We love origami and one of our favorite themes is transportation!

These include some of the more beginner level origami tutorials, like those paper airplanes we made as kids, paper boats, and of course, this adorable origami truck.

This beginner level tutorial even comes with free printable illustrated visual instructions so that you can do them at a workshop with an easy reference, or keep them handy for later.

I added a fun window to mine, but you can also just leave it as is.

Use this as a party activity, to make decorations such as garlands for a truck-themed party, or just make it for fun.

Take it up a notch with those markers! Write the name of an imaginary company on the side, or just have fun decorating it.

Practice makes progress, and this is not a tutorial that needs to come out perfect to look like what it is. You can see that even mine isn’t perfect – I just focused on having fun making it!

What you’ll need

• Origami Paper (or trim copy paper to square)
• I recommend using a bone folder
• Markers

How to Fold an Origami Truck

1. Start with a square sheet of paper. Fold it in half…

… and unfold to form a horizontal line in the center.

2. Fold down from the top and up from the bottom halfway to the center (approximately is fine).

3. Fold up each corner of your original paper so that it sticks out above (and below) the fold line. You can match it up to try to make the top and bottom even, or just go with your gut – it’ll still come out fab.

4. Now fold down the very tip of the corner to “round off” what will become your wheels.

5. Fold your left side over, close to where the wheels are (about 1/3 or a little more)

6. Fold that same side back, leaving a skinny little bit still folded over as a mini accordion fold.

7. Refold your origami truck in half along that center fold line that you created in the beginning.

8. Fold down your top left corner, starting from where the vertical pleat is, and about 1/3-halfway down the left side (minus the wheel).

9. Invert/tuck in that last fold.

10. Add any detail you’d like! I drew on a window and some wheel detail.

Your origami truck is complete! What will you be making next? Comment below!

Download the origami truck folding instructions

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

The post Origami Truck: Step by Step Tutorial appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Thanksgiving is such a wholesome holiday, and between the Fall harvest and the theme of thanks it presents excellent crafting opportunities! You can gift these bookmarks to people you feel thankful to, or make them to use for yourself while enjoying the seasonal designs.

Have fun choosing either classic Fall colors or your own creative twist to represent classic autumn treats – corn, pumpkin, turkeys, maple, and sunflowers. Then, consider writing a small note or word of inspiration on the back of your bookmark.

In an earlier post, we showed you how to easily make origami corner bookmarks out of any square piece of paper. Here, you’ll find templates and directions to decorate your corner bookmarks with autumn-themed pictures.

If you find you don’t need that many bookmarks, you can also use the templates for other autumn-themed projects – glue them onto cards, magnets, signs, whatever you think of.

Or, if you like the bookmark idea but want something simpler than origami – perhaps to craft with preschoolers – glue the designs onto jumbo craft sticks or even simply a rectangle cut out of cardstock.

To help them last longer and to add an extra shine, you might want to protect the designs using either a laminating machine or clear tape.

What you need

• Colored paper or cardstock
• Scissors
• Glue
• Pencil 
• Markers

How to make your own Thanksgiving bookmarks

1. Choose colored papers to use for your bookmarks. The template includes patterns for a turkey, pumpkin, maple leaf, sunflower, acorn, and corn, so think about what colors you would like to use for each of these items.

We’re going to start with the turkey design, so trace the turkey template onto the colored paper of your choice and carefully cut out the pieces.

2. Glue the smaller tail shape onto the bigger one.

The body and head of the turkey are one piece. Glue the beak onto the middle of the head part.

3. Glue the teardrop-shaped cutouts onto the tail.

4. Use markers to draw eyes on the turkey’s face, wings on the side of the body (as shown) and outline the whole body shape.

5. Prepare a few squares of paper to make the corner bookmarks (ours is about 6 inches squared). Use copy paper or something light enough to fold.

