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I moved into my house a little over a year ago, now and it’s becoming more and more my home. When I first got in this house there was so much I wanted to change. But there was kind of this global pandemic and everybody was concerned about money and it didn’t seem prudent to spend money to change things that weren’t necessary.
Now that things have settled down a bit I’ve started tackling a few of my issues. I recently used my Cricut Maker to Cut DIY Peel and Stick Tiles for a Backsplash that I just love. And I’m purchasing furniture that adds to the organization of my home. As you might have noticed from my recently spiffied up spice cabinet, I’m all about organization.
And My Craft Room Needs Some Major Organization Help
One of my biggest concerns recently is how often I move around my Cricut Maker. I built a special shelf inside of my office closet that fits on and is stowed out of the way easily when not in use. But every time I pull it down from that shelf and carry it across the room I worry that I’m going to drop it. So I started looking around for a cabinet or table or shelf that I could purchase to keep it in the same place all of the time. Not only would my Maker be raring to go, I also wouldn’t have that moment of sheer panic when a cat shoots out in front of me on my way!
On a Budget? Faux Bone Inlay is the Way to Go!
In my online perusing I found lots of really pretty bone inlay furniture. I mean, like, really pretty. But that beauty comes at a price! And one I’m not willing to pay! I mean, if you’ve got $1,698.00 plus tax, go for it! But if you came here hoping to find a solution for less than a tenth of that, I’ve got your back!
Not only do I have a fun and a little funky little Maker cabinet, I also have a piece of furniture that perfectly fits the aesthetic of my new, evolving home :)
Tools Needed to Make a Faux Bone Inlay Cabinet with Your Cricut:
- Cricut Maker
- StandardGrip Machine Mats, 12″ x 24″
- Hook Weeding Tool
- Scraper
- Cricut EasyPress
- Clover Mini Iron (this shape is important to get under the door pulls)
- Cricut EasyPress Mini or a Household Iron
- Teflon Sheet
A Cabinet for Your Cricut
Now I have a Cricut Maker and the biggest reason I selected the cabinet used in this tutorial is because it is the perfect width! However, if you have another Cricut machine this will work for you, also! Spoiler Alert – I even have a Cricut Joy inside of my Maker cabinet!
Supplies Needed for this Lixhult Hack:
- Cricut Iron-On in White (I used 6 Yards + 1 Foot of material total)
- IKEA Lixhult Cabinet
- Faux Bone Inlay Cabinet SVG Bundle
A Word About Your Iron-On
For my cabinet I purchased my Iron-On at a local craft store, 2 feet at a time, which is the standard Iron-on Roll size at a cost a cost of $10.19 a roll with tax. I purchased and used all but a single foot on 10 rolls of Iron-On for a cost of $101.90 for the Iron-On alone. It is insane how much cheaper it is to purchase your iron on in bulk directly from Cricut. Don’t be a ding-dong like me :) Order your Iron-On online :)
The Cabinet
If you’re purchasing a Lixhult cabinet specifically for this project I’d strongly recommend applying your design before putting the piece together.
If you have an already built cabinet you can still add the iron-on, you’ll just need to be very careful not to apply heat over any of the Iron-On where there is no longer a carrier sheet because the vinyl will burn and pucker.
Grab Your Free SVG Bundle
This bundle was created by yours truly and is make specifically for this Lixhult Cabinet from IKEA. Inside of the downloadable ZIP file you will have a PDF with to quick links to purchase supplies and materials for this project and 4 different SVG files for the top, sides, doors, and legs.
Cutting Your Faux Bone Inlay Cabinet Design:
For this project you’ll need to cut the designs for the top, the left door, the right door, the 2 sides and the legs. I’d strongly suggest working only a single SVG and its cuts at a time to keep things from getting too confusing. Trust me… if you cut it all at once, it is a whole lot of pieces of Iron-On to be matching up later.
Minimize Iron-On Waste in Cricut Design Space
I did a small poll and found that it was easier to understand the designs when the SVG looked just like the piece you’ll be applying the Iron-On to. But that is not the best use of your Iron-On. But no worries, I’ll show you how to minimize vinyl waste. (And you can use this method for any of your projects in Design Space!)
Above is the SVG file for the larger of the two Lixhult doors that has been uploaded into Cricut Design Space.
If you cut the file exactly as is you’ll need to apply about 35″ of vinyl to 2 long Cricut mats.
To better lay out your cuts you’ll need to select the design and right-click to select “Ungroup.”
Move the outer frame pieces so that they nest inside of one another with the two together not extending beyond 11.5″ (the maximum cut width on the mat with the Cricut Maker). Select the 2 frame pieces at once and right-click to select “Attach”.
You now only need to load a single long mat with 24″ of Iron-On saving quite a bit of vinyl in the process. In the end, maximizing the cuts per mat will minimize your vinyl cost.
Making the Cuts
Apply your Iron-On shiny carrier sheet side down onto a StandardGrip mat of the appropriate size (most cuts will require a longer mat but some you can use the standard size mat for). Load the material and mat into your machine and run the cut.
