How I Used the Cricut Joy Cutaway Cards to Launch My Own Side Hustle

If you’re tired of generic store-bought cards that don’t convey the message you want to convey, or if you’re like me and have an inflated ego and think, “I could make something better than that,” then you’re in luck. With the new Cricut Joy Cutaway Cards, you can put that ego to the test and create unique cards for your friends and family.

To me, nothing is more special than receiving a personalized card that someone took the time to create and design. It’s almost a gift in itself. Seeing someone you love cherish the card you made especially for them is just as rewarding.

We have the . rated Cricut Joy before, but the good folks at Cricut came out to see if we wanted to try out their new Cutaway Cards. I clearly jumped at the opportunity because I saw an opportunity to use the cards as a way to start my own small printing business.

Wait, what’s a Cricut Joy?

In case you’ve never heard of Cricut and don’t know what a Cricut Joy is, let me give you a quick explanation.

Cricut is home to many incredible DIY gadgets that basically work like a printer, but instead of just using ink they can use a knife, pen or tool to cut, draw, engrave, deboss, perforate or foil, whichever material you are working with .

Oh, and it’s not just limited to paper either – you can cut vinyl, make iron-on transfers and much more.

For this review, I got the Cricut Joy to test out and let me just say, it’s the cutest little machine ever.

Before we get into the actual review, let me say one thing: how easy to use the Cricut Joy is. You really don’t have to be a pro to use the machine and the tools help you every step of the way.

What’s new about the Cutaway Cards?

So now that you’re familiar with the Cricut Joy, what’s all this about Cutaway Cards?

If you’re looking for the healthiest, handmade and personalized cards without all the glue, scissors and pens, Cutaway Cards are just what you need.

To save me from a detailed explanation of what the Cutaway cards are and how they differ from plain old cards, here’s a short video showing you how to use them.

Seems too easy to be true, right? Well, I’m here to tell you that it really is that easy to use the Cutaway Cards on the Cricut Joy.

If you’re familiar with the Cricut Joy and have used their plug-ins before, you probably know that the design elements were quite limited. However, Cricut has eliminated these problems (get it?) and you can now cut any design or font you want.

This also means that your letters don’t have to be together anymore and you don’t have to cut the corners of the card yourself because Miss Joy does all that for you.

Making the best birthday cards

My mom’s birthday was approaching at the time I was reviewing the Cricut Joy, so there was no better time to create a personalized Cutaway Card.

I wanted to test some different designs with different adhesive backs on the cards, so I used two pre-designed templates to try out.

There is a whole range of beautiful and crazy designs to choose from within the Cricut Design Space App† However, I must say that some of the fancier designs are only available through a paid subscription to Cricut.

For complete transparency, Cricut gave me free access to all of their designs so I could properly test the Cutaway Cards.

While it can be frustrating that some designs are only accessible through payment, the free designs are still very nice. Plus, this is just more of an incentive to design your own card.

The two cards I made for my mom were different cake designs. One with a gold metal back and another with a silver metal back. As you can see from the images below, they both look incredible.

They both really demanded minimal effort from me. I just sat and watched as the Cricut Joy cut and drove off. All I had to do was change the blade to the pen and then peel off the cuttings (or pull weeds). I have to say it’s very fascinating and strangely calming to watch the Cricut Joy make things.

My mom really thought I bought the card from the store, so I don’t think you can get more praise than that.

Stick stickers everywhere

One aspect of the Cricut Joy that I was super impressed with was that you’re not limited to card making – you can do literally anything, including making vinyl decals.

I’m afraid I have too much power to design something to be a sticker and I can put those stickers on it something.

For example, I made a “slay” sticker to stick on my water bottle because, well, you could.

You can also make a sticker of any design you want, it doesn’t have to be just words. The possibilities are endless and I’m already thinking of all the cursed stickers I can make to stick on my laptop, bottles and miscellaneous objects.

Using your own designs

As I mentioned earlier, something I was really excited about was the opportunity to put some of my designs on the Cutaway Cards and use them to start my own small printing business. Because we all love an entrepreneur.

The type of artwork I create is contemporary indigenous art. I’ve only just started designing on the iPad, because I normally only paint my artwork, so it’s not pretty stuff yet.

For reference, I’m a Kamilaroi and Dharug person, so it feels great to be able to create artwork digitally and then put on cards like this one.

Uploading your designs/artwork/images to the Cricut Design Space app is super easy to do and you can adapt your design to the project you’re working on.

I actually had a few issues uploading my designs to Design Space and then had some sizing issues in the app.

Luckily for me, the good (and very patient) people at Cricut helped me solve the problems I was having. Shockingly, it turns out they were a lot me problems and not the app or Cricut Joy.

Basically, I didn’t save my design in the correct format and the file was way too large for the size I was going to draw on the Cutaway Cards.

Some tips Cricut shared with me that I picked up using the machine:

• Export your designs as a PNG file from the design app you’re using (I’m using Procreate on iPad).
• When creating your artwork on whatever platform you are using, be sure to use the layer feature in your design to make it easier for the Cricut Joy to read the different layers. This can also help if, for example, you want to give a certain layer a different color or have it cut.
• Size your design around the size of the Cutaway Card (approximately 10.8cm x 14cm).
• If you don’t want to cut anything and just draw, just place the desired pin in the clamp instead of the blade.

Once I got over the minor issues I was having, uploading and creating my designs on the Cutaway Cards became a seamless process.

Before using the machine, I struggled to find a way to print my designs on cardstock without it turning into a complete disaster. But honestly, I’m incredibly impressed with how efficient and convenient the Cricut Joy is and how versatile the Cutaway Cards are.

If you are someone who likes to design your own little things, I highly recommend using the Cricut Joy so you can create personalized cards to give to your loved ones. Or you can do what I do and use the Cutaway Card prints as part of a business.

final verdict

I have to say that I really enjoyed making the Cricut Joy and Cutaway Cards.

What is good:

• The Cricut Joy costs $349, which may seem steep at first, but after you see how much you can do with it, it actually feels like a steal.
• As I mentioned, the ability to use your own designs and be creative is something I really appreciate and the process was streamlined so effortlessly with the Cricut Joy and the Cutaway Cards. You can upload your designs from the Cricut Design Space app from your phone or tablet via Bluetooth.
• The best thing about the Cricut Joy and the Cutaway Cards is how easy they are to use. You really don’t have to be a professional to make really cool cards.

What not:

• A four-pack of Cutaway Cards costs $14.95, which is quite expensive in my opinion. That said, it’s not just plain old maps you can get at the newsagents. They have their adhesive backing and are really great quality. While the price makes sense, it’s still a bit steep.
• The enthusiast or more advanced designs do require a paid subscription, which can be quite frustrating. The free designs are still fun to use, but you’re obviously limited. One advantage of this is that it can encourage you to create your own designs that are free to do.

Overall, the Cricut Joy is a wonderfully cute and efficient machine. It’s great for seasoned creatives and beginners alike, and takes the hassle out of cutting and drawing everything yourself.

The Cutaway Cards are also super easy to design and have become the perfect home for my creations.

Cutaway cards are now available at Big W, online and in select stores. You can also grab a Cricut Joy from Big W. You can actually buy it all Cricut from Big W.