Fall Door Corner Decoration: Autumn Decor For Your Home

Instructions

STEP 1: GET MY FREE FALL DOOR CORNER DECORATION DESIGNS

First, download my Fall Door Corner Decoration designs from my free library – look for Design #768. Alternatively, you can use the Save This Project form near the top of this post and the design link will be emailed to you.

In the SVG folder, you’ll find “Boo” and “Fall” versions of my fall door corner decoration designs.

There is also a DXF folder with cut files, and a PDF folder with versions you can print and cut by hand.

The designs are sized to be cut on Cricut Maker machines, Cricut Explore machines, and the Cricut Venture machine. The designs can be resized, but make sure they are under 11.5” tall or wide so they can be cut from 12” x 12” cardstock unless you have larger materials and a mat to fit them. You can resize the designs to cut on 8.5” x 11” cardstock with a Cricut Joy Xtra, but they are too intricate for a Cricut Joy.

STEP 2: MEASURE YOUR DOOR AREA

1. Since both designs have lettering that only looks correct one way, make sure there is room for the finished topper to rest on the right side of your door.
   
   
2. Check that the door swings away from the topper. If it swings toward the corner, the cardstock could bend or tear.
3. Both designs extend about 5 inches from the horizontal beam’s bottom edge, where it will sit on top, so measure the area above your door frame to make sure there is enough space.
   
   
4. The designs also extend about 3 inches to the right of the vertical beam’s inner edge, so measure the area to the right of your door frame to make sure there is space for the side details.
   
   

STEP 3: PREPARE AND CUT YOUR FALL DOOR CORNER DECORATION DESIGNS

CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

1. In Cricut Design Space, open a blank Canvas.
   NOTE: If you’re not sure how to upload, go to jennifermaker.com/svgs to learn how to unzip and upload SVG files.
2. Click “Upload” and then “Upload Image.”
3. Click “Browse” and select the SVG file you want to use.
   NOTE: I’ll demonstrate with the “Boo” file, but you can use these steps for the “Fall” version, too.
4. Click “Open,” and then “Continue.”
5. Click “Upload” to add the design to your Canvas.
   TIP: You can click the minus (-) icon in the lower left corner to zoom out and see everything on your canvas.
   
   
   
6. Click “Save” and give your project a name.
7. If you’d like to adjust the size of your design, keep the lock icon closed to maintain the proportions, and use the corner Resize handles to shrink or expand it.
   TIP: The default size for both designs needs at least 5” of space above the door frame and 3” of space to the right of the door frame. Measure the clearance above the door and to the right side, then adjust the design accordingly for the best fit.
   NOTE: Keep your project size within the limits of your materials. Shrinking it too much can make you lose important details, but making it too big could go beyond what your machine or materials can handle.
8. “Ungroup” the design to work with the Elements separately.
   
   NOTE: The “Boo” design has three main layers with an L-shaped corner, a back support piece, two ghost pieces, and two spider pieces. The “Fall” design has seven main layers, and a back support piece.
9. If you want to use different color cardstock for any of the pieces, select the appropriate layer in the Layers Panel and use the Color Box at the top to adjust it.
   
   
10. Your door corner topper is ready to cut!

CUTTING

1. Make sure the correct machine is selected in the top right.
2. Click “Make.”
3. On the Prepare screen, make sure the correct “Material Size” is selected for your mats.
   NOTE: I’m using “12 in x 12 in” for all my mats.
   
   
4. Select the first main layer mat so it loads first on the next screen and click “Continue.”
   NOTE: Mine is the white ghosts layer, but yours may be different if you have changed some colors.
5. On the Make screen, set the “Base Material” for your first mat. I’ll use the “Glitter Cardstock” setting with “More” Pressure.
   NOTE: I used glitter cardstock for my ghosts and spider pieces.
   
   
6. Place your glitter cardstock pretty-side up on a green StandardGrip machine mat.
   
   
7. Use a brayer to make sure it’s fully adhered.
8. Check that your Premium Fine-Point Blade is clean and in the correct clamp.
9. Press the flashing “Load/Unload” button to load the prepared mat into your Cricut.
10. Press the flashing middle button to begin cutting.
11. Before unloading the mat, use your weeding tool to peel back a corner of the material to make sure the cut went all the way through. If it didn’t, smooth the material back down into place and press the middle button again for another pass.
12. Once the material is cut all the way through, unload the mat, flip it over onto your work surface, and roll it back to release the material.
    TIP: If you have any issues with your cuts, check out my Intricate Cuts tutorial.
13. Use the spatula to help lift delicate parts, and your weeding tool to poke out small bits of cardstock that may have been left behind.
    
