3D Chipboard Tree with the Cricut Knife Blade and Cricut Maker

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Use the Cricut Knife Blade to make this sturdy 3D Chipboard Tree for fun decor! This post contains affiliate links which, when purchased through, add no cost to the consumer but help support this site with a small commission in order to bring more Cricut related tips and tutorials. 

As kids, I specifically remember this small holiday tree that my mom had. When most people say “holiday tree,” we automatically think of Christmas. But this tabletop tree was white and had interchangeable decorations for a wide range of holidays. There were Easter eggs and spring flowers, pumpkins, and Christmas related items. Before each holiday, my mom would give me the task of changing the hanging decorations. It was probably one of my favorite childhood “jobs!”

I’m not sure whatever happened to that little tree, but I think of it every now and again (especially in the spring). After completing several projects with the Cricut Maker and the Heavy Chipboard, I decided to make my own replica of my childhood holiday tree.

Cricut Heavy Chipboard has quickly become one of my favorite crafting materials with the Cricut Maker. I am a fan of sturdy crafting projects, and the heavy chipboard allows for durable DIY that is perfect for re-usable home decor projects. You may remember the Letter Ornaments from Christmas, a popular project for holiday gifting. Cricut Maker with its Adaptive Tool System is what makes heavy chipboard projects possible. The Cricut Knife Blade is one of the tools within the Cricut Adaptive Tool System. With the Knife Blade, a favorite accessory of mine, the increase in cutting pressure opens up a world of material cutting possibilities. Last week, I shared all the tips and tricks to properly and efficiently use the Knife Blade. Be sure to check those out before diving into today’s project.

Supplies:

For 3D tree:

• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Knife Blade with Knife Blade Housing
• Cricut StrongGrip Cutting Mat
• Cricut Heavy Chipboard
• Painter’s tape or masking tape
• Hot glue gun and hot glue gun stick

For decorations:

• Cricut Maker
• Cricut Fine Point Blade
• Cricut LightGrip Cutting Mat
• Cricut card stock
• Twine or yarn
• Scissors

Log into Cricut Design Space. You can use my already designed Cricut Design Space projects for this if you wish. Find the 3D tree here and the ornaments here.

To make the 3D Chipboard Tree:

Place the Heavy Chipboard on the StrongGrip Cutting Mat. Use the painter’s tape or masking tape to secure the edges of the chipboard to the mat.

Be sure to move the star wheels on the Cricut Maker all the way to the right before inserting the mat into the machine, as discussed at the bottom of Using the Cricut Knife Blade.

Cut the 3D tree as prompted by Cricut Design Space. Make sure that the Knife Blade is in Clamp B. Cutting thick materials like the heavy chipboard can take much more time that standard card stock. Allow up to 30 minutes per tree cut for this project.

Using the openings in the tree trunk, insert one into the other. Due to the thinness of the middle of the trunk, the chipboard may begin to bend a bit. For this reason, I recommend using a hot glue gun to secure the tree together.

To make the Chipboard Tree Ornaments:

Adhere a piece of card stock to the LightGrip Cutting Mat. The Fine Point cutting blade should be in the Cricut Maker. Insert the cutting mat into the machine. Send the decoration images to the machine.

Continue switching out card stock for each group of images.

Use twine or yarn to create hangers.

Decorate the 3D tree.

The decorations that I have pictured are suggestions. What other creative decoration ideas can you come up with for this super cute Cricut chipboard craft?

See more Cricut related tutorials and tips on my Cricut project page.