My Cricut Maker + Easy DIY Christmas Projects
If it seems like I’ve gone a little cuckoo for Cricut, it’s because I have! There are so many reasons I love my Cricut Maker, but today I’m going to narrow it down to my top 5. I’m also going to share a few fun last-minute Christmas projects with you that can be made with the Cricut Maker or Explore Air 2!
Contents
My Cricut Maker Can Cut That!
So, the first thing I really, REALLY love about the Cricut Maker is the huge variety of materials that it can cut. Everything from cardstock and vinyl to fabric, leather, and wood – the Maker can cut 300+ materials! It really opens up a new world of DIY possibilities to crafters of all levels.
You don’t have to be an expert to create something extraordinary.
One of the first things I cut that wasn’t cardstock or vinyl was chipboard. I used it to make my DIY Christmas trees with Ornaments. The only downside to this project was that it took over an hour for the pieces to get cut, but the results were well worth the wait. The wait wasn’t even bad since I didn’t have to hover over the Maker while it cut out the Christmas tree and ornaments. I just checked now and then and wiped away the stray bits of chipboard that got pulled up during the cut.
If you want to make your own DIY Christmas Tree it’s really easy to do.
DIY Christmas Tree
Materials
- 2 sheets of Cricut® Heavy Chipboard - 1.5 mm
- Acrylic paint (I used green, white, and gold)
- Wire (for hanging the ornaments)
- Adhesive spray or glue
- glitter (optional)
Tools
- Cricut Maker
- StrongGrip™ Machine Mat
- Masking Tape
- Knife Blade
Instructions
- Open the Design Space project and adjust the size if desired.
- Use masking or painter's tape to secure the edges of the chipboard to the mat.
- Click 'Make It' and follow the prompts to cut the images from the chipboard. Be sure you're using the correct cut setting and the Knife Blade.
- Be patient while the machine is cutting, checking occasionally for stray pieces and carefully clearing them away.
- When the first sheet is finished cutting, make sure everything went through BEFORE YOU UNLOAD the mat. Do another pass if necessary.
- Lay the mat material side down and carefully peel the mat from the chipboard. Load the second mat and continue the cutting process.
- You can paint the cut pieces while you wait. You can also leave them as they are, whatever you prefer.
- Use the wire to hang the ornaments on the tree.
- When the final sheet is done, fit the chipboard pieces into each other at the slots. Once everything is fitted you can use glue to permanently secure the pieces.
More Ways to Cut
The second thing I love is the Cricut Maker Adaptive Tool System. This expands the possibilities of Cricut crafting even further than the huge number of materials you can now cut. Besides the usual blades like Fine-Point, Deep Point, and Bonded Fabric, the Maker can also use the Rotary Blade, Knife Blade, and Scoring Wheel. It doesn’t stop there though! There’s also the Perforation Blade, Fine Debossing Tip, Wavy Blade, and Engraving Tip.
I bought the Knife Blade and Scoring Wheel about a week after I received my Maker. Now I’m trying to decide which order I want to add the rest of the Adaptive Tool System tips to my collection. I’m thinking the Wavy Blade will be first since I have so many ideas for using it in my head already. Which tips or blade do you think you’ll get the most use out of?
I’ve been using the scoring wheel to make boxes and cards and wow does it make things a lot easier! One of my favorite things to make were cute DIY Christmas present decorations. They’re quick and easy to make and can be jazzed up however you like!
Unbelievable Details
One of the absolute best things about the Maker is the precision cuts it delivers. It still amazes me when I see a design cut out with intricate details. These designs may take some extra time to weed, but the results are well worth it. When I made these easy DIY Christmas luminaries I wanted something that looked elegant. Thanks to the details in the designs they don’t disappoint!
I used cardstock and tracing paper for these Christmas luminaries and I couldn’t be happier. You can recreate them easily! Just open the files in Design Space and assemble the boxes. Use an electric tealight candle to create the magical flicker.
