This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosures here.
There are lot of easy and fun card projects in Design Space for the Cricut Joy. Cricut’s Insert Cards make it possible to assemble cards without adhesive! In this tutorial, I’ll cover the basics of creating a card using one of the Ready to Make projects from Design Space.
Supplies I used:
Selecting a Card
To select one of the free Ready to Make projects, go to “Projects” and select “Free for Cricut Joy” in the drop down menu. I chose the “Hoppy Easter Card” that came up first.
Once you click on the project, your only option will be “Make It.” You won’t have the option to save this project to your account. So, if you want to find it again easily, click on the star to save it as a favorite.
Cutting the Card
After clicking “Make It,” you’ll immediately go to the “Prepare” screen. Since I’m using a Cricut Insert Card and the Cricut Joy Card Mat, I can make this card in one cut.
Design Space will default to the card mat, and so that will already be selected under “Material Load Type.” Now, click “Continue.”
On the Prepare screen, choose your material setting. There is a custom setting for the Cricut Insert Cards. Now, Design Space will prompt you to load the mat.
When using the card mat, don’t forget to take off the protective plastic! It’s hard to see, and lots of folks have had cards sliding all over the mat because they haven’t taken the plastic off. Set the plastic aside to put back on the mat after you are finished.
Lift the top layer of the card mat gently and slide the folded card in. Make sure the top layer edge of the mat is snug against the fold.
Smooth the card stock down on the mat to make sure it sticks well. I use a brayer for this, but you can use your hand if you don’t have one. Keep in mind that the card mat is a light grip mat and won’t be as sticky as a green mat.
There are no buttons on the Cricut Joy, and this is a big change for those of us who are used to the Explore Series and the Maker. When you put the mat up against the rollers, the mat will feed automatically.
Once the mat is loaded and the Joy has check the mat alignment, the “Go” button will light up. Click it and your project will cut.
Here’s a video of the card cutting and being removed from the mat:
The insert slides right into the corner tabs – no glue needed. You can really make a card in five minutes!
The above post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosures here.
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