How to Make the Heirloom Christmas Tree using Cricut Design Space (Step-by-Step Instructions)

November 28, 2024

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Customers love making our Heirloom Christmas Tree! It also looks amazing in light-colored paper, which allows striking silhouettes inside to shine.

Ready to get yours started in Cricut Design Space? Here's a step-by-step guide that anyone can follow.

Cricut Scoring Tools

You’ll want to decide between using solid score lines or dashed cut lines for folding your project. The great thing about the Heirloom Christmas Tree is that you have both options available in the download. If you’re using a Cricut Scoring Stylus or Scoring Wheel, 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! Today's example will be for use with a scoring tool.

Download

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

If you’re purchasing the Heirloom Christmas Tree for the first time:

  1. Visit the Heirloom Christmas Tree 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 the Heirloom Christmas Tree:

  1. Log in to your account on our site here.
  2. Go to the Heirloom Christmas Tree 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 Heirloom Christmas Tree 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 Heirloom Christmas Tree 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 the Heirloom Christmas Tree a breeze!

Upload the Heirloom Christmas Tree 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_heirloom_christmas_tree.svg and click Open.
  3. Click Continue, then Upload to add the design to your Canvas.

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.
  4. You can move them on your Canvas to get a better look at them. The placement of the shapes on the Canvas does not matter.

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.

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). Again, 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. Select the Score Lines in the Layers window (the first element of the Group).
  3. At the top-left corner of the screen, click the Operation drop-down menu and select Score. Note: the lines now display on the Canvas as dashed lines. This signifies that they've been set to Score.
  4. Close the Group by clicking the > symbol again.
  5. Repeat these steps for each Group.

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

  • Open up several 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 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 panels at the base's bottom (check your PDF to confirm). 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.
  5. Repeat for each mat, inserting your scoring tool when needed.

Watch the Assembly Tutorial

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

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