Celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday With This DIY “O Canada” Banner

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was born and raised in Alaska, roughly two hours from the Canadian border. It's funny growing up there, because it always feels like Canada is a part of you (like, you refer to the continental United States as “the Outside” but Canada is “next door”). Growing up, we often hosted high schools from Canada at sporting events or cultural activites. So much so, that basically everyone in Alaska knows both of the national anthems of the two countries. I sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “O Canada” before many a high school basketball game and, to this day, I still know both by heart.

So when I realized that my “other homeland” was going to be celebrating their 150th birthday – I immediately wanted to do a little something to embrace those memories of singing their gorgeous anthem. So, I busted out my trusty Cricut Explore Air and made a fun, glittery banner! Check out my step by step tutorial on how to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday with this DIY “O Canada” banner!

Celebrate Canada's 150th Birthday With This DIY “O Canada” Banner

Supply List:

• Cricut Explore Air
• FREE “O Canada” Banner
• Plain Banner (I got mine from the Target Bargain Bins)
• Cricut Glitter Iron-on
• Iron
• Cricut Mat
• Cricut Cutter
• Cricut Weeding Tool

Instructions:

Step One: Create your own image or download the FREE “O Canada” Banner to your computer and then upload it to Cricut Design Space:

• Log into Cricut Design Space.
• Select “Start a New Project”.
• Next, select “Insert Image”, located in the sidebar on the left.
• Select “Browse” and choose the image from your computer that you would like to upload into the Cricut Design Space.
• Select from the three options offered to indicate what type of image quality best matches the image you just uploaded. For the FREE “O Canada” Banner, choose “Simple Image”. Click “Continue To Step 2”.
• In this step, you will be removing all the white space (or negative space) to make cut lines for your Cricut Explore Air to follow. Basically, this is where you'll click and remove the parts of the graphic that you want the Cricut Explore Air to cut out (and leave the image intact) This is where you will remove all the white space that you do not want cut. Use the magic wand to click on the areas that you want the Cricut Explore Air to cut out – after you click on them, there should be a light blue/white square background showing behind them. Click “Continue To Step 3″. Big Fat Tip: The checkerboard background indicates the areas that have been removed and will not cut. The solid areas represent the image you will use on the design screen.
• Next, you'll be asked to name your file. You also have the option to tag your image, which can help you find it later if you forget the file name. Click “Save Image”.
• Now, you'll be returned to the “Upload Images” screen. Your new image will appear in the “Uploaded Images Library”.
• Click on the image to add the image to your project. Big Fat Tip: A green check will appear, indicating it is selected.
• Click “Insert Images” to add your uploaded image to the design screen.

Step Two: Select the Cut option in the Layers tab on the top right.

Step Three: Turn the knob on your Cricut Explore Air to “Iron-On”. Big Fat Tip: While just using the “Iron-On” selection on the knob worked for me, others recommend that you choose Custom and then select iron-on glitter within Design Space.

Step Four: Use the Cricut Cutter to cut the Glitter Iron-On to the necessary size and read the direction on the packaging CAREFULLY to figure out how to apply it to the Cricut Mat properly. It's really, really important to apply the material with the clear liner down on your mat.

Step Five: Load the Cricut Mat into the Cricut Explore Air. Select Mirror Image in the Design Space and then press Go.

Step Six: Watch the Cricut Explore Air cut out the “O Canada” graphic – it's SO AWESOME!

Step Seven: Once the cutting is complete, remove the iron-on from the Cricut Mat. Then use the Cricut Weeding Tool to peel the negative space pieces off the “O Canada” graphic.

Step Eight: Place the “O Canada” graphic on the banner (remember that since you had it cut out as a mirror image, that it will now be placed on the banner with the graphic the right way). Use an iron to gently press the “O Canada” graphic. Peel off the plastic once you're done ironing.

Step Nine: Enjoy!