DIY Mean Girls Conversation Hearts Banner (and how to use Cricut Iron On Vinyl!)

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There are some movies that you watch once and enjoy, but never really have the desire to see again. Then, there are those movies that you watch over and over again until you've memorized practically every word. Mean Girls is one of those movies. If you can't recite at least one of those memorable quotes, then you can't sit with us! It's got Lindsay Lohan at the peak of her career, Tina Fey's comedy, Rachel McAdams & Amanda Seyfriend before they were super famous, and Lacey Chabert from everyone's favorite show, Party of Five (people liked that show, right? I never watched it...). Combine that with the awesome 2004 fashion sense, the catchy lines, the harsh reality of frenemies, and the fact that you always wanted to be popular, and you've pretty much got the makings of a FANTASTIC movie. It was basically made by girls, for girls, so there's no way it wouldn't succeed. PS, can we talk about how everyone in Mean Girls wore lip gloss?! I'm not sure about you guys, but I don't wear lip gloss anymore. Is that just a high school thing? Idk...

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to make something fun with some felt hearts I picked up at Target. They look to me like Conversation Hearts candy, which are usually boringly sweet. "U R CUTE"? "CALL ME"? C'mon.... But, what if they were sorta sassy instead? PERFECT OPPORTUNITY for a Mean Girls DIY. Just sayin'.

Go grab some popcorn, your Mean Girls DVD, and your glue gun. This is going to be Grool!

You will need:

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

Cricut Explore Air Machine (here)
Pastel felt hearts (from Target)
Iron (here)
Red iron-on transfer (here)
Cricut tool kit or Tweezers (here)
Ribbon
Glue gun

I know what you're thinking..."How do I use Cricut iron on vinyl?" I knew you'd ask, so I have just the tutorial for you. How did I know? I have a fifth sense... It's like I have ESPN or something. The iron on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards.

How to Use Cricut Iron-On Vinyl

1. Open the Mean Girls Conversation Hearts Candy document in Cricut Design Space. 

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

2. Take your red iron-on vinyl and place it on your cutting sheet, liner side down. You'll be cutting the vinyl (matte side), so that means the shiny side goes down.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

3. Set up the file to cut on your Cricut machine by following the steps below. 

a. Set your Cricut machine mode to vinyl +

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

b. Press Go

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

c. Set to mirror image! This is very important, since your text needs to be backwards so that it'll be the right way when you finish.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

c. Load your Cricut cutting mat and start cutting.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

d. Wait for the Cricut machine to cut your file. Mine wouldn't cut the full document in one shot (annoying!) so after it stopped each time, I would remove the ones it cut from the document/cutting mat, reload the mat, and start cutting again.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

Look at all those fabulous quotes just waiting to get out there into the world!

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

4. Once your document has finished cutting on the Cricut machine, carefully cut around each quote. It's best to cut as close as you can to the letters, and try to make the border around each side even. This will make it easier to center them on the conversation hearts.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

5. Peel off the remaining vinyl, aka the extra red background. You'll be left with the clear liner and your letters. To do this, I take my Cricut hook tool and scrape a corner to make a hole.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

Then, I carefully and slowly peel away the liner to reveal the letters beneath. I found that peeling the vinyl from left to right was easier, since most of the letters face that way. Otherwise, you're going against the grain. So, aka... not the way I'm doing it in the photos.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

See how the E and the D in "Wednesday" are connected? That's because I'm peeling it the "wrong" way and it ripped the vinyl. It's not a big deal at all, because that's a scrap section anyway, but it makes it easier to peel if you go with the grain.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!
Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

6. Once you've pulled away the excess Cricut vinyl, go back and remove the excess vinyl in the letter holes, or any that was left over. Flip it over and double check that everything is where it should be.

Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!
Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

7. Center your quote on your conversation heart and press it down. To make sure it's evenly centered, I would look at a few things, like which word is in the center of the heart, how much distance is on either side, and how far it is from the top. If you're still not sure, take a quick picture with your phone to see if it's off center or crooked.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

8. Use your iron to carefully iron your quote onto the heart. Use the wool/low setting and place a cloth over it so you don't scorch the felt. Then, flip your heart over and iron the underside. If you have a small craft iron, you may be able to do it without a cloth like I did.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

9. Let it cool, then peel the liner off from the corner. Do this carefully to make sure all the letters fully adhered. If not, go back over it again, let it cool, and continue peeling.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

Once all your quotes are ironed on, you can begin arranging your banner! See how I did that below.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.
Cricut iron-on vinyl is actually pretty simple to use, as long as you know which way the vinyl goes and how to make sure your letters aren't backwards. Click for the full tutorial, along with how to make some Mean Girls conversation hearts!

Making your banner

1. Arrange your hearts in the order you'd like to see them, or by color.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

2. Cut a small piece of ribbon. This will act as a "tape" to hold the hearts together.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

3. Glue the ribbon onto the hearts at the widest part. Be sure to hold them as close together as you can to prevent a gap from forming between the hearts. I used pink ribbon, but a white one will probably camouflage the best. You can't really see it when you flip the banner over, so technically it doesn't matter.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.
Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

I also recommend adding some extra ribbon or twine at the ends to hang it. I originally didn't want to do that, but taping felt on a wall is basically impossible.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

Woohoo! Now, hang up your banner and revel in the joy of a Mean Girls Valentine's Day. You can also paste up some hearts as a party backdrop! This is my best Mean Girls face. Slightly friendly, slightly fierce, 100% Fetch. 

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

P.S. "And none for Gretchen Weiners. Bye!" is basically my favorite Mean Girls quote, and I use it in everyday life. It has so many practical uses.

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

So you agree? You think you're really pretty?

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

I really need to start wearing pink on Wednesdays. I mean, that's just like, the rules of feminism

Give your sweetheart candies a little bit of attitude this year by making them into Mean Girls Conversation Hearts. So Fetch! Click for the full tutorial, along with how to use Cricut iron on vinyl.

So what's your favorite Mean Girls quote? Is it one I missed? Let me know in the comments below!