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Best file format for Cricut Design Space

how to make vinyl decals with CRICUT maker?

Creating Pioneer Woman Inspired Stickers

Cricut Sticker Hack

Organizing Your Craft Files
Ready – Set – DOWNLOAD!
Are you ready to Marie Kondo your craft files? Okay, so while I won’t be telling you to hold everything in your hands to see if it sparks joy or not, it is important to keep your digital files organized. Why you might ask? Well, let me set the scene for you. You are finally ready to sit down and craft using that one really cool skull with the flowers that you bought at that last Dollar Event (AFL link). You have your vinyl, your heat press on, and your Cricut Machine ready to roll. You go to upload the design and you search through your downloads folder – nothing. You search in your files – nothing. You search your desktop – nothing. You summon the computer fairy to search through your pc and still nothing. You start questioning yourself, did you download it? Did you delete it? Did you name it wrong? What did the designer name it? How much time have you wasted trying to search for something? By organizing your files, we can prevent the 30 minutes of search panic and get you to crafting even faster!
What is the best way to organize your files though? Year – Month – Category? Do we group by the size, the site, the price? While there are probably HUNDREDS of way to categorize them, I am going to show you the way that I do it which has worked for my craft business (although disclaimer – I still have more than I would like to admit on my desktop and downloads – we are working on that).
Downloading first starts with the actual act of downloading your files. Your PC should prompt you and ask where you want to save your folder, but if it doesn’t you should check under “Downloads”. If you want a spreadsheet to help you keep track of your digital purchases check out this link here.
So first it should be noted that the most popular downloads are
- Craft Files (these are you SVG, DXF, PNG, EPS)
- Fonts (OTF, TTF)
- Mockups
- Social Media Templates
- Sublimation Designs
- Stickers
Knowing this information, it’s only right that we include a folder for each one. Now if you don’t do a lot of social media templates or stickers, feel free to omit those from your folder structure. This is about making a system that will be best for YOU and only you know what that is. These 6 categories might seem specific and rightly so, however, after the 3rd Dollar Event and Freebie Friday, we could end up looking at hundreds of files inside these! Let’s be honest, starting inside of your closet can get a little crazy so we can’t expect our minds to be able to process that vast folder mess. We can go a little more specific with the craft files by creating categories like
- Adults (alcohol, recreational, not safe for work *wink* / dirty quotes)
- Family
- Holidays (because come on, there are so many!)
- Home Decor (kitchen, bathroom, doormats, etc)
- Occupational Designs
- Pets
- Quotes
- School Designs (pre-k all the way to college)
- Sports or Hobbies
- Seasonal
From there you can dive even further with specifics like Holiday SVG / Easter, St. Patrick Day, Valentines Day, etc., or Seasonal SVG – spring SVG, summer SVG, winter, fall SVG, and so on and so forth. Again this is a system structure that will best help YOU! Omit what you don’t need or go further. Some categories may overlap like a spring home decor sign. You can choose to copy and paste in both spots or pick the most relevant folder (I would choose spring). Repeat the process for each major category and have fun with it. You can even take it a step further and notate 2021 designs vs 2020 designs if you are good at keeping track of when you make a purchase. You can download the FREE folder system by clicking this link here
We are organized, now what?
File Types
Now that you can kind of get a feel for what we are going for, let’s talk about what files to keep and what you can toss. Most craft files will come with a few files inside of a zip folder. If you don’t know how to unzip the folder, be sure to check out this link here. Inside of those zip files, you will find files with extensions like SVG, PNG, DXF, EPS, PDF to name a few. SVG files stand for Scalable Vector Graphic – meaning that you can increase and decrease the size about 100 times and it will not lose its quality. These file types are used inside Cricut Design Space (and upgraded versions of Silhouette Studio) A PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics and is an image that has a transparent background. You can use these for print and cuts, stickers, and sublimation designs if the quality is high enough. A DXF file is Drawing Exchange Format. Similar to an SVG file, it’s a vector graphic that you can use inside Silhouette Studio. An EPS file is an Encapsulated PostScript – or another vector file. You can use these to open up certain editing properties inside of Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or Inkscape.
So what does all of that mean for you? Well if you are a Cricut crafter, chances are you can delete the DXF file. Cameo users, unless you have the upgraded version of Studio, you can delete the SVG files. If you download a Google Chrome extension, you can preview the images without having to keep the PNG image (unless you want to of course – you can still do amazing things with a PNG file). Unless you are looking to edit a file inside of a robust vector program like Inkscape or Illustrator, you can probably delete the EPS file as well.
When it comes to fonts, more often than not, you will end up with 2 different file type extensions – TTF and OTF. TTF means TruType Font. This is your most basic font options – a real “what you see if what you get” type of font. OTF or OpenType font is the more complex of the two font types. They unlock alternative glyphs, characters, and more. Think about the pretty font that transforms when there are two T’s together. THIS is that OTF at work! So if you are purchasing a pretty font you will want to make sure that you install the OTF file. While you don’t have to keep either format after it’s installed on your computer, having a backup is never a bad idea! If you need to get rid of one though, it would be the TTF.
Mockups are a weakness of mine – I have SO many beautiful photos that I adore! If you are using a program like Canva to create your mockup images (and if you aren’t what are you waiting for?) changes are you can delete the PSD file that may come with your mockup purchase. Unless you are using a stand-alone program like Photoshop or something similar a PSD file is just taking up valuable space on your computer.
*Bonus if you are not a MAC user, you are more than welcome to delete any of the contents inside of the _MACOSX folder systems.
Renaming Files
You can rename any file by right clicking and going towards the bottom of the popup menu under rename. Pick a naming system that will help you – especially if you end up having to search for something. “Cool SVG” will only get you so far with your computer – even with the folder structure. Try going for a name like “SVG – Sir Hops A Lot” or “Sir Hops A Lot – Easter” . When you search for that file, you can type in key terms like “Easter” and your pc will search for that term.
Don’t forget that you can still download the FREE folder system by clicking this link here .


