Graduation time is one of the best times of the year to give a wonderful gift. Personalized graduation gifts are my favorite since it’s one of those times of life where we wish we could just hit the pause button. I combined two of my favorite things, a canvas and a photo, to create the perfect photo gift for a special graduate!
My inspiration for these preschool and kindergarten graduation gifts were made with the help of a Cricut Explore Air™ 2. My friends have been raving about their Cricuts for years and now I finally understand why!
This post is sponsored by Cricut. All opinions are my own.
Personalized Graduation Gift
Whether you need a graduation gift for preschool, kindergarten, or even high school, these DIY graduation gifts work for any graduate to make that memorable day even more special!
Cap and Gown Canvas Graduation Photo
When it comes to a great DIY graduation gift, one of my favorites is a photo gift. There’s something about dressing up in a cap and gown that makes it all real. All the years that have gone by. All of the accomplishments and milestones. And the reality that kids grow up so crazy fast.
We made a canvas photo frame so that we can look at this gift for years to come! This photo gift can be used with any headshot that you love. The cap and gown are an add-on that you can use with the help of the Cricut Design Space and your favorite colored vinyls.
Materials:
Canvas
Special Headshot
Everyday Iron On Vinyl
Premium Vinyl
Premium Vinyl — Textured Metallics
Friend Like Me graduation pattern in the images section of the Cricut Design Space to make the robe, cap, and body parts
Font: Yearbook
Project:
We used the Everyday Iron On Vinyl for the dark blue gown, hat, and background for the blue letters. Then we added on the Iron On Glitter in gold. All of these were created with the help of the Cricut Explore Air™ 2 and were pressed on with the EasyPress2 and EasyPress Mat.
I love that the layered letters give it a beautiful pop of color.
For the light blue gown, we layered it with the premium vinyl and smoothed it with the Cricut Scraper. That tool is the best!
Lastly, we added the tassel and graduation ring with a beautiful gold textured metallic premium vinyl.
This photo gift could also be used like a giant graduation card. For the finishing touches, have friends or loved ones write messages to your graduate!
Since I am a Cricut beginner at the moment, I made sure to have help with this project. It required lots of layering and logistics, so I asked my Cricut expert friend, Kelsey, to help with it. And our big tip is to make sure to put anything that needs ironed on the bottom layer.
For a simpler but similar idea, add a special graduation photo. We love how this one turned out too. Just substitute a sweet graduation photo to skip all the steps required to make a cap and gown out of vinyl.
Now and Then Personalized Graduation Gift
Since I just love sentimental gifts I couldn’t stop there. I made a Now and Then graduation gift too. It even left me in unexpected tears.
After getting some extra special graduation photos with my kindergartener, we put one to use in another graduation gift. This canvas highlights her now as a kindergartener and leaves room for her future graduation photo as a senior in high school. We’re officially on the countdown to 2033. That’s why I call it the Now and Then graduation gift.
Can someone hand me a tissue!? I know the years will fly by, so I can’t wait to walk by this for years to come and then one day add the final piece. Not too soon of course!
Here’s how we made this Now and Then Canvas Graduation Gift.
Materials:
Canvas
Special Graduation Photo
Iron On Vinyl
Everyday Vinyl
Metallic Paper
Fonts: Love Spell and Yearbook
Project:
Add the vinyl parts first, especially the ones that need ironed. You can use double stick tape or matte mod podge for the photo.
The Textured Metallic Vinyl was perfect for the frames we made.
Since I love the Iron on Glitter so much, We did “Natalie” with those. Then, leave a space for a senior graduation photo!
This graduation photo gift definitely pulls on the heartstrings and is a perfect sentimental graduation gift for a preschooler or kindergartener.
Reach for the Stars Graduation Cap Decoration
Lastly, we made a graduation cap embellishment. Not everyone gets their graduation robe, but the graduation cap usually is a keeper. And it’s a perfect object to add some flare!
Some great ways to personalize a graduation cap could be with a name, Class of (insert year), or a favorite phrase.
I thought Reach for the Stars was perfectly fitting for my graduating kindergartener.
Here’s how we did it.
Materials:
Cricut Iron On Glitter – Gold
Love Spell Font (Reach for the)
Paper Lace 2 Font (STARS)
Sketched Star Images
Project:
We put the Iron On Glitter with the EasyPress2 and an easy press mat. It was so simple to turn a plain graduation hat into a beautifully embellished graduation cap delight!
I especially love the glitter letters without the mess of loose glitter.
But most importantly, my kindergarten adores it.
We hope that you have a joyful and exciting graduation season and an incredible personalized graduation gift to go along with it! When you need a photo gift or one that is just extra special, I hope we were able to give you some graduation inspiration.
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