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LEARN HOW TO ENGRAVE BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS DESIGNS ONTO ACRYLIC USING YOUR CRICUT MAKER AND THE ENGRAVING TIP
We are getting into the holiday spirit over here! You all know that I love to decorate but I also love to create different and unique gift ideas. That’s just what I did with these Christmas Engravings.
I have seen these acrylic bases on 143 Vinyl before and also in several Facebook groups and had always been a little nervous to try it out. Now that I have done it, I am OBSESSED! I love the look and how easy it is!
I designed these files so the Cricut will not only engrave the outline of the image, but the fill as well! There is no extra steps here on your end. I have already done all the fill work for you! You’re welcome! 🙂
In this tutorial, I’ll give you my step by step instructions and tell you what materials I think work best when making this project.
You can download the SVG file for this project at the bottom of this post.
This post contains some affiliate links (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you). Read my full disclosure policy here.
DIY CHRISTMAS ENGRAVINGS – MATERIALS LIST
- The FABULOUS Cricut Maker
- Cricut Engraving Tip with QuickSwap Housing
- Cricut StrongGrip Cutting Mat (purple)
- Acrylic Blanks. No matter where you get your blank from you want to make sure it is 2 mm thick or less!
- LED Light Bases and batteries
- Painter’s Tape
- Glass cleaner for smudges
DIY Christmas Engravings on Acrylic
These Christmas Engravings will make the perfect gift, nightlight, or table decor! So easy to make and beautiful to look at!
Materials
- My FREE Christmas Engraving SVG Files
- Acrylic Blank
- LED Light Base
- Painters Tape
- Glass Cleaner (for smudges)
- Batteries for LED Base, if needed
Tools
- A way to engrave your acrylic. I am using my FABULOUS Cricut Maker!
- Cricut Engraving Tip with QuickSwap Housing
- StrongGrip Cutting Mat (purple)
Instructions
STEP 1 - DOWNLOAD THE SVG CUT FILE
Download the SVG Cut file for the Angel Engraving (#47) from my FREE Resource Library. Click here to get access to the library.
Note: I have created two designs for you to use. This tutorial will feature the Angel Engraving. However, I have a Santa Engraving in my Resource Library for you to enjoy!
STEP 2 - UPLOAD THE SVG FILE TO CRICUT DESIGN SPACE
If you aren't familiar with uploading SVG files into Design Space, take a look at my quick and easy tutorial here. Using your smartphone? Click here for my step-by-step guide on uploading SVG files with the Cricut App.
STEP 3 - ADJUST THE SIZE OF THE DESIGN TO FIT YOUR ACRYLIC BLANK
Depending on what size your acrylic blank is, you will want to adjust the sizing accordingly. To do this, head up to the tool bar and adjust the width. This will change the height as well because the image is locked.
STEP 4 - CONVERT THE IMAGE INTO AN ENGRAVING DESIGN
To convert the image into an engraving, head up to the LINETYPE menu.
Select ENGRAVE from the drop down menu.
Click the GREEN Make It Button.
STEP 5 - PREP YOUR MATS AND MAKE YOUR MATERIAL SELECTIONS
In order to guarantee your design is centered on your acrylic blank, you will want to move the design to the center of the mat.
The center is the crossing point between the "X" and "Y" axis of the mat at the 6 inch mark.
Center your design at that mark.
Click CONTINUE.
Your material selection will depend on how thick your acrylic is. For this tutorial, I am using Acrylic Blank Thick (2 mm).
I prefer to change my pressure setting to MORE. I think it creates a deeper engraving. However, this is totally up to you!
Remove the protective film from one side of your acrylic blank.
Place your acrylic base onto your mat, centering it.
Add painters tape to the edges of your acrylic, making sure not to cover any area of your base that will be engraved.
STEP 6 - LOADING YOUR MATS AND ENGRAVING THE IMAGE
Once you have your acrylic ready to go, make sure to move your star wheels out of the way. This will prevent any unwanted grooving in your acrylic.
Now, load the cutting mat into the machine by pressing the flashing ARROW button.
You will know the machine is ready to cut your material when you see the flashing "C" button. Press that to start the engraving.
The engraving will take about an hour to complete.
Once your Cricut has finished engraving, you can unload the mat.
Remove the painters tape from the edges of your acrylic.
Slowly peel your mat away from your acrylic.
STEP 7 - CLEAN YOUR ACRYLIC AND PLACE INTO YOUR LED BASE
Now, I am sure there is a better, "more professional" way to do this cleaning but I have found that good old glass cleaner works to remove any smudges or acrylic particles from your design.
If you are using the LED base that I have listed for this tutorial, flip it over and add batteries. The base does come wtih a USB cord if you don't want to use batteries. However, this will probably limit where you can place the engraving.
Insert your acrylic into the base and turn it on.
You are all done! How awesome is this?
How adorable are these? So fun and so easy! I just love them and I hope you do too!
Remember, I have two designs available in my Resource Library. The Angel and Santa!
If you want more designs, check out this design bundle I have in my shop. You can choose the bundle ready for engraving or I provided a version for cutting out of cardstock, vinyl, HTV, or drawn onto a card! Check them out! There are 13 designs total in each of these bundles!!
Post a photo in the comment section or tag your projects on social media @thebeardedhousewife using the hashtag #beardedhousewife! I’d love to see how your engravings turn out!!
If you would like to learn more about engraving with your Cricut Maker, my friend Jen from Well Crafted Studio has an incredible book on just this topic! Engraving Metals with Your Cricut Maker is jam packed with great information on how to use the engraving tip to create some truly amazing things! Check it out here!
Happy Crafting!
WANT THE FREE SVG FILE SO YOU MAKE THESE CHRISTMAS ENGRAVINGS YOURSELF?
GET IT FROM MY RESOURCE LIBRARY! YOU’LL RECEIVE THE PASSWORD FOR THE RESOURCE LIBRARY INSTANTLY AFTER FILLING OUT THE FORM BELOW!
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Wow Nick! This is a great tutorial. Very thorough and clear. I feel like I can do this and I haven’t tried engraving on acrylic yet. I went down the engraving on metal rabbit hole and am just surfacing! This is great!!!
Jen,
Thanks so much for the love! I know you can do the acrylic with ease because you ROCK IT with the metal engraving!!
Let me know how it turns out and if you have any questions!!
Nick, I need someone to show me how to do this with a Silhouette Cameo 3 or 4. I don’t want to try something that could damage my machine, so I need some confidence that I can successfully make this project the first try. I don’t think that Silhouette recommends engraving acrylic, but I know that some crafters have been able to do it with second party scoring tips.
I am not a Silhouette user so I can’t directly give you any tips. Let me ask some of my craft designer friends and see if they have any tips!