6. Follow these directions to fold the papers into corner bookmarks.

7. Glue the completed turkey design onto the triangle side of a bookmark.

Take the colored paper you chose for the maple leaf design. Trace the maple leaf shape from the template onto that paper and cut it out. Use a coordinating color of marker to outline the leaf shape and add vein details. Glue the maple leaf onto the triangle side of the next bookmark.

Similarly, trace, cut out and glue the designs for the rest of the items in the template to make a full set of Thanksgiving-themed bookmarks!

Download the Thanksgiving Bookmarks

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Get ready because we’re about to combine two of my favorite things – Thanksgiving and fuse beads! These Thanksgiving fuse bead templates take things to the next level.

If you’re not already familiar with fuse beads – otherwise known as Perler beads or Hama beads, you’re in for a real treat. And if you are already into fuse beads, you probably never thought of using them with this twist – read on!

I love Thanksgiving because really, everyone can find something to be thankful for, and what could be more positive and enriching than recognizing this and expressing it? Gratitude is an extremely healthy thing, and we’d do well to spend more than one season focusing on it.

In this craft, you’ll be creating fall-themed napkin rings that will make a great accent on your Thanksgiving table – or someone else’s. These would make a great host/hostess gift if you’re joining someone else’s feast, or a perfect table decor if you’re the one serving. 

And if you’re not having a feast this year, you can use them any time to take your table setting to the next level. The designs inspired by fall leaves, pumpkins, and corn can easily complement any other seasonal decor. You can make some of each design, or if you have a favorite you can just copy that one multiple times to make a full set.

Now, on to fuse beads. Whether following a pattern or making up their own, fuse beads can keep kids busy for hours. They love the way the little pieces come together to make intricate designs. \

I actually find it quite relaxing myself, and have joined my kids in this activity more than once (check out these cool fuse bead keychains, for example, made using Flycatcher’s Smart Pixelator!)

The supplies aren’t very expensive, especially compared to the amount of time and activity you get out of them, so this is a really easy hobby to try out. While there are very economical huge assortments of beads available, for this craft you might want to look for packages of specific colors since you’ll be using a lot of the same few colors. Of course, you can also decide to vary your colors beyond what’s used here.

Fuse beads are amazing for fine-motor exercise. The beads are very small so this is a good pick for older kids or those with more refined skills. You can either use fingers or a tweezer to position the beads – both will engage different types of grasping and pincer grip skills. My kids actually prefer to use some of each; this helps them not to get tired too quickly.

Copying a pattern with the beads, like you’ll do for this craft, adds another level of hand-eye coordination and working memory practice. For those who have difficulty copying from one place to another, you can use transparent bead trays and lay it directly on top of the pattern so copying is not needed. Just make sure to print the Thanksgiving fuse bead templates at 100% scale.

The final steps of this project require you to apply heat and then reshape the beads while still very hot, so if you have kids making the pattern you’ll want to engage a grownup to finish it off – I recommend using heat-resistent gloves for this!

I have written the directions according to what usually works for fuse beads, but depending on the brand of beads you’re using, it might come with different recommendations for ironing. Check the package your beads came in to see if their instructions are different. They’ll all be fairly similar but may require slightly different times or levels of heat for the best results.

And here we go – let’s make napkin rings from this Thanksgiving fuse bead template!

How to Assemble the Thanksgiving Fuse Bead Templates

Supplies

• Fuse bead peg board (at least 29×29 pegs; about 5.7” square)
• Fuse beads (5mm – standard size) in fall colors
• Fuse bead paper or parchment paper
• Iron (I keep a mini one dedicated for crafting)
• Small drinking glass or other heat-safe cylinder
• Template – download and print at the end of this post.
• Optional: needle and thread

Making the napkin rings

1. Print the template. If you’re planning to place your bead tray directly onto the pattern, make sure to print it at 100% scale and print a copy for each person doing the craft.

Optional but recommended: If you’re using an assorted collection of beads, sort out a bunch of yellow, orange, red, brown, and green beads.

