Be still my monogram loving heart.

It took me all of 20 minutes to start cutting monograms with my new Cricut Explore. If you come near me – chances are I will monogram you. Watch out. But, since you’re not around for me to monogram, I’ll make a pencil pouch instead.

And as an extra treat,  you’ll be happy to know that today’s post is a two-fer. I’m gonna walk you through this pencil pouch tutorial AND I’ve got a little hidden gem that will give you a behind this scenes look at cutting a monogram with your Cricut Explore.

Let’s get started:

To create a the glittery finish on your pencil pouch, you’ll need a few specialty tools. 

For a while I’ve been on the hunt for a way to apply glitter to fabric without having it flake off constantly. Welp. I found it!  Tulip Glitter Bond adheres glitter like none other.

{1} Place painter’s tape onto two pieces of canvas, which you have cut to size based on the size bag you are making.

{2} Squeeze the Tulip Glitter Bond below the painter’s tape

{3} Use a sponge pouncer to evenly distribute the glue below the tape

{4} Sprinkle glitter onto the glue. I found that you can use any glitter you want as long as it is not to chunky. I opted for Martha Stewart Florentine Gold.

{5} Spread glitter evenly, using firm pressure to make sure the glitter adheres well.

{6} Shake off any excess glitter that is not well adhered and peel back the painter’s tape. Make sure to shake off the glitter over your neighbor’s lawn. Tell em a leprechaun did it.

{7} Allow the glitter to dry for about 30 minutes before assembling the pencil pouch

{8} Now it’s time to stitch this sucker up…and since Damask Love is not and never will be your number one place for sewing advice, I’m gonna refer out on this one. Head over to Design Sponge for an awesome tutorial on how to sew up your pencil pouch. You can also follow the {i damask love} sewing Pinterest board for more tutorials on creating makeup & pencil bags.

With my cute, monogrammed bag all done, I filled it with some equally cute pencils. I spray painted them gold and then used the Explore one more time to add teeny, tiny hearts to each one.