I think it is really important to start off by learning some of the functions of Design Space. One of the most common questions I get is people asking how to slice on Cricut projects. If you are asking yourself that same question then this is the tutorial for you!
For this project I am going to build on a heart papercraft project that I shared recently. If you missed that post, you can check it out HERE. I used some cardstock to layer around the stick of a lollipop. While I was doing that project I started thinking that it would be cute to have the stick of the lollipop go through the cardstock. To understand how to do that you first need to understand how to slice on Cricut projects.
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The Secret of How to Slice on Cricut Projects
The big secret of how to Slice on Cricut projects in Design Space is that you can only have two things selected for Slice to work. I like to think of Slice like using a cookie cutter for making sugar cookies. If you were making sugar cookies you would need two things . . . the cookie cutter and the sugar cookie dough rolled out.
The same is true with how to slice on Cricut Design Space. You need to select two things that are overlapping in Design Space. One will be the item you want cut, and the other will be what you want cut out of that item. Keep this in mind as we go through the steps for this project.
When you are working with an image that has multiple layers, like the image I am going to use today, you have to think about those layers when you are slicing. I am going to use a layered heart image that is in Cricut Design Space. Image number #M40347.
If you want to use this exact same image, just click on the Image button that I have indicated with a blue circle in the image below. Then in the search bar, indicated with the blue star, type in #M40347. Now you will click on the image, which turns on the green outline around the image. This is how you know you have that image selected. Now you can click the Add to Canvas button in the lower right corner of the screen.
Now that we have the image on the working canvas in Cricut Design Space, I want to talk to you about the information in the Layers Panel on the right hand side of the screen. I have it indicated with a blue arrow in the image below. You can see that under the word Heart there are two separate rows of information. These are showing the two different colored layers that make up this image. Currently these two layers are Grouped together so that I can move them and resize them together.
I know that I want to make this image 3 inches wide, so I am going to select the image and then on the top panel under the Size section I am going to type 3 into the width. Since the two layers for this image are grouped together, Design Space adjusted both layers at the same time and kept everything lined up and proportional for me.
Next I will show you how to slice on Cricut images like this one. Since I want to create two holes to put a lollipop through, I want to slice two circles through this heart image.
Adding a Shape
To insert a shape, click on the Shape button on the left hand side of the screen. I have it indicated with a blue circle in the image below. Next we are going to select the circle to insert that onto the Design Space canvas.
Since we only need small holes for the stick of the lollipop to fit through, I am going to go to the Size area on the top panel of Design Space and type in .25 into the width section. I have this circled in the image below to help you find it.
Now we need a second circle the exact same size. I could insert a second circle from the Shapes button and adjust the size of that one to match this first circle, but instead I want to show you a different button you can use. If you look in the upper right corner of Design Space you will see that I have circled a button called Duplicate. Click on this to make a second copy of your circle. I like to describe Duplicate as doing a copy and paste function all in one click!
Now I am going to place those two circles over my layered heart image. This will be where we slice the holes through the layers of the heart. There is no exact position or placement for these circles. I really just put them where I felt like they looked good.
This is where I have seen a lot of people go wrong and not understand how to slice on Cricut projects. They will select everything on the screen at the same time and then get upset when the Slice button will not turn on. But if you select everything that is on the screen right now, you would be selecting a total of four things . . . two layers for the heart and two circles that we want to slice out. Remember the number 2 when you are using Slice.
Remember you can only have two things selected for Slice to work.
Keeping that rule of only two things selected in mind, I want to show you some things about the layers panel, which is on the right hand side of your screen. If you count each row or line of information in the Layers panel you will see all four layers. If you look to the far right, in the area that I have circled in blue, you will see little icons that look like eyeballs. This is how you can turn on or off layers!
I use this to help me focus in on areas, or to hide things on my Design Space canvas. So for this project I am going to turn off the bright pink layer of the heart shape so that I can just focus on using slice for the lighter pink layer. Now click on the light pink layer on the layers panel . . . not on the Design Space canvas, but on the line on the layers panel. The whole line of that layer changes to a slightly different shade of gray. That is how you know you have it selected.
