Home » 33 Things to Make with Vinyl Cutter

33 Things to Make with Vinyl Cutter

Vinyl cutters have made it much easier to create vinyl items and crafts. Popular brands include Cricut, Silhouette, USCutter, and ScannCut. Many of these vinyl cutters come with design software, plotters, markers, and ink cartridges, so they can craft, cut, and print.

As for the vinyl cutter projects themselves, these range in complexity. It could be as simple as making a label for your kids’ pencil case or as complex as making team t-shirts for your college soccer squad. Let’s check out some vinyl craft ideas and concepts you can explore.

1. Vinyl Signs

Vinyl Signs
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Vinyl cutters look a lot like computer printers or scanners, and they share some of that functionality. When you’re working on a vinyl cutter project, you choose an image and send it to your vinyl cutter, just like you would with a printer. These images or words are printed on adhesive vinyl or heat-press vinyl and cut. You can then stick the vinyl on your sign.

 

2. Screen Printed T-Shirts

Screen Printed T-Shirts
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Many crafters argue over the virtues of screen printing versus vinyl. Especially for t-shirts and posters. But if you have a good vinyl cutter, you may not need to choose. The same vinyl cutter can work for both vinyl clothing and silk-screen printing. Plus, good cutters can print and cut directly onto fabric. Try this screen printing vinyl cutter project on that new t-shirt!

 

3. Vinyl Stickers

Vinyl Stickers
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Kids love stickers – and even though we won’t admit it, adults do too! We just call them by age-appropriate names. Like car decals or movie merch. So whether you want to stick your name on your office coffee mug or add a secret stamp to your branded laptop back, stickers are a popular vinyl cutter project. But if you’re using HTV, you might need a mini heat press.

 

4. Vinyl Tumblers

Vinyl Tumblers
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Lots of crafters use Starbucks cups as the base for their vinyl tumblers, but any re-usable tumbler will do. You can even buy them in bulk from your local dollar store. You’ll need to curve the words and image though. Otherwise, they’ll look crooked as they sit on that plastic cup. And use adhesive vinyl for this vinyl cutter project – a heat press might melt the cup!

 

5. Vinyl Mugs

Vinyl Mugs
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We’ve talked about vinyl cutter projects that involve plastic reusable tumblers. Now let’s look at something more sturdy – ceramic mugs. These work with both adhesive vinyl and heat-pressed vinyl. But if you’re using the latter, you may need a mug press for effective transfer. And if your mug has tapered sides, remember to curve your stencil accordingly.

 

6. Vinyl Banners

Vinyl Banners

You’ve seen banners at sporting events and social occasions. They’re tiny shaped flags – often triangles – strung through a ribbon or hung on a wall to spell a message. They’re sometimes called buntings or triangle flags. And they’re a quick vinyl cutter project, whether you’re printing and cutting the letters individually or working with full words and images.

 

7. Vinyl Cake Toppers

Vinyl Cake Toppers
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It could be a birthday party, a wedding, a special holiday, or even an inside joke. Regardless of the occasion, a customized cake topper will score way more points than a generic store-bought one. And the beauty of this vinyl cutter project is you can easily tweak it. Use free SVG files and edit them as needed, changing the color, font, size, or even the wording itself.

 

8. Wooden Plaques

Wooden Plaques
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Some types of vinyl cutters can slice leather, fabric, or even plywood. But you don’t have to cut the wood itself when doing a vinyl cutter project. You can just as easily cut a vinyl stencil and use that to transfer your text or images onto the wood. This is especially useful if you’re working with a fixed surface (like a door, wall, or floor). Or if you’re using thicker timber.

 

9. Floating Frames

Floating Frames

Take an old picture frame (or grab one from the dollar store). Remove the backing board and you have the perfect base for floating wall art. It’s the simplest vinyl cutter project ever! Just choose a design you like, print it, cut it, then stick it directly on the glass. Now you can mount your glass plaque – it even has a hook or hanger built-in from the original photo frame!

 

10. Bows of Jelly

Bows of Jelly
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If you’re the type that loves pretty bows, you probably sneak them onto everything. Cake décor, emojis, DIY craft packaging, you might even make bow-shaped barrettes. And yes, you can slip them into your latest vinyl cutter project. The free files in this article show you how to cut holographic jelly bows, but you can also cut leather bows, mermaids, or butterflies.