    
14. Use a scraper tool to remove the small bits left on your mat after you remove the cut pieces.
15. Repeat Steps 6-14 to cut the rest of your glitter cardstock layers.
    NOTE: Glitter can stick to the blade and cause trouble on your future cuts, so I recommend cleaning it after each sheet of glitter cardstock. You can take the housing and blade out of the clamp, press down on the plunger, and carefully poke the blade into a ball of aluminum foil several times, or clean it with an alcohol wipe. Be careful, it's sharp!
16. To cut your main cardstock layers, change your Base Material to the “Medium Cardstock - 80 lb (216 gsm)” setting with “More” Pressure.
    
    
17. Place your regular cardstock face up on a green StandardGrip machine mat.
    
    
18. Use a brayer to make sure it’s fully adhered.
19. Then follow Steps 8-14 to cut your regular cardstock mats.
20. Lay your cut pieces face up in organized piles.
    
    

STEP 4: ASSEMBLE YOUR FALL DOOR CORNER DECORATION

NOTE: I’ll demonstrate with the “Boo” design, but the “Fall” design follows the same steps.

1. Using your Canvas in Cricut Design Space as a reference, stack your main layers face up from top to bottom.
   NOTE: If your layer colors match the ones I used, the yellow layer goes on the bottom, the orange layer goes in the middle, and the black layer goes on top.
   
   
2. Set aside the two ghost and two spider pieces for now.
3. Flip your project’s top and middle layers over onto your work surface beside the bottom layer (like you’re turning the pages of a book).
   
   
4. Apply craft glue to the back of the middle layer.
   TIP: Add small dots of glue to the thinnest areas to avoid seepage.
   
   
5. Flip the glued side of the middle layer onto the bottom layer.
6. Using the L-shaped corner piece as a guide, line up the edges of the middle and bottom layers. Be sure the edges of all areas are aligned and flush before the glue dries.
   
   
7. Press and smooth the layers together over the entire design to adhere them, paying special attention to the thin cut areas.
8. If any glue seeps out from the edges or from underneath the cutouts, quickly wipe it away with a finger or paper towel.
9. Repeat Steps 4-8 to adhere the back of the top layer to the front of the middle layer.
   
   
10. Check for any thin areas of the cardstock layers that aren’t fully adhered (like the tips of the branches), then apply a small amount of craft glue between those areas and press them into place.
    TIP: The precision tip on your Bearly Art glue works well for this!
11. Lay the assembled layers face up and grab the ghost and spider pieces.
12. Center the ghosts pretty-side up in their placeholder spots on the top layer to make sure they’re oriented correctly.
    NOTE: There should be an even border of black around the ghosts.
13. Flip over the left ghost piece and apply glue to its back, avoiding the eye and mouth cutouts.
    
    
14. Center the ghost glue-side down on its placeholder.
15. Press and smooth to adhere it, then wipe away any excess glue.
16. Repeat Steps 13-15 to adhere the right ghost piece to the top layer.
    
    
17. Using your fingers, slightly curl each spider’s legs above its body and flatten out its feet to add dimension.
    
    
18. Place the two spiders pretty-side up on the top layer so all eight of their feet touch the webbing.
    NOTE: The small spider fits best in the web’s middle section, while the large spider fits best in the web’s large section.
19. Flip over one of the spiders and add dots of glue to the back of each foot.
    
    
20. Then flip the spider pretty-side up and press it into place on the top layer, making sure each foot adheres to the cardstock to secure it.
21. Repeat Steps 19-20 to attach the other spider.
    
    

STEP 5: APPLY FOAM ADHESIVES TO THE BACK OF YOUR FALL DOOR CORNER DECORATION

NOTE: You can use stacked foam adhesive to attach your door corner decoration to the wall, or you can use the Blu-Tack or Command strips listed in my materials to attach the decoration directly to the door frame. I'll show you how to stack the foam adhesive below.

1. Flip your assembled project face down.
2. Peel a foam adhesive square from the carrier sheet and press it sticky-side down in the corner of the L-shaped corner piece.
   
   
3. Then press a foam adhesive square onto both ends of the L-shaped corner piece.
   
   
4. Peel the backing from each foam adhesive square, then add an additional square sticky-side down directly on top of each square on the corner piece.
5. Repeat Step 4 to add two more layers of squares in each spot.
   
   
6. Peel the backing from the last foam square in each stack.
7. Line up the back support piece so it’s flush with the L-shaped corner piece, then press it into place.
   

VARIATION: HELLO FALL DESIGN

1. Order of layers: There are seven layers. If your colors match the ones I used, the dark brown layer goes on the bottom, with the light brown layer over it, the green layer over that, then the red layer, the yellow layer, the orange layer, and then finally the black layer on top.
   
   

STEP 6: SHOW IT OFF!

Here are my finished fall door corner decorations!

To install your corner decoration, simply rest the back support piece on top of your door frame. For the “Boo” design, you can use small pieces of Blu-Tack to secure the thin webbing pieces to the door frame for extra security.

Make sure to attach your decoration on the corner of a door that swings away from it so you don’t tear the cardstock in the inner corner area.