3D Light Up Angel: Make Ornaments or Tree Toppers!

Instructions

STEP 1: GET MY FREE LIGHT UP ANGEL DESIGN FILES

First, download my light up angel designs from this page — or search the library for design number 428.

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. 

NOTE: I've also included a file size for the Joy. It makes a beautiful ornament or decoration for the front of a card. Just cut it out using your preferred papers (you might have to experiment with cut settings to get the best results since the design is intricate) and then assemble it as below!

STEP 2: PREPARE AND CUT YOUR LIGHT UP ANGEL DESIGN

You can zoom out to see all of the design by clicking on the minus (-) sign on the lower left. This is what my Light Up Angel design looks like on my Canvas.

I've designed the angel to cut on 8.5" x 11" paper. The layers are in shades of gray for easy viewing.

The finished size of my angel is about 8" wide by 8.5" tall. If you would like to make a different sized angel, keep the lock icon closed and click and drag the resize icon on the bounding box, or type a new dimension into the width ("W") or height ("H") box at the top menu under "Size." Use larger paper if you're enlarging your design.

Make sure you have the right machine selected and click "Make It."

If prompted, click "On Mat," "12 in x 12 in," and "Continue."

Make sure the Material Size for all mats is 8.5" x 11". When you change the size of your first mat, it will change the size of any remaining mats that are the same color/shade of gray, so you won't have to edit every single mat.

This will give you ten mats. If you're using the same paper colors as I am, you can reduce the number of mats to eight by rearranging some objects. Just move the angel on Mat 2 to Mat 1. Make sure it doesn't overlap any of the objects already on the mat. You can also move the two small side pieces from Mat 7 to Mat 3.

TIP: For detailed instructions on combining mats, see my Paper Dahlia tutorial.

Then click "Continue" in the bottom right.

For the white cardstock mats, I used the "Cardstock (for intricate cuts)" setting. To find it, click "Browse All Materials" and type "Intricate" in the search bar. Then select the result, click Apply, and leave the Pressure at "Default." You can click "Remember Material Settings" since you'll be using the same settings for all the white mats.

Place your first mat's cardstock on a blue Cricut LightGrip Machine Mat. Use a brayer to adhere it well. Load your mat and press your machine's Go button. Once the mat is finished, unload it, flip it over on your workspace, and gently roll a corner back to release the cardstock. Complete the process for the rest of the white mats.

Once you get to the yellow mat, place your glitter cardstock on a green Cricut StandardGrip Machine Mat, change your paper setting to "Glitter Cardstock" and change the Pressure to "More." Cut the mat and remove the elements using the same process.

TIP: When removing the more intricate pieces from your mats, go slowly and use the spatula to gently lift them so they don’t tear.

STEP 3: ATTACH THE LAYERS FOR THE LIGHT UP ANGEL

Separate your cut pieces so you have two stacks: One stack will make up the front of the angel and the other stack will make up the back. We'll call the top pieces of each stack Layer 1 and the bottom will be Layer 4. You'll also have four pieces for the skirt sides. Set the two gold halo pieces aside.

Start by assembling the first side of your angel using one stack of the large pieces. Find Layer 3 and flip it over. Use your tweezers to move micro pop dots from the backing paper to the layer's back. Spread them out evenly until it looks similar to mine.

Remove the backing from each dot and then flip the layer over. Align the edges of the layer with the edges of Layer 4 before gently placing it on top. Make sure you're happy with the placement before pressing down. If not, pull the layer back up and move it. Press down to adhere all the dots to Layer 4.

Use the same steps to attach Layer 2 to Layer 3 and then Layer 1 on top.

Then, glue one of the halos to the top of Layer 1 so that the glitter will be visible from the front. You're done with side one!

Assemble the second side using the same method as above. Don't forget the halo!

Attach the side piece layers using the same method. Place the dots on the back of the smaller pieces with cutouts. Then adhere them to the larger side tabbed pieces. Fold the tabs in, too.

Here are all four sections assembled.

STEP 4: ATTACH THE FAIRY LIGHTS AND ASSEMBLE THE ANGEL

Now we can attach the fairy lights to one side using the 3D Zots which are glue dots. First, turn the fairy lights on to make sure they work.

Take one side of your angel and place it face down on a clean, protected work surface. Starting at the end of the lights without the battery pack, arrange a few of them so they're evenly spread over the wings and body. Leave the rest of the lights and the battery pack free for now.

Place several Zots on top of the wire to adhere the lights to the cardstock, avoiding the skirt. We'll use the free side of the Zots to attach the angel's other side in a bit. Next, apply a Zot on the angel's head.

Here's what my attached fairy lights look like after placing the Zots.

Now line up the other side so the angels are back to back. Make sure all the edges align before pressing down gently. The skirts will be unattached so we can create the 3D space with the side sections.

Next, find the skirt side sections. Put a line of glue along one tab and attach it to the inside edge of the angel's front, lining up the skirt lace at the bottom. Glue the other tab inside the angel's back.

Repeat this process for the other skirt side piece on the opposite side.

Next, use a Zot to adhere the battery pack to the bottom of the skirt. Make sure you’ll be able to reach the switch easily.

Finally, apply Zots inside the skirt to secure any loose fairy lights to the cardstock. Space the lights as evenly as you can and make sure the wire won’t interfere if you want to use the angel as a tree topper.

STEP 5: SHOW IT OFF

You're done! Turn on the lights and admire your finished angel.

You can also make a small version like this one to use as an ornament!