 

11. Iron-on Apron

Iron-on Apron
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Maybe you want to kiss the chef. Or trick your teen into doing more chores by gifting them an apron branded with swear words. Or maybe you share a house with culinary professionals and you need to tell your gear apart. Either way, iron-on aprons are a quick vinyl cutter project. Use the endless free images and fonts to mix and match a design you’re happy with.

 

12. Airbrushing Aides

Airbrushing Aides
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Whether you’re painting a road sign or labeling the local school, stencils can be a useful tool. And vinyl templates can be way more convenient than slicing your fingers on painter’s tape. This particular piece was used to airbrush a donation box but you can use this concept on everything from flagstones to HoA-approved gate signs and door numbers. It’s that easy.

 

13. School Cups

School Cups

At the office, adults often hoard their favorite mug. Or hide it in their desks. They might even bring their own mugs from home. But at an elementary school or daycare, kids often fight over communal utensils. Why not use a vinyl cutter project to teach the children about ownership and responsibility? Help them label dinosaur cups that they will treasure all year.

 

14. Cups for Bigger Kids

Cups for Bigger Kids

Every caffeine connoisseur has a favored thermal mug. And if putting their name on a cup can help a toddler take better care of their property, teens, tweens, and twenteens can benefit from this too. Except their vinyl cutter project is more likely to use a motif or icon that displays the owner’s personality. This cartoon eagle is an example, but anything works.

 

15. Lucky Necklace

Lucky Necklace
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Four-leaf clovers are hard to come by. But you can make your own luck with this shamrock necklace. That way, good fortune will follow you everywhere! At least in theory. The article has a free SVG file you can download, and directions on this vinyl cutter project. You can make the shamrock charm into a leather necklace pendant with foil vinyl trim at the border.

 

16. Perfect Pumpkins

Perfect Pumpkins
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Some people wear pumpkins in the fall while others love them all year round. Whichever class you fall into, these free pumpkin files are great for vinyl cutter projects. You can use them for earrings or garlands. And your vinyl cutter software can easily cut and print them in different sizes and on various materials, rendering those fine cuts and details effortlessly.

 

17. Glittering Jewellery

Glittering Jewellery
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Both genuine leather and faux leather can fit in certain vinyl cutting machines like the Cricut Maker. So leather earrings, key chains, and accessories are all good vinyl cutter projects. For this specific craft piece, the faux leather is combined with glittery vinyl to make earrings. You can get a mini heat press as well, especially if you plan to craft jewelry on a regular basis.

 

18. Gift Boxes

Gift Boxes
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While vinyl cutting machines are specifically intended to cut vinyl sheets, many brands are equally effective on card paper, fabric, or crepe paper. So gift boxes are an easy vinyl cutter project. These gift boxes could be big enough for birthday cake or small enough for pendants. They’re useful if you’re selling your vinyl crafts, but they work for packing party favors too.

 

19. Woodwork Accessories

Woodwork Accessories
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In the past, lovers of wood would whittle carvings, key chains, and cutting boards as gifts. But if you have Cricut Maker and a love of fine timber, you can make wooden earrings as a vinyl cutter project. Those blades can slice intricate details and fine designs onto your wood canvas. So yes, earrings, but also door numbers, nameplates, and motivational plaques.

 

20. Delightful Doormats

Delightful Doormats
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They say millennials killed doorbells (and ringtones). Their phones are always on silent and they text everything including ‘I’m here, open the door!’ They probably own DIY doormats with that exact message. ‘Don’t knock. Don’t ring. Just text.’ Luckily for them, this vinyl cutter project lets them stamp any message they like on their doormats. And you can too!

 

21. Beautiful Bouquets

Beautiful Bouquets
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The flower struggle is mostly a pastry thing – prepping those edible sugar petals can be nerve-wracking. Luckily, vinyl cutter projects fall on the simpler side of the floral spectrum. You can use a Cricut or Silhouette to cut fabric flowers and paper petals. These flowers could be part of your craft packaging. They could sit on a greeting card or the bow of a candle.

 

22. Floral Cards in 3D

Floral Cards in 3D
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Anyone can make a greetings card. Your toddlers probably made you some in daycare. And your spouse might have helped them make you one for mothers’ day, fathers’ day, or your birthday. But when you’re thinking of viable vinyl cutter projects, you want a card that stands out, pun intended. Try this 3D card complete with rhinestones. The SVG files are included.

