Whether you’re a creative newbie or seasoned pro, these five DIY gift ideas are fun and easy to make. Personalise each into a present to suit any occasion, such as a housewarming, birthday, Father’s Day and more. 

From a classic personalised coffee mug to a unique custom doormat, we’ve mapped out the simple steps and expert tips to avoid rookie mistakes and save you time. All you need is your Cricut machine and you’re ready to get started.

Three round white coasters with a pink and purple terrazzo pattern on a yellow background.

‍Cute Coaster Set for the Bestie

A sweet set of four coasters to match any home decor is a perfect DIY gift idea for your BFF’s birthday or even a workmate’s Secret Santa gift. Using Cricut’s Infusible Ink Ceramic Coasters, your design will be infused into the surface of the coaster, making it completely waterproof with a super sleek finish. All you have to decide is what kind of design to create, such as the modern terrazzo pattern used here.

A GIF series of images that show step-by-step how to make terrazzo-pattern coasters for a DIY gift.

‍Step 1: After using Cricut Design Space software on your tablet or laptop to create your pattern, place a Cricut Infusible Ink sheet, colour-side-up, on your mat and into your Cricut Maker 3.

Step 2: Once the machine has finished cutting, release the mat and gently remove your sheet, then carefully remove the excess material with a Cricut weeding tool to reveal your design on the clear backing.

Step 3: Wipe down the shiny side of your Cricut coaster with a lint remover, then flip your design onto the face of the coaster. The infusible ink should be colour-side-down on the surface, with the clear backing on top facing you.

Step 4: Flip the coaster again so the back of it is facing you, and secure the edges of the clear backing to the back of the coaster using heat-resistant tape. This will hold the design firmly in place.

A GIF showing the steps for making and wrapping a DIY gift of terrazzo drink coasters.

Step 5: Then place the coaster onto your Cricut heat mat, with the design facing down towards the mat. Cover with baking paper or butcher’s paper.

Step 6: Pre-heat your Cricut heat press to 205°C and set it for 240 seconds. Once ready, place the heat press directly onto the butcher’s paper, and wait until the timer beeps before removing.

Hot Tip:  You can use the Cricut Heat App to check time and temperature settings and, if using an EasyPress 3, these settings can be sent via bluetooth to your machine.

Step 7: The coaster will be very hot, so make sure you allow it to completely cool before flipping it over and removing the heat-resistant tape.

Step 8: Peel off the clear backing to reveal your finished coaster. Once the whole set is cool, wrap in tissue paper, then tie with colourful ribbon. 

What You’ll Need

A Cricut Maker 3 machine and Cricut coaster blanks on a green cutting board with a yellow background.
Brightly coloured floral print apron on a yellow background.

Flower Power Apron for the Chef of the House

The bakers and foodies in your life will cherish a hand-decorated apron! Personalise the print to suit their favourite things from flowers to cats to donuts – the sky's the limit. Bold shapes look great and are so easy for beginners to try, while more intricate designs for this special DIY gift will be fun for those who love a challenge.

A GIF showing the steps for making a floral-print apron as a DIY gift.

Step 1: Create your design using the Cricut Design Space app on your tablet or laptop, then load your Iron On Vinyl onto a standard-grip cutting mat and load into your Maker 3 machine, ensuring the shiny side of the material is facing down.

Hot Tip:  Be sure to use the ‘mirror’ option with your design in Design Space before cutting.

Step 2: Once the cutting has finished, remove the mat and, using your Cricut tools, carefully weed the excess vinyl away from your finished design.

Step 3: When you have all elements of your design ready, place it onto your apron to find the right configuration and layout. You could even use a pencil to mark out any areas you need.

Step 4: Place your Cricut heat mat underneath the apron where you plan to start, and place your design, shiny-side-up (clear backing facing you), on the apron.

Step 5: Pre-heat your Cricut EasyPress to the correct temperature and time, which for this project is 170℃ for 30 seconds, then work your way around the designs, applying the heat press until the timer beeps.

A GIF illustrating the steps for finishing and wrapping your DIY gift of a floral-pattern apron.

Step 6: Instead of waiting until all designs are pressed, carefully peel the backing away from the design when it is semi-cooled. You need the backing to be cool enough to touch, but often if the design is still a little warm the backing will peel back more smoothly.

Step 7: Once all backing is removed and cool, roll your DIY gift apron and tie it with a lovely ribbon and tag.

What You'll Need 

The Cricut products needed for making a floral-pattern apron as a DIY gift idea.

SEE ALSO: How to Create a Watercolour Painting of Your House 

A green water bottle saying Sienna and a black water bottle with Elliott on it, and a wooden tag on string saying Drink Up!

‍Personalised Water Bottle for the Tween

Kids and tweens are experts at losing their water bottles. But with their name splashed on it in a cool, ultra-bold print? They won’t even think about misplacing this gift. Choose a style of text to suit their personality, then create a permanent decal to smooth onto a stainless steel bottle. Best of all, this DIY gift only takes minutes to make.

Step-by-step instructions for making your DIY gift of a personalised water bottle.

‍Step 1: Find your favourite font and enter out their name into Cricut Design Space software on your tablet or laptop.   

Step 2: Choose a colour of Cricut permanent vinyl (all Cricut permanent vinyl is dishwasher safe) that will stand out against the water bottle colour. Cut to size and place onto your cutting mat, then load it into the Cricut Maker 3 and watch the magic happen.  

