DIY Cricut Acrylic Disc Garland for Halloween

I am SO excited to show you this DIY Cricut acrylic disc garland for Halloween – because I actually started this craft last fall! (Find a video tutorial at the end of this post…)

I got a pack of acrylic discs and then painted the back of each one with alcohol inks, in beautiful colors that complemented the Midsummer Night’s Dream Christmas tree theme I created for my Mom.  Yep, these were supposed to be DIY acrylic disc Christmas ornaments!  The plan was to add Midsummer night’s theme designs and turn them into tree ornaments.  Unfortunately, I got super sick in November/December and, although I finished my Mom’s tree and it looked full and lovely, some of the DIY tree ornament ideas I had planned for her tree were left incomplete.  But as I was thinking about which ornament projects I had yet to finish, I realized that a lot of themes for her tree, which revolves around a magical, moonlit forest concept, kind of work for Halloween too!  So I decided to complete the project now, and turn the ornaments into a DIY Halloween acrylic disc garland.  Then I will re-purpose some of these as ornaments for her tree, come Christmastime.  I love a multi-seasonal craft project!

Supplies for Cricut Acrylic Halloween Garland:

• 3″ Acrylic discs (I bought these exact ones)
• Alcohol inks (I have bought this exact set twice plus these metallic ones)
• Alcohol ink blending solution (optional)
• Paper straws (optional)
• Rubbing alcohol
• Round cotton pads or paper towel
• Drop cloth/garbage bag to protect work surface
• Hair dryer (optional)
• Krylon Clear Glaze
• Cricut cutting machine (I used my Cricut Joy)
• Cricut weeder tool
• Cricut scraper tool
• Cricut Joy permanent vinyl (I used Shimmer Gold, Matte Gold, Matte Black)
• Cricut Joy transfer tape
• Scissors

Notes on Supplies:

If you’d like to purchase a smaller pack of alcohol inks and want to create a similar vibe, this pack of 3 teals is nice, or this larger pack with indigo/eggplant/lettuce/mermaid would be a good option, because I used all four of those colors.  And, if the budget allows, a pack of metallics makes this project 3x prettier – this two pack of copper and pearl is a less expensive option.  If you don’t own a Cricut, you can just purchase inexpensive, ready-made glittery vinyl stickers to add some *magic* (like these holographic butterfly stickers) – or try your dollar store for some cute Halloween themed stickers or stick on gems/crystals!  If you are thinking about buying a Cricut cutting machine, I still absolutely love my Cricut Joy and, even though I also have a Cricut Maker 3, I still tend to grab my Joy preferentially for Cricut crafts so I definitely recommend it if you want to get into Cricut projects, but aren’t committed to a more expensive machine.

How to Apply Alcohol Inks to Acrylic Discs:

1. Peel off the protective film from the side of the acrylic disc you will paint (leave the other side covered for now).
2. Wipe clean with a rubbing alcohol soaked cotton pad.
3. Apply a few drops of blending solution, just to help the inks flow (optional).
4. Apply a few drops of alcohol ink (less is more).
5. Move the ink around by blowing on it through a straw or using a hair dryer.
6. Repeat until you have a design you like.
7. Made a mistake? Remove the ink with a rubbing alcohol soaked cotton pad – and start over.
8. Let alcohol ink dry completely (use a hair dryer to speed up the process).
9. Seal with Krylon Clear Glaze.
10. Set aside to dry.

Finished DIY Alcohol Ink Acrylic Discs:

Here’s a look at my acrylic discs decorated with alcohol inks.  They honestly look gorgeous as-is, but I decided to add even more interest by adding some Cricut vinyl designs.  However, you could totally create a beautiful garland or ornament just by painting acrylic discs with alcohol inks, because LOOK:

How to Apply Cricut Vinyl Designs to Acrylic Discs:

1. Peel off the protective backing on the acrylic discs.
2. Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad or paper towel.
3. Search Cricut Design Space for your theme and bookmark your favorite designs***
4. Create a new project and add your favorite designs – start with one or two.
5. Size them to fit your acrylic disc (remember to leave the hole uncovered).
6. Click “Make It” and follow the prompts (choosing vinyl type, etc).
7. Watch your Cricut cutting machine work its magic!
8. Cut around each design with scissors and then pick out the excess vinyl with the Cricut weeder tool.
9. Cut a piece of transfer tape to size and apply it to the weeded design.
10. Using the Cricut scraper tool, press the transfer tape against the vinyl design to ensure the vinyl design will stick.
11. Peel back the transfer tape and transfer the design to acrylic disc.
12. Stick on the design and use the scraper again to press across the surface.
13. Peel back the transfer tape, which should leave the design behind.
14. Add additional stars, moons, etc., to the designs you chose, as desired!

*** Here is a link to all of the designs I used – there is no need to design your own images, Cricut Design Space has hundreds of thousands to choose from.  To find these, I searched “magical,” “mystical,” and “celestial”.  I wanted designs that would work for both Halloween and Christmas, but I did also search “black cat” for some purely Halloween themes.  If you want more Halloween themed designs, you can find really cute designs by searching “witches,” and “Halloween” in addition to the themes I searched for.  

Finished DIY Cricut Acrylic Discs with Vinyl Designs

Here are the finished acrylic discs – I used a combination of three different vinyls (Shimmer Gold, Matte Gold, Matte Black).  To say that I am OBSESSED with these, is an understatement!  I am not normally a fan of Halloween, but the moody, swirling background ink colors, paired with the designs, are so pretty and magical!  I love all of the little moons and stars.  The past two Halloweens, I have watched The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix, to get me inspired to make Halloween crafts, and I think it’s really working!  I’m a DIY Halloween decor convert!

DIY Cricut Acrylic Disc Garland for Halloween

To turn the decorated acrylic discs into a garland, I first laid some faux evergreen garland on the mantle and then covered it in faux cob web material to make it “Halloweeny”.  I then used string to tie the discs to individual branches – alternating with the purple and indigo DIY beaded felt moons ornaments I made for my Mom’s tree last year.  You could also just tie these discs together with thin ribbon or twine to make a garland, but I had no convenient way to then hang that on my Mom’s mantel, so I went with this method.  This way I could also mix in my DIY beaded wire leaf ornaments, the clip on white butterflies from her Christmas tree theme, a pair of larger, vintage metal butterflies we thrifted and, of course, a DIY beaded spider.

Here are some detailed photos of the DIY Cricut acrylic disc Halloween garland – I love how the metallic vinyls and metallic alcohol inks catch the light, but the matte black looks so good too:

To add to the mood, we styled a vintage side table with a vintage crystal bowl full of ornaments and battery operated lights for some magical *glow* alongside that little purple pottery bowl I found at the landfill (filled with a few mini pumpkins) – plus a vintage Federal Glass astrology mug.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY Cricut acrylic disc garland for Halloween idea!  Happy Halloween crafting!

Cricut Halloween Garland Video Tutorial:

P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!