This month’s International Blogger Club (IBC) challenge is all about “Local Love,” so I set out to celebrate Australia in style. My project transforms a simple cushion using my Cricut into a tribute to our sunburnt country by layering a rich brown leather map of Australia with sparkling holographic iron‑on vinyl silhouettes of our native wildlife—kangaroos, koalas, platypuses and more—scattered across the continent like glittering gems.

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DIY holographic iron‑on vinyl cushion

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Materials Needed

• Cricut Explore Air 2 (or Silhouette Cameo)
• Brown faux leather sheet
• Holographic sparkle iron‑on mosaic vinyl
• StandardGrip (green) mat for vinyl
• StrongGrip (purple) mat for leather
• Household iron or Heat press
• Parchment paper + tea towel
• Tacky glue
• Plain cushion cover (≈45 × 45 cm)
• Leather lace + beads for tassels

Create Your SVG Design

Open Cricut Design Space and import an outline of Australia. Import silhouettes of native animals (koala, kangaroo, platypus, kookaburra, emu). Duplicate the map outline: one copy for leather, one for vinyl placement. Arrange animal shapes atop the second outline. Group and colour‑code layers to separate mats. Ignore the Flag, I left that out in the end.

Hide the vinyl group and change the leather map to a distinct colour so Cricut sorts colours correctly.

Cut the Leather Map

Place brown faux leather on the StrongGrip (purple) mat. Load into Cricut and select “Leather” material setting.

Cut the map outline, then weed away excess leather.

Cut the Holographic Iron‑On Vinyl

Mirror your design in Cricut’s settings! (Essential for text and direction.)

Place vinyl shiny‑side down on the StandardGrip (green) mat. Select “Iron‑On (Holographic)” and cut.

Weed away excess vinyl, leaving only the animal shapes.

Transfer Vinyl to Leather

I made two attempts to transfer the images. For my first try, I simply placed parchment paper between the iron and the vinyl—just as I’ve done successfully before—but the faux leather reacted very differently. The iron’s direct heat was too intense, causing the leather’s adhesive to melt onto my ironing board and ruining both the leather and the cover. I felt it was important to warn you that faux leather needs extra protection from high heat to avoid this mishap.

Lay the leather map flat on your heat‑safe surface, cover with parchment paper, then add a tea towel. Align the vinyl shapes, carrier‑film side up, so they match your design. Set your iron to hot with no steam and press firmly over each section for 30 seconds. Let it cool briefly, then peel back the carrier film slowly. If some pieces don’t adhere, press again for 10–20 seconds.

Attach Leather to Cushion

Originally, I thought about sewing the leather onto the cushion, but the stitching around that intricate map outline felt too bulky. Instead, I reached for tacky glue—an all‑purpose adhesive that dries clear and stays slightly flexible. To prevent any glue seeping through, tuck a sheet of plastic or cling wrap inside the cushion cover behind the leather piece. Spread a thin, even coat of tacky glue across the back of the leather, press it firmly into place on the cover, then lay another plastic sheet over the top. Finally, add some weight, such as books, overnight to ensure every edge bonds securely without wrinkles or gaps.

Add Tassels

To add the tassels, I cut several 10 cm strips of leather lace, threaded a handful of beads salvaged from old costume jewellery onto each strip, then knotted the ends. Finally, I stitched the finished tassels securely to the top corners of the cushion, giving it a playful, textured accent.

Because of the holographic finish, the cushion’s colours shift with every viewing angle, and no photograph can fully capture its iridescent brilliance.

About IBC (International Bloggers Club)

If you follow my blog, you will know I am part of IBC (International Bloggers Club) which is a group of talented bloggers from around the world. We have members from Spain, South Africa, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Each month we come together and create a project in a common theme.

If you missed last month’s “Sands of time” theme here is the link to my upcycled sand timer.  The contributions from my fellow bloggers are listed below, please feel free to jump over and give them some love.

1. A Crafty Mix| DIY Ndebele planters
2.  Raggedy Bits – How to Make A Whitewashed Farmhouse Sign
3. Me| Unique creations By Anita
4.  Birdz of a Feather – Pop Art Serving Tray
5. Interior Frugalista – Alberta Wild Rose Decoupage Napkin Coaster

Cricut project ideas

These cool dog bandannas are really easy to make, and you will have the coolest dog in town.

You can use your Cricut or Silhouette to give a plain lampshade a custom vinyl‑decal makeover. You can find more Cricut project ideas HERE

If you’d like to find any of the items used in this project, we’d greatly appreciate it if you used our affiliate links. These links provide us with a small commission at no extra cost to you, allowing us to continue creating and sharing more inspiring projects. We’d also love to hear your thoughts—feel free to leave a comment or share this post!