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Cricut Tutorial: Paper Tealight Holder (Free SVG!)

By Amanda Chittenden on April 17, 2020
Perfect for Mother's Day: A Handmade Gift Using a FREE SVG File From Dreaming Tree! I would say most Mom's appreciate a homemade gift, generally speaking, but if there is ever a year not to go out shopping for Mother's Day gifts, it's this one.  Instead, I offer you this tealight holder tutorial, so you can […]

Perfect for Mother's Day: A Handmade Gift Using a FREE SVG File From Dreaming Tree!

I would say most Mom's appreciate a homemade gift, generally speaking, but if there is ever a year not to go out shopping for Mother's Day gifts, it's this one.  Instead, I offer you this tealight holder tutorial, so you can make one with your Cricut, just a few pieces of paper from your craft stash, and a free SVG file courtesy of Dreaming Tree!

"But Amanda, It Looks Like There is Vellum In This Project, and I Don't Have Vellum in My Stash Right Now."

It's okay, neither did I.  I gotchu.

Know what that lovely, white, moderately see-through paper on the petals of the daffodils is?  PARCHMENT PAPER FROM MY KITCHEN DRAWER.  I was trying to figure out what might be a good on-hand kind of substitute, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It worked!

I have some generic parchment paper variety from Sam's Club, but I imagine they are all mostly the same, with the exception of perhaps Reynolds parchment paper, which (I think) has it's name written all over it.  So maybe try some wax paper if I'm right about the Reynolds writing...

In the end, I think the parchment paper had just enough translucency that the candle flame really showed through well.  I left this picture kind of dim so you could see the soft glow.  Don't you think your Mom would like this softly lit, handmade, paper tealight holder next to a nice warm bubble bath?  

YES.  On behalf of Mom's everywhere, the answer is yes.

My Cricut Can Cut Parchment Paper?

The answer to this question is also apparently "yes". 🙂 

The setting I used to get a successful cut from my Cricut, was the dot between "iron-on" and "light cardstock".  I used the blue light-tack Cricut mat (a relatively new one, so it was pretty sticky), and it cut like a charm.

Okay, the first few settings were a hot effing mess, but THIS setting worked like a charm, so use this one. 🙂

Cricut setting for parchment paper

Dreaming Tree SVG File

The SVG file for this paper tealight holder is a FREEBIE from Dreaming Tree.  On the resources tab of this blog, you will see a square with links to my favorite SVG sites, of which Dreaming Tree is one.  Here is a link to the file.

The file link is an affiliate link...an affiliate link to a free file, so you can do the math on that one.  BUT, it's a great introduction to Dreaming Tree if you aren't already a fan.  They haven't been around for very long, just a few years, but they've been cranking out quite the body of work.  My first few projects of theirs were freebie files, and then I got some of the more complicated files once I was comfortable.  I posted a picture of my Dreaming Tree bunny from last Easter just a few days ago.  It was pretty advanced, but I worked my way up to it, and you can too!

Paper Tealight Holder = Excellent Beginner Cricut Project!

Finally, I would just like to offer that this paper tealight holder is a great beginner Cricut project.  It LOOKS impressively complex, but it's really just a few pieces, and basically 2 boxes.  It went together easily and quickly and I think it's just lovely.


Paper tealight

I have a full video tutorial below, but here are the basic steps for construction:

Glue button panels onto front of tealight holder
Glue bottom panels onto FRONT of main piece
Glue top panels (parchment paper) to FRONT of main piece
Glue top panels (parchment paper) onto FRONT of main piece
Glue pattern cover pieces on TOP of panels you just applied
Glue pattern cover pieces on TOP of panels you just applied
Fold score lines and close up box
Fold score lines and close up box
Glue down the bottom flap
Glue down the bottom flap
Glue cover panel into the inside to hide the seams and provide stability
Glue cover panel to the bottom of the inside, to hide the seams and provide stability
Fold score lines on tealight base
Fold score lines on tealight holder base
Glue sides and bottom of base
Glue sides and bottom of tealight holder base to form a small box
Glue bottom of tealight holder to base
Glue the bottom of the tealight holder to the top of the tealight base

Some Assembly Tips

I learned a couple of things during the construction of this project:

1. Even a small amount of glue will make your parchment paper look all wiggly and weird.  This is okay. Once the covering panel is down, you can't tell at all.

parchment paper and glue
Thin line of glue example

2. Work quickly with super thin lines of glue so it doesn't squish out onto your thin panels, and so the glue you applied at the top of your panel isn't dry by the time you're done applying to the bottom of the panel.

Materials used for this project are listed below.  Some links are affiliate links, and if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.  If you do, thank you in advance for your support of this blog.

Main piece paper is Cricut paper in teal-green
Patterned paper for side panels, as well as the green paper used for the base: Natalie Maran Little Terrace pack from Cricut
Cricut light green paper used for leaf panels instead of vellum: Light green from the pastel pearl paper sample pack
Favorite glue, and papercraft recommendations are on my blog resources page here!

And finally, a link to the video tutorial!

For this post, I teamed up with some fellow bloggers.  Why not go check out some other creative Mother's Day gift ideas?

Group post, Mother's Day gift ideas

Cupcake Liner Carnations - Manda Panda Projects

4-in-1 Mother's Day Gift - Thirty Minute Maker

Gifts Mom Will Love - Victori's Creations

How to Make a Mother's Day Card on Cricut - Pocket Wonders

Love,
Amanda

Article written by Amanda Chittenden

3 comments on “Cricut Tutorial: Paper Tealight Holder (Free SVG!)”

  1. This is lovely! I never would have thought of using parchment paper!! I've bookmarked Dreaming Tree to check out as well 🙂

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I’m Amanda, and I put the AMANDA in A MANDAtory Activity (and I like a good bad pun). I run a blog, A Mandatory Activity, focused on baking and crafting for gatherings and gifts.

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