How to Make Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts – 3 Ways!

BySarah Nenni-Daher Updated:
Jump to Instructions

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 cruise fish extender disney lanyard diy baby groot lanyard
These super cute Disney Cruise fish extender gift ideas are so fun–and now I want a Disney lanyards for myself. Wrong? Nah.

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.


overhead view of stormtrooper lanyard
No Time to Make This Now? Pin it for Later

You’re busy, I get it. Pin this to your favorite easy DIY Disney crafts board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready.

diy fish extender gift cruise craft with text which reads disney cruise lanyards

As an Amazon Associate, I can earn from qualifying purchases.

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)
    • 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.
easy DIY disney craft idea of disney lanyards

How Do I Make Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts?

I’m so glad you asked. Below is our written tutorial.

Yield: 3 Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts

Disney Lanyards for Fish Extender Gifts

easy DIY disney craft idea of disney lanyards

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!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $3

Materials

Disney Cut Files

Tools

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. photo collage tutorial of how to make a disney lanyard with infusible ink pens
  • 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. photo collage tutorial of how to make a disney lanyard with heat transfer vinyl
  • 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. photo collage tutorial of how to make a disney lanyard with printable vinyl

    • Notes

    For more fun Disney craft ideas, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!

    Recommended Products

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Did you make this?

    Please leave a comment or share a photo and tag me @rufflesandrain

    © Sarah Nenni-Daher
    Project Type: Cricut Craft / Category: SVG and Cricut

    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!
    Please Save This to Pinterest

    Your shares are how this site grows and I am sincerely grateful. Know a friend who’d like this? Please share it on Facebook or save it to your favorite easy DIY Disney crafts board on Pinterest.

    disney cruise fish extender gift idea of a baby yoda lanyard with text which reads disney lanyards 3 ways
    Sarah Nenni-Daher creator of Ruffles and Rain Boots in black shirt against greenery background.

    Meet the Creator

    Hi there, I’m Sarah Nenni-Daher. I’m a crafty gal and always have at least 14 projects going at once. I am a crafter, designer, DIYer, and pattern maker. I share my creations here and in the Ruffles and Rain Boots® Shop.

    Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots®, you’ll find DIY gnomes, crafts, gifts, cupcakes, laser crafts, and so much more. I love sharing video tutorials over on YouTube and chatting with other crafters in my Facebook groups. We’d love to have you!

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *