In our latest eco-minded wedding DIY tutorial, we're showing you how to make your own jam jar labels for wedding favors using Cricut pens and water-soluble label paper that completely disintegrates with water. That means your guests can reuse or recycle their jars without scraping sticky residue or peeling off plastic labels. Clean jar, zero waste, no guilt.
These labels are elegant, customizable, and surprisingly easy to make which means it's a perfect project for couples who want their wedding details to feel personal and planet-friendly. If you've been looking for a way to elevate your DIY wedding favors and keep sustainability in mind, you’re going to love this one!
(And if our jam fabric toppers look familiar, your déjà vu is correct! We've upcycled leftover fabric from our DIY Beeswax Wrap Wedding Favors project to style this one.)
Common Questions About Water-Soluble Labels
Before we get into the tutorial, here are some FAQs that might help you prep your project. We spotted these on Reddit and other online Cricut community groups, so others are asking what you might already be wondering!What is dissolvable label paper, and how does it work?
Dissolvable label paper is a water-soluble paper with its own adhesive backing, just like a sticker. Once applied, it stays in place, but when it comes into contact with water, the paper and adhesive fully dissolve. That means no peeling, scraping, or sticky residue left behind, making it perfect for eco-friendly wedding favors and reusable jars.Can I use any Cricut machine for this project?
Yes! This project works with all available Cricut machines because it only uses Cricut pens. No printer or special blades needed! The Cricut Joy, Joy Xtra, Explore family, and Maker family machines all can do the Draw/Writing operation.Can I add custom illustrations or monograms?
Absolutely! Custom illustrations and monograms work beautifully as long as they're converted into a single-line (monoline) design so Cricut pens can draw them properly. For best and most accessible results, use Cricut Design Space assets that are already formatted for the Draw/Writing operation, which ensures clean lines and avoids double-traced outlines (meant for cutting). In Design Space, search for "monogram" and filter your Operation Type results for "Draw" only to see all the beautiful options.
How to Make Dissolvable Wedding Favor Labels
Skill Level: BeginnerProject Materials
- Cricut cutting machine + fine-point blade
-
0.3mm extra fine point Cricut pen
- For the Cricut Joy family
- For the Explore/Maker family
- Cricut Smart Label dissolvable paper
-
StandardGrip cutting mat (if using scraps, Joy Xtra, or material smaller than your machine’s full width)
- For Cricut Joy
- For Joy Xtra
- For Explore/Maker family
- Small jam jars
- Measuring tape
- Fabric jam jar toppers (optional)
- Cotton twine (optional)
- Our Cricut Design Space project (bookmark or make it right now!)
DESIGN NOTES: We used a mix of free shapes + font and a Cricut Access font which means you will need a Cricut Access subscription or purchase the font as a one-off to make as is. You can swap out and use your own design and fonts as you wish.
Compatible Cricut Machines
• Joy• Joy Xtra
• Explore family
• Maker family
• Venture
Base Material Setting for Dissolvable Labels
In Design Space, find this material option for cutting: Smart Label Dissolvable Matless Writable PaperNOTE: At the time of writing and testing in February 2026, the above cut setting doesn't currently appear in Design Space when using a Joy Xtra, so you will need to experiment if you can't find the material in the options. Though we have not tested ourselves, we'd recommend trying Calibration Paper as a starting point since it's a similar thickness.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prep your project. Set out all of your materials and prep your computer, laptop, or mobile phone with Cricut Design Space. Using a measuring tape, measure your jam jars height and width so you can determine what's the best proportion size of your label. If using our pre-made Design Space project, resize as needed. The as is size of our favor labels is 1.5 x 1.5" (about 3.8 x 3.8cm).
2. Now Make. Once your favor labels look as you want on your screen, click Make. On the Prepare screen, set the number of Project Copies you need. It'll depend on which roll of dissolvable paper you have and how many labels you can fit on your mat!
Since we're using a smaller Joy-sized 'Smart Materials' roll that is not sized for our Maker machine, we need to use a cutting mat and place our label paper accordingly. On-screen, we've fit as many as we can for our dissolvable label paper strip and have moved the on-screen designs to match material placement on our mat.
3. Draw and Cut. Follow on-screen instructions to get your labels made! Once your labels are drawn and cut, remove the material from your cutting mat.
4. Assemble. Peel each dissolvable label away from its backing sheet and place on your jam jar. If you're wanting to style your favors like we have in our photos, we recommend cutting round fabric toppers from scrap fabric and using twine to tie into a little bow. Store until the big day!
Other Helpful Tips with Dissolvable Label Paper
My dissolvable label looks faint on my jar.Dissolvable label paper is naturally a little translucent, so your design can appear softer than on a regular, thicker paper sticker. If you'd like your text to pop more, consider an alternative eco-friendly sticker paper.
My label didn't fully or cleanly cut.
This paper is a lot thinner and more fiber-y than your typical label paper. Make sure you're using a fresh, sharp blade.
I don't want to waste the backing sheet the label paper came on. What can I do to upcycle this?
You can definitely give that leftover sheet a second life! With scissors, cut into smaller strips to make handwritten wedding DIY storage labels – bonus: they'll be water-resistant! On the shiny blank side, write with a permanent marker for whatever needs organizing (like your container of jam jar favors ready to be taken to your venue!).
Can my guests and I put these labeled jars into the dishwasher?
Sure can! These dissolvable labels are dishwasher-safe. Just place the labeled jar on the top or bottom rack and run a normal, eco-mode cycle. When it comes out, the label will have completely dissolved, leaving only a clean jar. Alternatively, you can also hand wash like usual.
TUTORIAL CREDITS
Photography and DIY Tutorial: Chelsea Barton
Editor's Note: Specially curated by us, the above product links may be partner-connected and purchasing through these links means we get a small commission from those brands that helps support this website. You can find our full affiliate disclosure policy here on Tidewater and Tulle.
