I love making lattes at home – it saves money, and it’s fun! I wanted to level them up with some latte art, (you know me – I love making Instagramable moments) so I found some food-safe acetate sheets and decided to make my own latte art stencils with my Cricut Maker.
I’m the type of person that loves themed/seaonsal items and projects – from pillows to mugs, clothing and pyjamas. So naturally, I’m slowly making stencils for each season and holiday! So far, I’ve made some for the fall and Valentine’s Day. With Christmas and the winter quickly approaching, I decided it was time to make some more – this time for the holidays.
They were so easy to make, and I was able to get 6 stencils on one sheet of acetate. It ended up also being much more cost effective than buying pre-made ones because of this, which was a bonus.
HOW TO MAKE CUSTOM latte art stencils with your cricut maker
They were so easy to make, and I was able to get 6 stencils on one sheet of acetate. It ended up also being much more cost effective than buying pre-made ones because of this, which was a bonus.
Supplies needed
- Cricut Maker or Maker 3
- Cricut essential tools
- Standard-grip cutting mat
- My project or template available on Design Space
- Acetate sheets
Step one: create and cut your 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, or search for an image/design you like in Design Space. I used Design Space for mine and made a pine tree, reindeer and snowflake stencil.
Once you have found a design you like, click on “Make It!” and connect your Cricut machine. On the next screen, select “Acetate” from the list of materials (you might need to search for it in order to get it to come up for the first time). If you’re using the same acetate as I did, I found that setting the pressure to “more” worked best. If you chose a different acetate sheet, I’d recommend doing a few test cuts first to see what pressure and settings work best to produce a clean cut.
When you’re happy with your settings it’s time to get your mat prepared. Place the acetate sheet onto the standard-grip cutting mat, if you have an older grip-mat you might want to use masking tape to tape down around the edges for added support. I was working with a new grip mat, so I had no problems getting it to stay put. Next, load your machine and start your cut!
Step 2: weeding your design
Once it’s done cutting, it’s time to 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. 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 by hand or with my Cricut tweezers for smaller pieces.
With some more detailed and intricate designs that I’ve made in the past I would occasionally encounter a spot where the cut didn’t go all the way through the acetate (I didn’t have this problem with these ones, however). When that happened, I would just use my exato-knife to cut through the spot that was attached to make sure it had a clean cut so that the stencil would work properly.
Step 3: using and cleaning your stencils
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 and sugar mixed together or pumpkin spice.
To clean the stencils, simply gently wipe them clean with a bit of warm, soapy water on a cloth and pat them dry.
I’ve been having a lot of fun making latte stencils with my Maker, and I love how these ones turned out!
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