Using The DIY T-Shirt Placement Ruler
Hi besties! By now I am sure that you have spotted the DIY t-shirt placement ruler either on Tik-Tok, Instagram, or Facebook. I wanted to create this post to hopefully answer some questions on how to use the ruler in Cricut Design Space. You can purchase the t-shirt placement ruler SVG using the link here. Follow these few steps and you will have your very own ruler. The best part about this SVG file is that you can use materials that YOU have on hand which makes it convenient and affordable for any budget. Besties have tagged me in videos where they show themselves using poster boards, dollar tree cutting mats, and even cardboard! The possibilities are endless.
Without further delay – Let’s get crafting!
It’s important to note a few things – one being that this is a zip file. You will need to extract the contents of the zip in order to access the SVG, DXF, and EPS files. A have a brief overview here in this post, but a more detailed walkthrough can be found here. It is highly recommended that you open this file within one of the popular cutting software like Cricut Design Space or Silhouette Studio. Once again a brief walk-through is shown here, but a more detailed step by step can be found here for Cricut users and here for Silhouette users. One more thing is this is an already scaled 18-inch ruler. The preview will look weird! That is okay. Once uploaded you will see the FULL design.
Now down to the nitty-gritty!
- Purchse the SVG file.
- Download the file.
- Unzip the file (right-click/extract)
- Open extracted folder
- Located the SVG File
- Upload the SVG file into DS.
- Ungroup the SVG file.
- Locate the “DRAW” layer and change line type to “draw”
- You can delete or hide the “DRAW LAYER” and “CUT LAYER” text to make it a seamless file.
- Select draw layer and right-click and attach the design.
- Make it 🙂
A photo screen shot of Changing the Line Type
A photo screen shot of Deleting the “DRAW” and “CUT LAYER” text
Now when I say you can use ANYTHING To make it work for you, I mean it! Check out some of the photos below of besties who have used the SVG file to create their own t-shirt guides
Krea-Haus Ana Romina Garcia Nesee Smalls
As you can see this SVG t-shirt guide can be used with wood, poster boards, clear dollar tree mats, paper, and more. I encourage you to explore any material that fits within your budget and your needs.
Have an awesome day besties!