(Re)Starting Traditions
Something else I love about my Cricut Maker is the ability to create things like ornaments that will be used year after year. Growing up, giving ornaments was a tradition but somewhere along the way it stopped. I’m excited to start gifting ornaments again, beginning with these DIY Christmas ornaments I made from Cricut Cardstock and Vinyl. I also made a set of character ornaments using a cereal box! Yes, a cereal box. I told you, the Cricut Maker can cut so many things you’ll never run out of options.
I think the detailed cuts will be great for adults while the fun character ornaments are perfect for kids. The tracing paper makes the ornaments give off a gorgeous glow when positioned near a light. What do you think? You can recreate these DIY Christmas ornaments in a breeze with your Cricut machine.
DIY Christmas Ornaments
Materials
For Cereal Box Ornaments
- Cereal Box, 12x12 piece cut out
- Permanent Vinyl (red, yellow {or gold}, black, white, orange)
- Twine or Ornament Hooks
- Ornament Project in Design Space
For Cardstock Ornaments
- Glitter Cardstock (red, green, gold, silver)
- Tracing Paper
- Adhesive for Paper
- Twine or Ornament Hooks
- Ornament Project in Design Space
Tools
- Cricut Maker
- Cricut Transfer Tape
- Cricut Weeding Tool
- Cricut Standard Grip Cutting Mat
Instructions
Open the Design Space project that you'd like to cut. Click here for the cereal box ornaments (snowman, reindeer, and Santa) and click here for the cardstock ornaments cardstock ornaments.
For Cereal Box Ornaments
Load the cereal box onto a standard grip cutting mat. Set the material to flat cardboard and follow the onscreen prompts to cut.
Repeat with remaining layers then weed everything. Be careful weeding the snowman as the arms are fragile.
Use the transfer tape to put the black layer of vinyl onto the cereal box cutout snowman.
Reindeer: 2 eyes (black) and 2 noses.
Snowman: Put the white snowman layer on the cereal box cutout first. Then lay the black layer down and line it up with the cereal box cutout. Peel back the transfer tape slowly, making sure all of the black parts are on the white snowman. Add the red strips to the hat and the orange layer to the nose area.
Santa: Lay the red layer on the round cutout and press to stick it on the cereal box.
Add the black layer, lining it up with the sides, the gold layer, and finally, the white layer going vertical from the top of the black layer to the top of the round area.
Use silver paint or glue and glitter to fill in the top part of this ornament (to make it look like a traditional ornament.
Put ornament hooks or baker's twine through the top holes to hang.
For Cardstock Ornaments
Load the card stock and tracing paper onto a standard grip cutting mat. Set the material for each layer and follow the onscreen prompts to cut.
Weed the ornaments. Use adhesive to sandwich the tracing paper between the round and star layers.
Fold the snowflake layers in half and glue pairs together along the fold. Alternatively, you can glue pairs together to create a sturdy, double-sided ornament.
It Hits Me in the Feels
Finally, the fifth thing I love about my Cricut Maker is that it gives me the ability to bring my imagination to life. Between the vast array of materials it can cut to the huge number of ideas in the Cricut Design Studio, everything I can think of is makeable. My ‘The Usual Suspects’ T-Shirts are one of my favorite Cricut creations yet. It’s cute and whimsical and so perfect it’s hard for me to believe I made it.
That sense of pride and accomplishment that I get from creating with my Cricut Maker is something you can’t put a price tag on. Knowing that anyone at any level of crafting experience can create breathtaking, extraordinary crafts with ease is amazing. I can’t recommend Cricut machines enough, and I don’t know what I’d do without my Maker!
Those are wonderful Cricut DIY ideas you got there. I’ve heard tons of great things about this and saw plenty of amazing vids of creations.
How cute are these Holiday decorations! I love getting crafty during the Christmas season.
That is one great machine! How often do you need to replace the blades?
I’d also love to have one of those cricut makers, I don’t see any locally.
This is one of my dream and currently on my wishlist. Don’t know when I am going to get one for me.
This is so cool! How I wish I have the same! Will save some so that I could be able to buy one. Definitely a great one for DIY projects.
EEK! I’m getting a new Cricut for Christmas. I told my husband I’d promise to be surprised, but I’m pinning all of the things I can’t wait to make like these holiday decorations. I know I’m going to love mine as much as you.
