Two years ago we moved into a neighborhood with the most amazing of neighbors. In the past 8 months, the care this community has for each other is more visible than ever. We chat from more than 6 ft away and always send a text asking if anyone needs anything on grocery runs. I created this hot cocoa DIY gift basket with my Cricut Joy as a thank you for everything.
The holidays pose a special challenge this year for so many. With the challenges, I see an opportunity for simple ways to let your loved ones know you care and make them feel loved. A DIY gift basket with a personalized touch is absolutely perfect for the job!
Of course, with 4 little ones time to create personalized gifts can seem like a challenge. To help me cut time and create from just about anywhere I used my Cricut Joy for this project. The Cricut Joy is a tiny but mighty smart-cutting machine perfect for a busy mama!
Hot Cocoa Holiday DIY Gift Basket
Supplies:
- Cricut Joy
- Permanent Smart Vinyl in Black, Shimmer Red, Parchment, Powder Blue, White, and Coffee
- Cricut Joy Insert Cards- Romantic Sampler
- Cricut Joy Card Mat
- Weeder
- Transfer Tape
- Scraper
- Blank Coffee Mugs
- Hot Cocoa
- Marshmallows
- Holiday Sprinkles
- Jars for cocoa, marshmallows, and sprinkles
- Basket
- Blanket (Optional)
If you notice towards the bottom of my list I mentioned coffee mugs and jars- that’s where I will add the personalization along with the quickest cards EVER! I love being able to take a gift and making it JUST FOR THEM by adding images they love, quotes, or my favorite-names!
DIY Gift Basket Mugs & Jars Design
First things first, let’s personalize our mugs & jars! I wanted to make the whole basket have a very Christmas-ey feel to it. Cricut Design Space’s image inventory is full of so many beautiful options. You can find my mug and jar design HERE.
I searched for both a reindeer and a Santa image I loved for the coffee mugs. After a bit of searching, I found the images I liked and I resized them to fit on the space of my mugs. I made sure to size them small enough to leave me some space below for their names.
For a very cute touch I thought I would add the words; cocoa, marshmallows, and sprinkles to the clear jars. My go to font for these simple words is always Quirky Script. I love to join the letters to give a handwritten feel.
If you want to create your own labels here are 5 easy steps!
How to join “cursive” letters
- Write your text
- Choose your font- I love quirky script
- Select text & hit the UNGROUP button on the top right corner of Design Space
- Move your letters to your desired position
- Once your letters are where you want, highlight the text and click WELD
DIY Gift Basket Mugs & Jars Design Cutting
One of the coolest things about the Cricut Joy are the Smart materials from Cricut. Smart materials can be used without the need to attach to a mat. You just load the Smart materials into the Joy directly and cut!
*You do have the ability to purchase mats if you wish to as well*
Once you have clicked the Make It button you follow the prompted steps to cut your materials. After your materials are all cut you unload your Smart materials and begin the weeding process.
Weeding Your Design
I think weeding is one of my favorite steps. There is something about removing the excess material to leave behind only the beautiful design you created that brings me peace. Grab your weeder and get to it!
I like to start at a corner and work my way to my design. Over the years I have found it easier to work that way.
DIY Gift Basket Mugs & Jars Design Application
Cue in the transfer tape. The application of Smart Vinyl is a step my girls LOVE to help me with. They have both taken so much interest in Cricut crafting with me I have a hard time not including them in almost all my projects.
I like to start by measuring out the largest piece of transfer tape I will need since I like to reuse it for my whole project. Start by slowly removing the backing to one edge of your transfer tape.
Transfer Tape Tip
My tip is to slowly remove it while applying it to your design. I have found this helps reduce dust and such from getting trapped on your design. After your transfer tape is completely over your whole design, go over it with your scraper tool. This is the step the girls love to help with.
Once you feel your transfer tape is on well enough you can flip your design over. Slowly remove the backing to your design. If you find any parts coming off with the backing, carefully flip it back and use your scraper tool again.
Applying Your Design to Your Surface
Make sure your surface is clean and dry before placing your design on top. Next, you want to place your design on your desired location SLOWLY. I say slowly just in case you want to reposition it!
Once your design is where you want, grab your scraper and again go over it. On average I say I go over my designs for about 20 seconds or so.
To remove the transfer tape grab one corner and slowly pull back with a back and forth motion until it is completely off!
In the case of Santa and the reindeer there is some layering that needs to be done. I start with the bottom layer first, once that is adhered I repeat the process to attach the transfer tape, position, and again use my scraper to adhere.
*My BIGGEST tip for layering vinyl is to do so slowly. The vinyl will stick to other vinyl really quickly and you may not be able to remove or reposition it if that happens.
DIY Gift Basket Holiday Card
Possibly my favorite projects with the Cricut Joy is making cards with the Cricut Card Inserts. There are so many beautiful pre-made designs to choose from in Design Space.
After you find the design you love, simply load your blank card insert into the card mat and load to your Joy for drawing & cutting. My girls and I make cards for everyone and everything because of how easy it is!
Remember to follow the prompts to switch between a pen and blade if needed.
Once cut, remove the card insert from the mat, add the backing, write your message inside, and place in your envelop! How easy is that!
We Have Finished Our Hot Cocoa Holiday DIY Gift Basket!
The easiest step now is to place everything in the basket. I added some tissue paper at the bottom to give it a pretty touch and dropped off the basket on our neighbors doorstep.
This gift idea is so simple to put together and can be so inexpensive too. I love that my Cricut supplies last for multiple projects making DIY gifts and crafts budget-friendly! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Happy Holidays!
