used the round Cricut coaster blanks for this but I don’t intend to use them as coasters (Well, maybe while I am sewing…). I love the size and weight of these coasters and thought it would be fun to put sewing phrases on them and use them as pattern weights. I usually grab stuff around me to hold my pattern pieces down. If you use a projector, these would be great for holding your fabric in place while cutting out your projected pieces. I used fun phrases I found in design space and they were all free with Cricut Access. I did make one with my logo and I snuck in my hashtag – I plan on using this one in my social media posts. Not everyone reads captions, especially on Instagram so getting that info into the picture is ideal. If you want to create these, you can find the project here.
Cricut Access has so many different projects for the coasters but I choose to make my own using the circle shape and free phrases I found. Resize your circle to 3.6″ and then resize your phrase or image to fit inside the circle. Select the shape and image and hit slice. Then you have the perfect coaster cut out. I used my large Easy press for this project. I wanted to use my 9″ Easy Press but we are in the middle of moving and this was the first one I found. I was able to press all four at once, which actually worked out really great. You will need to preheat your Easy Press to 400 degrees and press for 240 seconds. Thats it! Super easy and they are so cute.
While the products I made are very practical for use in my everyday life (what better way to start your day than a funny sewing mug right…), they are great for social media marketing. I like pictures that will capture your attention. That doesn’t always mean it has to look super professional and staged – most people like to see real photos. Sometimes a quick cell pic is better than one that took 10 minutes to get the right angle/ lighting….
I can’t wait to make another set of pattern weights (coasters) and mugs. This time I want to make them as a matching set. I am thinking maybe some fun galaxy infusible ink…. or should I go with summery palm leaves? So many options…
Because I was feeling a little fierce…
Happy Crafting,