Now, this little trick works if you are using Design Space on your computer like I do. Hold down the Shift Key on your keyboard and click on the very first circle on the layers panel. I have indicated both the heart layer and the circle with blue arrows in the image below. Holding down the shift key on your keyboard just allowed you to select multiple layers directly from the layers panel!
Now that you have two, and only two layers selected you will notice in the lower right corner of the screen the Slice button is activated. Congratulations! You just learned how to slice on Cricut projects! Now repeat that whole process again but this time you are going to select the light pink heart and the other gray circle from the layers panel.
One Layer Done. One to Go!
Now we are going to focus in on the bright pink layer. To help me do that, you can see from the eyeball icons on the right side of the Layers Panel that I have turned off the light pink heart layer and some of the circles. I should point out, there are now extra circles showing up on the layers panel. These are the result of using Slice.
Here comes one of my real life analogies about how to slice on Cricut projects.
If we were using a handheld paper punch to punch holes into our paper heart, there would be pink circles that would fall out of it, right? These extra little pink circles on the layers panel are exactly like those! Don’t worry, we will delete them later.
Remembering our rule of two, click on the bright pink heart on the Layers Panel. Hold down the shift key on your keyboard and select the first gray circle from the layers panel. Now you can click the Slice button. Repeat the process for the second gray circle.
The last step I like to do is clean up my mess of all of those little circles. Looking at the Layers Panel, I can turn off the eyeball icon for both of the heart shapes, which leaves just the circles visible on the Design Space canvas. Some of them are actually stacked on top of each other, so you really only see the top two circles. Now you can select everything that is visible on the screen and know that you are only selecting the circles that you do not need. Once they are all selected, click Delete.
That is it! You have now learned how to slice on Cricut Design Space projects! Now you are ready to hit Make It in the upper right corner of the Design Space screen.
The Cutting Mat Preview Screen
After you hit Make It you will see the cutting mat preview screen. You can see in the upper left corner that if you want to cut more copies of this project you can adjust the number that I have circled in blue in the image below. Then hit Apply and you will see more hearts start to fill up your cutting mat preview.
This also shows you that the Cricut will cut the light pink layer first, so load the light pink cardstock onto your cutting mat. Then hit the Continue button in the lower right corner. This will make a light on the Cricut start to blink. That is the button to load the cutting mat. Once loaded, the C button, which is the Cutting button will blink. Click on that.
Once the first mat is done cutting the load/unload button will blink again. Click that and remove the light pink cardstock from the mat and place the bright pink cardstock on it. Repeat the whole process for the bright pink cardstock.
How to Slice on Cricut Video
Since I know that some people like to learn by reading directions and others like to learn by watching videos, I put together a short video for you that shows the entire process of how to slice on Cricut projects. Then I show you how I assembled this layered heart for a lollipop decoration.
In October of 2022, Cricut made some updates to their software and introduced a new button called Combine. Under the Combine button there is a feature called Subtract, which you could say gives Cricut owners a new way to answer the question of how to slice on Cricut Design Space!
Subtract removed one item from another, so it is a lot like Slice, but without leaving all of those pieces you have to delete later. I did a video on Subtract that you can watch HERE.
I hope you enjoyed this project tutorial, and that you have learned how to slice on Cricut projects!
If you are looking for ideas of other papercraft projects to make I have some suggestions for you below. All of these are linked directly to project tutorials so that you can continue to learn to make new things with your Cricut!
Making Cards with your Cricut
Making Coloring Cards with your Cricut
Larger Than Mat Projects
Classroom Decorations
Classroom Calendar
Easy Valentine’s Day Papercraft
Do you have questions about how to slice on Cricut projects?
If you have any questions about how to slice on Cricut projects you are making please reach out to me! I love to help people with their Cricut projects!
