You can bend those names and words to your will. All you need is a shape and a little know how. The Cricut software can be a little limiting though, so we're going to look at two ways to get what you want. Let's get you started!

CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

STEP ONE:

First up - pick a shape. For this tutorial, we'll be placing names around the word mom shaped like a heart, so we'll need a big heart with the same dimensions.

You can download your own copy to practice with at the bottom of this post.

Once you have your files downloaded, import the solid heart into Cricut Design Space. If you like, you can also just draw a quick circle or square in Design Space to practice on.

STEP TWO:

Now pick a font and type your names or text:

You'll want to make any font or size changes using the top bar before the next step.

STEP THREE:

So you've picked a cute font and you're happy with your size. Next up is to ungroup everything so you can move the letters around.

If you're using an older version of Design Space, you will right click the text and select Ungroup. 

In the latest beta version, make sure your text is selected and click on Ungroup at the top of the right hand column: 

See how all of the letters are listed separately on the right? That means we're ready for ...

STEP FOUR:

Moving time - this part can be a little tedious. You're going to move each letter one at a time:

After you move the letter to the edge of the shape, use the circular arrow on the top right of the box to spin it until is matches up. You'll need to eyeball the spacing here.

STEP FIVE:

INKSCAPE

STEP ONE:

Let's speed this up a little. Open up Inkscape, or if you need to download it first, see this tutorial.

Either open your heart svg in Inkscape or draw quick shape to practice with. 

STEP TWO:

Type out your names or text and play with the font and sizing until you're happy with it:

STEP THREE:

Holding down the Shift Key, select both the text and the shape. 

Now go the the Text drop down menu at the top and select Put on Path:

Feel free to drag the text around the shape at this point until you're good with the placement.

STEP FOUR:

Now you can either delete the shape or move it out of the way. If you grab the text you see you can move it all together now.

But wait! We're not done. Right now the text is only grouped together. If you went to cut it in Design Space right now it would tear all of the letters apart.

We'll need to weld it together. Click on the Path menu on the top bar and select Combine:

Ok, much better now. Now you can save the file as an SVG and import it into Design Space to cut. 

Wasn't that much faster?

Want to practice with the heart from this tutorial? You can download your copy here:

Click here to download the Mom Heart SVG

Happy crafting!