Crafting, Cricut

My favorite projects to make with a Cricut

Hi friends!

If this is your first time learning about Cricut or cutting machines, let me tell you you’re in for a TREAT.

You are about to go down a one-way path into CRAFTING MADNESS!!!!

So, what exactly is a Cricut?

They’re delightful machines, they can make any cut you want over and over, so you can make the same project, the same way, ENDLESSLY. Or, you can remake other people’s projects by just downloading the SVG cutting project file they send you.

Basically, Cricut machines give crafters a form of sheet music for crafting, a recipe you can follow but also make deviations where you see fit.

What can you make?

Well, lots of things! You can make

  • boxes
  • greeting cards
  • shirts
  • posters
  • stencils
  • decals and stickers
  • sewing patterns

Basically, anything you need to make cuts or draw accurately can be used with a Cricut machine. If you’re more of a visual learned like me, here’s a tutorial to get you started:

There are a bunch of different machine types you can get, some are pretty powerful like the Cricut Maker and good for experienced crafters. There’s also the Explore series that has the Explore Air 2 (this is the one I use!) which is pretty affordable and a good introduction.

The machine holds cutting blades inside and works with a cutting mat that’s sticky for holding your material in place when it’s cut. They don’t print like a printer, but they do have an arm available for holding a pen for drawing.

It’s usually good to follow a tutorial for your first few projects, and Cricut offers a bunch of them. I use something called Cricut Access which gives me fonts and designs I can use for free, and tutorials and projects that are easy to follow along. The downside is you don’t really own any of it, so you lose it all as soon as you stop paying for your subscription.

I also like to buy SVG files from other crafters, these I can import right into Design Space and use forever after paying a one-time fee. There’s a lot of free SVG files available, but I like supporting other DIYers.

So I mentioned my favorite projects, so let me just give a few ideas here about things I’ve made before. If you guys want you can vote and I’ll make another post on whichever project gets the most interest!

My big list:

  • making a custom t-shirt using heat transfer vinyl
  • making glittery tumblers or yeti cups
  • custom balloons (these are super fun)
  • how to make paper flowers with Cricut
  • 3-d spooky cards
  • stencils for painting old furniture
  • wall stickers for making really cute but removable designs, these use indoor decal vinyl
  • vinyl tile backsplashes
  • paper gift boxes & tags
  • felt coasters

I hope this helps you guys! Please drop me a line with which tutorial you have the most interest in and I’ll get it up for you as soon as I can. I’m excited!