HANDLETTERING VS. VINYL ORNAMENTS

Suzanne's Custom Order 2019

Find out what I learned from making Christmas ornaments for the past 3 seasons and tips you can use to choose between hand-lettering or vinyl solution for your works. 

Update: I found the quality of acrylic cut from Aliexpress Ornament quality is inferior comparing to the pricier ones on Amazon. I received one for Christmas from a calligrafriend; Camille from @sincerely.camille and it was at least twice in thickness. Photo is showing her calligraphy vinyl cut, personalized with my name and A Grateful Note Instagram handle. 

Hand-Lettering/ Calligraphy Rose Gold Vinyl on Acrylic Round Disc Ornaments

2019 came and gone so quickly in a blink of an eye. It is less than a month until Christmas and is one of the busiest time of the year for a calligrapher. Not only we have to go shopping in between 8-5 (if you have one like I do), we still have to work on ornament orders. Calligraphy ornaments are one of the most sought after gifts every Christmas season since I started my lettering journey. Support your local calligraphers and #shopsmall this year!!!
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As an aspiring crafter and wanting to explore a new possibility, I got my Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine in 2017 at Christmas time. I used it mainly to cut custom vinyls and make greeting cards. I went to college and I was hand-cutting most my projects with X-Acto knife and scissors and hated it. This machine is a revolutionary for me when it comes to making ornaments for Christmas. However, with some exceptional designs, I would use paint pens to execute. In this post, I will show you my favourite ornament orders and how I determine the solution used in each project. 
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My most popular surfaces every year are glass baubles and flat clear acrylics. Glass baubles are timeless classic and beautiful. The surface is challenging for hand lettering as I am not used to writing on a curved surface yet. This year, I will practice to hand-letter and illustrate on baubles as a new skill to prepare me for my high-end on-site career but for now, I am sticking to vinyl designs for my clients. Vinyl designs are made in Procreate App, saved as PNG and uploaded to Cricut Design Space to send to the Criciut Air Machine. I would use the standard grip or light grip mat for the vinyl cutting. 

The PROS I have for vinyls on baubles:

• 50+ colours available. Gold has been the favourite so far. 
• Cleaner cut, less mess to execute
• Durable through weather for outdoor usage
• Great for single names 

The CONS I have for vinyls on baubles:

• Not great for details or complicated composition
• Expensive start up and maintenance cost

Comes in second is flat clear acrylics ornaments. You can order blank acrylics on KMxLaser​ for Canada and US. Flat clear acrylic ornaments are modern, simple and versatile. The surface is great for both hand-lettering and vinyl and the material is children/ pets friendly (no breakage for you). It is one of the best surface for beginners.

I would choose for the Sharpie Oil Paint Pen in my previous year but in 2023; I have found my faith in the Sakura Paint Pen in xFine tip. 

The PROS I have for handlettering on acrylic:

• Great for details and complicated composition
• Very good writing surface
• Low start up cost
• Low cost for shipping

The CONS I have for handlettering on acrylic:

• Not recommended for drafting and using rubbing alcohol to erase (some acrylic turns cloudy). In my case, I test leaving the ornament in alcohol overnight and the edges started to crack

I found that the CS white paint pen stays put against 100% alcohol. It is a great thing to use on ornaments but I would not use this particular paint pen for my rental mirrors as it would be a pain to clean off. The black paint pen, in the other hand, was beautiful and easier to clean off comparing to the Sharpie brand. 
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​What would you like to have letter on your ornaments? Would you prefer hand-lettering designs or vinyl designs? Give me your thoughts in the comment section below.

Check out my Instagram to see more upcoming Christmas 2019 ornament designs. Thank you for a wonderful and eventful 2019. Merry Christmas  to my followers and and looking forward to see you again in 2020!!!