2. Using the dots on the template as a guide, copy the design by placing beads onto the little pegs. You can copy by matching the pattern, or you can lay your tray on top of the pattern sheet and place the beads directly on top of each colored dot as shown.

3. When all the beads are laid out, carefully cover them with a piece of fuse bead or parchment paper. It is helpful to cut the paper down to a size just a little larger than the peg board.

Preheat the iron to a medium setting, or the level indicated by the instructions on your bead package.

4. Place the iron carefully on top of the paper. Apply very gentle pressure while moving it in small circles to heat the entire project evenly. Do this for 30 seconds OR as indicated by the instructions on your bead package.

5. Gently lift a corner of the paper. Observe if the tops of the beads have become stuck together. If they seem loose, put down the paper and repeat the ironing for another 10 seconds, and check again.

When the tops of the beads seem to be stuck together, turn the project upside down and carefully lift off the peg board.

6. Cover the exposed side of the pattern with another sheet of the paper. Iron it the same way you did the first side. When done, the beads should be firmly fused together.

7. Immediately, while the beads are still hot and soft, keep them between the sheets of paper and wrap it around a glass so that the designs form three bands around the glass. Hold it in place until the shape is set.

8. Gently peel off the paper.

At this point, you can leave the napkin rings as they are, or sew the ends together. If you wish to sew them together, use a needle to widen the holes in the last row at each end of the design (this will be easier while it is still warm). When it finishes cooling, use a strong thread to sew the ends together.

Download the Thanksgiving Fuse Bead Template

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

The post Thanksgiving Fuse Bead Templates for Napkin Rings! appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Gearing up for back to school? Try some fun back to school bookmarks to craft and encourage reading! Make a pencil, a school bus, and an apple! And there’s another bonus not included here: a book!

Our kids are embarking on a new journey in just one very long week: M’s starting fourth grade, Y is going to first, and A is going to two year old playgroup after two years at home with Mama!

Especially when starting the “big” grades, kids can feel anxious. Back to school crafting is a great tension-diffuser. We often personalize DIY school supplies and decorate lunch boxes for back to school, but we also love a good school-themed craft that isn’t used in school necessarily.

Bookmarks are a fabulous back to school craft because they encourage one of the most fun, time-tested educational activities ever: reading!

These designs were cut from a simple free printable template in shapes that are forgiving if they’re not perfect. The template comes with two sides (one size on each page) so that you can choose which one you’d like to create.

This back to school bookmark craft uses popsicle sticks as the bookmarks. If you’d like something flatter, you can simply use a piece of cardstock instead.

You can, of course, also use the template as the basis for other back to school crafts – such as embellishments for school supplies, lunch box notes, and more.

Add as much detail as you’d like. Use glitter glue to add some pizazz, try textured papers for interest, try seeing what you find around the house. You can even try using things like last year’s dividers for windows on the bus, and spare notebook paper from a half-used marble notebook for the book, or the cover for the bookmark.

The possibilities are endless – just let your creative brain flow!

Download the free printable back to school bookmarks template

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

Materials needed to make your bookmarks

• Cardstock or Construction paper
• Pencil – to trace the template
• Glue
• Markers for detail if you’d like
• Popsicle sticks

Love this post and want more like it? Hit “Thank the creator” in the sidebar, the beginning, or end of this post, and send over some confetti so I know to create more like this! You can choose from free or paid stickers. Any sticker shows me you loved this. Paid stickers sponsor the coffee to fuel the next post.

How to assemble back to school bookmarks

1. Choose the correct colors for your template that you’re assembling and prepare them. The template includes a school bus, apple, pencil, and a book. Cut out the parts of the template that you want to use (I recommend keeping each one in a separate pile so you don’t confuse them.) Trace it onto the craft paper. Cut out each part.

We’re going to be assembling the school bus to showcase this tutorial, however the process is pretty self-explanatory for each design.

