If you’ve recently gotten your first Cricut, congratulations and welcome to this wonderful part of the crafting world! Here are some tips and tricks I’ve gathered from my crafting journey that may be helpful as you begin.
“But Lydia, I’m overwhelmed!” I hear this a lot. The good news is that you’re not alone, and if you just follow some of these tips, you’ll be cutting and crafting in no time flat.
Create a space
If possible, make a space where you can leave your Cricut set up. I’m lucky to have a spare bedroom that doubles as my craft room. My favorite thing about it is that if I’m in the middle of a project and someone visits, I can just close the door without having to clean up!
If you have to get your Cricut out of a closet every time you want to craft, you are less likely to use it. If you don’t have an entire room, the corner of a living room or bonus room can work. The main thing is to make it accessible so that it’s ready when you…
If you have to get your Cricut out of a closet every time you want to craft, you are less likely to use it.
Create a time
I wish I could craft all day every day, but we all know that’s not realistic. There are chores to be done, meals to be made, errands to run, and the list goes on (and on.) If you wait until all those things are done before you craft, you’ll never have time to craft. Sometimes I just grab ten or fifteen minutes when I can to cut something out or make a little bit of progress on a project.
Try to set aside a time to craft. Put it on your calendar! As you gain experience, you will enjoy it more and you’ll find yourself making more and more time to be creative. And the way you gain experience is to…
Create a plan
Make a list of projects you want to do. When you sit down at your desk, you won’t have to wonder what to do. You’ll be able to jump right in to a new project or one that is already started.
If you’re nerdy like me, you can create a Google spreadsheet called “Cricut Projects” that you can add to from your phone or a computer when you see a project or think of something you want to create. I also have birthdays and anniversaries in a separate sheet for each month, and so I can tell at a glance what card I need to make next.
If you’re more of a pen-and-ink person, any notebook works fine – just set up pages for the months and projects so you’re ready to add whatever you dream up!
Inspiration and Information
- YouTube. I think YouTube may be the best thing that ever happened to the crafting world. I wish there had been crafting resources on it when I got my first Cricut. I know the learning curve wouldn’t have been nearly as steep.
On my YouTube channel, I try to keep videos short and to the point. I don’t think many of us have time to sit down with a 45-minute video with lots of chit-chat. I recommend that all new Cricut users go to Cricut’s YouTube channel and watch the “Cricut 101” playlist. - Facebook. You may have found this post on Facebook! There are lots of great Cricut groups out there. You’ll find crafters of all ages and experience levels who can provide advice and inspiration.
- Pinterest. The ideas you’ll find on Pinterest are never-ending! Be creative with your search terms to find the types of projects you’re interested in, or find a few crafters or designers that you like and follow them. You can also create your own board and pin projects you find on blogs and websites that you want to do.
There is also a wealth of information and help at learn.cricut.com. You can find the Cricut Design Space User Manual here.
The current generation of Cricut machines give endless possibilities for expressing your creativity. Don’t be afraid to jump in! You’ll make some mistakes, but you’ll learn so much along the way!
