How to personalise your furniture with LOKLiK!

Ready to get crafty??? In this blog post I show you how to use LOKLiK's amazing crafter machine!

As a furniture artist, I am always looking for new and creative ways that I can work on and decorate pieces.

I discovered LOKLiK a few months ago after seeing a project that a fellow content creator had shared on Instagram using their crafter cutting machine. I was so impressed with her DIY – the finish was just so professional!

Since then, I have been fascinated with LOKLiK’s products and have been desperately wanting to give their cutting machine a go, so I was delighted when they got in touch recently to ask if I’d like to work with them on a project!

When it comes to crafting and upcycling, I always LOVE trying out new techniques. The thing that really drew me to the LOKLiK crafter cutting machine is that you can create and cut out your own designs (you don’t just need to use the LOKLiKIdeaStudio app library). I also love the fact that the vinyl can be applied to so many different surfaces (the possibilities are endless!). It’s also waterproof, so it can be cleaned really easily.

My project!

I have been wanting to source a storage unit for my studio for a while now – something that I could use to store all of my many craft supplies in so that my workspace feels more organised. I also wanted to find a unit that I could personalise, so that it fits in with my fun and colourful studio décor!

I’m a huge fan of the brand Mustard Made, we have a couple of their lockers in our home. Their cabinets are so beautifully made, they have amazing storage space (they are really deep, which I love), and because of their shape and design, they fit with any type of décor!

I’ve been loving Mustard Made’s Level Up Your Locker’ series and seeing how creators have put their own stamp on their colourful cabinets. So I thought for this project….why not have a go at personalising my very own Mustard Made cabinet using my new LOKLiK cutting machine, and create a one-of-a-kind piece of storage for my studio!

Let’s give my locker a “Rachel” GLOW UP!

Materials needed for this project:

 

Top tip: When setting up your work space, I recommend that you do it in an area where there is lots of space such as on a large dining table – you will need room to set up your machine, an area for you to work on your mat and lay out your designs, and also room for a laptop/ipad.   

Step 1: Whenever I am working on a piece of furniture, I always create a vision board and plan out my design. So before diving straight into using the machine, I pulled together a design on Adobe Illustrator (you could also use Photoshop or design apps such as Canva to do this). I thought I’d go for a flower power theme for this project. I have quite a few vibrant colours in my studio, so I thought I’d create a multicoloured design to match my multicoloured décor! 🙂

Step 2: I then downloaded the LOKLiK IdeaStudio app on my mac computer and imported my vectors I had created in Illustrator into the app. You can also use the designs in the IdeasStudio app library, there are so many lovely ones to choose from! There is also the option of importing vectors from software’s such as Canva.

Top tip: If creating your own designs/vectors, make sure you that you save your files as .SVG’s, that way you will be able import them into their IdeasStudio app. You can save them all in “my Zone”.  

Step 3: I then duplicated each flower vector on separate canvas’s and decided what colour of vinyl I was going to use for each design and how many I wanted to cut out. 

Step 4: Working with one colour at a time, I attached my vinyl to the cutting mat (if using HVG make sure you place the sheets shiny side up – the plastic backing should be placed against the mat), I used my scraper tool to make sure my vinyl was completely flat and that there were no air bubbles and then loaded it into the machine. I then set up my artwork on the app ready to cut, making sure I selected/ticked all of the shapes. 

Top tip: Make sure that your cutting mat is completely free of any bits of dust/dirt/scraps of vinyl as this can cause little bumps and air bubbles. After you have finished cutting, always place your protective sheet back on top of your mat to keep it clean. 

Step 5: Once my first batch of shapes had been cut, I peeled back the vinyl to separate it from its plastic backing (this should peel off easily). I then used my weeding tool to weed out the little details.

Top tip: Take your time to peel, if you rush it you might end up tearing the vinyl.  If you find that your shapes haven’t been completely cut, try increasing the force of the blade.

Step 6: The next step was to place some transfer paper on top of all of my vinyl flowers. I ran over each design with my scraper tool. I applied lots of pressure making sure they had been completely flattened and that there were no air bubbles, then I peeled away their plastic backings.

Step 7: The final step was to apply my designs to my locker unit. I used my vision board as a reference and working with one vinyl flower at a time, I positioned them onto the locker and then firmly ran over each one with my scraper tool. I then peeled off the transfer paper.

It’s best to attach your vinyl designs in sections. I carefully and slowly stuck down two petals, then moved onto the remaining petals. I also applied lots of pressure making sure that there were no air bubbles. 

Top Tip: To avoid making any mistakes, roughly position where you want each design to sit before attaching them to your piece of furniture.

You may have noticed the I have also painted my locker unit. I firstly applied a coat of Zinsser B-I-N shellac based primer to the areas I wanted to paint, I love this primer as it sticks to anything (make sure you mask out the areas you don’t want to paint first with frog tape). I then applied two coats of Valspar furniture paint which can be applied to lots of different surfaces (it worked amazingly on the locker cabinet!). I then sealed with two coats of Polyvine heavy duty decorators varnish

The final outcome!

I am so so happy with how this project has turned out. 

This is such a FUN and EASY way to personalise a piece of furniture and create a one-of-a-kind storage cabinet for your home or workspace.

I have throughly enjoyed using my LOKLiK crafter cutting machine, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to set up and I love that there is such a wide range of colourful vinyls to choose from. Also, how lovely is the colour of the machine???

My head is now buzzing with lots of DIY ideas! I think I’ll do a bedside cabinet next 🙂  

Here are some other products/furnishings you could decorate using the LOKLiK crafter cutting machine:
  • Plant pots, vases and old paint tins
  • Storage boxes
  • Wooden stools
  • Ikea side tables and chest of drawers
  • uPVC doors
  • Children’s bedroom walls

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, and I hope I have inspired you to personalise your own furniture with LOKLiK’s amazing crafter cutting machine 🙂 

Rachel x x 

ABOUT

Rachel Henderson aka “The Dopamine Designer” is a creative entrepreneur who has built a successful brand around her passion for playful and colourful interior design. She works as an interior stylist, home decor coach and content creator, sharing her love for all things DIY over on her Instagram page – @therachelhendersonstudio

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