Cricut Vinyl Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will learn How to Cut Vinyl with Cricut. This Cricut Project is perfect for Cricut Beginners or to touch up your Cricut skills. The supply list is included so you can Design and Make a Vinyl Decal and use on mugs, canisters, and more! Watch the detailed video below for more Cricut tips and tricks!
If you are a beginner using Cricut machines, you may feel intimidated to cut vinyl with your Cricut. I hope this tutorial helps you overcome your fears of cutting vinyl on Cricut!
Remember, help is close by! If you run into any issues, feel free to message me on Facebook or Instagram 🙂
My pro tip for applying decals to mugs is to use Oracal 651 vinyl. Oracal vinyl is easy to weed and work with and 651 vinyl is waterproof so you can handwash items with Oracal 651 vinyl applied to it.
In this tutorial, I share how to use Cricut Design Space to design your own image that we will use to cut vinyl using a Cricut machine to make a vinyl decal.
If you’re curious (or in a hurry)…
It’s an excellent Cricut Machine and yet, you’ll also find that it is one of the cheapest options you’ll find online.
It’s available in several colors and gets great reviews. If you can get it for under $300, grab it. That’s one heck of a deal on a Cricut machine! See color choices, check the current price & read reviews here.
What is Cricut Design Space?
Cricut Design Space is the program you will need to design and cut your Cricut projects. When you set up your Cricut machine, you will need to install Cricut Design Space. All Cricut machines come with Design Space, their free, easy-to-learn design software. It’s cloud-based so you can access your files from any device, any time. Start on your phone, continue on your laptop, and even work offline – all without breaking stride. From there you have the option to arrange a design from scratch or select from thousands of ready-to-make projects. Place your material on a mat, load it in the machine, and press Go. The machine handles the rest.
Design Space features tons of ideas to kickstart your next masterpiece. Browse and play with thousands of images, fonts, and ready-to-make projects. Since Cricut is adding more all the time, you’ll always find something fresh, new, and inspiring.
Do you need a computer to use a Cricut machine?
A computer is recommended, however, you can access Cricut Design Space and a Cricut Explore Air machine through mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, and Android devices). I highly recommend using a computer with Cricut Design Space and a Cricut Machine because you will have the full design options in Design Space and your machine needs to be close by to cut (even if you are using wireless Bluetooth).
What is Cricut Access?
You may have seen or heard about Cricut Access from Cricut or another blogger. Cricut Access is a membership that gives you 10% off your Cricut purchases (and various other offers and discounts) and access to thousands of images and fonts in Cricut Design Space.
I have a Cricut Access Membership, which provides me with thousands of free images to come up with some Cricut craft ideas. Be sure to check Cricut Design Space for some free Cricut projects! Some of the free Cricut DIY projects in Cricut Design Space can be used to sell (which makes the membership fee worth it in my opinion!).
–>>Check out this HUGE list with 30 Cricut Supplies From The Dollar Tree!
Making personalized gifts, cards, home decor, farmhouse signs, and more is easy with a Cricut Explore Machine.
Learning how to use your Cricut is really easy and fun once you get the hang of it. If you don’t have a Cricut Access Membership, I highly recommend it. I’ve had a Cricut Access Membership for years and it’s definitely worth the cost for all the benefits!
–>>Check out this HUGE list with 32 EASY Cricut Projects For Beginners!
My favorite online resource to find SVG files to make Cricut craft projects is DesignBundles.net!
–>>Click here to see the latest bundle with the best SVG files online!
Be sure to subscribe to get my emails and updates with more free SVG files to use with your Cricut machine!
Cut Vinyl with Cricut
In this tutorial, I use a Cricut Explore Air Machine, however, you can use a Cricut Explore, Cricut One Machine, Cricut Explore Air 2, and Cricut Maker Machine. For help picking which Cricut Machine is right for you, Check out this post.
I made this decal for my Yeti mug. You can make similar decals for mugs, canisters, coasters, and more! I share how to design images in this tutorial. If you save your project as public, you can share the unique URL with friends, family, and others so they can easily cut your designs!
Supplies:
- Cricut Explore Machine or Cricut Maker Machine
- Standard Grip Cutting Mat (Green Mat)
- Oracal 651 Vinyl (in red)
- Contact Brand Contact Paper
- Cricut Tools
- Scissors
- Canister/Mug/Other Item
Directions:
- Gather Supplies.
- Log into Cricut Design Space and open a new project.
- Use the Tool Bar on the left side to add a Heart shape to your project.
- Change the color to red and size to fit the item you are making the decal for. Mine was sized 3.25 to fit my Yeti mug.
- Select the Type option on the Tool Bar on the left and type LOVE (or your preferred text).
