Simple Cricut projects for personalizing school supplies, making an easy teacher gift, and adding a little fun to the back-to-school routine.
Pull Up a Chair…
Back-to-school season comes with enough shopping lists already, so the last thing we need is a craft project that requires seventeen new supplies and an engineering degree.
These four Cricut projects keep things simple. We're making layered bookmarks, personalized teacher drinkware, backpack or lunch-box tags, and labels for school supplies and classroom organization. If you already have a Cricut and some basic supplies, you may have most of what you need.
💜 Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only share products and resources I genuinely think may be helpful.
What You'll Need
If you're starting from scratch, the Cricut Joy 2 Essentials Bundle is a convenient option because it already includes several of the basic tools and materials we'll use, including cardstock, Smart Vinyl, transfer tape, and a weeding tool.
For the projects below, you may also want:
- Back-to-school themed cardstock
- Solid variety cardstock
- Acrylic tag blanks
- Double-sided tape
- Small hole punch set
- An inexpensive smooth mug or other drinkware
- Optional tassels or ribbon for the bookmarks
Already have a Cricut? Use what you have. For the vinyl projects, you can use permanent adhesive vinyl, transfer tape, and your regular weeding tools.
Make Layered Cardstock Bookmarks
Bookmarks are an easy place to start because you can make them as simple or colorful as you want.
Choose or create a bookmark shape in Cricut Design Space and cut the base from solid cardstock. Then cut a second layer from back-to-school patterned cardstock. Try pencils, notebook paper, alphabet prints, school colors, or whatever fits the person you're making it for.
Use double-sided tape to attach the layers, then personalize the bookmark with a cardstock name, initial, or simple cut design.
You can leave the bookmark as-is or punch a small hole near the top and add ribbon or a tassel.
These would be cute tucked into a new book, added to a teacher gift, or made in different designs for each child.
Make Personalized Teacher Drinkware
A personalized mug makes an easy teacher gift without requiring a big gift budget.
Start with a plain, smooth mug or other drinkware. You don't have to buy an expensive craft blank, either. Check places like Dollar Tree for inexpensive options that work with your project.
Create the teacher's name, initials, grade, or a simple school-themed design in Design Space. Cut it from the Smart Vinyl included with your bundle or permanent adhesive vinyl if you're using your own supplies.
Weed away the excess vinyl, apply transfer tape, and position the design on the clean, dry surface.
Keep vinyl away from the rim or any area that will come in direct contact with someone's mouth.
For this easy vinyl method, I would treat the finished drinkware as hand-wash only rather than promising dishwasher durability.
Make Backpack & Lunch Box Tags
A personalized tag makes it easier to tell one black backpack or lunch box from the fourteen nearly identical ones sitting beside it.
For these, use an acrylic tag blank and permanent vinyl.
Create a simple design in Design Space using the student's first initial and last name, then cut and weed the vinyl. Use transfer tape to position the design on the clean acrylic blank and attach the finished tag to the backpack or lunch box.
You can add a small icon, school color, favorite shape, or another design element to make it easier to recognize at a glance.
A Quick Privacy Note
Think about where identifying information will be visible, especially for younger children. You may prefer to put the name on the reverse of the tag or position the tag somewhere less visible rather than displaying a child's name prominently to everyone they pass.
Label School Supplies & Classroom Storage
Once you start labeling things with a Cricut, an unlabeled plastic bin begins looking suspiciously unfinished.
Use Smart Vinyl or permanent adhesive vinyl to create names and simple labels for smooth surfaces such as:
- Pencil boxes
- Supply bins
- Art-supply containers
- Folders
- Teacher storage
- Classroom organizers
Create the label in Design Space, cut and weed the vinyl, then use transfer tape to apply it to a clean, smooth surface.
For kids' supplies, you can use names or initials. For classroom organization, straightforward labels such as Markers, Glue, Pencils, or Math Supplies make it easier for everyone to know where things belong.
💜 From My Kitchen
Make one of each project before turning your craft table into a miniature production line.
Check the bookmark size, make sure your tag lettering fits the blank, and test the placement of vinyl before cutting twelve copies. A five-minute test project can save cardstock, vinyl, and that special kind of irritation caused by discovering every name is half an inch too wide.
And don't feel like you need to buy every supply listed here. Use the Cricut, cardstock, tools, and blanks you already have whenever you can.
From My Kitchen to Yours
A few personalized touches won't make the school year organize itself, but they can make getting ready for it a little more fun. Pick a project, pull out the supplies, and make something useful for the school year ahead. 💜
