How to Make Custom Labels with the Cricut Joy!

Learn how to make custom labels with Cricut Joy for any item in your pantry, bathroom, office, wherever using the draw and cut function, and writable label vinyl.

I have been wanting to update the labels on my storage containers for a while. I like the Trim Healthy Mama food so I use quite a few of their products.

Since I use them on a daily basis, I wanted them on my countertop. I’ve had these four black canisters that sat pretty empty for years. They ended up working perfectly for the sweeteners I had and I even labeled them with my label maker at one point(not cute)!

I even hid the label toward the back because it was not cute. I finally decided to do something about it and even my hubby noticed it and said he liked it.

I used my Cricut Joy and some writable smart vinyl labels to make some custom labels in just a few minutes. You can also use the Cricut Joy to make custom gift tags too!

Here’s my label maker label I had on one.

Kind of meh, am I right? So, let me show you how I made some cute custom labels with the Cricut Joy and the write and cut function.

Materials Needed for DIY Custom Labels

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Cricut Joy – find on Cricut.com here and on Amazon here
Smart Label Writable Vinyl (you don’t even need a mat!)
Cricut Joy pen

I think that was my shortest material list ever!

Designing Labels in Cricut Design Space

Make sure to watch the quick video at the top to see all of this in action. I tried to describe what I was doing in words on the video too, but here are the steps I did.

You can always try to edit my saved design in CDS here.

Open a new canvas and click on images. Type “labels” into the search box. I liked this label.

cricut access labels — The image number of the label I used.

If you don’t have Cricut Access, you can always just add a square from the shape section or search in the Free Images section for a shape you like.

Size it to the size you want. I sized mine to 3 inches.

I wanted the little flourish moved down a little on the label so I could write two lines. So the first thing I did was “Detach” them.

Then I clicked on the flourish and moved it down. Make sure the flourish has “draw” as the linetype. If it doesn’t, select draw.

Select both the square and the flourish by using your cursor or the Select All and “Attach” them back together.

Then hit duplicate until you have the number of labels you need.

Now to apply the writing, click on Text and in the drop-down menu at the top select writing.

This will pop up all the fonts that will write in a single line. I picked the font Chloe.

Type in whatever label name you want. If you chose a cursive font, you will probably want to connect the letters.

I find it easiest to first, decrease the letter space as much as possible until a few of the letters are touching. I increase the Zoom so I can see it better! (Zoom is on lower left side, click on + to Zoom IN).

Once the letters are pretty close, I ungroup the word. Then I click on each letter and move it individually so it touches the other letters.

Once I have them how I want them I use my cursor to put a box around the word and then click on the “attach”.

Place the words over the label and use the alignment tool to center them. (Select both label and words and then center horizontally).

Once the custom label is how you want it, select the words and image by using your cursor and click on “attach”.

Make sure to save your project and then Cricut Joy is checked on the device drop-down menu.

On the next screen, choose how you will load the writable vinyl. If you have a roll like I do, select the “without mat” option.

Click continue and then select the material – smart label writable vinyl.

And then you’ll get a screen that tells you what to do! Insert the pen first and load the label vinyl.

Cutting Labels with the Cricut Joy

Load the smart vinyl into the Cricut Joy by simply holding the vinyl up to the rollers. No buttons to push. The rollers will grab it and pull it in.

Push Go on your screen (computer or tablet). The Cricut Joy will write all of the labels first and then will pause and you’ll be instructed to exchange the pin for the blade housing.

Follow all the on-screen prompts until everything is done writing and cutting to unload the material.

Now apply the custom labels to anything you want! I like to clean the surface of my canisters with rubbing alcohol first, then I just peel the labels off the backing and stick them on.