One of the coolest thing about the Cricut Joy is the ability to make cards SUPER easy. It literally takes less than 5 minutes to make a really beautiful card. There’s tons of designs on Cricut’s Design Space so you can find something for any occasion and then customize it with the design and color of the card. I’m excited to show how to make cards on Cricut Joy- it’s simple and fun!
How to Make Cards on Cricut Joy
I love sending out cards to say thank you or even just hello to far away relatives. Last year when we were home a lot I started writing more letters- my son contributes by drawing a picture and it’s been really lovely to enjoy some snail mail again.
I like to cut a bunch of cards with my Cricut Joy and keep them handy for when I’m in the mood to send happy mail, thank you cards, or with packing homemade items to sell. Here’s what you need if you want to make some cards too.
SUPPLIES
- Cricut Joy Mat
- Card Inserts
- Cricut Joy
- Pens (optional)
- Starter Tool Set
The Cricut Joy has lots of great features- it can cut long stretches of vinyl, is small so it’s easy to pull out and use, and is perfect for a beginner to cutting machines. In addition to those, cutting cards are one of the coolest features! The Cricut Joy Mat is the secret tool. Let me show you how it works
what’s the card mat?
The Cricut Joy Mat is a small mat designed specifically for the Joy to cut cards. It can be used with three different standard size cards- 3.5″x5″. 4.35″x5.5″, or. 4.5″x6.25″. There’s the mat backing and then a plastic piece to tuck the card into. The front of the plastic is sticky so the card sits snug on it during the cutting process.
Just the card mat makes buying a Cricut Joy worth it! Especially if you love making cards.
Note, this mat can’t be used on other Cricut (or any other brand’s) cutting machines. It’s a unique feature to the Joy.
insert cards
The second crucial material to making cards quickly and beautifully with the Joy is Cricut’s Insert Cards. Sure, you could make your own cards from card stock, but buying these pre-cut cards packages that include 10-12 cards, the insert pieces, and the envelope makes it SO fast and easy!
Plus they come in coordinating colors which makes it simple to make a really beautiful card.
I keep all of my cards in an organizer on my desk so it’s easy to grab and make a pretty card.
If you’re wondering what the inserts are, they are rectangle pieces of card stock that coordinate and contrast to the card color. They can easily tuck in behind the cut front part of the card. They assemble without glue. I’ll show more below!
Now that I’ve gone over the supplies, let’s walk through making an actual card!
step 1- prep materials
Start by grabbing supplies- the Cricut Joy, the Card Mat, some Card Inserts, Pens (which are optional, but can add some fun extra designs), and the Starter Tool Set.
Then, take the plastic protective piece off the front of the card mat and set that aside for when you’re done. Put the card in the front flap and line it up on the corresponding size on the mat.
Last, push the front of the card down onto the sticky front side of the mat.
step 2- choose the card’s design
Next, it’s time to hop onto Cricut Design Space and choose the card’s design. I like to use my laptop for this, but Cricut’s app works great too.
There’s two places on Design Space to find already designed cards. First of all, go under projects (on the left hand side) and search for cards. Lots of options will come up- just click on the card that looks like a good fit and more information will come up.
If the card is what you’re looking for, select “Make it.”
Note, you will automatically be taken you to the mat prep screen and the options of cutting on a card mat and the material size for the insert cards will be selected. The Cricut Joy cards were designed to be super simple to create! That means there’s a streamlined process so you can cut these cards quickly.
If you’re using an insert card, make sure the 4.25×5.5” size is selected and then select “continue.”
step 2- choose the card’s design through images
I prefer the second options of create a card through Design Space. Why? I found it easier to find more card designs options. For this method, I start a new project and then click on “images.” In the search box I type in the which kind of card I’d like. When I find one, I select it.
There’s tons of different options. I like to make thank you, birthday, congrats, and get well cards. There’s options for any holiday or occasion where a card would be needed. Each of those have lots of different designs so I can find something that fits my style.
When looking for cards for the Joy, keep an eye out for the slanted or curved designs in the corners. Those are cuts so that an insert card can be tucked in behind the card.
If you click on the … in the top corner, it’ll usually say the size the card is designed for. Since I’m using Cricut’s cards I look for the cut dimensions of 4″x5.25″ or A2 cards.
Sometime I forget to verify that I’m using the right sized card or some designs don’t say the dimensions. Once I insert it onto my canvas, I can check the dimensions to make sure they’re correct (I look for the 4″x5.25″ size).
It’s also an option to change the dimensions on the canvas so that if it was designed for a bigger or smaller card, it can be quickly changed by typing 4″x5.25″ into the size boxes.
Once I’m happy with the design and size, I verify that the Joy machine is selected in the top right corner. Then click on the words “make it.”
step 3- cut the card
Next, you’ll be asked which method you’ll use for cutting the card.
Select “on card mat” and then select “Done.”
Next, a preview pops up of how the card will cut. If that looks good, click on “continue.”
Turn the Cricut Joy on and verify that the card is lined up on the pre-printed lines on the the card mat correctly. Again, make sure the liner is removed from the top of the mat. If it is, the sticky side will be revealed so the card can be stuck to the to top of the mat.
How ingenious is the card mat?! It accommodates the pre-folded card under the top layer. Usually you have to cut all materials flat. By having the card cut folded, you don’t have to worry about flattening and folding the card!
Load the card and card mat into the Cricut Joy. Push it under the rollers and the card should be ready to cut! Hit “Go” on the software or app and then the Joy will take over with cutting out the card design. It always feels magical to me seeing the machine cutting exactly what I envisioned!
step 4- finishing steps
The really cool thing about the card mat is that it’s designed so there’s not much weeding. Essentially, I like to pull back the card top and all the extra pieces of card stock that aren’t needed for the design should be left stuck to the card mat!
For the other pieces, I simply use my weeding tool to remove them. This is quick and easy since most of the pieces were removed with the last step.
For the leftover pieces on the mat, I use a scraper to remove them.
Last, simply tuck the insert into the four cutout corners. This finishes the design of the card and adds contrasting color to make the design stand out.
after
Ta da! Here’s how all my cut cards came out! Aren’t they pretty?! I love that they each came together in minutes.
I especially love this rainbow design. Isn’t it so clever that the insert just tucks into the card and no glue is needed to make these?!
I keep these thank you cards on hand when selling my handmade projects. I write a quick note and sign it- I think those personalized details make such a difference! It’s the perfect finishing touch.
These are so quick and easy. Who’s in the mood to make a card?!
Thank you to Cricut for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
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