Dollar Tree Cricut Projects – 12 Designs, Hundreds of Options!

Instructions

STEP 1: SELECT AND PREPARE YOUR BLANKS

Before you begin, decide which projects you want to make by reviewing your available blanks, materials, and the design examples. Make sure your blanks are in good shape and clean them off if needed. Prepping now will save you time later! 

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to add adhesive vinyl to painted glass canning jars, adhere iron-on vinyl to a plush, and decorate a plastic terrarium with cardstock. 

If you’re using glass items as I am, wash them in warm, soapy water to remove any debris and dry them with a lint-free towel. 

Wash and dry the plastic, ceramic, and terra cotta blanks the same way to remove dust or grease. You can also dust off the canvas and wood items if you use them.

Some of the plushes have dust or loose fibers on them, but a few swipes with a lint roller has them ready to go!

If you want to paint any blanks, do it now so they can dry while you cut the designs. Protect your work area with butcher paper and put on some gloves to keep your hands clean. 

I painted my glass jar exteriors with Folk Art Chalk Paint in Grotto, following their instructions. 

Allow the paint to dry at least two hours before applying a second coat. I applied two coats of paint to my canning jars.

STEP 2: GET MY FREE DOLLAR TREE CRICUT IDEAS DESIGNS

Download my Cricut Dollar Tree Ideas Zip file from my free resource library. It's Design #383. Upload the SVG to Design Space and add it to your Canvas to see the whole collection!

TIP: If you are not sure how to upload an SVG cut file to Cricut Design Space, watch this helpful video training series I made. If you are on an iPad or iPhone, here is how to download and upload SVG files to the Cricut Design Space app. 

You can zoom out to see all of the designs by clicking on the minus (-) sign on the lower left. This is what my Dollar Tree designs look like on my Canvas.

There are lots of options, but I’m going to show you how to use three designs today: the “You Are Loved” quote; the white flower with yellow center; and the red succulent at the bottom left. I’ll show you how to adjust these designs and then you’ll be ready to customize the others, too! But let’s clear away the other designs so we can focus.

Make sure the design is selected and then click “UnGroup” above the Layers panel. Click and drag the designs you want to make to the side so they’re out of the way. 

Click and drag a bounding box around the rest of the designs on your Canvas and then hit your Delete key. You can also use the “Delete” icon by the Layers panel. 

If you’re making the same projects as me, your Canvas should look like this.

STEP 3: PREPARE THE SVGS FOR CUTTING

Let’s go over the plan for each of these designs. That way, we can figure out any changes we need to make to them. 

I'm going to use the flower on my painted jars, but want to add many small versions of it. I want to put the “You Are Loved” design on a plush so we’ll use iron-on vinyl, probably in a different color from the one on the canvas. And the cardstock succulent will look great in my globe terrarium just as it is!

Measure your blanks and adjust the designs as needed. I'll work on the plush project first.

In the Layers panel, click the other designs’ eye icons to hide them. I want to make sure the "YOU ARE loved" design will fit on my bear’s sweater, so let’s measure it with a fabric tape measure.

The usable space on the sweater is about 2" square. If I click the design layer, I can see that it’s currently about 4" wide and just over 1" tall. That won’t work! We need to get the width under 2", so let me show you how.

First, make sure the Lock icon above Size in the top menu is closed. That way, the design’s proportions will stay the same as we resize it. With the design still selected, drag the bounding box’s resize icon until the width is under 2". Or,  you can just type 2 into the Width box under Size in the top menu.

Now the design will fit on the bear’s sweater!

Your blanks may be slightly different sizes than mine, or you might want to use a design on a different item. That’s fine, just use these steps to measure the blank and adjust the design.

TIP: If you need help resizing an SVG in Cricut Design Space, you can check out my resizing guide where I explain exactly what you need to do to resize any design to fit your needs.

Now to change the design color.

Select the layer you want to change on the Canvas or in the Layers panel. I’ll click the phrase. Then, click the color box next to Basic Cut in the top menu. Click the color you want in the pop-up window. I’ll choose red. Now you can preview what the final design will look like.

Now, the flower. Use the eye icons to hide the plush decal and unhide the flower. One of the easiest ways to create a simple pattern is to use multiples of a small design. I want lots of small flowers in an all-over pattern on my teal jars. So that means we need to make lots of tiny flower petals and center layers.

Let’s change the size first. Just like we did with the phrase, click on the flower design to see how big it is. It’s about 1" square right now. Since my canning jars are only a few inches tall, I couldn’t fit many flowers at this size. Half an inch square should work. Make sure both Layers are selected and the Lock icon is closed, then type .5 into the Width field to resize the flower.

Now, to make this one flower into many! I’m not going to measure my jars and plan out the design perfectly, but I don’t want to be short on decals. So, I’m going to estimate that each jar will look nice with 15 of these flowers. That means I need 30 in all. That’s a lot of flowers, but I’ll just save any extras for another project.

NOTE: There are two ways to make multiple copies of one design element. The first way is my favorite but only works when you’re cutting one design.

With one copy of the design on your Canvas, continue to the Prepare screen by clicking “Make It.” In the Project Copies field at the top left, enter the number of copies you want and click “Apply.” I entered 30. The screen will reload with all your duplicates, ready to cut!

The second way is on the Canvas. It takes longer, but this works if you’re cutting several projects at once like I am. Select the flower design, making sure both layers are highlighted in the Layers panel. Then click "Duplicate." Now there are two flowers! Repeat until you have the quantity you want. This might take Design Space some time, just be patient. 

Now, the succulent. Again, use the eye icons to hide the flower and unhide the succulent. I’ve already sized it  to make a 3" plant, which is perfect for the globe terrarium. The design is from my DIY Succulent Tutorial, which has lots of other plants, too!