2. Glue the headlight to the front of the bus. Glue the black strip right below it.

3. Glue on your windows. You may prefer to apply the glue to the bus portion to plan out their placement (rather than gluing them on one at a time).

4. Glue the small circles onto the larger circles to form your wheels.

5. Glue the wheels onto the bottom of the bus about half on the bus and half off.

6. If you’d like to, you can add details and outlines to highlight certain parts and add more depth to your back to school bookmarks.

7. Glue your school bus onto a popsicle stick to complete your back to school bookmarks! Now try assembling the others and sit down with a good book!

Which back to school bookmarks will you be trying first? What’s your favorite book to read to ease back to school nerves? Comment below!

The post Back to School Bookmarks – Free Printable Template appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Preschoolers love to color, but they’re also approaching that stage where they’re past just scribbles. They can start making simple, imaginative drawings that just make you smile – especially when they describe their illustrations!

Today, I’m sharing a really fun seasons activity for preschool. It’s a simple drawing prompt that’s intended to be collaborative.

This seasons activity for preschool comes with eight pages including

You’re getting two sets of activities in one – weather and seasons. You can also check out this weather craft for kids for a more robust weather option.

Use them as a set or use them separately. You can also do the seasons pages individually as each season comes.

Seasons:

• Spring
• Summer
• Fall
• Winter

Weather:

• In the rain
• In the sun
• In the wind
• In the snow

Love this post and want more like it? Hit “Thank the creator” in the sidebar, the beginning, or end of this post, and send over some confetti so I know to create more like this! You can choose from free or paid stickers. Any sticker shows me you loved this. Paid stickers sponsor the coffee to fuel the next post.

How to do this seasons activity for preschool

Encourage kids to illustrate the season or weather, what you’d find, how things might look. Two kids should take turns illustrating something to fit.

You can open up the discussion of the effects that different seasons and weathers have. In the rain can mean that something’s wet, that snails come out, or that flowers grow.

Fall can mean that there are colorful leaves, that a girl is wearing a scarf or that there is a house with a pumpkin in front.

Having kids take turn teaches them collaboration and turn-taking skills. Keeping this activity open-ended gives opportunity for self-expression and creativity.

I love Crayola Supertips for art activities like this, however younger kids might do better with standard Crayola markers, or with these Stabilo triangular ones.

Download the free seasons drawing prompt

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

More tips for using this as a classroom tool or home activity

This seasons activity for preschool can be done as a single unit for seasons, or use the pages seasonally. You can make these a classroom display (in half the space, since kids pair up for it).

My favorite way to do activities like this: print it in beautiful, full color. Laminate it. And do it with dry erase marker! Not only can it be reused year after year, but even within a session, kids can do it endlessly. Plus, they’ll love getting their hands on those whiteboard supplies. Make sure to get washable ones (standard dry erase is NOT easily washable).

And finally, if you’re doing this at home, you can keep these as a reusable activity within a binder. Get smooth glossy sheet protectors to make them dry erase. Get the type with a sealing top, or tape it shut so that your kids won’t be sure to pull it out. This season activity for preschool makes a fabulous project for sibling collaboration!

Who will you be doing this with? Any tips for collaboration? What are your favorite ways to teach turn taking skills? Comment below!

The post Seasons Activity for Preschool: Drawing Prompt appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Some kids can be handed a marker and papers and go wild. Some kids just need a little more help.

That’s why I love sharing thought starters to get kids who are past the scribble stage making art.

While it might seem counterintuitive to provide too much for simple illustrations, it can really enhance creativity as long as it’s open-ended. These free printables are designed to be just that. As a bonus, they’ll practice turn-taking and collaborative planning.

Kids can take turns illustrating what they’d like in this easy kids’ drawing activity! They can begin to learn position words with a collaborative art project. It’s also fabulous for teaching about different environments, what lives where, and what can be found where.

