DIY Friendsgiving Decorations with the Cricut

Gather with the friends who mean the most to you for a festive Friendsgiving this year! These DIY Friendsgiving decorations, made with your Cricut and supplies from JOANN, will set the mood for this fun holiday!

This post is sponsored by my favorite craft store JOANN.

2020 has been one…interesting year, thanks to COVID-19. We have all had to make drastic changes in our lives—we’re working from home, our kids are distance learning, and we’ve all learned to love curbside pickup.

One big thing most of us have changed is the number of people we see on a regular basis. So this year, instead of focusing on huge holiday gatherings, many of us are opting for smaller, intimate gatherings with fewer people.

Enter Friendsgiving! Friendsgiving is the perfect “micro-holiday” to celebrate this year. I have never been more thankful for my closest friends than I am in 2020—we’ve all been each other’s support as we’ve navigated this unprecedented year! It’s time to celebrate that with Friendsgiving.

Instead of a huge Thanksgiving buffet spread, make a big pot of yummy soup, add some crusty bread, a rich red wine—and of course a pie for dessert—and you have a beautiful evening with your friends.

Today I am joining up with my favorite craft store JOANN to share a few Friendsgiving decorations, made with my Cricut!

We’ll start with a sign made using iron on vinyl—it says “it’s so good to be with friends.” (Isn’t that the truth?!)

And then second, there’s a cute banner that simply says FRIENDS…and you can add another word to the back! Mine says AUTUMN with a little pumpkin so that I can flip it around for the season, but you can, of course, make it say whatever you’d like.

I’ve then finished my little Friendsgiving decorations vignette with some cute home decor finds from JOANN, including:

• Gold Vase
• Stoneware Vase
• White Lantern (in store)
• Pink Pillar Candle
• Peach Peonies
• Yellow Mums

Let’s get crafting!

Good Friends Quote Supplies

• Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker 3
• Blue LightGrip or Green StandardGrip mat
• Black iron on vinyl
• Weeding tool
• Cricut EasyPress Mini or mini iron
• EasyPress mat
• Frame (I painted mine, see below)
• SVG

Download the Free Good Friends Quote File under SVGs C335

This file can be found in my Free Craft Resource Library. The file number is: C335.

Want access to this free file? Join my FREE resource library! All you need is the password to get in, which you can get by filling out the form below!

A note about materials: I love using iron on vinyl on wood signs. It adheres beautifully and doesn’t need a sealer. Iron on vinyl works great on these pre-painted signs from JOANN. If you paint your own sign, however, you may experience some paint bubbling when you heat it to apply the iron on. If you paint your own sign, I recommend using adhesive vinyl. See my post on Using Adhesive Vinyl on Painted Wood for more information.

Good Friends Quote Instructions

Paint Your Frame

I decided I wanted a bit of pop for this sign, so I painted the plain wood frame, using masking tape to protect the backing board from getting paint on it.

I used a color blocking technique. You can paint to match your decor or leave the raw wood for a more rustic farmhouse look.

Upload the Friends Quote SVG to Cricut Design Space

Let’s continue by uploading the SVG file to Cricut Design Space (see Uploading SVG Files to Cricut Design Space if you need help).

Once the file is onto our canvas, we need to resize it to fit our sign in the Edit Toolbar at the top. The interior of my sign is about 10″ x 14″ so I made my image 7.3″ x 11″. Resize the image to fit your frame.

That’s it! We are ready to cut the file. Click Make It in the upper right and you’ll be taken to the Prepare Screen. Here, you want to click the “mirror” slider. This will ensure that your project faces the correct direction when it’s ironed onto the sign.

Then click Continue!

Cut Your Iron On Vinyl for Your Friendsgiving Sign

On the Make Screen, you’ll set your material to iron on. Make sure you have your fine point blade in your machine, insert your mat, and your Cricut will cut your project!

Weed Your Iron On Vinyl

Next we’re going to “weed” the negative space from around our image. I have an extensive post about Weeding Iron On Vinyl, which you’ll want to read—tons of tips and tricks to making it easier.

Adhere Your Iron On Vinyl

Now we are going to adhere our iron on vinyl to the sign. Place your weeded image on the backing board of the sign.

Press with the EasyPress Mini or other small iron to adhere.

Before it cools, use a towel or a piece of cloth to press the iron on vinyl onto the backing board. This really helps the iron on vinyl to adhere and not peel up when you’re removing the carrier sheet.

Once it has cooled, carefully peel back the carrier sheet. If it hasn’t adhered, press again.

This is a super quick way to make just about any home decor sign—iron on vinyl is infinitely easier than a stencil!

Reverse Stencil Friends Banner Supplies

• Cricut Explore, Cricut Maker 3, or Cricut Joy
• Blue LightGrip or Green StandardGrip mat
• Fine Point Blade
• Permanent adhesive vinyl
• Weeding tool
• Wooden flags
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Ribbon or twine

Reverse Stencil Friends Banner Instructions

We’re going to create the file for this project directly in Cricut Design Space. Start with a new document, and use the Text tool on the left to type the word “FRIENDS”.

Then choose a font. I really like the Cricut Design Space Chip Decor font for this project, but you can choose any font you’d like.

Next, resize the letters to fit on your flags. For this font, I made my word 3.5″ tall, but that might change depending on the font you choose. Some fonts are much wider and you want to make sure your letters will fit on the flags.

If you’d like to add another word for the back to make your banner reversable, you can add that as well.

Finally, click your words and click “Ungroup” at the top of the Layers Panel so that Cricut Design Space can save space when it goes to place all these letters on the mat.

That’s it! We are ready to cut the file. Click Make It in the upper right and you’ll be taken to the Prepare Screen. Nothing to change here!

Then click Continue!

Cut Your Adhesive Vinyl for the Friends Banner

On the Make Screen, you’ll set your material to adhesive. Make sure you have your fine point blade in your machine, insert your mat, and your Cricut will cut your project!

Weed Your Iron On Vinyl

Like we did with the sign, next we’re going to “weed” the negative space from around our image.

Normally, I’d use transfer tape when using adhesive vinyl (see my post on Using Transfer Tape). But these letters are simple enough that you can just place them like stickers on your banner pieces!

Make sure you really press down the letters so that paint can’t seep underneath—a brayer works well for this!

Then, grab your paint! Paint a layer of paint over the top of the banner piece, including the letter. Use a thin layer of paint to help keep the paint from seeping under the edges of the letter. You may need a second coat.

Once the paint is dry, use your weeding tool to carefully lift off the vinyl letter, revealing the raw wood underneath.

Then string up using the twine that comes with the wood banner or add a colorful ribbon like I did!

Have you ever hosted a Friendsgiving? I’d love to hear what your favorite things to do to celebrate your friends are! And if you’re thinking of hosting your own Friendsgiving gathering this year, I hope you found inspiration here today. Head to your local JOANN (or order online!) to get everything you need to make this little holiday special.

Also check out my round up of Fall Projects Made with a Cricut for even more crafty fun plus this Friendsgiving SVG Bundle!