Make birthdays extra special with a custom wooden Birthday Cupcake Gift Card Holder!
If you know someone celebrating a birthday soon, I've got the perfect gift for you to make! Gift cards might seem like an impersonal gift, but I think it's fun to encourage the recipient to treat themselves to something they really want! To make the gift even more special, you can package the gift card in a custom wooden Birthday Cupcake Gift Card Holder! This project is easy to make using the xTool M1, and I'm sharing the FREE laser cut file so that you can make a custom wooden gift card holder for your own loved ones on their special day!
The crafting possibilities are endless when it comes to using the xTool M1 laser cutting machine, and it's actually very easy to use! Once you have one of these, the hardest thing you'll have to do is decide what to make first. If you want to learn more about how this incredible machine works, be sure to check out my complete xTool review.
Place your piece of wood into the xTool M1 machine, on top of the triangular prisms. When you close the lid, the image of the inside of the machine should show on your screen. If it isn't, click "Refresh" in the top right (green) section of the menu and it should show up.
Upload the Birthday Cupcake Gift Card Holder laser cut file into xTool Creative Space. The gift card holder itself is four separate pieces: front (frosting), cupcake base, back, and center piece to be cut out of wood.
Next, select the material type from the drop-down menu on the right side of the screen. I used the pre-loaded settings for "3mm Cherry Plywood" material. Make sure that you also select "Triangular Prism" from the "Height Raised" drop-down menu. By selecting the material before you get started, it will automatically adjust the settings for cutting, scoring, and engraving your project.
Select the borders of the 4 gift card holder pieces, and click on the "Cut" option in the right menu bar. As long as you set the material first, the cut settings will automatically adjust.
Now select the "Happy Birthday" located on the front (frosting) piece and click on the "Engrave" option in the menu bar.
Lastly, select the sprinkles, cupcake lines, and the flame of the candle. Click on the "Score" option. Scoring is similar to engraving, but doesn't cut as deep into the lines and leaves more of an outline of the design instead.
Download Birthday Cupcake Gift Card Holder Laser Cut File
**Cut files are for PERSONAL USE only**
Printables and cut files from Artsy-Fartsy Mama are for personal use only. You may use these files for personal projects, but you may not sell them. If you'd like to share this project digitally, share a link to this post/website only. Do not share a direct link to the file.
Press the large, lit button on the front of the machine to start the cutting, scoring, and engraving process. It's so fun to watch the laser in action, and to see how precise the xTool is for even the smallest of details.
If you want to add a to/from to the gift card holder, turn the back piece (with the candle) over, put it into the machine, and engrave the text on the back!
Once the cutting and engraving process is complete, remove the gift card holder pieces from the machine. Before assembling the project, I would recommend cleaning the soot away from around the edges of the wood using a Magic Eraser or baby wipe to prevent making marks all over your hands.
Lay the back piece of the gift card holder face-up on your work surface. Add some adhesive to the back of center piece and line it up with the bottom edge of the back piece. Add another thin line of adhesive to the back of the front frosting piece, and place it on top of the cupcake base. Make sure the top edges of the cupcake frosting are lined up evenly. Use clips or clamps to hold the pieces in place while the adhesive sets. Use a baby wipe or damp cloth to remove any excess adhesive that seeps out.
Remove the clips from both sets of gift card pieces. Add some adhesive to the top of the center piece (attached to the back), and then place the cupcake base on top. Make sure the pieces are lined up at the bottom edges, and use clips or clamps to hold the pieces in place. Use a baby wipe or damp cloth to remove any excess adhesive that seeps out.
Once the adhesive has had enough time to dry completely, remove the clips. If the pieces are coming apart, add more adhesive and repeat the process.
Seal both sides of the gift card holder with a thin coat of clear sealant. Not only will this make the engraving and wood grain really pop, making the gift card holder look professional, but it also allows you to add color to the project without it bleeding into the porous wood.
Use acrylic paint pens to add color to the cupcake, starting with the engraved "Happy Birthday" wording. The pens are a lot easier to use for this project than a paint brush. Since the sprinkles and cupcake wrapper are scored, it's like filling in a coloring book!
I have two birthdays in my family coming up, so I decided to make a couple of gift card holders! I love how the different paint colors change the look of the gift card holders to fit different personalities.
I am beyond thrilled with custom Birthday Cupcake Gift Card Holder, and would love to hear what you think. If you are looking to start a small business using the xTool M1 machine, these would also be a great product to sell. As always, if you make any of these projects for yourself, I'd love to see your creations! Tag me on Instagram and Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest!
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I actually like the look of the plain wood, rather than it being painted. But home laser cutters are new to me (believe it or not...). So the Cricut can not do this?
ReplyDeleteHi Priti! I like the wood, too, but it was a lot of fun to make it colorful! The Cricut can only cut basswood measuring up to 2.4mm or 3/32in. You could definitely make this project using the Cricut with other materials though!
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