A 7-week beginner-friendly Cricut Design Space and crafting course designed for youth ages 8-13. Students transition from pixel to product, mastering vinyl, heat transfer, 3D papercrafting, and custom labeling while emphasizing safety and creative prototyping.
Cut a piece of adhesive vinyl to 4" x 4". Place it paper-backing down on the upper-left corner of your green StandardGrip mat. Rub it firmly with your hands or scrap scraper tool to ensure it is 100% flat with no bubbles! Slide the mat under the white guide tabs. Hold it gently and press the Load button (↔).
4
Cut and Weed
In Design Space, click Make It. Set your material type to Premium Vinyl. Double-check your fine-point blade is clean, then press the flashing Cricut button (C). Once cutting finishes, unload the mat, peel the vinyl sheet away, and use your weeding tool to carefully remove the "negative" vinyl spaces you do not want!
5
Transfer Tape Magic
Cut a piece of clear transfer tape to 3.5" x 3.5". Peel the backing off the tape, align it over your weeded vinyl design, and smooth it down. Use the plastic scraper to rub ("burnish") the front and back of the design. Slowly peel the white paper backing away—your vinyl design should stick directly to the clear tape. Press it onto your laptop or sketchbook, scrape it flat, and peel away the tape!
My Design Sketchbook Notes
Describe the image or symbol you chose for your decal:
What did weeding feel like? What was the hardest part?
Write your observations here...
Cricut Creators Studio • Unit Guide Page 2 of 2
2
Print Your Page
Click Make It in Design Space. Turn on System Dialog when printing, and set quality to "Best" or "Photo". Print onto matte or glossy Cricut Sticker Paper. Note the solid black frame lines printed around your stickers!
3
Mat Placement
Let your printed ink dry completely for 2 minutes to prevent smudging. Place the printed sticker sheet onto the top-left corner of a LightGrip (Blue) mat or StandardGrip mat. Press down flat with a brayer or hand.
4
Scan & Cut
Select Printable Sticker Paper (White) or Vinyl material in Design Space. Load the mat into the Cricut. Press Go (C). Watch the machine project its red/blue sensor light over the black registration lines before cutting!
Sticker Maker Checkpoint
Why do we need the FLATTEN tool before printing stickers? Explain:
Look closely at your finished sheet. Did the cuts hit the exact borders? Why is calibration important?
Cricut Creators Studio • Unit Guide Page 2 of 2
3
Pick Up Layer 1 (Outline)
Apply transfer tape over the front-most layer (usually black outlines) including its stars. Burnish with your scraper. Peel the backing away so that layer 1 is stuck to the transfer tape.
4
Align Stars & Pick Up Layer 2
Hold the transfer tape (with layer 1 attached) hovering above layer 2. Align the stars on your transfer tape directly over the weeded stars of layer 2. Press down. Scrape/burnish firmly. Peel the backing of layer 2 away—now both colors are locked in perfect alignment on one piece of tape! Cut the stars off before applying!
My Alignment Log
How did your stars line up? Were they off by any tiny pixels?
Why do we peel the backing away from the vinyl, rather than peeling the vinyl away from the backing?
Cricut Creators Studio • Unit Guide Page 2 of 2
340°F for 30 seconds
5
Warm vs. Cold Peel
Let your design sit for 15 seconds. If using "Everyday Iron-On", carefully peel back the clear plastic carrier sheet while it is still warm to the touch. If using metallic/glitter HTV, let it cool completely ("cold peel") before pulling the sheet back!
My Heat Transfer Log
What would happen if you forgot to turn on the "Mirror" setting in Design Space?
Why do we pre-heat the fabric before pressing the vinyl?
Cricut Creators Studio • Unit Guide Page 2 of 2
Medium Cardstock (80 lb)
Go (C)
4
Fold and Glue Card Construction
Carefully peel the cardstock from the mat (bend the mat, not the paper, to prevent curling!). Fold along the pre-scored crease lines. Push the inner tab forward to pop out. Glue your 3D custom character element (like an emoji or star) onto the front of the popped tab. Glue the inner lining to the outer card base—do not get glue on the moving tab!
My Papercraft Notes
What happens if you don't click "Attach" to lock a score line to a cardstock rectangle?
Why do we peel the mat away from the cardstock rather than pulling the cardstock off the mat?
Cricut Creators Studio • Unit Guide Page 2 of 2
translucent vellum paper
4
Crease & Glue the Lantern
Pre-fold all score lines toward the inside of the lantern (mountain folds on external edges). Apply thin, even layers of craft glue or strong double-sided sticky tape to the glue tabs. Tuck tabs behind the side walls, holding each seam firmly for 20 seconds to dry. Fold the base together, slip in an LED tea-light, and watch it glow!
My Engineering Diary
Explain why we cannot use real flame wax candles inside our paper table lanterns:
What is the purpose of the trapezoid-shaped glue tabs on your geometric 2D net?
