Which Cricut Supplies and Accessories do I really need?

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WOOHOO!!! You have a brand new Cricut Maker 3, Maker, Cricut joy, or Cricut explore air 2, now what else do you need? That’s what we are going to be talking about. What other supplies, tools, and accessories do you really need to start enjoying your Cricut machine.

The day I opened my Cricut was the day my whole life changed! It was so exciting to think about all the amazing things that this Cricut machine could potentially do like card making, chipboard cutting, and the list goes on and on. 

Now, you have your machine, you sit down to start browsing, and with all the information out there overwhelm sets in.

Breathe and stay calm because that’s where I come in and show you what you need versus what you could get later. 

Cricut Supplies and Accessories every Beginner Needs

*NOTE: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a small purchase through my links I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you! Read my full disclosure for more info

Each Cricut Machine comes with everything you need to make the sample project that comes in the box.

Your machine, depending on which machine you get, will come with a Premium Fine Point Blade, Scoring Wheel, Fine Point pen, mats, and the USB and power cords.

However,  the machine doesn’t come with the materials you need to make the projects that you want to make. 

Different projects require different materials such as paper, vinyl, htv (heat transfer vinyl), fabric, chipboard, amongst others.

For example, if you love cards and want to make and design them, then you would want to buy a variety of different kinds of paper or cardstock.

What kind of projects are YOU interested in making?

• SO, I guess now would be a good time to ask yourself, What kind of projects do you want to make?

• Are you a lover of card making? Then you will want to buy a bunch of different paper and cardstock.

• If you want to be that cool parent that makes shirts for their kids and friends, then you want to buy Iron on or HTV.

• Do you LOVE making coasters? Then the infusible Ink sheets and markers are what you want to buy.

What’s included in the box of your Cricut Machine?

Cricut Maker

• Premium Fine Point Blade and Housing
• 12 x 12 Light Grip Mat
• Fine Point Cricut Pen
• USB Cord
• Power Cord
• Rotary Blade and Housing
• 12 x 12 Fabric Grip Mat
• Fabric Samples
• Cardstock Examples
• Accessory Adaptor

Cricut Explore Air 2

• Premium Fine Point Blade and housing
• 12 x 12 Light Grip Mat
• USB Cord
• Power Cord
• Fine-Point Cricut Pen
• Accessory Adapter
• Samples for the first project

Cricut Joy

• Blade and Housing (just for the joy)
• Fine Point Pen specifically for the joy
• Standard Grip Mat, 4.5″ x 6.5″
• Power Adapter
• Practice Cut Materials
• Card

What supplies and accessories do you really need?

Must have items for Cricut

Scraper–

This tool is great to remove materials from your mat and all those little pieces that stick to your mat.

Weeding Tools–

If you are going to be working with any kind of vinyl you are going to need to remove all those pieces that don’t belong there so you have to weed (remove) them.

Scoring Stylus and scoring wheel–

These tools are a must-have if you are working with paper only because you are going to need to fold it. This will put the fold lines down on the paper for you for an easy fold. WOOHOO! THANK YOU CRICUT!

Deep cut(explore air 2 and maker) and the Knife Blade(maker only)–

Going back to that question I asked earlier, What kind of projects do you want to make? These 2 blades are optional to start unless you are starting with thicker material(chipboard) than these blades are going to be a must-have. If you’re not working with thicker material these are not a must-have, but a nice to have item.

Basic Tool Set– (picture above)

All the Cricut Tools in one purchase? Yes, that is correct!  This convenient and stylish set includes five essential DIY tools.

1. Tweezers to lift and secure delicate material
2. Weeder to remove tiny negative cuts
3. Micro-tip scissors with protective blade cover
4. Spatula to lift cuts from the mat
5. Scraper to burnish material and clean all cutting mats

Aluminum foil ball–

If you feel your blade has gone dull get out that aluminum foil, ball it up, and stick your blade into the foil ball a few times to sharpen it. I learned this a while back and I am not sure where I found this tip as it was genius!

Transfer Tape–

If you are using vinyl you are going to be using this. This is how you transfer your image or saying on your project.

Brayer and tweezers–

This is only a must if you are only going to be working with fabric. If you don’t plan on doing that right away this can wait.

MATERIAL:

I encourage you to try many different styles and brands

Paper and Cardstock–

You can use all kinds of paper from super delicate to super sturdy. Gather a decent amount of all different kinds of paper so you can then see which materials you like to work with. I personally try to stick with 65Ib. cardstock and some scrapbook paper for decorating. This just comes down to personal choice, so Experiment and have fun! Some examples are scrapbook paper, cardstock, poster board, and glitter cardstock.

