Learn how to make beautiful Shaped Edge Cards for any occasion!
Everyone loves receiving homemade cards. There’s just something so sweet and personal about being gifted a card (or another craft) that someone made just for you! Cards are an inexpensive way to send a letter, well wishes, congratulations, or another special message to someone you care about. My shaped edge cards have been a hit with their fun and fancy edges, and it’s been a delight to see the beautiful ways you make them your own! Now I’m back with three new designs of shaped edge cards, plus an easy tutorial to help you make some extra special cards of your own!
Shaped edge cards are fun and unique because they have shapes that follow the cutouts on the right edge of the card base when it’s closed. I love how the shape runs along the edge of your card, adding some cool flair to what would normally be a plain rectangle!
This time, though, we’ll take it up a notch by showing you how to create beautiful three-dimensional effects with your greeting cards. Plus, how to use more than one inner liner to create amazing layered cards your family and friends are going to love.
I’ll walk you through the entire process, from the moment you open Cricut Design Space to adding the last bit of glue. I can’t wait for you to see how easy it is to make these amazing cards!
Inside the download folder, I’ve included three different designs for making full-size 5″ x 7″ versions on a full-size cutting machine, as well as the same three designs in a smaller 4″ x 6″ Cricut Joy-sized format. The steps are a little different between the two size cards, but I’ll show you how to make both!
You can cut your cards by hand using the PDF in the download file, but the small details are much easier when you cut the SVG file with a cutting machine like a Cricut. I used the Cricut Maker 3 and Cricut Joy, but you can also use the Cricut Maker, a Cricut Explore Series machine, the Cricut Venture, or the Cricut Joy Xtra for this project (or another machine that uses cut files). Just be sure to choose the right size card template for your machine.
First, I’ll show you how to prepare and assemble a lovely Flower card with three-dimensional petals and pretty cutouts. I’ll demonstrate with the full size version on a Cricut Maker 3. Then I’ll show you how to cut a smaller, modified version of the Tree card design with a Cricut Joy. I love when everyone gets to make a craft, regardless of which cutting machine they have. Then we all get to craft together!
I’ll show you how to make no-score versions of the cards using dashed cut lines instead of a score line, but if you’d like to use the score version of the file to create a fold line, you can use an optional Scoring Stylus or Single Scoring Wheel. These aren’t necessary, though — totally optional. If you want to use a scoring tool and need help setting your score lines, see my Scoring Tools and Tips post.
When it comes time to cut your card pieces, there are only a few craft supplies you’ll need! The first thing you’ll need is some good quality cardstock for each card layer. I’m using white, multicolored and glitter cardstock for my cards, but you can use any kind you like to make your cards unique! There are a whole host of options available, and these designs look great with metallic, shimmer, or even patterned cardstock.
It’s best to use contrasting colors for the outside and inside. If you choose a dark color for the liner, choose a light color for the outside base card. That way, the inner liner will stand out against the cutouts on the front of the card!
If you’re like me and want to use glitter cardstock, you’ll definitely want to keep your blade clean between cutting each mat. These cards have some quite intricate cuts, and a dirty blade can turn an otherwise easy project into a poorly cut mess!
That’s where my aluminum foil trick comes in. Poking the foil will clean off any vinyl adhesive, oxidation, or cardstock fibers from the surface of the blade, making your cuts sharper and neater and saving yourself a lot of frustration and wasted materials.
To clean your blade ball up a sheet of foil and press the plunger on your blade housing until the blade sticks out. Poke the blade in and out of the foil ball about 30-40 times. Be very careful, as the blade is held inside the casing by a magnet. It may get stuck in the foil as you poke it in and out, but don’t worry — just carefully pull it out and stick it back in the housing.
Now you may spy a fourth card here — a Jellyfish card! This is an example of a shaped edge card you can design yourself in my ADVANCE program. It was designed entirely in Cricut Design Space, so I cannot share it with you here, but you can make it yourself. Learn more about the ADVANCE with JenniferMaker program here!