Pages included in this kids drawing activity

This free printable includes the following pages

• Under the sea
• Up in space
• Underground
• Up in the sky
• In the mountains
• On the moon

How to do this kids drawing activity

The idea is for kids to take turns with a sibling or a classmate. One child illustrates something that fits in the scene. The next continues.

If you’d like, decide in advance if you want it to be realistic or if a little fantasy or silliness is okay. Or, just let the kids do what they’d like and see how their personalities emerge based on what they choose to do!

You can also try spinoffs. Each child draws only a single stroke or line of the drawing and they can see what they come up with! But it has to fit the theme too…

I highly recommend Crayola Supertips for drawing activities for young kids like this one. You get a fabulous selection of colors in an affordable package and the size is a perfect in-between.

However, preschool kids might do better with standard Crayola markers. For 2-4 year olds these Stabilo triangular ones are fabulous too. the point goes into the marker so that they can’t smash it, and they survive for surprisingly long uncapped.

Download your free printable drawing prompt

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

Love this post and want more like it? Hit “Thank the creator” in the sidebar, the beginning, or end of this post, and send over some confetti so I know to create more like this! You can choose from free or paid stickers. Any sticker shows me you loved this. Paid stickers sponsor the coffee to fuel the next post.

More tips for this free printable kids drawing activity

This kids drawing activity can be done individually or all at once. You can make these a classroom display (in half the space, since kids pair up for it). You can use them as you learn about these different settings.

While you can totally use this simply as a coloring page, I prefer to upgrade it – and make it reusable. To do this, print it in beautiful, full color. Laminate it using an inexpensive laminating machine. You now have a super cool dry erase activity!

Not only can it be reused again and again, in a classroom or at home, but even within a session, kids can do it endlessly. Plus, they’ll love getting their hands on those whiteboard supplies. Make sure to get washable dry erase markers as standard ones don’t necessarily come out easily in the wash.

And finally, if you’re doing this at home, you can keep these as a reusable activity within an art binder. You’ll find that it produces so much less waste – and it’s more exciting for the kids! Get smooth glossy sheet protectors to make them dry erase. The sheet protectors I linked have a top seal so kids can’t take it out! If yours don’t, simply tape it shut.

This kids drawing activity makes a fabulous project for sibling collaboration! I love stocking activities like this by my kids’ art desk.

What’s YOUR favorite kids’ drawing activity? Comment below!

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There’s nothing like an adorable Uncle Sam craft to celebrate the 4th of July and this one is just too cute! Have you ever seen the good old U.S. look so friendly before?

To make this Uncle Sam craft more accessible to everyone, there’s a free template to go with it. This includes a PDF template to hand cut and assemble your parts, as well as an SVG for all you Cricut crafters out there…

Turn Uncle Sam into a stick puppet by gluing a craft stick to the back. Turn him into a finger puppet either by tracing the entire thing and gluing it back to back, leaving space only for your finger. Or, you can simply glue a ring of paper the size of your finger to the back.

While this friendly paper Uncle Sam craft was designed to be a puppet, you can also make him for more crafts:

• Glue him to the front of a wine bag if you’re being hosted for an Independence Day BBQ
• Make him in small for place cards
• If you’re really ambitious, try making this template really huge as an Uncle Sam poster
• Use the template with iron-on materials to make a fun 4th of July t-shirt

Download the Uncle Sam Craft template

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

You’ll receive a ZIP folder with both PDFs and the SVG. The SVG is for using with cutting machines (you’ll be able to adjust sizing, fix colors, duplicate as many shapes as you’ll want). The PDF is ready to print, trace, and cut by hand. If you need help, this article can help you unzip your file (it’s really easy once you learn).

What you need

• Colored craft papers
• Marker or pen
• Craft glue
• Scissors

How to make an Uncle Sam puppet craft

1. Select a colored craft paper for the Uncle Sam puppet’s skin tone – however you’d like to make it! Also select red, blue, white, grey and brown colored craft papers for the puppet. Trace and cut out the template patterns from the selected colored craft papers. You can do this using the SVG file on your Cricut as well.

