DIY custom latte art stencils for Fall – made with the Cricut Maker

I’m going to start this post by going a little off-topic from the main purpose of the post, I promise it’s connected so bare with me, but if you just want to head straight to the DIY, click here.

This past Thanksgiving, my family and I were chatting about the pandemic and how it has shifted things. I always try to see the positive sides of things, and while this year has been really tough I believe there is some good that has come out of this crazy year.

I think 2020 has really helped to put things in to perspective for a lot of people. This year has taught us how to be resilient, be vocal for what we believe in and to stand up for ourselves, as well as to be thankful for the things we have.

I feel like everything that is going on has also helped a lot of people to find the joy in the simple things in life again, as well as discover new hobbies – from reading more to camping or going for nature walks, writing, arts and crafts, cooking, etc.

As an example, my mom who has never played video games before, got a Nintendo Switch for the sole purpose of playing Animal Crossing with my sister and I after we told her how therapeutic it was for us. She now says she doesn’t know how she would have handled the pandemic without it. (This is the same for many people, if you’re interested here is a great article on how the game has been a form of therapy for many during the pandemic.)

For me, I’ve mentioned in the past that I’ve been cooking, baking and crafting a lot more. As I sat down to write this blog post it also occurred to me that I’m also writing blog posts and creating new content more! I think with working from home I’m looking to different hobbies than I usually would to help me break up my day.

Going back to the spending more time in the kitchen – one thing I was really missing during the shut-down was Starbuck’s lattes. We ended up picking up a Nespresso Black Aeroccino 3 so that we could make our own at home and it’s probably one of the best purchases we’ve ever made.

Not only is it kinda fun to make your own lattes and try out new recipes, but in the long run I’m also saving a lot of money which is awesome! I’ve gotten really into making lattes and I wanted to level them up.

I started looking into latte art, (you know me – I love making Instagramable moments) but failed miserably. I started looking at latte stencils only to dislike all of the designs on the ones that I found. So naturally, I decided to Cricut it!

I started researching food-safe acetate and found some sheets available on Amazon. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work at first, but I was really happy with the results.

The best part? I was able to make 6 stencils per sheet of acetate, so it ended up also being much more cost effective and now I can create stencils for any occasion! I’m planning on making a set for each holiday, as well as some custom designs and logos from my favourite brands, including BTS, BT21, and some designer brands as well!

Here’s what you’ll need for this DIY:

CUSTOM LATTE STENCILS – Materials Needed:

Cricut Maker (Cricut.com / Amazon.ca)
Cricut essential tools
Standard-grip cutting mat
My project or template available on Design Space
Acetate sheets

Step 1: Creating and cutting the design

First, you’ll need to start a new project using my project template, which is located on Design Space here.

If you are graphic design savvy, you can download my stencil template here and add your own design to it. You can upload your own designs in any of the following formats: .jpg, .gif, .png, and .bmp. (I made some custom designs as well – stay tuned for another post on those later!)

Next, click “Make It!” and connect your Cricut machine.

Once you’re on the next screen, select “Acetate” from the list of materials and set the pressure to “more”.

Place the material onto the standard-grip cutting mat and load your machine. Click on the Cricut button once it begins to flash to start your cut.

Step 3: Weeding your design

Once it’s done, weed your design – this is the process of removing the negative space from your cut. If this is your first project, here is a helpful video by Cricut that demonstrates the traditional weeding process.

For the stencils, the weeding process was a little tricky (it’s times like this I wish I made videos). I found that it worked the best if I first removed the outside excess material, so that I was left with the individual stencils. Next, I would pop the stencil off the grip mat and then remove the detailed cuts/shape from the stencil.

Occasionally, I would encounter a spot where the cut didn’t go all the way through, so I would just use my exato-knife to cut through that spot to make sure it was a clean cut so that the stencil would work properly. This didn’t happen very often and it was usually just a small corner or line when it did.

Step 4: Using your stencil

This is the real fun part, getting to see your creation in action! I was really excited to use these and was really happy with the results.

I found that they work best if the foam is level and almost to the rim of the cup. Simply place your stencil on top of the foam and sprinkle it with your favourite garnish. I personally love to use chocolate, cinnamon or pumpkin spice on mine. (Sometimes I’ll even mix some of them together!)

To clean the stencils, simply gently wipe them clean with a bit of warm, soapy water on a cloth and pat them dry.

Overall I’m really. happy with how these turned out. I made a bunch of other designs too, which I’ll be sharing later on the blog. If you use this template, I’d love to see photos of your creations with it!