Along with your cutting machine, you’ll need the standard green StandardGrip machine mat, a brayer, and a spatula for removing the delicate pieces of the cards. It’s also handy to have a scraper, a weeding tool, and a pen for curling petals around from the flower card — that’s how you get the cool 3D effect.
To attach the liner layers inside your cards, you’ll need a little bit of glue to hold it all together. I recommend using a good quality craft glue like Bearly Art Glue.
To send your card through the mail, you can even make a DIY envelope! Just follow my easy Envelope tutorial. If you didn’t resize the cards, the A7 size envelope fits the 5″ x 7″ cards and the A6 size fits the 4″ x 6″ cards.
Cricut card-making is a fun and easy way to light up someone’s day. Personalize the cards with the recipient’s favorite colors, make a coordinating envelope, and send a smile to someone you care about!
Let me show you how easy it is to make these shaped edge cards! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.
Materials to Make Side Edge Cards
View my Amazon shopping list with the exact items we used to make this project
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ 65 lb. White Cardstock
- One to Two (1-2) Sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ 65 lb. Colored Cardstock -OR-
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ Glitter Cardstock (optional for liner -OR-
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ or 12″ x 12″ Metallic or Shimmer Cardstock
- A way to cut your cardstock: I’m using the Cricut Maker 3 and Cricut Joy, but you can also use the Maker, Explore series, Venture and Joy Xtra for this project!
- StandardGrip Machine Mat
- Scoring Stylus (optional for files with score lines) -OR-
- Single Scoring Wheel (optional for files with score lines)
- Brayer
- Scraper
- Weeding Tool (for popping out small cutouts from intricate areas and lifting flower petals)
- Craft Glue – I used Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
- Cricut Fine Point Pen (optional for writing on front or inside, as well as curling the petals on the Flower card)
- Paper Towels (optional for cleaning up excess glue)
- Design #598 (My free SVG/PDF/DXF design files are available in my free resource library – get the password by filling out the form at the bottom of this page)
How to Make Your Own Decorative Shaped Edge Cards
Shaped Edge Cards
Learn to make shaped edge cards with design cutouts!
Materials
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" 65 lb. White Cardstock
- One to Two (1-2) Sheets of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" 65 lb. Colored Cardstock -OR-
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" Glitter Cardstock (optional) -OR-
- One (1) Sheet of 8.5" x 11" or 12" x 12" Metallic or Shimmer Cardstock (optional)
- Design #598 (My free SVG/PDF/DXF design files are available in my free resource library - get the password by filling out the form at the bottom of this page)
Tools
- A way to cut your cardstock - I’m using the Cricut Maker 3 and Cricut Joy, but you can also use the Explore series machines, the Venture, or the Joy Xtra
- Cricut Green StandardGrip Machine Mat 12" x 12"
- Scoring Stylus (optional for files with score lines) -OR-
- Single Scoring Wheel (optional for files with score lines)
- Craft Glue (I used Bearly Art Precision Glue)
- Brayer
- Spatula
- Scraper
- Weeding Tool (for popping out small cutouts from intricate areas and lifting flower petals)
- Tweezers (optional)
- Cricut Fine Point Pen (optional for writing on front or inside)
- Paper Towels (optional for cleaning up excess glue)
Instructions
STEP 1: GET MY FREE SHAPED EDGE CARDS DESIGNS
First, download my Shaped Edge Cards designs from my free library – look for Design #598. 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 three designs: A flower card, a tree card, and a whale card. Each design has a no-score version that uses dashed cut lines to create the foldable creases, and a score version that uses a scoring tool to create the creases.
There is also a folder for Joy users that contains Cricut Joy-sized versions of each of the three designs, with dashed cut lines to create the foldable creases. Also, there is a DXF folder with cut files, and a PDF folder with versions you can print and cut by hand.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to prepare and assemble the full-size no-score version of the Flowers card with a Cricut Maker 3, and the Joy-size version of the Tree card using a Cricut Joy.
If you want to make the score version of the designs, follow the steps from my score tool tutorial to adjust your file.
OPTION 1: FULL-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD
STEP 2: PREPARE AND CUT YOUR FULL-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD DESIGN
- Open Cricut Design Space and click “New Project.”
