Gift Wrap Ideas with Cricut

Small gifts wrapped in wrapping paper and cardstock, with a tag made with the Cricut Maker 3, Cardstock, and Smart Sticker paper. The tags say "explore" with an airplane" "a little joy to carry with you."

Discover creative gift wrap ideas using your Cricut Maker! Learn how to personalize packaging with cardstock, Smart Sticker Cardstock, and more. Perfect for any occasion!

A few years ago, I was working on some gifts for our au pair at the time and I wanted to wrap them in a pretty way. One of the struggles with hosting an international person is that they really can’t take a lot of things home due to limited suitcase space so it was important to me to have the gifts be small and meaningful.

Customizing the wrapping allowed me to feel like I was giving something more tangible. I did some really cute gift wrapping using my Cricut Maker, and I wanted to show you what I did!

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Why Use Cricut for Gift Wrapping?

Cricut machines are perfect for elevating your gift-wrapping game. With the ability to cut precise shapes, create intricate patterns, and design personalized elements. This is really useful for people like me, who aren’t the neatest at writing or cutting. I LOVE being able to have the EXACT shape cut out for me that I want. And it’s sooooo much faster than cutting it myself!

Materials You’ll Need

To get started, gather the following materials:

Cricut Maker 3: https://cricut.pxf.io/GjNaNm
Cricut cutting mat (StandardGrip or LightGrip, depending on your material): https://cricut.pxf.io/n1QD2M
Cardstock in your choice of colors and patterns
Smart Sticker Cardstock: White https://cricut.pxf.io/qnjrgb
Cricut Design Space (to create or upload your designs)
Adhesive (if not using sticker cardstock)

Step-by-Step: How I Made Custom Gift Wrap with Cricut

1. Design Your Shapes and Patterns

Open Cricut Design Space and choose or upload your designs. For my project, I created floral patterns, geometric shapes, and holiday-themed tags. You can use Cricut’s ready-to-make projects or design your own from scratch. Adjust the sizes to fit your gift boxes or bags.

I did a lot of work on DesignSpace before cutting anything. I was able to get a general idea what things would look like beforehand.

DesignSpace design for a gift wrapping idea that says Happy Travels!

2. Prepare Your Materials

Place your cardstock or Smart Sticker Cardstock onto the Cricut mat. Make sure it’s aligned properly to avoid cutting errors. If you’re using multiple materials, group similar designs together to save time.

3. Cut Your Designs

Load your mat into the Cricut Maker and select the appropriate material settings. For cardstock, use the “Cardstock” setting, and for Smart Sticker Cardstock, choose the “Sticker Cardstock” option. Once everything is set, let the machine do its magic.

A Cricut cutting mat with a paisley-patterned fabric and green vinyl placed on top. The paisley fabric features intricate floral designs in red, blue, and beige tones. A Cricut Maker 3 machine is visible in the background.

I started with pretty normal cardstock, then cut out white Smart Sticker Cardstock for the interior pieces. That allowed me to use my Cricut pens to write in the text on the white Smart Sticker Cardstock. I added small cut outs on some of the Smart Sticker Cardstock so the pretty cardstock would show through it!

You can use the scoring wheel tool to do folds for your paper as well. That makes it easier to fold everything when you’re finished.

A Cricut cutting mat with paisley-patterned fabric pieces cut into a square with a fold done with the scoring wheel.

As you can see below, I used the envelope files on Design Space to create the envelope for a gift card and the pens to write on it.

Envelope that says We love you a bunch. It's printed, scored, and cut using the Cricut Maker 3.

This was also wrapping for an item.

Map scrap book paper cut out for wrapping a gift.

The Cricut pen was able to write on the normal cardstock as well, but it doesn’t show up as well.

Map scrapbook paper with the word ENJOY written on it with Cricut Pens.

Here are some tags cut out of cardstock.

A Cricut cutting mat displaying cut pieces of cardstock printed with vintage map designs. The map pieces include geographic features and text, with some shaped as tags with rounded corners. The Cricut Maker 3 machine is in the background.

This is the write Smart Sticker cardstock which I really like because I don’t need a mat for it and it’s fun to peel and stick things. I’m still a kid at heart.

And this is what they look like once you stick them together. PERFECTION.

4 gift tags made with the Cricut Maker 3: text is on white Smart Sticker paper and has a peekaboo cutout to see the scrapbook paper underneath. The tags hint at the gift in the package. The main scrapbook paper for the tag is a map themed paper.

This is another that I used the scoring pen for. The center piece is Smart Sticker paper again.

The main scrapbook paper for this wrapping is a map themed paper that was cut and fold marks made with the Cricut Maker. I added white inside to write on with Cricut pens.

I used some scrapbook stickers for the top of this one. I LOVE the map scrapbook paper wrapping though.

4. Assemble Your Gift Wrap

Decorative Wrap: Use your cutouts to create unique patterns on plain wrapping paper or gift boxes. Arrange the designs before adhering them to ensure the layout looks balanced.

Gift Tags: Personalize your gifts with custom tags made from cardstock or Smart Sticker Cardstock. Add names or messages for an extra touch.

I love these gift tags… they’re so easy to make and I love the peekaboo cardstock through the cut outs!

Stickers: Use Smart Sticker Cardstock to make adhesive decorations that can easily be applied to gift wrap, bags, or even directly onto gifts. But you can also use regular scrapbook stickers like I did below.

EXPLORE sticker and airplane sticker on a gift wrapped with scrapbook paper cut by my Cricut.

Creative Ideas for Cricut Gift Wrap

Seasonal Themes: Create snowflakes, leaves, or flowers to match the season.
Monograms and Names: Personalize each gift with the recipient’s name or initials.
Layered Effects: Combine different colors and textures of cardstock for a 3D look.
Vintage Maps: Cut map designs for a unique and sophisticated aesthetic.
Add Kind Words! My kids and I wrote wrote kind messages on cards for her to keep.

Child writing a kind note on the back of a gift tag to include with a gift for a beloved person.

Kind notes written on the back of gift tags.

Tips for Success

Use High-Quality Materials: High-quality cardstock ensures clean cuts and a professional finish. Note that some cardstock is two sided and others have a background on the back that you may not want to show.
Experiment with Colors: Mix and match colors to create eye-catching combinations.
Store Materials Properly: Keep your cardstock and sticker paper flat to prevent curling.

Why Smart Sticker Cardstock is a Game-Changer

Smart Sticker Cardstock simplifies the process by eliminating the need for additional adhesive. It’s perfect for creating custom stickers, gift tags, and embellishments that can be applied effortlessly. Plus, it’s compatible with Cricut Maker 3, allowing for mat-free cutting.

Final Thoughts

Using your Cricut Maker to create gift wrap is a fun and rewarding way to personalize your presents. With materials like cardstock and Smart Sticker Cardstock, you can design wrapping paper, gift tags, and decorations that will impress your friends and family. Give it a try and take your gift-wrapping skills to the next level!

Have you tried making gift wrap with your Cricut? Share your ideas and creations in the comments below!

Please share and pin this post! If you make this project, share it in our Stuff Mama Makes Facebook Group. We have regular giveaways for gift cards to craft stores. You can also tag me on Instagram @doityourselfdanielle; I love seeing everything you make!