2. Take the shirt and bow cutouts. Glue the small round cutout in the middle of the bow pattern and cut slits along the yellow marked lines of the shirt pattern. Fold the slit-parts inside to form the collar of the shirt.

3. Glue the paper bow to the paper shirt, between the collar patterns.

4. Glue the tux pattern on the top of the shirt pattern.

5. Glue the hand cutouts to the sleeve cutouts and then glue the sleeves on to both sides of the tux pattern.

6. Glue the strip cutouts on to the pants cutout.

7. Glue the shoe cutouts to the bottom side of the pants pattern.

8. Glue the pants pattern on to the bottom of the tux pattern.

9. Cut a slit along the yellow marked lines on the hair pattern, slide the top of the head cutout from front to back into the slit. Attach the hat border to the hat cutout.

10. Glue the star cutouts on to the hat border. Glue the hair and head cutouts together using craft glue.

11. Glue the hat pattern on to the top of the head pattern. Glue the beard cutout (triangular shape) on to the bottom of the head pattern – so that the top is a bit above the edge. 

12. Glue the head on to the top side of the tux.

13. Use a marker or gel pen to draw the eyes, nose and mouth of the Uncle Sam craft.

Your Uncle Sam craft is complete. What will you be using yours for? Comment below!

If you loved this, check out my crochet patriotic stars pattern and how to make paper 3D stars into a patriotic wreath!

The post Uncle Sam Craft – Free Paper Puppet Template & SVG appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

It’s so much fun to craft with paper puppets! These farm animal finger puppets are fun for all age groups. Use these to sing Old McDonald Had a Farm, or separate the individual components to use as seasonal crafts: the turkey for Thanksgiving, chick and bunny for Easter…

Tip: You can also explore YouTube for more songs to sing with these puppets.

Use the puppets to practice animal noises, discuss habitats, what they eat, or whatever conversation you’d like to begin with your preschooler!

Assembling the farm animal finger puppets is really simple. The templates include dotted outlines that leave a bit of white space around the actual puppets, so that you can cut around a larger shape.

Younger kids may find it challenging to cut these as they are small. I recommend an older kid (a proficient cutter) or grown-up assembly for these.

Some of them might curve around the finger more than you like. You can make additional slits near the arms and legs to allow it to forward face better.

Print these on cardstock for best usability. You can also laminate them before finishing assembly for added durability and a longer-term toy. Use double sided tape to easily assemble these. I found that to be the simplest solution – just tear off a piece and stick. You can, of course, use regular school glue, however, you’ll need to hold it to set.

Encouraging dramatic play in kids is a great form of self-expression. Finger puppets are designed to be easy for kids to use and there’s nothing quite like their favorite farm animals to get those imaginations going!

Your puppet will be loose on the finger. That’s intentional – kids have a tendency to get things stuck! And it’s for play, not for professional use (though your preschooler may believe otherwise.)

Use one at a time, or pile one on each finger – the choice is yours!

Get your printable farm animal finger puppets

Download the free frog puppet

To download, fill out the form below. You’ll be signed up for our free newsletter – unsubscribe at any time in the footer of the emails. I respect your privacy and the law and won’t share your information with anyone.

Get all the farm animal finger puppets

Since these farm animal finger puppets feature some twenty animals, I decided to split it in two, to keep the individual packages more affordable. There’s some logic to it, but it’s not an exact category…

Set 1: Domestic Animals

These are the types of animals you might find in your backyard – or not! This set features a good variety of animals, including: Chick, bee, frog, black bird, mallard duck, turtle, bunny, dog, cat, chicken

Set 2: Cattle and More

These are more farm-y animals for the most part, including: ram, sheep, 3 types of cow, horse, donkey, pig, turkey, duck

How to assemble your farm animal finger puppets

Supplies needed

• The template printed on cardstock
• Scissors
• Double sided tape (recommended) or glue

Assembly Instructions

1. Cut it around. Don’t worry about getting it perfect – as long as the shape is usable, you’re in good shape 🙂

2. Form a circle with the solid rectangles surrounding the animals. Overlap one side over the other. I overlapped it all the way to the animal. Your puppet should be loose on the finger. Tape or glue it in place.