These are really cute diy oranments . Love it fun to make with kids. I need to get a cricut maker.
This is a dream to own a cricut. One day I will own one.
I love all of these decorations, especially the luminaries! I have access to a Cricut, but I rarely use it. I think I’ll have to make the luminaries and surprise my sisters for Christmas Eve.
i love cricuts. my friend has one and i use her’s all the time. i really need to get one of my own.
These are so fun, I have one and use it all the time its the best! circuits are a totally must have.
I love DIY projects. I just did some Christmas crafts with my students, and I might try your X-mas tree next. Nice job!
These DIY are so creative, love them!!! I had no idea that cricut maker can do all of these, gorgeous and so much fun to do.
I did not know that the circuit maker can also use chipboard as i thought it was just cardboard. These are stunning gifts and craft ideas indeed
i love that. such great crafts. i like the christmas tree the most. thanks for sharing the ornament directions. Joy
This sounds like a fun project!
You are so creative! These decorations look so cute and festive x
So many fun projects! My mom got a similar machine, and I cannot wait to learn it. We’ll be spending Christmas break figuring it out together.
I have been wanting to get a cricut maker for some time now. I think it would be fun to be able to make so many projects. I’m loving all the stuff you made too.
Oh, this is wonderful!! I didn’t realize you could run chipboard through the cricket!! I’m loving this, thanks for sharing!!
There are probably so many things you can do with this machine that I have no idea about . How neat!
All your crafts and ornaments are so beautiful! I admire your creativity!
Wow, you’re so creative! I would love to have circuit maker in my home and create things like this.
Your projects are always amazing. I love your creative ideas and am so thankful that you share them. Merry Christmas.
I know a few people that are avid scrapbookers and absolutely love using a Cricut Maker for their work. I love the work that you do also! Very cool idea.
That is an adorable tree. Good job! Although I’m not crafty, I always admire seeing cool ideas like this from crafty people. 🙂
This is such a cool gadget. Like a CNC for your home and craft office!
Wow….isn’t this piece of machine phenomenal? Over 300 kinds of materials? I should own of these. It will be so helpful to have one.
I’ve never heard of this, but the results you created look amazing! Well done on the Christmassy vibes 🙂
It’s something I should have at home, I would create so many beautiful things!
I love DIY projects and my daughter is very artsy as well so we are always making stuff. Could use a Circut maker in our lives, it seems very helpful. Beautiful Christmas designs by the way. I love them.
It’s like a 3-D printer for paper! Love all of the unique things you can craft with it. Great stuff!
These projects look like so much fun. I would love to try some of them this weekend.
I put this one on my Christmas list this year. Hopefully, my husband got the hint, or I will be buying it right after the new year.
I was at an event with the Michael’s stores and they had small versions of this machine and the crowd was wild about using it! Such great DIY stuff to be made!
It does make some incredible ornaments. I might have to pick up a cricut. I always hear such great things about them.
I think the Cricut is such an amazing machine. I love how you can basically create anything your heart desires!
I am so not crafty! So this is TOTALLY over my head – LOL! But it’s a friggin’ cool idea!!
I know someone who just got this a few weeks ago to add some depth to their holiday decorating, and she LOVES it. I’m convinced more people will be buying this for different holiday decorations and beyond.
What a great post! I’ve been thinking about getting a cricut maker. This made my decision so much easier. Thank you for sharing 5 things you love about it. Cute creations too!
Ugh I need this machine!!!!! Love all your DIY’s and I know that whenever I get this machine I’m going to do all of this projects
a friend of mine jsut got something like this and she loves it 🙂 so great for quick crafts that look so professional.
I love those ornaments! How cute! I need a cricut!
I am so happy to hear that you are loving it. Keep up with the awesome creativity.
I have no idea cricut can cut so many things and with intricate details. The ornaments you made is absolutely amazing.
Your crafts are FLAWLESS! I love the versatility of the cricut machine. You have me convinced that I may need to get one soon!
That cricut maker is awesome! So versatile with so many things you can do with it. Great for Christmas time!