Step 3: Once unloaded, use your Cricut tools to carefully weed out the excess vinyl. If you’re using white vinyl, it can be hard to see the fine lines, so work slowly and methodically.  

Step 4: Once you have the finished design, with the name facing up, take some transfer tape and cut a piece to smooth all the way over the vinyl side of the design you have just made. Be sure to use the burnish tool to rub the vinyl onto the transfer tape so it sticks. 

Step 5: When you peel away the transfer tape, it will take your design with it, so the name is now on the transfer tape and off the backing.

A GIF showing how to add the names to water bottles using the transfer tape and Cricut vinyl.

Step 6: Smooth the transfer tape with the name onto the water bottle surface, making sure all of the letters are stuck down.

Hot Tip: You can make small cuts into the transfer tape edges, which helps to smooth the design onto a rounded surface. Gently remove the transfer tape to reveal your finished (permanent!) decal.

Step 7: Write a personal message with a paint marker on a gift tag, then tie it around the neck of your personalised water bottle.  

What You’ll Need

The Cricut products you need to make a DIY gift of a personalised water bottle.‍
Two white mugs, one says Best Dad Ever, the other says Rad for a DIY Father’s Day gift.

DIY Father’s Day Gift

Father’s Day is all about saying “Thanks Dad”, so why not give a gift that means more, such as a custom-made coffee mug? Cricut has created a Mug Press for this very job, which infuses the design right into the surface of the coffee mug. 

Not sure what design represents your dad? The ‘Best Dad Ever’ classic design on Cricut’s Design Space is always a winning option, or you could place RAD on one side and DAD on the other, so he can spin his coffee mug each morning and smile. Either one is sure to be a hit.

A GIF showing the steps to make a personalised coffee mug as a DIY Father’s Day gift. 

Step 1: Set up your Cricut Mug Press using your laptop, and connect the cord so your machine is pre-heated and ready to use. 

Step 2: Find a design he’ll love on Cricut Design Space (use the mug template to help position your design) and then place a sheet of infusible ink, colour-side-up, onto your cutting mat and load into the Cricut Maker 3 machine. 

Hot Tip:  Make sure you use the mirror option when creating your design, as you will be flipping it ‘backwards’ when you press it onto your coffee mug. 

Step 3: Once the design has been cut, carefully unload and pull the sheet away from the cutting board. Using your hands, pull away any excess paper from your design. 

Step 4: Press your design onto the surface of your coffee mug, smoothing it down completely and making sure all of the infusible ink is flat against the surface. Tape the infusible ink down with Cricut heat-resistant tape to ensure it’s secure. 

Step 5: Lift the side flap of the Mug Press that opens the space for the coffee mug. Then, very carefully holding the handle, place the coffee mug into the press. It will be hot, so watch your fingers. Press the side flap down again, which will snugly squeeze the coffee mug between the heated press.

Step 6: Let the Mug Press heat the ink and, when it beeps, remove your coffee mug (which will be very hot). 

GIF of two DIY Father’s Day gifts of custom-made coffee mugs that are wrapped in tissue paper and presented in a wooden crate.

Step 7: Allow to completely cool before removing the backing, which should easily slide away to reveal your design.

Step 8: Give Dad’s coffee mug the special treatment by wrapping it with tissue paper, ribbon and placing it in a cute little crate. Voilà! Father’s Day sorted. 

What You’ll Need

The Cricut products needed for making a DIY Father’s Day gift of a custom-made coffee mug.

SEE ALSO: A Clever and Colourful Fridge Makeover With Cricut 

Customised door mat with a bow tied on the corner on a yellow background.

‍DIY Housewarming or Hostess Gift

Nothing says ‘Happy Housewarming’ like a unique doormat. Once you have found a mat you love, all you need to do is whip up a fun style and get to work. If you’re a beginner with Cricut stencils and spray paint, simple, bold shapes are the easiest to work with for this amazing DIY gift. 

A GIF showing the steps for a custom-designed welcome mat using stencils and spray paint. 

‍Step 1: Create your design on Cricut Design Space, making note of the measurements of your doormat to ensure you’re not creating something too big or small. 

Step 2: Use a nice thick cardboard (200gsm) to create your stencil and load it into your Maker 3 machine on a cutting mat to cut. 

Hot Tip: You could also use the Cricut smart stencil to make your design. When using this stencil product, no mat is required.

Step 3: Use your tools to weed out the excess when making your stencil, place it on the right spot on your doormat and then cover the rest with newspaper or old cardboard so that just your design will be exposed to the spray paint.

The closer you can get your stencil to the surface of the doormat, the crisper the design will come out. You could use large pieces of packing tape across the edges of the design and onto the surface under your mat to hold it firmly in place, or use drawing pins all around the design pushed firmly into the mat. 

Step 4: Shake your spray paint, then hold it directly over the top of the stencil and spray downwards to cover the shape. Avoid spraying on an angle, as the mist can sneak under the stencil and blur the edges of the design.

Step 5: Remove all paper and the stencil and allow it to dry. Then add some cute ribbon to jazz up your DIY gift. 

What You’ll Need

The Cricut products needed to create your DIY housewarming gift of a custom-designed welcome mat.

SEE ALSO: 5 Easy DIY Craft Projects to Embrace Your Creative Side