 

23. Lace and Lovely

Lace and Lovely
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Here’s another tutorial for delicate flowers. And this one comes with free SVG files – nice! These lacy flowers have potentially flimsy curls and coils along with their petals. Those details would be frustrating to cut by hand, so this crafting shortcut is a nightmare. Feed the SVG files into your vinyl cutting software then load your preferred paper or fabric and enjoy!

 

24. Wooden Bookmarks

Wooden Bookmarks
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A lot of us do our reading online. We’re glued to our iPads, Nooks, Kindles, or even fanfic streaming sites. But if you know a book lover, they will still treasure this bookmark. You could even pair it with a hardcover copy of their favorite tome. (Check the bestseller lists if you’re unsure of what to buy). Be sure to use extremely thin wood like balsawood or veneer.

 

25. Window Works

Window Works
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Growing up, your parents may have gone mental over the posters on your wall. Especially if you grew up in a rental. Luckily, today’s kids, teens, and twenteens can skip the poster fights and focus on the windows instead. If you use the right type of temporary vinyl, you can decorate the windows of your bedroom, office, or even your car with this vinyl cutter project.

 

26. Kiddie Gift Boxes

Kiddie Gift Boxes
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Whether you’re hosting a sleepover, babysitting, or running a daycare, these ice cream gift boxes are the perfect vinyl cutter project. It’s a task that keeps the kids busy while teaching them about bonding, sharing, and teamwork. It helps their hand-eye coordination and motor skills. Plus, because the vinyl cutter does the scissor-work, there’s less risk of accidental cuts!

 

27. Cutting Canvas

Cutting Canvas
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You’ll mostly see canvas mentioned in articles about customizing khaki shoes and sneakers. Or you may see them in acrylic-pour tutorials. But did you know canvas can be a vinyl centerpiece too? It’s a low-fuss vinyl cutter project because you can easily cut a stencil and use it to spray paint the canvas. Or you can cut the vinyl and heat-press it onto the canvas.

 

28. Vinyl Decals

Vinyl Decals
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Kids love seeing their names on their favorite items. And it teaches an important lesson too. Because while adults ‘force’ kids to share, having their own property teaches them how to be responsible and take care of their stuff. But this is about nametags for grown-ups. Decals personalize our cars, laptops, phones, boats, books, or bikes. It’s a fun vinyl cutter project.

 

29. Faux Needlepoint

Faux Needlepoint
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Depending on how old you are and the circles you run in, you may have seen those Tik-Tok dress tutorials. Some tween or twenteen will grab an old t-shirt, sweatpants, or even her boyfriend’s dress shirt and convert it into a club-worthy outfit like a crop-top or wraparound skirt. Here, the vinyl cutter dress involves shiny iron-on ‘embroidery’. No more needles!

 

30. Clutter-Free Cutting

Clutter-Free Cutting
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Does your pantry bring you joy? What about your fridge, your crafting studio, or your kids’ playroom? Vinyl cutter projects are a great way to get rid of clutter. You can label your spice jars, condiment containers, ingredient boxes, or even the materials collected in your work shed. Start with pretty containers then use SVG files of alphabet fonts or spelled-out words.

 

31. Vinyl Swag Bags

Vinyl Swag Bags
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Most of us get a little flash of excitement when we receive a free tote bag from our favorite brand. But you can actually design your own tote bags – it’s a ten-minute vinyl cutter project and you can buy cheap blanks online or at your local dollar store. Again, you can find files with pre-set messages or you can download font alphabets and craft any wording you like.

 

32. Pretty Pillows

Pretty Pillows
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Colorful cushions and throw pillows can add style and comfort to any room. Fluffy ones are especially cozy, and you can personalize them if you have a vinyl cutter. Use iron-ons for this vinyl cutter project. You could cut and print clever messages, monograms, playful pictures, or meaningful icons. For a themed space, try a different book or movie character per pillow.

 

33. On the Wall

On the Wall

We’ve looked at lots of ideas you could use to decorate your wall. But for our last vinyl cutter project, let’s try something more direct. You can pick your favorite inspirational quote or motivational mantra. Cut out the letters and stick them straight on the wall. Pick the right vinyl though. Outdoor-grade vinyl for exteriors. Or neon vinyl for wall-mounted nightlights.

What’s your favorite vinyl cutter project? Show us how to make it in the comments section!

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