Introduction: Here's Looking at You Kid. Make a One of a Kind Valentines Pocket Mirror.
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About: In my little workshop the most satisfying outcome is a new design come to life.
Skip the diamonds. You can wow your honey with something creative, unique, and free!
A little personalized project just for your honey.
CutYourWay.com always gives free 1"x3" samples in select materials, so this project will be a 1"x3" mirror with a little personalized message in it.
The mirror acrylic is great because it's not as brittle as glass mirror, won't break when dropped, and if it does break due to extreme handling, it doesn't shatter into razor-sharp bits.
All you need is:
Imagination
Internet Connection
Vector Graphics Editor
I'll assume you've got the first two, and as for the third,
You can use Inkscape , which is free. Please note if the version doesn't install properly, you can try other versions until you get one that works.
CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, or any other vector-based graphics editor will work too of course.
Submit your files to cutyourway.com on the home page. If the file is 1"x3" or smaller, they know it's a sample and will process it for free. Bigger sizes are also very affordable and you can fit as many things as you like onto the flat-rate sizes which vary per material.
A little personalized project just for your honey.
CutYourWay.com always gives free 1"x3" samples in select materials, so this project will be a 1"x3" mirror with a little personalized message in it.
The mirror acrylic is great because it's not as brittle as glass mirror, won't break when dropped, and if it does break due to extreme handling, it doesn't shatter into razor-sharp bits.
All you need is:
Imagination
Internet Connection
Vector Graphics Editor
I'll assume you've got the first two, and as for the third,
You can use Inkscape , which is free. Please note if the version doesn't install properly, you can try other versions until you get one that works.
CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, or any other vector-based graphics editor will work too of course.
Submit your files to cutyourway.com on the home page. If the file is 1"x3" or smaller, they know it's a sample and will process it for free. Bigger sizes are also very affordable and you can fit as many things as you like onto the flat-rate sizes which vary per material.
Step 1: Design the Project (in This Case a Mirror!)
A little pocket mirror that can be used as a keyfob is a pretty sweet little easy thing to create.
This one is going to be two pieces. 1 side will be the mirror side, the other side solid red. We'll glue the two together later.
Make sure you follow the CutYourWay guidelines to make all the CUT lines <.3pt blue, the vector ETCH lines <.3pt magenta, and the solid etch areas solid black. These have to be RGB or it won't work.
I decided to do the mirror in magenta line etch because it looks really good on mirror (which is always done from the back)
You can use any font you wish, type any message you wish. Just make sure all colors are perfectly coded.
Save your file as a PDF & make sure it's RGB coded.
Submit your files at www.CutYourWay.com, sit back, and wait for the mail (you will have to submit one file for mirror, one file for solid)
If the file is less than 1x3 inches they will process the order for free.
This one is going to be two pieces. 1 side will be the mirror side, the other side solid red. We'll glue the two together later.
Make sure you follow the CutYourWay guidelines to make all the CUT lines <.3pt blue, the vector ETCH lines <.3pt magenta, and the solid etch areas solid black. These have to be RGB or it won't work.
I decided to do the mirror in magenta line etch because it looks really good on mirror (which is always done from the back)
You can use any font you wish, type any message you wish. Just make sure all colors are perfectly coded.
Save your file as a PDF & make sure it's RGB coded.
Submit your files at www.CutYourWay.com, sit back, and wait for the mail (you will have to submit one file for mirror, one file for solid)
If the file is less than 1x3 inches they will process the order for free.
Step 2: When You Receive the Pieces in the Mail, Peel Off the Masks
Remember you have to glue them back-side together, so when you make your front side, make sure the back-side is mirror to that. Notice how the holes are on opposite sides.
Step 3: Then Glue the Pieces Together.
It's pretty easy to do, just spread some glue onto one side all the way to the edge. Do not use Acrylic weld, it will dissolve the mirror backing.
E6000 works great (I think I'll make a goal to use E6000 in every one of my tutorials)
Press the two pieces together and wipe the edge clean. You can place the mirror under a heavy book to further compression, squeeze with a couple clothes pins, wrap with a rubber band, anything to press the pieces together until the glue dries. Once it's dry, that's it! You're done.
Like a piece of cake.
E6000 takes about 24 hours to fully set but you can unwrap the project halfway through to pick off any glue that might have leaked out the edge.
I also like this glue because it doesn't melt the acrylic, so if you do accidentally get some smudgy prints on the mirror side, a few wipes with soft cloth and it will be good. Also when the glue is completely dry you can take a sharp knife and carefully remove any remaining residue from the sides.
E6000 works great (I think I'll make a goal to use E6000 in every one of my tutorials)
Press the two pieces together and wipe the edge clean. You can place the mirror under a heavy book to further compression, squeeze with a couple clothes pins, wrap with a rubber band, anything to press the pieces together until the glue dries. Once it's dry, that's it! You're done.
Like a piece of cake.
E6000 takes about 24 hours to fully set but you can unwrap the project halfway through to pick off any glue that might have leaked out the edge.
I also like this glue because it doesn't melt the acrylic, so if you do accidentally get some smudgy prints on the mirror side, a few wipes with soft cloth and it will be good. Also when the glue is completely dry you can take a sharp knife and carefully remove any remaining residue from the sides.
Step 4: Add the Final Touch!
What good is a pocket mirror without something to attach it with? This simple ball-link chain you can get at a hardware store for pennies. I took this particular one from a hang-tag on something I bought a long time ago (because I keep those sorts of things!)
You could also make a cool mirror with a wooden backing! That would be awesome.
www.CutYourWay.com offers free samples in a variety of materials and ships them worldwide. Use code: WORLDSHIP to get free sample shipping if you're outside US.
Disclaimer:
All characters appearing in this Instructable are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
That's right folks. "Claire" does not exist!
You could also make a cool mirror with a wooden backing! That would be awesome.
www.CutYourWay.com offers free samples in a variety of materials and ships them worldwide. Use code: WORLDSHIP to get free sample shipping if you're outside US.
Disclaimer:
All characters appearing in this Instructable are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
That's right folks. "Claire" does not exist!