- Click “Upload” and then “Upload Image.”
- Click “Browse.”
- Select the SVG file of your choice. I’ll use the Flower SVG with “noscore” in the name from the main SVG folder.
TIP: If you’re not sure how to upload, go to jennifermaker.com/svgs to learn how to unzip and upload SVG files. - On the Prepare to Upload screen, it will say “Cut Image” with the design preview.
- Click “Upload.”
- Find the design in Recent Uploads and add it to the Canvas. This is what the Flower Shaped Edge Card design looks like on the Canvas.
- Ungroup the design.
- If you’d like to change the color of the pieces to match your cardstock, ungroup them and do that now.
- Make sure the correct machine is selected in the top right.
- Click “Make.”
- If prompted, click “On Mat,” choose your mat size, and click “Confirm.”
- On the Prepare screen, make sure the correct Material Size is selected for your materials.
- Select the first mat again and click “Continue.”
- On the Make screen, your mats will be in rainbow order. Set the Base Material for your mats. I used the following settings:
“Medium Cardstock - 80 lb (216 gsm)” setting with “More” Pressure for the 65 lb cardstock pieces
“Medium Cardstock - 80 lb (216 gsm)” setting with “More” Pressure for the shimmer cardstock pieces, two passes
“Glitter Cardstock” setting with “More” Pressure for the glitter cardstock pieces - Check that your Premium Fine-Point Blade is clean and in the correct clamp.
- Place your first mat’s cardstock pretty side up on a green StandardGrip machine mat.
- Use a brayer to make sure it’s fully adhered.
- Press the flashing “Load/Unload” button to load the prepared mat into your Cricut.
- Press the flashing “Go” button to begin cutting.
- When it has finished cutting, unload the mat, flip it over onto your work surface, and roll it back to release the material.
TIP: Use a spatula to carefully remove any intricate parts and a weeding tool to pop out any small pieces. If you have trouble with any of your cuts, check out my Cricut Tips & Tricks for Cleaner Cuts. - Repeat steps 17-21 for each additional mat.
STEP 3: ASSEMBLE YOUR FULL-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD
I’ll demonstrate with a full-size Flower card design, but these instructions are similar for the other two full-size designs. I’ll use the no-score version of the design, but if you want to make the score version, follow the steps from my score tool tutorial to adjust your file.
- Gather your Flower Card pieces. There is one large base card piece and one smaller liner piece.
- Place the base on your work surface, pretty side down if you’re using one-sided cardstock, with the flower shapes on the left.
- Fold the flower side over at the crease.
- Use a scraper tool to sharpen the crease.
- Curl each large petal around a pen or marker to make the flowers pop off the card.
- Use a weeding tool to bend or curl the smaller cut petals upward on the three larger flowers, as well as on the small individual flowers.
- Open the card so the cut out flowers are on the left.
- Grab your liner piece and match up its edges with the edges of the base card’s right side. Check that all of the flower outlines match up. If they don’t, flip it over and try the other way.
- Apply craft glue to the inside of the card base on the side with the cut out flowers. Be sure to apply glue all around the flower edges and in the center of each flower, but don’t apply any to the petals.
- Push the liner squarely into the crease and carefully close the card to adhere the front to the liner.
- Make sure the edges are flush along the top, bottom, and side and adjust the liner if needed before the glue dries.
- Press the layers together between the curled petals to adhere the liner to the card.
- If any excess glue seeps out from inside the flowers, use a paper towel to dab it away.
- Open the card to make sure no excess glue seeped out onto the bottom layer.
- This is what my finished Flower Card looks like!
OPTION 2: JOY-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD
STEP 2: PREPARE AND CUT YOUR JOY-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD DESIGN
- Open Cricut Design Space and click “New Project.”
- Click “Upload” and then “Upload Image.”
- Click “Browse.”
- Select the SVG file of your choice from the “For Joy Users” folder. I’ll use the Tree SVG.
TIP: If you’re not sure how to upload, go to jennifermaker.com/svgs to learn how to unzip and upload SVG files. - On the Prepare to Upload screen, it will say “Cut Image” with the design preview.
