These spring butterfly bookmarks are cute, lightweight, and perfect for using up faux leather scraps. In this project, you’ll create the bookmark shape directly in Cricut Design Space using simple shapes, then layer heat transfer vinyl on top for a clean, polished finish. I’m also sharing the butterfly and swirl elements used in the design, so you don’t have to build everything from scratch.
This is a great project if you’re comfortable clicking around Design Space and want something quick that still looks finished and gift‑ready.
Step 1: Shop the Supplies
Materials
- Faux leather (for the bookmark base)
- Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV) for the butterfly design
- Ribbon (for the bookmark loop)
Tools
- Cricut cutting machine
- Fine‑point blade
- Pink FabricGrip mat
- StandardGrip mat
- Weeding tool
- Scissors
- Brayer
- Cricut EasyPress or heat press
- Ceramic coaster or heat‑resistant surface (optional, helps cool HTV faster)
You can shop all of the Day 9 supplies in 1 place here.
Step 2: Download the Files
This project uses butterfly and swirl design elements that are already sized and ready to work with. If you don’t have the files yet, grab them from the link in the description. Once downloaded, upload them into Cricut Design Space before starting your layout.
Step 3: Watch the Video Tutorial
The video walks you through the full design process, including: – Building the bookmark shape from basic shapes – Positioning and resizing the butterfly elements – Fixing overlapping designs using offset, contour, and slice – Welding the final vinyl layer so it cuts cleanly – Adding a hole for ribbon using a simple circle
Design Space Skills You’ll Learn in This Project
In this class, you’re not just following steps — you’re building real Cricut Design Space skills you can reuse on other projects.
You’ll learn how to:
- Upload SVG files and add them to a new canvas
- Ungroup designs so individual elements can be edited
- Build custom shapes using basic shapes
- Layer designs and arrange them using Send to Back and Bring to Front
- Use Slice to remove unwanted areas from a shape
- Create and adjust Offsets for cleaner edges
- Use Contour to hide and reveal parts of a design
- Fix overlapping designs so they weld cleanly
- Weld multiple elements into a single cut layer
- Add functional cutouts using basic shapes (like a ribbon hole)
- Mirror only the correct layers for HTV
- Set different materials and mat sizes within the same project
These are foundational Design Space skills that carry over to bookmarks, tags, keychains, and layered vinyl projects.
Step 4: Cut, Press, and Assemble
Once your design is complete:
- Mirror only the vinyl layer before cutting (do not mirror the faux leather)
- Cut the HTV using the Iron‑On Vinyl setting
- Cut the faux leather using the Faux Leather (Paper Thin) setting, increasing pressure if needed
- Weed the vinyl carefully
- Press the HTV onto the faux leather at 324°F for about 10 seconds, checking for a cold peel
- Allow the vinyl to cool before removing the carrier sheet
- Thread ribbon through the hole, loop it, and tighten
Your faux leather butterfly bookmark is now finished.
Project Tips
- If your vinyl lifts, allow it to cool longer before peeling
- A ceramic coaster helps pull heat out quickly if you’re working fast
- You can resize the bookmark or add text before welding to personalize it
- Cutting faux leather shiny‑side down helps keep your mat cleaner