- Change the font to The Skinny (you must download the font and add it to your device following this method)
- Save the project and check the box that says public so you can get the unique URL to be able to share with others.
- Click the make it button to cut the project. Make sure you have your Cricut Machine connected and have the dial set to cut VINYL. PRO TIP: I use a deep cut blade in my machine for everything.
- Load the Oracal 651 in red (shiny side face up) on the Cricut standard grip mat into your machine. Press the C button to start cutting magic!
- Once cut, remove the vinyl from the mat and cut the image into a piece.
- Weed the image using a Cricut weeding tool. You want to gently pull the negative material (LOVE) out using the tool.
- Once the image is weeded, cut a piece of contact paper the same size as the image and peel back the sticky side and place it directly on the weeded image. Use the smoothing tool to smooth out the contact paper onto the vinyl image.
- Now you can either trim the edges and use your vinyl decal to sell or give as a gift for someone to use or use for your own items! I used mine on my white Yeti mug.
- Peel back the contact paper so the viny is attached to the clear contact paper.
- Press the decal firmly on the item, use a smoothing tool if needed.
- Peel back the contact paper, leaving the decal stuck to the item.
- Hand wash (only) mugs, plates, canister, etc to ensure the life of your decal.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial sharing how to cut vinyl on Cricut. You won’t find a simple Cricut vinyl tutorial than this plus I teach you how to Design your own Images in Cricut Design Space! These images can be used to share with friends and family or use on your online accounts with fans. You can also sell images that you create… just keep in mind that if you use fonts or images that are not your own, you should purchase a license to use those images.
You can find more Cricut vinyl projects on my blog under Cricut Crafts. I share how to cut vinyl with Cricut explore air and how to make vinyl decals with Cricut Explore in this post. Learn how to do much more with your Cricut machine by reading All of my Cricut Craft tutorials!
Supplies
- Cricut Explore Machine or Cricut Maker Machine
- Standard Grip Cutting Mat (Green Mat)
- Oracal 651 Vinyl (in red)
- Contact Brand Contact Paper
- Cricut Weeding Tool
- Smoothing Tool
- Scissors
- Canister/Mug/Other Item
Instructions
- Gather Supplies.
- Log into Cricut Design Space and open a New project.
- Use the Tool Bar on the left side to add a Heart shape to your project.
- Change the color to red and size to fit the item you are making the decal for.
- Mine was sized 3.25 to fit my Yeti mug.
- Select the Type option on the Tool Bar on the left and type LOVE (or your preferred text).
- Change the font to The Skinny (you must download the font and add to your device following this method)
- Save the project and check the box that says public so you can get the unique URL to be able to share with others.
- Click the make it button to cut the project.
- Make sure you have your Cricut Machine connected and have the dial set to cut VINYL. PRO TIP: I use a deep cut blade in my machine for everything.
- Load the Oracal 651 in red (shiny side face up) on the Cricut standard grip mat into your machine.
- Press the C button to start the cutting magic! Once cut, remove the vinyl from the mat and cut the image into a piece.
- Weed the image using a Cricut weeding tool. You want to gently pull the negative material (LOVE) out using the tool.
- Once the image is weeded, cut a piece of contact paper the same size as the image and peel back the sticky side and place directly on the weeded image. Use the smoothing tool to smooth out the contact paper onto the vinyl image.
- Now you can either trim the edges and use your vinyl decal to sell or give as a gift for someone to use or use for your own items! I used mine on my white Yeti mug
- Peel back the contact paper so the viny is attached to the clear contact paper. Press the decal firmly on the item, use a smoothing tool if needed.
- Peel back the contact paper, leaving the decal stuck to the item. Hand wash (only) mugs, plates, canister, etc to ensure the life of your decal.
Video
Watch the Video How-To Cut Vinyl with Cricut:
Did you make this DIY or a similar one inspired by me? I would love to see it! Send me a picture on Facebook, Instagram, or email and I’ll share it with my followers ***If you have a business account, please tag me to give me credit on social media when posting your creations inspired by me!***
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New to Cricut?
Here are some Cricut Basics!
–>>If you want a Circut Machine but aren’t sure which machine is for you, be sure to read this post, How to Choose Which Cricut Machine is Right for you.
–>>Want more tips on finding inexpensive Cricut supplies? Read this post, How to Save Money on Cricut Craft Supplies.
What Cricut Accessories Do I Need?
Cricut Essentials make putting the pieces together a joy. From tweezers that handle delicate parts to Cricut EasyPress for foolproof iron-on, every Essential makes a great project even greater, every step of the way.