- Click “Upload.”
- Find the design in Recent Uploads and add it to the Canvas. This is what the Joy-size Tree Shaped Edge Card design looks like on the Canvas.
- Ungroup the design. There is a solid back base piece, a front base piece with cutouts, and two colored liners that layer inside to make the tree.
- If you’d like to change the color of the pieces to match your cardstock, ungroup them and do that now.
- Make sure the correct machine is selected in the top right.
- Click “Make.”
- If prompted, click “On Mat,” choose your mat size, and click “Confirm.”
- On the Prepare screen, make sure the correct Material Size is selected for your materials.
- Select the first mat again and click “Continue.”
- On the Make screen, your mats will be in rainbow order. Set the Base Material for your mats. I used the following settings:
“Medium Cardstock - 80 lb (216 gsm)” setting with “More” Pressure for the 65 lb cardstock pieces
“Medium Cardstock - 80 lb (216 gsm)” setting with “More” Pressure for the shimmer cardstock pieces, two passes
“Glitter Cardstock” setting with “More” Pressure for the glitter cardstock pieces - Check that your Premium Fine-Point Blade is clean and in the correct clamp.
- Place your first mat’s cardstock face up on a green StandardGrip machine mat.
- Use a brayer to make sure it’s fully adhered.
- When the light is flashing, load your mat.
- Click the “Go” button to begin cutting.
- When it has finished cutting, click “Unload” to unload the mat.
- Flip the mat over onto your work surface, and roll it back to release the cardstock.
TIP: Use a spatula to carefully remove any intricate parts and a weeding tool to pop out any small pieces. If you have trouble with any of your cuts, check out my Cricut Tips & Tricks for Cleaner Cuts. - Repeat steps 17-22 for each additional mat.
STEP 3: ASSEMBLE YOUR JOY-SIZE SHAPED EDGE CARD
I’ll demonstrate with a Joy-size Tree card design, but these instructions are similar for the other two Joy-size designs.
- Gather your Joy-size Tree Card pieces. The base pieces are the same color – one is a solid back piece, and one is a front piece with the full tree cutout. There is also one solid colored liner piece, and one liner piece with leaf cutouts.
- Place the base piece with the tree cutout on your work surface with the leaves pointing to the left – or pretty side down if you’re using one-sided cardstock.
- Apply craft glue to the back of the cutout base piece, but avoid the tab along the right side. Be sure to apply glue along the edges and between most of the leaves.
- Grab the liner piece with leaf cutouts, and hold it over the glued base piece. Line up the edges and cutouts.
NOTE: The cutout liner is slightly smaller than the base layer, so there will be a thin edge of the base layer showing around the liner when the layers are correctly aligned. - With the two layers aligned, press them together to adhere them.
- Slide the liner to make any adjustments if needed before the glue dries.
- Use a paper towel to dab away any glue that may have seeped out onto the back of the card, the work surface, or the front of the card.
- Set the assembled layers face down on the work surface.
- Apply craft glue to the back of the cutout liner piece, still avoiding the base layer’s tab along the right side. Be sure to apply glue along the edges and between most of the leaves.
- Grab the solid liner piece, and hold it over the other two assembled pieces. Line up the edges and cutouts.
NOTE: This liner is slightly smaller than the base layer, too – so there will be a thin edge of the base layer showing around the liner when the layers are correctly aligned. - With the layers aligned, press them together to adhere them.
- Slide the liner to make any adjustments if needed before the glue dries.
- Use a paper towel to dab away any glue that may have seeped out onto the back of the card, the work surface, or the front of the card.
- Place the assembled pieces face down on your work surface.
- When the assembled layers are fully dry, fold the tab up along the crease line.
- Use your scraper to get a sharp crease.
- Apply glue to the outside of the tab.
- Place the back base piece on your work surface, face down, with the long straight edge on the left.
- Slide the straight side of the back base piece up against the crease on the front base piece.
- Press the glued tab down onto the back base piece.
