In this tutorial, I’m walking through how I created a Valentine’s plaque cookie cutter using only free Canva features and Cookie Design Lab. No advanced graphic design skills, no tracing, and no prep work in multiple programs, just a simple process that turns an idea into a printable STL in minutes.

Designing a Trendy Valentine’s Plaque Cookie Cutter Using Only Free Tools

Trends move fast, especially when humor and kid-friendly phrases are involved. If you’re waiting weeks for a cutter to arrive, you’re already behind. One of my favorite things about designing my own cookie cutters is how quickly I can respond to trends using completely free tools, print at home, and move straight into decorating.

In this tutorial, I’m walking through how I created a Valentine’s plaque cookie cutter using only free Canva features and Cookie Design Lab. No advanced graphic design skills, no tracing, and no prep work in multiple programs, just a simple process that turns an idea into a printable STL in minutes. Follow along with the YouTube video.

This is a great example of how you can take a popular phrase, tweak it to fit your audience, and turn it into a cutter that’s easy to decorate and fun to sell.

Step 1: Building the Design in Canva (All Free Features)

I started in Canva by searching Elements for a free “Happy Valentine’s” script graphic. My vision was to juxtapose a frilly font with a bold one. The graphic originally included “Day,” but since I wanted a more playful design, I used Canva’s free pixel eraser tool to remove the word “Day.” From there, I adjusted the sizing and straightened the text so it would work well as a plaque-style cutter.

To lean into a current trend, I added the word “BRUH” under “Happy Valentine’s.” This phrase is still very popular and perfect for kids’ cookies but can also work for a kid to gift to friends or even parents (it was a big seller for Mother’s Day last year). I inserted a text box, typed in “bruh” and tested a few fonts before landing on Balloon Extra Bold, which is another free Canva font. I wanted the word to feel abrupt and oversized so it visually balanced with “Happy Valentine’s.”

At this stage, I focused less on perfection and more on overall layout:

  • How big should “BRUH” be?,

  • Does it align well with “Valentine’s”?, and

  • Will this be easy to decorate once it’s a cookie?

Once I was happy, I named the design and downloaded it.

Step 2: Preparing the Image for Easier Editing in Cookie Design Lab

When I first uploaded the image into Cookie Design Lab, I noticed something important. Because the words were disconnected, the software detected all the empty space between “Happy Valentine’s” and “BRUH,” which meant more points to edit than necessary. While I could edit them all in Cookie Design Lab, I could also make my life a little easier by updating the design. So I went back into Canva and added a simple rectangle around part of the text. That one shape connected “Valentine’s” and “BRUH” making it much faster to work with in Cookie Design Lab.

After adding the rectangle, I downloaded the updated image and uploaded it again.3d print your custom cutter at home based on this happy valentine’s bruh image using cookie design lab

Step 3: Editing the Cutter Shape in Cookie Design Lab

With the updated image uploaded, Cookie Design Lab detected the rectangle and didn’t add points between “Valentine’s” and “BRUH.” From there, I:

  • Increased the number of points to smooth the outline,

  • Started editing points directly, highlighting and moving groups of points to create more space between letters, and

  • Deleted extra points where things felt too tight or cluttered.

My goal here wasn’t artistic perfection. I was thinking about the cookie I would need to decorate and focused on:

  • Plenty of room to hand-pipe lettering,

  • No super tight areas, and

  • Not losing the shapes of the lettering that make the cutter special.

I adjusted the space above “Happy” and fine-tuned the areas around “Valentine’s” and “BRUH” so the shape made sense as a cookie cutter.

Step 4: Final Sizing and STL Export

Once the shape felt right, I checked the sizing. A 3-inch height gave me a plaque about 3½ inches wide, which is around my standard size.

Before exporting, I:

  • Added a rounded handle,

  • Made sure I clicked the “flip left/right” button, and

  • Checked blade sizing.

Then I saved the cutter to my Cookie Design Lab library and downloaded the STL file, ready to 3D print.

It’s That Easy!

This project is a perfect example of how the right tools can help you quickly make your own cutters at home, and those tools don’t have to be expensive:

  • I used only free Canva features,

  • I didn’t need to trace or pre-fill the image,

  • I could edit individual points instead of starting over, and

  • I turned a trend into a cutter the same day.

If you’re designing cutters for seasonal trends, kids’ themes, or custom orders, this kind of flexibility is exactly what keeps you competitive. 

New to 3D printing your own cookie cutters and stamps? Welcome! At Cookie Design Lab, we’re obsessed with offering the easiest to use STL creator with advanced features at a reasonable price point (just $5/week or $100/year!). Check out our other posts and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@CookieDesignLab) videos for more ideas and guidance, download the “Happy Valentine’s BRUH” cutter and matching image (perfect for Eddie or your projector) for free, and email us at [email protected] for a complimentary one week trial!