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One of my favorite parts of Christmas is setting up and decorating the Christmas tree. Our big tree that goes in our front room is full of all sorts of mismatched ornaments that have been collected over the years. It isn't the most Instagram worthy, beautiful tree, but I absolutely love it. It is full of memories and it is the kind of tree we always had when I was a kid. But there is also a part of me that always wants to make a themed tree too so when we decided to set up our small tree in the basement I decided I wanted to do a theme.
Then my husband broke his hip at the beginning of November and since our bedroom and his temporary office space are both in the basement and getting up down the stairs is really hard for him right now, he has been spending almost all of his time downstairs. So, I decided it would be fun to decorate the tree for him and set it up in his office.
His office is currently set up in an unfinished room in our basement so it isn't the prettiest space, but I figured a Christmas tree would be a fun way to spruce it up and make it a little more festive. He is also a huge geek, he likes pretty much anything geeky, Star Wars, Superheroes, Lord of the Rings, etc. But right now with The Mandalorian having new episodes coming out every week that has been a favorite. I decided that was the theme I was going to go with for his tree.
Last year when the first season of The Mandalorian came out I crocheted a little Baby Yoda for him to set on his desk, but it just so happened that that little crocheted Baby Yoda (aka Grogu) was the perfect size for a Christmas Ornament. So I started by crocheting up 8 different Baby Yodas, each a little different. One was the plain original version, one drinking broth, one in Mando's bag, another in the pod, and then a few that were holding or eating different things that I made out of clay.
Once that was done we also added some ball ornaments that we found at Target that were the perfect colors. But, we still needed something to put on top of the tree. I remembered that Cricut Design Space had Mandalorian images so I decided to look there for something I could use. The images all cost $1.99 but once you buy an image it is yours to use again and again, you don't have to pay each time.
I found an image I liked and decided to try adding the image to an aluminum sheet using Infusible Ink. Did you know you could add Infusible Ink to metal? I had seen it done but hadn't tried it yet and I thought this would be the perfect project to try it out. 
I cut the image I chose out of a galaxy print Infusible Ink and pressed it onto the metal sheet. I peeled off the transfer sheet, and honestly couldn't have been happier with the results. It turned out looking so cool.
I made this as a topper for my Mandalorian Tree but I think it would look neat hanging on a wall too, you could put it in a frame or just hang it up as is, either with velcro strips or by gluing a hanger on the back. Whatever you decide to do with it I thought it turned out too nice not to share, and it was super easy to make.
I cut the image I chose out of a galaxy print Infusible Ink and pressed it onto the metal sheet. I peeled off the transfer sheet, and honestly couldn't have been happier with the results. It turned out looking so cool.
I made this as a topper for my Mandalorian Tree but I think it would look neat hanging on a wall too, you could put it in a frame or just hang it up as is, either with velcro strips or by gluing a hanger on the back. Whatever you decide to do with it I thought it turned out too nice not to share, and it was super easy to make.
How to Make a Metal Mandalorian Sign with Infusible Ink
You will need:
- Cricut Maker or Explore
- Infusible Ink (Galaxy Print)
- Cricut Aluminum Sheets, 5x7
- EasyPress 2
- EasyPress Mat
- white cardstock
Instructions:
Open Cricut Design Space and choose the image that you want to use. I just typed Mandalorian in the search bar and chose the Mandalorian: United Front design (#M1396468A).
Resize the image as needed. I like to do this by creating a shape that is the same size as the item I will be putting the image on so that I can get a visual idea of what size I like it to be in comparison to the canvas. In this case I was putting it on a 5" x 7" piece of aluminum so I made a 5"x 7" rectangle and adjusted the Mandalorian image to fit.
Next cut your design out of the Infusible Ink transfer sheet. Place the sheet printed side up and make sure to mirror your design just like you would for regular iron on.
Weed the cut design.
Turn your EasyPress on to 385 degrees and set the timer for 40 seconds.
While you wait for your EasyPress to heat up you can prepare your aluminum sheet. There is a film on both sides of the Cricut Aluminum Sheets. The clear film side is the side you will press the design onto, but you need to remove both liners before pressing (the wrong side has a gold film on it). Then wipe with a lint free cloth to remove any dust.
Next you will place a piece of white cardstock on top of your EasyPress mat to protect the surface. Then place the metal sheet right side up (the side you will be pressing onto, that had the clear film), next place the design right side down on the metal sheet where you want it to be. Use heat resistant tape to hold it in place if needed. Then place a sheet of butcher paper on top of that (comes inside the roll of Infusible Ink).
Now press the design for 40 seconds at 385 degrees with no pressure. Carefully lift the press off of the mat and let cool. Once cool carefully peel off the transfer sheet to reveal your design.
I added a ribbon loop on the back of my sign to be able to put it on the tree. You could do the same to create a hanging loop to hang it on a wall. If you want to glue a loop on the back you will need to use something like an E-6000 glue (that is what I used). Hot glue will not work, it will peel off of the metal right away.
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