Since my motorcycle is winterized and the days have been dreadfully cold, windy, rainy, and snowy, I’ve had to shift my focus. When the weather keeps me off the road, I turn to winter motorcycle activities, specifically motorcycle-themed arts and crafts.
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The Maker Behind the Helmet
I am a naturally crafty person. My craft room is packed with supplies that I actually put to use—from sewing tables and knitting needles to scrapbooking paper and my Cricut® Maker for cutting vinyl. There’s nothing I love more than making personalized gifts for the people in my life.
Since I winterized my motorcycle, my social media feeds have been a wild mix of Formula 1, MotoGP offseason news, and DIY craft videos. While it’s easy to get lost in the “scroll,” I’m doing my best to stay focused on the projects I’m actually creating.
A Special Project for a “Riding Friend for Life”
For Christmas this year, I wanted to create something special for my Riding Friend for Life, Jenn. She and her family are incredibly precious to me, and I’m so grateful for the amazing routes she has shown me as I have been learning to ride my motorcycle.
I decided a personalized notebook would be the perfect gift—something she could use as a riding journal to document our future adventures.
Choosing the Perfect Base
I started with a “blank” item that could be easily customized. I chose a 6”x8” black faux-leather journal by Artist’s Loft. It’s compact enough to fit into a tote or backpack but has nearly 200 pages.
Why I like this journal:
- Quality Paper: The lined pages hold pen ink well without bleeding through.
- Built-in Index: It includes index pages at the front, allowing you to build your own table of contents.
- Versatility: While I used the lined version, there is also a dot grid version available for those who prefer bullet journaling.
The Customization Process
To create the cover design, I found several SVG files on Etsy and uploaded them into Cricut Design Space to size and cut the images.
- The Vinyl: I opted for iron-on vinyl because it is thinner than standard adhesive vinyl, which reduces the risk of the design peeling off with frequent use.
- The Tech: A quick tip for Cricut users—the software now automatically mirrors your image when you select “iron-on.” I accidentally mirrored mine manually first and had to fix it!
- The Application: After weeding the design, I did a heat test on a small area. I needed a temperature hot enough to bond the vinyl but cool enough to avoid melting the synthetic cover. The lowest setting on my Cricut Mini-Press worked perfectly.
Looking Forward to Riding Season
I gifted the personalized notebook to Jenn on Christmas Eve. I hope it serves her well, perhaps even holding maps and photos once the riding season opens back up in late March or early April.
More Projects on the Horizon
The winter crafting hasn’t stopped yet! Stay tuned for more motorcycle arts and crafts projects, including:
- Decorating a matte black helmet.
- Creating custom motorcycle greeting cards.
- Designing “pucks” for my son to 3D print for our bikes.
What do you do to keep up with motorcycling when you can’t ride? Let me know in the comments!
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