3. If the arms and legs aren’t sitting nicely in the front, you can cut the slit on the bottom of the arm or top of the leg to help them face forward.

4. Now slide your farm animal finger puppets on and put on a show!

Which of the farm animal finger puppets is your favorite? Get the full bundles here and then comment below!

The post Farm Animal Finger Puppets appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

If you’re a creative planner like I am, you might be frustrated with the amount you spend on pretty stickers. Okay, it’s fun to shop for them, but somehow you always end up with piles of “dentist appointment” stickers, not enough “carpool” ones, and seriously? Pay bill? Does anyone not auto-pay anymore?

So learning how to print then cut stickers on Cricut machines can really help you get your planner in order. It’s also great for creative journaling, or if you just like decorating all your stuff with stickers.

Stickers are also an easy thing to make and sell at home – it’s cheap and quick to produce, and it’s inexpensive to ship, making it a very sell-able item.

So get ready to learn how to print then cut stickers on Cricut cutting machines!

Which sticker paper is best for Print then Cut Stickers?

There are so many types of sticker paper and quality matters – to a degree!

First of all, make sure you’re getting the right sticker paper for your printer type – laser or inkjet.

Next, understand your intended use for the stickers.

For personal use, I just get the cheapest sticker paper. It doesn’t stick as well as other brands to more complicated surfaces (such as curved, non-paper surfaces) but it’s fantastic for planners and journals.

For decals to be used on devices, water bottles, and similar items, you want the top end of the range: printable vinyl.

And then there’s the in-betweens: good quality sticker paper. You can get clear (transparent) sticker paper or white sticker paper.

Does the Cricut Print then Cut stickers?

There is confusion among some as to what the Cricut does. Many people call it “printing”. However, the Cricut does not print. It cuts or writes using pens and markers. Writing means outlines – not complex blocks of solid color.

Once a design is a bit more complex, you may want to print it and then just have the Cricut cut the outline. There are many other applications for Print then cut, but in the context of Print then Cut stickers, you’re likely just trying to keep things flat and assembly-free.

What the Cricut does do is have software that is printer compatible. That means that you can have a flattened design, that is not separated in layers; all the colors are combined into one layer that prints.

The Cricut will then prompt you to send it to your existing paper. It will add registration marks – that is, a rectangle around your image. This serves the purpose of telling the Cricut where exactly on the paper the design is so that it knows where to cut.

As a graphic designer, I completely appreciate this technology. It’s a big deal. I’ve used it in many 3D crafts, such as this space ship box.

For print then cut stickers, it means that you can print them on the paper of choice, and then, instead of having to cut them out by hand, the Cricut will do it for you. You can have invisible borders if they are white. The Cricut will cut around the edges of the pixels of your design. The background needs to be transparent. Any area that is transparent will not be on the final sticker. Any area that’s white will NOT be cut out.

If you’re new to learning how to print then cut stickers on Cricut, you would probably be best off first using stickers from other designers before trying to design your own. You can get these on Etsy, but first download this set for free to give it a try!

Download your free print then cut stickers below

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Your file will arrive in a ZIP folder. Learn how to unzip files here.

Supplies Needed to make stickers with your Cricut

• Sticker Paper of Choice
• Cricut Maker or Explore machine
• Fine Point Blade
• Color Printer
• Blue (LightGrip) or Green (StandardGrip) mat

How to print then cut stickers on Cricut

Uploading Your Stickers:

1. Open design space and click upload

2. Click Upload Image

3. Click browse or drag and drop to upload the free file you downloaded from this post. Note: it needs to be unzipped first! You can choose to upload individual sticker images or the combined PNG (which takes shorter but doesn’t allow you to print more or less of individual stickers – it’ll print it as a set.)

