How To Use A Cricut Maker Machine For Beginners

Recently, you can hardly pass a day without coming across cool wall stickers, t-shirt transfers, jig-saw puzzles, and homemade wedding and gift cards. Thanks to the power of the Cricut Maker, you can as well make all these fantastic stuffs.

Using a Cricut maker machine for the first time can be a hell of a task. You may feel intimidated when starting your first project. The good thing is that you are not alone because almost everyone starts at the same point before becoming a professional. Without saying much, here are ideas to assist you get started with the art.

1. Connect the machine correctly

If you are the first-timer, you must link the Cricut maker to your personal computer to get things started. One fantastic thing is that with the correct setup, the machine registers automatically to your account. You only need to plug in the Cricut maker to a wall socket and power it on. Then, attach it to your pc using a USB cable. You can as well pair the two using Bluetooth, especially if you are using a Mac.

Once the link is established, find the Cricut Maker site and follow the on-screen prompts. This on-screen prompts should assist you come up with a Cricut ID. You may need to install the design space plugin for the first time. Once you are ready, you will be prompted to start working on the very first project.

2. Start with ready-to-make projects

Often, some people acquire the Cricut machine intending to come up with fancy wall arts and cool tattoos. Well, these are among the many things you can create using the tool. Before you get started, it would be best if you familiarized yourself with the device. To do so, you can with the ready-to-make projects. I would recommend items such as LOVE cards using black and white materials.

When creating such cards, it’s much easy to familiarize yourself with the cutting machine, which is essential. Another thing, the cardstock you use for these simple projects are easy to find and affordable. You will realize that before you are done with the fifth project, for example, your hands will be used to the newly-acquired machine.

Within time, you will be ready to take up the big plans of your choice. Thanks to YouTube, today, you can find almost every tutorial concerning a project that you intend to pursue. You can, therefore, head there and take advantage of the clips given by different YouTubers.

3. Get your tools ready

All the design work and stuff call for the right tools and material. You need to ensure that you have got the proper supply of things such as spatula, scrapper, and tweezers, for instance. One thing about having these tools ready is that it makes your work much more comfortable, as well as quick.

Therefore, if you are looking forward to creating projects like a pro, you have got to ensure that all the tools are in place. Well, Cricut Maker has some unique tools ready for use, and hence that shouldn’t be much of a problem for you as a beginner. In case you lose either of the tools, you can shop around for a replacement to avoid halting your fantastic artwork.

4. Don’t go hard on yourself, try cheat sheets

If you are gaming maniac, then you know what cheat sheets are. Well, they make the gaming experience amazing and fun. When it comes to using a Cricut machine, you can as well make use of the cheat sheets.

There are many bloggers out there willing to share their free Cricut cheat sheets. You should make use of these cheat sheets during your projects. They make things quite easy when they come in handy.

5. Utilize the on-screen guide

Like it’s with most machines, Cricut guides you throughout the process. The tool walks you through from the very first step of loading the mats to picking the right blades to complete the task. As a beginner, you shouldn’t ignore these guides as they can help you familiarize yourself with the entire job.

For instance, those on-screen guides can alert you whenever you pick the wrong cutting blade. Receiving such a warning also does help with boosting one’s courage as you carry on with the task knowing that you are doing the right thing. Besides, it helps fasten the process.

You can as well utilize the tutorials on YouTube or the platform’s official site. These tutorials also do work magic if you find yourself uncomfortable with whatever the machine provides.

6. Organize your crafting space

Starting your first project can be a pain in the neck. Things might turn messy, especially when you are not sure which tool to use for a specific job. Well, you must know that it takes a little time to know even the names of the tools you need for the job. It would be best if you, therefore, learned to be organized from the point start.

How you keep your crafting space does impact the results. Unless you want to take a whole day working on a single project, you must ensure that the tools used are organized. Organizing your crafting space doesn’t only help save time, but it does help reduce the loss of the apparatus.

You can start by placing the tools you use often close by and store the others in a different area. Also, you should have a bin to empty all the mess that you create. Clearing the field leaves the space fun to be around. You can check out bloggers over the internet for ideas on how you can organize your crafting space like a professional.

7. Don’t fear to make mistakes

Let’s say, you have decided to create a gift card as your first project. If you are an expert, this a job you can handle even with the eyes closed. But, if you are a beginner, things may not work as per your expectations. So, how do you deal with that?

One thing to note is that for you to learn something new, there must be mistakes along the way. Therefore, you shouldn’t focus much on making mistakes. Mistakes help you become better. Therefore, you shouldn’t get angry whenever you mess with your project. One day in the future, you will look back and laugh at yourself for those slight mistakes you are making right now.

8. Minimize on waste

When doing the artwork, you will have to deal with various printing materials. Whether you are creating a gift card for your mum, or you wish to design a fantastic wall sticker for your living room, there is a material for that.

Unless you have got all the money in the world, you have got to ensure that you utilize these materials to the fullest. Although some elements come cheaply, it would be best if you used them wisely.

So, how can you minimize wastage? One sure way to reduce the wastage is familiarizing yourself with how the machine operates before going big with the projects. As said earlier, there are tutorials out there to help with that. Also, you can start your projects with cheap materials.

As a beginner, your chances of making a mistake are high. Therefore, you will get to save much whenever you start with affordable materials.

9. Your family will want to use the machine

If you thought you were the only one interested in making incredible art, wait until you acquire a Cricut maker. Once you unwrap the device, you will learn that everyone, your kids included, will want to use the item. Well, as far as creating art is fun, they should also get a taste of what it feels like.

So, how do you handle the situation where everyone in the house wants to use the machine? First, don’t be the jealous type, and give everyone a chance to create that fantastic piece of art. You can have your kids along when you are doing your first-ever project.

Learning how to use the machine becomes even better when the family is involved. You may never know, one of your kids may develop a hobby in creating arts from that point.

When it comes to creating real projects, you should ensure that the young ones are supervised. By supervising them, it means that you will enjoy the fun without messing with your expensive devices. Besides, the supervisions help minimize the wastage of materials.