How to Make Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts – 3 Ways!
I am making a ton of Disney cruise fish extender gifts and these fun Disney lanyards can be made three ways-making it a fun, easy craft anyone will love!
Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we were coming up with a ton of different ways to make our DIY fish extender gifts and these fun Disney lanyards are one of the BEST! And because they were so tiny, such small designs, I decided to try a few different ways to find the easiest. Turns out, they all have their pros and cons.
RELATED READING: DISNEY CRUISE FISH EXTENDER GIFT IDEA – SLEEP MASKS
So, while you can make personalized lanyards with Disney characters super fast with one method (printable vinyl), you don’t get the seamless look of the more time consuming option (Infusible Ink), nor do you get the durability of the other option (heat transfer vinyl). If you’re ready to jump in and decide which is best for you, let’s get started.
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Tips to Make Fish Extender Lanyards
- First, grab some awesome lanyard blanks here. They’re super sturdy and wide enough for a good sized design. I really liked how thick they are too. But, full disclosure, there’s no little card holders that come with the lanyards, but you’re going to need them on the cruise, so you’ll have to grab some separately like these.
- There are three ways I used to make these fun Disney lanyards: Printable Vinyl (Baby Groot), Infusible Ink Pens (Baby Yoda and Stormtrooper), and Heat Transfer Vinyl (Lilo & Stitch). Making each one has it’s own tricks, so I’ve broken each one down here:
- Printable Vinyl (Baby Groot)
- Grab the Baby Groot SVG here.
- Find some printable vinyl sheets at your local craft store. You will want to find a few projects to do all on one sheet so you don’t waste your printable vinyl, but if you’re making Disney cruise fish extender gifts, you’ll want a handful of different versions, so you can do several on one sheet with no problem.
- Infusible Ink (Baby Yoda and Stormtrooper)
- Grab the Baby Yoda SVG here and the Stormtrooper SVG here.
- If you love the idea of Infusible Inks, but you’re a little concerned because you haven’t done it before, this is an INCREDIBLE beginner Infusible Ink project. All you need is the Infusible Ink pens like these and some laser copy paper–and your Cricut, of course.
- Heat Transfer Vinyl (Lilo & Stitch)
- Grab the Lilo SVG here and the Stitch SVG here.
- When you’re layering, something I have really learned through trial and error is to either layer everything together on one transfer sheet (upside down, of course, so it turns out correct when you flip it over), OR you can iron things on in layers, but you have to let your item rest between each layer, so that each applied layer can fully cool. Otherwise, you end up with puckered and ugly layers as they each overheat.
- Printable Vinyl (Baby Groot)
How Do I Make Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts?
I’m so glad you asked. Below is our written tutorial.
Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts
I love how easy each of these Disney lanyards were--but they all definitely have their own pros and cons. So, check each method out and see which one works for your DIY fish extender gifts!
Materials
Disney Cut Files
- Stormtrooper SVG
- Baby Groot SVG
- Baby Yoda SVG
- Stitch SVG
- Lilo SVG
- Laser Copy Paper (if using Infusible Ink Pens)
Tools
- Cricut Maker or Explore Air 2
- Cricut Easy Press Mini
- Parchment Paper or Butcher Paper
- Infusible Ink Pens
Instructions
- To make the Infusible Ink version (Baby Yoda or Stormtrooper in my photos), start by downloading the SVG and uploading it to Cricut Design Space. Resize your design to about 1 inch high, highlight the shape and change the line type to "draw". Load your black Infusible Ink pen into the machine along with the laser copy paper and set the machine to draw the outline.
- Once drawn, use the appropriate Infusible ink pen to color in your design further.
- When it's colored as much as you'd like, cut out the shape generally, just so you can maneuver it onto the lanyard and get it lined up easily.
- Place your design, face down, onto the lanyard, followed by a sheet of parchment paper.
- With the EasyPress Mini, heat the design, securing the ink to the lanyard fabric, per the directions on the pen package.
- Remove the paper, then repeat with as many of the designs on your lanyard as desired.
- To make the heat transfer vinyl version (Lilo & Stitch), start by downloading the SVG and uploading it to Cricut Design Space. Load your vinyl in the appropriate colors into the Cricut and cut each color element of your design at about 1 inch high.
- Weed each element of the design, then either layer the design onto transfer paper then heat pressing it onto the lanyard in one pass, OR press the elements in layers onto the lanyard, allowing each layer to cool before layering on the next.
- To make the printable vinyl version (Baby Groot), start by downloading the SVG and uploading it to Cricut Design Space. Load your printable vinyl into your printer. Resize your design to about 1 inch high, then set Cricut Design Space to "print". Print your design, then load it into your cutting machine and cut each shape.
- Weed your design, then place onto your lanyard, face up.
- Use a scraper tool to press the vinyl into the lanyard. If you are having trouble getting it to stick, I found that using the EasyPress Mini helped to get the vinyl to be more secure.
Notes
For more fun Disney craft ideas, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!
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More DIY Disney Gift Ideas You Might Like
- Mandalorian and Baby Yoda Mickey Ears – If you have a Disney fan or a Star Wars fan, it’s likely you’re going to have a gift recipient that LOVES these DIY Mandalorian Mickey ears.
- Princess Belle Paper Roll Craft – Kids love making gifts for other kids–and this Disney princess paper roll craft is perfect for getting the kids making!
- Disney Ornament SVG Collection – I’m going to be making door ornaments for fish extender gifts and this Disney ornament SVG collection is perfect for getting that collection made!
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