How to Cut Out Balsam Manor in Cricut Design Space (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Customer Lynn Oldfield recently shared her stunning take on our Balsam Manor project in the SVGcuts Facebook Group, and it’s been a hit!

She added lights, placed a Christmas tree in the conservatory, and wrapped it with even more lights. Her post shows off the creativity that makes this design our most popular Christmas project of all time.

Seeing Lynn's photos sparked plenty of excitement, with many users asking how a project like this could be made out of paper. One commenter, Nina, mentioned she had just purchased the file but wasn’t sure how to upload it to Cricut Design Space. I thought it would be useful to provide a step-by-step guide that anyone can follow.

If you’re a Cricut user like Nina, you’ll also want to decide between using solid score lines or dashed cut lines for folding your project. The great thing about Balsam Manor is that you have both options available in the download. If you’re using a scoring tool or scoring wheel (as Nina prefers), solid score lines may save you time. But if you’re cutting with just a blade, the default dashed lines work wonderfully too, and can be easier to fold.

Now, let’s walk through how to upload your files and get started on this magical holiday project! We will be working with the solid score lines today.

Download

To get started with Balsam Manor, you’ll need to download the design files from our website. Follow these steps:

If you’re purchasing Balsam Manor for the first time:

1. Visit the Balsam Manor product page on our site.
2. Click Add to Bag.
3. Click Checkout.
4. Log in to your account or create a new one by clicking Sign Up Now.
5. Complete the checkout process and click Place Order.
6. After placing your order, click Download to save the files to your computer.

If you’ve already purchased Balsam Manor:

1. Log in to your account on our site.
2. Go to the Balsam Manor product page.
3. Click View Order.
4. Click Download to retrieve the files.

Finding Your Downloaded Files:

Depending on your computer’s settings, the files may be saved automatically to a default location, such as your Downloads folder. Alternatively, you may be prompted to choose a folder to save them. Make a note of where the files are saved so you can easily locate them for the next steps.

Unzip the Files

Once you’ve downloaded the Balsam Manor design files, you’ll need to unzip (extract) them before using them in Cricut Design Space. Don’t worry—no additional software is needed! Both Windows and Mac computers have built-in tools to unzip files.

For Windows:

1. Open File Explorer (or My Computer).
2. Navigate to the folder where you saved the downloaded file.
3. Locate the compressed (zipped) folder.
4. Right-click the folder and select Extract All.
5. Follow the prompts in the Extraction Wizard to choose a location for the unzipped files.

For Mac:

1. Simply double-click the compressed (zipped) file.
2. The files will automatically extract to the same location as the zip file.

Important Note: You don’t need any third-party programs to unzip these files. Your computer already has everything you need to extract them!

Tip: Once you’ve successfully extracted the files, you can delete the original zipped folder to avoid confusion later.

View the PDF Menu

Before you start crafting, take a moment to check out the PDF Menu included in your project folder. Here’s how:

1. Open the folder labeled Balsam Manor SVGCuts.
2. Inside, you’ll find:
   • A PDF Menu document
   • A folder containing the SVG files
   • A JPG photo of the completed project for reference
3. Double-click on the PDF Menu to open it.

You can view the PDF directly on your computer or print it out for easy reference. The PDF Menu includes:

• A list of supplies used
• Shape diagrams and sizing details (Cricut users don't need to do any re-sizing)
• Paper type suggestions
• Step-by-step diagrams to assist with assembly

This handy guide will make assembling Balsam Manor a breeze!

Upload Balsam Manor to Cricut Design Space

To get started, open Cricut Design Space (download it here) and follow these steps:

1. Log In: If prompted, log in to your Cricut account.
2. Start a New Project: Click New Project to open a blank canvas.
3. Upload Your File:
   • Click Upload, then Upload Image, and choose Browse.
   • Navigate to your project’s SVG Files folder.

Save Time by Uploading the Entire File:
Instead of uploading each SVG file one at a time, you can upload the "entire" file, which contains all the shapes for the design. Here’s how:

1. Open the Extras folder, then the Solid Score Lines folder.
2. Select the file named entire_balsam_manor.svg and click Open.
3. Click Continue, then Upload to add the design to your Cricut library.

Ungroup in Cricut Design Space

Once your shapes are on the on-screen mat:

1. With everything still selected, click Ungroup.
   • The Ungroup button is near the top-right corner of the screen and looks like two overlapping squares.
2. If you’d like, use the zoom controls to zoom out for a better view.
3. Click in an empty area of the mat to deselect all the shapes.

Understanding Groups

In the Layers window (on the right-hand side), you’ll see all the shapes listed. Many of these shapes are organized into Groups, which contain:

• The main shapes.
• Score lines.
• Numbers that identify the parts.

Groups have a small > symbol next to them. Clicking this symbol expands the group to show its contents.

Change Score Lines' Operation to Score

Next, you’ll need to specify that the score lines are for scoring (not cutting). These instructions apply to the Solid Score Lines version of the project, designed for users with a scoring wheel or stylus.

1. In the Layers window, click the > symbol next to the first Group to expand it.
2. Each Group contains:
   • Score lines (always the first element).
   • Possibly additional cut lines (numbers for identifying shapes).
   • The main shapes.
3. Select the Score lines in the Layers window.
4. At the top-left corner of the screen, click the Operation drop-down menu and select Score.
5. Close the Group by clicking the > symbol again.
6. Repeat these steps for each Group.

Pro Tip: Save time by selecting multiple Score Lines layers at once:

• Open up to four Groups at the same time.
• Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click on the Score Lines layers from each Group.
• Change them all to Score using the Operation drop-down menu.

Keep the Score Lines with Their Shapes Using "Attach"

To ensure the software cuts the score lines and numbers on the same piece of paper as their shapes, you’ll need to use the Attach function. While Groups organize elements visually, they don’t tell Cricut to keep the elements together during cutting.

Here's how:

1. In the Layers window, select a Group.
2. Click the Attach button (located at the bottom-right of the screen with a paperclip icon).
3. Repeat this process for each Group.

Get Your Cricut Cutting

1. Click Make.
2. Choose Save or Don’t Save to My Stuff in Cricut Design Space—it’s your choice.
   • You’ll now see all the mats your machine will cut, listed on the right-hand side of the screen. For more details on suggested paper for each shape, refer to your PDF Menu.
   • The first mat is the interior floor panel (check your PDF to confirm). I recommend using festive patterned paper for this, but feel free to choose whatever suits your project.
3. Click Continue.
   • Cricut Design Space will verify its connection to your cutting machine.
   • Select your material type. Medium Cardstock usually works well, but adjust as needed for your machine and paper.
4. Load your mat with the selected paper and press the Cut button on your machine.
   • Repeat for each mat, adjusting the material type as necessary:
     • For example, for vellum, use the Vellum material setting (less pressure).
     • Or for glitter paper, use the Glitter Paper setting (more pressure, and two passes).

Watch the Assembly Tutorial

With all your pieces cut out, it’s time for the fun part—assembling Balsam Manor! Watch my Balsam Manor Assembly Tutorial video, where I’ll guide you through every step to bring your project to life.