What the swatch?! The one thing you need today for your business.
Some of the best things in life are really the simple ones – the smell of fresh laundry, the first leaf falling in autumn, your kids sleeping in on the weekend – some are naturally more reasonable than others. What if I told you that I know something super simple that has been a lifesaver for me in business and it happens to be a book. Okay, not a “book book” but more of a fold-out pamphlet. It’s a color swatch book for not only for my vinyl but also for my shirts.
Even if you don’t plan on selling your products and creating a business (but I mean why wouldn’t you? Get paid to do what you love doing anyway!) you will still benefit from getting these swatch books. I have a vinyl book for Oracal 651 and 631 as well as Siser HTV. These nifty little books come with every vinyl they offer along with a small color swatch, name, and my Siser book even comes with temperature settings. I also contacted my favorite shirt brands (Bella + Canvas, Anvil, and Next Level) directly and requested a copy of their shirt catalogs with a color swatch book as well. Want to know where I get my supplies? Check out this blog post!
Now, why would you need these books? Let me tell you! Set the scene if you will, you are in the middle of creating a project and run out of green vinyl. *gasp* You check your stash and you can’t find any that matches it. You search frantically through your scrap bin – nothing. Now what? Do you remember the name of that vinyl? NOPE! Oracal won’t even give you a hint by putting the name of the color on the back either (seriously, why is this not a thing?) You can use this color swatch book to match EXACTLY what color you used and get that ordered.
If that example wasn’t enough for you, let me paint this scene. Your whole sale shirt provider ran out of Bellas in a size XL and you need TEN more! If you had swatch books, you can compare the Bellas with the Anvil and find that Anvil has a color very close that you can substitute for. (If you are selling these, make sure that you get the okay from your customer of course, but I digress).
Okay, so I have you convienced and now you are asking “Ashley – WHERE do I find these things?” I got you covered! Disclaimer! The links below will navigate you away from the site. Nothing wrong with that, just letting you know!
My Viynl Swatch Library
- Oracal 651
- Oracal 631
- 2020 Siser HTV
- The entire Oracal Line Up (I don’t have this, but still pretty cool)
How To Get The Shirt Books
- You can download Anvils marketing tools here. If you want a physical book, you request a copy by clicking here.
- For Bella and Canvas, visit their site and check out digital copies for all of their catalogs and color swatches. There are several things under the download section that you can grab, I felt like it was best for you to be able to check them all out. If you want the direct link click here.
- At Next Level you can get digital copies as well, but if you want to have a physical copy, all you have to do is ask.
What Do I Say?
I really tried to find exactly what I said the first time around, however, I could not find it, so this next bit is a “What would I say today” message. Feel free to copy and paste if needed.
“Hello there! My name is (insert your name here). I own a small business where I sell appareal (insert your business name here). I am writing to you today to see what I would need to do in order to get physical copies of your catalog and your color guides. I am putting together a binder with the designs that I have to offer along with my favorite brand suggustions and I would love to include you in this binder for my customers to review. I noticed that I could download the digital copies, but as I am sure know, there is nothing like seeing the physical real life color of an item. Please let me know at your earliest convience, if needed you can call me or email me at (insert your contact information). Thank you so much and have a wonderful day. “

Well, that’s all she wrote folks! I hope that you found this helpful. If you did, make sure you share it with your other crafting friends. If you want to hang out with me and other like-minded besties, be sure to join the group. You won’t regret it. We do awesome giveaways and you can stay up to date on new freebies (check out this post for my favorite places)!


Installing Fonts on your iPad
So you have been collecting a rather large number of fonts and you are left wondering – “What’s next?”. If you work on an iPad it can be a little crazy to find an easy way to install fonts (TRUST ME I KNOW). So hopefully by the end of this article, you will be pro at installing fonts on your iPad.
If you don’t have any right now but are a sucker for freebies? Then you HAVE to check out Fontbundles.net they have a HUGE selection of freebies that rest forever in the freebie spot as well as a weekly freebie that lasts well 7 days (starting every Wednesday!). Disclaimer! I am an affiliate there. The links shown are affiliate links. What does that mean exactly? Well, when I refer you over there, if you make a purchase they give me a small portion of the sales. It’s not enough to buy a boat, but by golly, I can take an extra trip to the Dollar Tree at the end of the month!
*Some other great articles that you should probably check out if you are in love with freebies best places that you can visit right now and download 100% free fonts with commercial use. These sites offer the BEST quality and are totally trusted. As I mentioned in a previous blog ” Best Places For Free Files “, if you have a FAVORITE font designer, keep in mind that on Fridays, they often have a freebie available for a limited time! I also know an incredible designer that offers “$2 – Tuesday!” Although not free, her fonts are ah-mazing!
Please check each site for their own specific terms and conditions in regards to their files as some may have a limit on the number of products that you can make with each file.
What you need:
- iPad
- Font (link takes you to Font bundles for free fonts!)
- iFont (free app available to download)
- Program to use it in (this tutorial will use Procreate)
What you do:
- Download your font! Seriously have you checked out the Free font of the week over at FontBundles?
- Click on the Download button (down arrow next the URL) to show all of your downloads.
- Click on your recent download zip file. It will pop up a folder that contains your zip files.
- Tap your ZIP for it to automatically unzip your file.
- Open that new folder and tap on the .otf. Your font should shop up with A – Z and the standard “The quick brown fox….” text displayed.
- Tap the button in the top corner (looks like a box with an arrow pointing up).
- Select “Copy to iFont” and open the app if it didn’t already pop up.
- Tap “Install” on the left hand side.
- You will now want to open up your iPad settings, go to General, and then select Profile. You should see “downloaded profile” with your font right under it.
- Tap the font and then tap install.
A few photos to help you out 🙂






You are now SET! you can play with your new font in any program. If you know an easier way to install fonts, PLEASE tell me! This took a minute to figure out and I would love a shortcut.
