10 Easy Cricut Cardstock Projects & Ideas
Out of all the materials that a Cricut can cut, cardstock is probably the easiest to work with.
Although it’s just paper, cardstock is strong enough to make complex designs with. So today, I wanted to go over my top 10 project ideas you can try out with your Cricut that involve cardstock.
You can cut cardstock with any Cricut machine, and you don’t need any specials blades. The standard fine point blade will do just fine! However, keep in mind that the Cricut Joy might be too small for some of these projects.
If you don’t have any cardstock yet, you can buy it from the link below.
1. Pop-up cards
The most popular project to make from cardstock is of course cards. Birthday cards, Christmas cards, party invitations – any kind of card really.
But you can already buy lots of different cards in the store for very cheap. So it’s up to you to make one that is way more awesome than any card you can buy!
These pop-up cards are definitely a good way to surprise someone.
They look very difficult to make. But once you know the trick, they become super easy to make.
2. Negative punch art cards
Next up are negative punch art cards. This type of cards would normally take forever to make by hand. But with your Cricut machine, you can make really complex designs with very little effort!
You’ll first need a nice background. You can print something out from the computer, or use any cardstock that already has a nice pattern/color.
Then you can cut out the front layer with your Cricut. And when cutting cardstock, the Cricut can make very small and accurate cuts. So you can make small cuts that you would never be able to make yourself with a pair of scissors.
So use this to your advantage when designing your pattern in Cricut Design Space.
3. Layered cards
Now here is a type of card you don’t see in the store very often, and that would be almost impossible to make by hand. If you want your invitations to be remembered, try making these layered cards.
The trick to making these cards is to cut two or more layers, with each of them slightly larger than the previous one. If you then stack them on each other you get a nice layered effect.
It would be difficult to pull off this effect by hand. But with a cutting machine like the Cricut, it’s easy to make several nearly identical layers.
4. Cake toppers
If you have anything to celebrate, there should be cake. And on top of a cake should be a big topper to let everyone know the reason for your celebration.
First birthday? 50th birthday? Graduation? Marriage? Pregnancy? Retirement?
With your Cricut you can easily cut a fitting cake topper regardless of the event. It takes less than 10 minutes to make, but it will make your cake look so much better!
Of course, you can also make them for your friend’s parties and celebrations.
5. Gift tags
Are you preparing a gift for a friend or one of your loved ones? Then finish your present with a nice gift tag.
On a Christmas party, you could use a gift tag to show who the present is for. Or if you are giving the gift directly, you can write a personal message of love or friendship on the tag.
Or if you are running a small business, you can also attach a tag to each package with your business name and information.
Of course, you could easily make this tags by hand with a pair of scissors. But the Cricut can save you a lot of time if you need to make many tags at once, and it will make sure all of them look neat and professional.
6. Stickers
If you can get your hands on some sticker paper cardstock, it’s super easy to make some lovely stickers. This is also a great project to try out with your kids!
If you come up with a simple design (like a heart or a quote) with only a few colors, you can use your Cricut to first draw/write/paint the design with one of the compatible pens/markers. And then you can cut the sticker in the right shape.
With more complex designs and designs with lots of different colors, it might be faster to use a regular printer first and then cut the stickers in the right shape with the Cricut.
7. Mandala
A Cricut machine is not only useful for making crafts and DIY projects, you can even use it to make art such as mandalas.
These mandalas are simply to make, but not necessarily easy. Meaning that the idea behind making these mandalas is very basic, but putting all the pieces together in the right order and place might lead to some trial and error.
Nevertheless, if you have cardstock with lots of different colors available, you should definitely try making one of these. Big mandalas can be great wall decoration, whereas smaller ones would look great in a Christmas tree.
8. Paper flowers
No matter what material you are working with, trying to make flowers is always a fun project. But to be honest, they look the best when made from cardstock!
You can find lots of different flower patterns online. But it’s also super easy to come up with your own ideas. All you need to do is slightly change the shape of the petals, and you’ll end up with a completely new flower.
These flowers are beautiful by themselves and can be used for decoration. Or you can use them in one of your other art/craft projects.
9. Ornaments
Creating paper ornaments is a great way to decorate your house for the upcoming season.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas, Easter, or Halloween. Placing a few of these throughout the house is a great way to get into the festive spirit.
You can really make it as simple or complex as you want it to be.
Just to get you started, here are a few ideas: snow crystals or gingerbread cookies for Christmas, a skull or pumpkin for Halloween, a baby bunny or chicken for spring, etc.
10. Birthday banners
If you have any upcoming birthdays, why not surprise someone with a handmade banner? Kids love these. But to be honest, adults love them as well!
They are very easy to make with the Cricut. First, you can cut out the paper backing, and then cut the letters from a different color cardstock afterwards.
Of course, you can also make banners for many other occasions, such as first day of school, graduation, retirement, etc.
More project ideas!
I hope you liked these 10 cardstock project ideas for your Cricut. Of course, cardstock is only one of the many materials you can cut with your Cricut.
There are many other Cricut projects left to try. So if you want to continue crafting with your Cricut, read the following articles:
