Cricut Teacher Appreciation Card and Gift Card Mug Holder!

Need some teacher appreciation gift card ideas and have a Cricut?? Learn how to make a Cricut teacher appreciation card gift card holder!

Are you stuck on what to give your child’s teacher for teacher appreciation or end of year gift?  Want to know a secret?  Out of anything you can give them, teachers appreciate gift cards the most.

As a crafter, it’s hard for me to not make them something fancy and cute.  There are certain things I will still make for them if I know it’s something they would use, want, or be sentimental about.

But when asking teachers what they truly want, gift cards are always at the top of the list.  They have too many apple things, mugs, ornaments, bags, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have to dress up the gift card and give it to them in something cute!  And if you own a Cricut, then whipping up something that will make them smile is easy peasy.

If you don’t have a Cricut, I still have you covered.  Make sure to check out these free printable teacher appreciation cards to attach a gift card to or these free printables for small gifts for teachers.

Teacher Appreciation Gift Card Ideas

There are so many gift cards out there, so which one should you get?  The best thing to do is actually ask the teacher or room parent where they shop or eat the most.  

At our school, the teachers fill out a form all about themselves at the beginning of the year.  Among other things, they are asked where they shop, their favorite places to eat, what their favorite coffee is, and what gift cards they would like the most.  This makes it easy on the parents and teachers!

What are the most popular gift cards for teachers?

1. Coffee – Starbucks, Peet’s, or a local coffee shop
2. Stores – Target, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Barnes & Noble, Visa gift card, or whatever local department store you have.
3. Food – a favorite local restaurant, Door Dash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats.  Sometimes Costco will have discounted gift cards in a multipack.  If you go in with the class or a few other parents, I would suggest checking out what your local Costco or Sams Club has.

Now, let’s make them look cute!  I made a video on how to make both of these projects below so make sure to check it out for more details.

Cricut Gift Card Holder Using Draw and Cut Function

All you need for this teacher appreciation gift card ideas is a Cricut, some cardstock, a tape glider or glue dots, and a Cricut pen.

You can find both files for these projects in Cricut Access here.  If you don’t want to make the DIY coffee mug just hide or delete those images out.

First, we are going to make the “Aren’t you glad this isn’t an apple or mug” teacher appreciation card.

When you send this one to be cut, you will be prompted to insert a marker in the pen holder to use the write and cut function.  Put a white piece of cardstock on a mat and load it. 

Once you are prompted, remove the mat. 

Cut the other pieces out of coordinating cardstock when prompted.

Now you just need to assemble the pieces.  I wanted the white piece of paper to pop a bit more so I dabbed on some ink to the edges.

Glue the white cardstock onto a contrasting piece of card stock and trim off the edges.

Glue on the mug, making sure to only put glue or tape around the edges.  The gift card will slide down the middle so you don’t want any tape there.

Glue on the apple shadow and top layer.

Slide any kind of gift card into the slot and you’re done!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Card Ideas Video Tutorial!!

A lot of times it’s just easier to show you how to make these in a video, especially the DIY paper mug.  So make sure to watch the video below (or sometimes it moves to the top or side depending on what device you are on!)  Turn on the volume!

Use a Cricut to Make a Gift Card Holder

The next Cricut teacher appreciation gift card idea is a coffee mug made out of KraftBoard with a coffee gift card put inside.

Materials Needed for DIY Coffee Mug

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links from Amazon and/or Cricut.com. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my links (purple text).

• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Double Scoring Wheel
• Cricut Kraft Board
• Patterned adhesive vinyl – Ditsy Dots
• Tape glider or glue dots

The coffee mug file is part of Cricut Access called Coffee Cup Box or you can find my file here. This is what my CDS canvas looks like.  The rectangular mug file is sized to 12 inches long.

The blue images will be cut out of patterned adhesive vinyl and the green is all the parts of the cup that will be cut out of Kraft board.

Click the big green “Make It’ button in the top right corner and you’ll get this screen.  The two mats will be shown in the Prepare screen.

Click Continue and select the material.  You can always use the Explore and score and cut this out of cardstock. 

I used my Cricut Maker and the double scoring wheel which scores much better on thicker materials like Kraft board (under Art Board).

Your screen will now prompt you to insert the 02 scoring wheel.  If you need help with changing yours please watch my Cricut Maker unboxing video here.

Press down the kraft board on a mat and insert it when you get the green flashing load button.  Once the scoring is done, you’ll get a prompt to insert the fine blade to continue the cut.

Unload the mat when you are prompted.  Switch your material to vinyl with your knob or drop down menu and insert the adhesive vinyl on a mat.  Click the flashing go button.

Remove all the materials from the mats.  Weed off the extra vinyl.

Apply the handle vinyl onto the kraft board vinyl. 

Fold all of the scoring lines.  Kraft board is pretty thick so press down the folds pretty well.

I used a bottle of mod podge I had to roll the paper so that it curves easier.  The little tabs on the bottom will be on the front side. (It will make more sense in the video!)

Use transfer tape to apply the wording to the front of the mug 1/2 – 1 inch away from the slits of the handle.

Stick the handle into the slits and fold back the tabs that poke through on the other side.

Now you are going to wrap the kraft board so the end tabs slide inside the other end.

Apply glue or tape glider to the tabs showed above (one will be the brown side and the other will be the red side tab.)  I didn’t apply mine to the correct sides in the video so you’ll see me adding extra glue dots…womp womp…

Turn the cup over.  Apply some glue to one of the circles and place it on the bottom tabs (right side facing out!)  Then turn it over and push the other circle inside the mug (right side facing up!).  So you’ll have the red showing on the bottom and inside the cup.

Put a gift card for coffee inside and maybe some chocolates or gum and you’re done!

Give either of these teacher appreciation gift card ideas to a much-appreciated teacher!

If you need any more inspiration, make sure to browse my teacher love tab of all my teacher appreciation posts.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a creative day!