If you use a different succulent design or another cardstock item, make sure it will fit through the 3" opening on the front of the terrarium. 

TIP: The succulent designs come with a little rectangle piece, which we won’t use in this tutorial. But if you want to attach a succulent to some craft foam, the original tutorial demonstrates how to add wire to the base. The little rectangle helps keep the wire in place! This would actually be a super cute way to combine the succulents and terra cotta pots!

You can use all of these tips to change the size, color and quantity of any of the other designs in this collection!

Now you’re ready to cut! Make sure you have all the elements you want to cut back on the Canvas by clicking the eye icons. Check to make sure the correct machine is selected and click “Make It” in the top menu.

STEP 4: CUT YOUR DESIGNS

If you are using a Maker 3, Explore 3, or Joy, you might be asked if you will be cutting your designs without a mat, with a mat, or multiple ways. Just a reminder that only Cricut Smart Vinyl can be cut without a mat. I'm using a mat with my Maker 3 so I will select "On Mat" and click "Continue."

If you are making any of the designs with iron-on vinyl, it is important that you toggle mirror ON. Permanent vinyl does not need to be mirrored.

I am making my “You Are Loved” design with iron-on so I will toggle that to mirror ON.

NOTE: If you are making any of the designs with iron-on vinyl, it is important that you toggle mirror ON. Permanent vinyl does not need to be mirrored. I am making my “You Are Loved” design with iron-on so I will toggle that to mirror ON.

Once your designs are prepared, click "Continue" on the bottom right.

Now it's time to select your material. Design Space chooses the cut order so first, I'm going to cut the “You Are Loved” design in Everyday iron-on vinyl. If you do not see your material option, you can click "Browse All Materials" and search for the material you are using. With any material you choose, I recommend selecting More Pressure.

Make sure your Cricut Fine-Point Blade is clean and in Clamp B as indicated on the screen.

Put your iron-on vinyl SHINY SIDE DOWN on your Cricut StandardGrip Machine Mat, making sure it covers the design area visible on your screen. To see your design placement larger, click "Edit" below the mat thumbnail and "Done" when you're ready. Use a brayer to get the vinyl as smooth as possible on your mat.

Load the mat into your Cricut and press the flashing button to begin cutting. When the cut is complete, unload the mat. Flip your design over and gently peel the mat away from your vinyl.

Repeat these steps for the other designs, changing your material, settings, pressure, and mat application to fit each layer. 

For the flower mats, I used "Premium Vinyl - Permanent Glossy" with “More Pressure”, placing the vinyl SHINY SIDE UP on the mat. For the succulent, which I cut from cardstock, I set the material to “Medium Cardstock” with "More Pressure." 

STEP 5: ASSEMBLE AND APPLY YOUR DESIGNS

Dollar Tree Canning Jar Vases

We will add the tiny white and yellow flowers to these. First, cut the excess vinyl away from your designs. With your weeding tool, remove the vinyl from around the petals and center heart pieces.

Since the flowers and centers are so small, you can peel them off of the backing sheet like stickers and place them where you like on the canning jars.

Or, you can use transfer tape.

Cut a piece of transfer tape slightly larger than one of your flowers. Align the transfer tape over the heart so that it is in the center. Press the transfer tape down and gently peel away the vinyl’s backing.

TIP: If you are having trouble getting just one heart at a time, try cutting the hearts apart first.

With the heart on the transfer tape, center it over a white flower. Burnish the transfer tape to the vinyl with your Scraper tool and gently peel away the flower’s backing. 

Place the layered vinyl on to the canning jar. Burnish the vinyl to the glass and gently pull away the transfer tape. If you use the Scraper, be careful not to chip your paint.

Add as many flowers as you'd like. They don’t have to be in a perfect pattern, just space them out as you like. 

Once you’re happy with the pattern, finish the jars off with some silk flowers for a beautiful piece of home decor! You can buy flowers at Dollar Tree, too!

Plush Bear from Dollar Tree

We're adding the "YOU ARE loved" decal to the shirt. First, trim the cut design from the larger sheet and use your weeding tool to remove the excess iron-on vinyl. Don't forget to get the little bits inside the letters!

If you didn’t already, use your lint roller to remove any stray fluff or dust on the plush.

Use the Cricut heat press guide to check the recommended settings for your materials. I’ll put the plush on my EasyPress mat and set the Cricut EasyPress Mini to Medium heat.

Since the application area is so small, it may be helpful to use Cricut Heat Resistant Tape to hold the design in place when you press it.

I’ll press the design with light pressure and constant movement for about 25 seconds. Then, I’ll let it cool before gently removing the carrier sheet.

TIP: If you don't have an EasyPress, you can also use a home iron, just check the manual for the closest settings.

And the bear is done! You could also customize this with a name following these same steps!

Dollar Tree Terrarium with Cardstock Succulent

Finally, let’s decorate the globe terrarium from Dollar Tree with a cardstock succulent and some pebbles.

Remember, we don't need the little rectangle, so put that in your scrap pile. Then, use your scraper tool to shape the leaves upward, kind of like how you would use scissors to curl ribbon. Add hot glue to the center of the largest piece and stack each layer from largest to smallest. Make sure to stagger each layer as you add it to the top.

Continue until you have glued all the pieces together.  

Before placing the succulent in the terrarium, put a small handful of pebbles in the base. That will help keep the succulent from sliding around.

Done? If you want to use another one of my succulent designs, the directions are all available in the original tutorial.

There are all kinds of cute objects you can put inside these Dollar Tree terrariums. A rolled paper flower would be nice, or even several small succulents. Just make sure the item will fit through the opening!

STEP 5: SHOW IT OFF

You have learned the basic skills to customize any Dollar Tree blank on my list! Here are the designs I made today and I can't wait to see your variations!