TIP: To cover the tab, duplicate the solid liner piece in Cricut Design Space, cut it out, then glue it inside.
STEP 4: SHOW IT OFF
Here are what my finished shaped edge cards look like! 
Prepare, cut, and assemble your own envelope, then mail or gift it to someone special!
Be sure to make the right sized envelope for your card! The larger 5” x 7” card will best fit into a size A7 envelope, and the 4” x 6” Joy-sized card works best with a size A6 envelope.
Notes
Finished Sizes:
Full-size Cards: 5" x 7" when folded
Joy-size Cards: 4" x 6" when folded
Answers to Your Questions About Making Shaped Edge Cards
Q: Where is the Jellyfish card?
A: The Jellyfish card is not a done-for-you design — it’s an example of a side edge card you can design yourself in my ADVANCE program. The jellyfish card was designed right in Cricut Design Space using my template and an element kit, and I cannot share the Design Space project link as it contains uploaded elements. But this is something you can easily make in my ADVANCE program! Learn more about ADVANCE here!
Q: How do you make side edge cards on Cricut?
A: Following this tutorial is a great place to start! After uploading your chosen side edge cards SVG to the latest version of Cricut Design space, you can change the color of any elements if you want to match them to your materials. Then I’ll walk you through how to cut two different card sizes on a full size Cricut Maker 3 as well as a small-format Cricut Joy. After that, I’ll show you how to assemble your own side edge card! Want more options? Check out my other shaped edge card tutorials here and here!
Q: Is it easy to make cards with Cricut?
A: Different cards have different levels of difficulty, but overall — YES! Cards are one of the easiest projects to make with the help of a Cricut cutting machine and each video and written tutorial. My advice would be to start the simple, easy way, then work up to more complex designs. You can totally do this!
Q: Can you make birthday cards with a Cricut?
A: Absolutely, you can make cards for any occasion with a Cricut or other cutting machine! Birthday cards, anniversary cards, springtime cards, cool summer side edge cards with seasonal shapes. Think of how charming a cute pool party side edge card would be! You can even make wedding invitations or an entire stationary set on a Cricut machine. Use the techniques in this tutorial to customize the edge of the cards.
Q: Can you use the Cricut to write inside of the card?
A: Absolutely! You can use your Cricut and compatible Cricut pens and markers to write sentiments inside of blank cards. Check out this tutorial to learn how to use your Cricut to write inside cards and address your envelopes, too!
Q: Can you sell cards made with Cricut?
A: As long as you’re using original designs with elements and typefaces that are free for commercial use, you can sell cards made with a Cricut locally, online, or on a global marketplace like the Etsy app. There are so many options, like birthday cards, Christmas cards, wedding invitations, congratulations cards, and more!
Q: Can you make cards on Cricut without card mat?
A: Cricut makes a special mat that helps with making cutaway and insert cards using their brand of card blanks. It can be handy for batch-making cards, but I usually prefer using a green StandardGrip machine mat for pretty much everything.
Q: Can you tell me what paper to use for Cricut card making?
A: Good quality, light to medium weight solid-color cardstock is my favorite for card bases (the front and back of the card), as they are rigid enough to stand open, handle intricate cuts well, and are easily foldable. I love using vivid colors, glitter, textured, metallic, and other specialty cardstocks for layering small pieces and embellishments. You may have other preferences, and that’s okay! The important thing is that you enjoy the craft and you’re happy with your result.
Q: What supplies do I need to make cards with Cricut?
A: For basic Cricut card making, you’ll need a selection of eye-catching cardstock like I said above, along with the other materials and tools in my materials list for this tutorial. My side edge cards are beautiful, but they’re really simple — just the basics are needed.
Q: Do you have any other easy cards I can make?
A: I sure do! There are tons on my blog. Just search “card” or you can browse cards in my resource library. Get the password by filling out the form at the bottom of this post.
Get my free SVG files to create Shaped Edge Cards
I love seeing what you make with my designs and how you use them! Please share a photo of your Shaped Edge Cards in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.
Love,
Want to remember this? Save this Shaped Edge Cards Tutorial to your favorite Pinterest Board!