These are the Cricut Tools & Accessories I recommend for the serious crafter:
Cricut Easy Press
I highly recommend purchasing the Cricut Easy Press if you plan to do any iron-on or heat transfer projects. The Cricut Easy Press will make your Cricut DIY’s so much easier!
The Cricut Easy Press comes in 3 different sizes, however, I own the 9 x 9 and it’s the perfect size for most projects.
–>>Get the Cricut Easy Press here!
Cricut Easy Press Mat
If you purchase the Cricut Easy Press, don’t forget to get the coordinating Easy Press Mat, which will protect your surfaces and projects from burning. Alternatively, you can use a folded towel, however, the mat is sleek and easier to store in the craft room 😉
–>>Get the Cricut Easy Press Mat Here!
Cricut Bright Pad
The lightweight, low-profile Cricut BrightPad makes crafting easier while reducing eye strain. It illuminates fine lines for tracing, cut lines for weeding, and more.
–>>Get the Cricut Bright Pad Here!
Cricut Cutting Mats
I suggest having a variety of cutting mats that are customized to match the weight of commonly used crafting materials. With three different mats specifically designed to work with different weights of materials, you can ensure success in all your projects.
–>>Get the Cricut Machine Mat Variety Pack Here!
Cricut Tool Set
You will thank me later for telling you to just get the Cricut Tool Set instead of buying each tool individually! The tools included in the Cricut toolset are all helpful when using your Cricut machine.
–>>Get the Essential Tool Set Here!
My favorite non-Cricut brand materials
You can find other brand vinyl, iron-on, contact paper, and more outside of Cricut.com. A few of my favorites are:
- Oracal 651 Permanent Vinyl (find it here or at your local craft store)
- Siser HTV
- Dollar Tree clear contact paper (or shelf liner)
- Various fat-quarter fabrics at Walmart
- Felt sheets at local craft stores
Learning how to use your Cricut is really easy and fun once you get the hang of it. If you don’t have a Cricut Access Membership, I highly recommend it. I’ve had a Cricut Access Membership for years and it’s definitely worth the cost for all the benefits!
CRICUT ARTICLES YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE…
How To Choose a Cricut Machine
I bought my first Cricut machine in 2013… it was called the Cricut mini and was one of the first Cricut machines that didn’t have a keyboard. It was a great machine but as soon as Cricut released the Cricut Explore machine in 2014, I quickly bought it. A year later Cricut released the Cricut Explore Air and I bought that too. Then in 2017, Cricut released the Cricut Maker Machine, and of course I bought it too. So you can say I’m pretty experienced with Cricut machines and have in-depth knowledge about using Cricut and various Cricut projects.
–>>If you want a Circut Machine but aren’t sure which machine is for you, be sure to read this post, How to Choose Which Cricut Machine is Right for you.
32 Easy Cricut Projects for Beginners
I love learning about new Cricut projects and Cricut Explore Air 2 Projects, but some Cricut crafts seem more advanced than others. I put together this list with Easy Cricut Projects for Beginners to help others find Cricut tutorials for beginners and free Cricut projects. Most of the projects featured in this post can be made using a Cricut Explore Air and Cricut Explore Air 2, but some of these beginner projects require a Cricut Maker Machine (Cricut beginner projects using fabric).
–>>If you’ve had your Cricut machine for some time but are scared to use it, you should try these 32 Easy Cricut Projects for Beginners.
How To Save Money on Cricut Supplies
I love finding a good deal on Cricut vinyl craft supplies and I tend to stock up on Cricut craft supplies during sales (Cricut.com has the best Black Friday sale!) but Cricut supplies can be expensive! One question I’m frequently asked is where can I buy Cricut supplies? Well, not only will I share where you can buy Cricut supplies, but where to find discount Cricut supplies! My favorite store to find Cricut supplies cheap is the Dollar Store.
–>>Want more tips on finding inexpensive Cricut supplies? Read this post with, 30 Cricut Craft Supplies from the Dollar Tree.
15 Cricut Project Ideas Using Scraps
These 15 Cricut Project Ideas Using Scraps are easy Cricut projects that a Cricut beginner can make! If you have scrap Cricut craft materials and are looking for Cricut projects using Cricut Design Space and a Cricut Explore machine, this post is for you! This post is filled with Cricut project ideas inspiration and fun Cricut projects using vinyl, heat transfer (HTV), cardstock, and more!
Don’t throw away those small pieces of leftover vinyl, iron-on, or cardstock! Save your Cricut scraps to make these fun Cricut Projects Using Scrap materials! Keep reading to find 15 Easy Cricut project ideas to use up those extra bits of Cricut vinyl, Cricut iron-on, and Cricut cardstock.
–>>Read the full post, 15 Cricut Project Ideas Using Scraps here!
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