Carefully weed all of the pieces that you do not want to adhere to your cabinet. This will include all of those little lines inside of the geometric cube design of the center.
Flip your mat over onto your work surface and pull the mat away from the Iron-On to separate. Why? This helps prevent excessive static electricity if that’s a problem in your neck of the woods like it is in mine!
How to Apply Faux Bone Inlay Cabinet Designs to Metal
Application is time-consuming but not difficult. I used the large Cricut EasyPress, the Easypress Mini, and a Clover Mini Iron. You can use a standard household iron in place of the Easypress but the Mini Iron is necessary to apply the vinyl underneath the metal doorknobs. If you don’t have one but have a friend that sews, see if they have a mini iron you can borrow!
Piecing the Design Together
With the exception of the smallest door, all other designs will need to be pieced together. Here’s how:
When connecting the 2 pieces of the outer frame trim as close as possible to the squares using a pair of scissors. Cut through the outer line so there is no carrier sheet to the side.
Place the first piece of the frame sticky side up on your worktop. Match 2 second piece so that the squares are equally spaced apart on the design and the outer line matches up.
Place the design sticky side down centered on your metal piece. Remove or finagle the piece as necessary so that it is well centered. Slice the topmost piece of the vinyl for the outer frame so that there is as minimal overlap as possible with a pair of scissors.
Trim the center piece as closely to the edge of the design as possible with scissors.
If necessary, use Cricut Heat Resistant Tape to keep the design in place.
Preparing the Piece for Application
Clean the metal with rubbing alcohol and a clean paper towel or microfiber rag. Allow to completely dry.
Place the cardboard inserts from the cabinet packaging inside of the metal piece. This is super important because without adding something behind the metal the pressure needed to apply the vinyl will dent the metal.
Stick the design (stick side down) onto the metal piece and cover with a Teflon sheet to prevent overheating.
Transferring the Design with Heat
Quick Note – When working with hot tools it is advisable to practice caution to prevent burns.
Using an EasyPress or your household iron, apply heat and pressure to a section of the design OVER the Teflon sheet. (For your Easypress use the setting of 300 degrees and 25 seconds – household iron Linen setting and some experimentation with timing).
When placing and removing the heat source be sure to move straight up or down. Shaking side to side or moving the heat like you are ironing a shirt will cause the design not adhere properly and removing it once it is set is difficult (trust me).
When applying the designs to your door fronts, use the Mini Iron just beneath the handle. It’s difficult here to apply heat in the right area when a Teflon sheet is obstructing your view, so I suggest taking more time and using the low setting on the iron. Don’t worry about pressure in this tiny section (if your hand slips you could easily burn yourself so be careful!)
As you’ve adhered sections very carefully pull up the carrier sheet. Any vinyl that comes away with the carrier sheet or bubbles up from the metal will need more heat. If you have an EasyPress Mini this is the perfect time to use it! Don’t over apply heat as much as possible. Too much heat to areas that are already adhered can make the adhesive seep from behind the design making it not stick properly.
As you complete each design, prop pieces so that they do not overlap and scratch each other.
The Design for Legs and Sides
The long rectangular cuts that feature stretched out diamonds spaced between squares on an angle are to be applied to your legs and on the edges of some pieces. These include the front of one of the U-Shaped bars that support the bottom and sides, the front-most edge of the side pieces, and front and 2 sides (not the back) of the top piece) in addition to the legs.
Cut 8-10 of these strips, weed so that only the diamonds and squares remain and trim by hand to center on each piece. Pay attention to the order you apply so that the design matches up as well as possible.
Using an EasyPress Mini or a household iron, apply the strips to each piece a few shapes at a time. Carefully peel away the carrier sheet and apply more heat as necessary.
Use the Pieces to Build the Cabinet
Once all pieces are embellished with your faux bone inlay cabinet design, build using the directions that came with inside of the packaging.
Take care as you slide pieces together that you don’t scrape one piece against another and damage the design. This isn’t difficult at all, just be mindful of where your edges are and corners going.
Using Your IKEA Lixhult Hack Faux Bone Inlay Cabinet for All Things Cricut!
Once built your cabinet is sturdy enough to hold your Cricut cutting machine on top!
I plan on keeping my Cricut Maker on top of this cabinet all of the time but if you plan on moving it around, it’s a good idea to protect the Iron-On from scratches with a few coats of Polyurethane. Because, honestly, that’s too pretty to scuff up, isn’t it? :)
You have the perfect height inside to stand up your rolls of Iron-On, Permanent or Removable Vinyl and boxes of Infusible Ink and enough depth that you can lay them down, instead.
It’s kind of amazing just how much this little cabinet will hold! It won’t hold everything I have because I have mountains of supplies! But I’ve got enough space to house all of my supplies I plan to use for upcoming projects. They’re right there and easy to grab and go! I even have my Cricut Joy hanging out in there!
