How to Make a Simple Handmade Baby Shower Card Using a Cricut Machine

A handmade baby shower card complements the gift.

The Cricut is an electronic desktop cartridge-based paper cutter that can be used for many projects, such as card making. You can select shapes, words, phrases and alpha-numeric characters on the built-in keyboard, and view your selections on the liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. The Cricut can cut a variety of paper types; you simply adjust the cutting speed and pressure.

Things You'll Need

• Solid color or patterned paper
• Cricut
• Cardstock paper
• Adhesive

Instructions

1. 

   Use sturdy card-stock paper for the card.

   Choose a white, pastel color or baby-themed pattern from which to cut words or shapes. The paper should coordinate with the color or pattern of the folded card-stock paper and the baby's gender, if known.

2. 

   Adorn the card front with baby-themed words and shapes.

   Choose a baby-themed cartridge, such as the Cricut "9 Months," "New Arrival" or "Baby Steps" cartridge, and type the words or shapes using the keyboard. Examples include the words "Baby Shower" and an image of an umbrella, teddy bear, diaper pins or footprints.

3. Place the paper on the cutting mat, which is included with the Cricut.

4. Load the cutting mat into the machine.

5. Press the "Blade Navigation" buttons to move the blade to the desired location on the paper.

6. Set the size dial to choose the desired height of the shapes, words, phrases and alpha-numeric characters.

7. Adjust the speed dial. Select "Max" for heavy card-stock paper. Select "High" for card-stock or textured paper.

8. Adjust the pressure dial. Select "Max" for heavy card-stock paper. Select "High" for card-stock, textured or high-fiber-content paper.

9. Press the "Cut" button.

10. Remove the words or shapes from the cutting mat.

11. Arrange the words or shapes on the front of the folded card-stock paper before adhering.

12. Adhere the words or shapes to the card using glue or double-sided tape. Double-sided foam tape can be used to add depth to the design.

13. 

    Buttons are an inexpensive card embellishment.

    Embellish the design by gluing on a tied bow, buttons or a diaper pin, for example.

Tips & Warnings

• The Cricut website has a list and pictures of baby-themed cartridges and project ideas.

• Layering the paper and combining solid with patterned paper adds character to the card. For example, cut a piece of patterned paper approximately 3/4 of the size of the solid-color card front using straight or fancy-edged scissors or a paper cutter. This becomes the background paper for the words or shapes cut with the Cricut. Adhere the background paper to the card front; then adhere the words or shapes.

• All of the items needed for this project can be found at most craft or scrapbooking stores.

References

• Cricut: 9 Months Cartridge
• Cricut: New Arrival Cartridge

Resources

• Vicki's Card Making Ideas: Baby
• "Card Making With Cricut"; Tanya Fox; 2009