4. Click on complex – this means that it keeps all the detail in your image.

5. Then choose print and cut. This means that it’ll keep it as one flat image that you can print and then cut. But if you look at the “cut” option, you’ll already see the shape that the Cricut is registering as the outline to cut when you send it. Don’t click it, just make a mental note if you’d like.

6. Now we want to resize your image. Make the width a maximum of 6.75 or the height a maximum of 9.25 inches. Size your sticker to the size you’d like it to be, as long as it’s within those parameters. The image of all five stickers is designed to be set at 6.75 inches wide.

7. When you send your image to cut, you’ll be prompted to print it first. Load sticker paper into your printer. In your settings, choose the correct printer. I like to keep bleed “on” but in an image that has a white outline printed on a white paper it doesn’t make a difference.

8. After printing, place the sticker sheet printed side up, in the correct direction on the top left corner of your mat.

9. Load it into your machine and choose the cut setting that works best for your sticker paper. You may need to play around a little and do a few test runs to get it right, as it can vary by machine. The heavy cardstock setting will cut right through the backing, so that you have individual loose stickers. The washi tape setting with “more” pressure is great for a kiss cut on more intricate stickers (“kiss cut” means it only cuts the sticker layer and not the one beneath).

10. Click the go button and let your machine do the work! To avoid curling as you remove your stickers from the mat, flip the mat over (sticker side down) and peel the mat away from the stickers, and not vice versa.

You’ve learned how to print the cut stickers with Cricut! What else do you love to print then cut? Comment below!

The post How to Print then Cut Stickers on Cricut appeared first on Moms and Crafters.

Get your turkey on with this adorable friend! A free printable turkey puppet craft template makes things easier for you.

The cool part about this? You can print it in a black and white outline to to trace onto colored paper. OR print it in full color, print on white cardstock, cut out, and use!

Make these as stick puppets by gluing the finished turkey onto a stick. Want a different type of puppet:

To make a paper bag turkey puppet simply make it larger. Glue the face onto the bottom flap of the bag, the body below it in the body of the bag, and the feathers to the back of the bottom flap.

To make a finger puppet assemble according to the directions below and simply attach it to a horizontal strip instead of a stick. Measure the horizontal strip to form a ring that fits your child’s finger and tape shut.

Download the turkey puppet craft template

Enter your info in the form below to receive your download. Email me at menucha[at]momsandcrafters.com if you have any issues with your download or with any questions. For personal use only (classroom use allowed). Please do not sell, redistribute, etc.

Your file will arrive in a ZIP folder. Learn how to unzip files here.

What you need for this turkey puppet craft

• Kraft and/or brown cardstock
• Colorful construction or copy paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Popsicle stick

How to make a turkey puppet

Step 1:

1. Cut out the pieces for the turkey from the PDF template. If it’s the full color template that you’re using, just use those pieces to craft. If you prefer to make it from construction paper, trace the parts onto the appropriate colored papers and cut that out.

2. Glue the wings on either side of the body. Glue the wattle and beak on the face.

3. Glue the head onto the body.

4. As your body dries, begin assembling your feathers. Simply glue the two ends of the paper strips together to form a teardrop, as pictured. Don’t crease your fold. If you’d like you can gently bend it to hold a flatter shape – the choice is yours! Fold enough to make your turkey feathers and tail!

5. When your body is dry and set, attach your feathers to your turkey. Start with the center one.

6. Continue adding feathers to each side of the center one on the back of your turkey body until you are satisfied.

7. Finish it off with a popsicle stick to hold your puppet. Gobble gobble!

Your turkey puppet craft is complete! How will you be celebrating Thanksgiving this year? Comment below!

The post Turkey Puppet Craft Template appeared first on Moms and Crafters.