Scrapbook.com and Scrapbookpal.com have some amazing deals on fun paper and stickers and of course that glue.😂🤣😂

Vinyl and HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl) or Iron-On–

If you are starting with vinyl just know there are many kinds of vinyl. I recommend starting with a self-adhesive vinyl and an HTV or Iron-on. HTV and Iron-On are the same things so don’t let that confuse you! For Vinyl, I tend to stick with Oracle or Cricut and for HTV I use Cricut, Siser, or the Paper Studio. Examples are foil, holographic, patterned, chalkboard, and tons more.

For Paper, glue, and adhesive, I also always check at scrapbook.com and scrapbookpal.com

The Cricut Joy-Must Haves

Scraper–

This tool is great to remove materials from your mat and all those little pieces that stick to your mat.

Weeding Tools-

If you are going to be working with any kind of vinyl you are going to need to remove all those pieces that don’t belong there so you have to weed (remove) them.

Basic Tool Set– (picture above)

All the Cricut Tools in one purchase? Yes, that is correct!  This convenient and stylish set includes five essential DIY tools.

1. Tweezers to lift and secure delicate material
2. Weeder to remove tiny negative cuts
3. Micro-tip scissors with protective blade cover
4. Spatula to lift cuts from the mat
5. Scraper to burnish material and clean all cutting mats

Vinyl–

This little machine has its own vinyl. You can use the smart vinyl or vinyl, but the smart vinyl can actually go matless so you can save some time. And the options for it are endless! There’s anything from a variety of colors and patterns to iron-on vinyl to writeable vinyl.

Aluminum foil ball–

If you feel your blade has gone dull get out that aluminum foil, ball it up, and stick your blade into the foil ball a few times to sharpen it. I learned this a while back and I am not sure where I found this tip as it was genius!

Transfer Tape–

If you are using vinyl you are going to be using this. This is how you transfer your image or saying on your project.

Insert Cards–

This allows you to make cards at faster speeds! Who doesn’t love saving time so you can make more, right? And if this is a must for you, make sure you don’t forget the mat that goes with it.

Be sure to sign up for my Newsletter so we can chat and I can share all my crafty positive good stuff with you! You won’t want to miss it!

Later Investments for your Cricut Machine

Invest in more Mats–

Now, you don’t have to go Cricut mat crazy, but it’s always nice to have a few extra mats on hand. Over time, the adhesive starts to wear off and most projects material has to stick to the mat. Yes, you can and should be cleaning your mat, but sometimes I personally feel it’s easier to just buy new mats.

Cricut offers mats in a 12″x12″ and also a 12″x 24″

The Cricut Joy has its own set of mats. The Cricut Joy has a  Standard Grip Mat that’s 4.5″ x 6.5″ and a Light Grip and Standard Grip Mat, 4.5″ x 12″.

Look into a Heat Press–

Shirts, bags, and tumblers oh my! I highly recommend investing in a heat press of some sort. If you started some projects and know you love love love making shirts a heat press will save you time and energy in the long run! I started out with an iron and it worked, but the heat press makes it so much easier and quicker.

Cricut Pens–

If greeting cards and envelopes are your jam, then the pens are a beautiful addition to your machine. It will write and draw images and words out for you.

More Materials–

Once you have an idea of the types of projects you are going to make, then go collect some more material. I was always running back out to Michael’s or Hobby Lobby to get more materials and the materials I thought I had but needed. This will save you time in the long run!

Scrapbook.com and Scrapbookpal.com have some amazing deals on fun paper and stickers and of course that glue.😂🤣😂

I ALWAYS check Craft-e-Corner because a lot of the things I want to order are already discounted on their site.

Cricut Access–

All new machines come with a free trial of Cricut Access, which gives you unlimited access to over 400 fonts, over 100,000 images, and over 7,000 ready-to-make projects, and great discounts on every single Cricut product (including machines and sale items!)

If your free trial has run out, I highly suggest you sign up for a membership; it is well worth it! With the Standard Cricut Access plan you get unlimited access to over 400+ beautiful fonts, unlimited use of over 100,000 cut‑ready images, 7,000 pre-designed projects, access to the priority member care support line, and 10% savings on all product purchases on cricut.com!

Blades–

Once you have a  good idea of the projects you are going to be making, make sure you check the blades to see which projects get what blade.

For instance,  Cricut starts you off with the blades used most often so unless you are cutting chipboard right away,  you will be ok to start. However,  the more and more you advance so will your blades depending upon the projects you choose.

Below is a glimpse of the blades and which machine they are for so you have a better understanding of them. And you can always head on over to Cricut and check their site.

Want to learn more about Cricut Blades? Here is my Cricut Beginners Guide to Blades Article

There’s truly unlimited potential with your Cricut Machine! SO explore and get to know your Cricut machine because it will become your new best bud!

Brand New to Cricut Design Space? You can read my Ultimate Beginners Guide to Cricut Design Space.

If there’s anything I can help with, please drop a comment below and I will be sure to put that on my list to write about!

So tell me.

What kind of projects are you working on or would like to make?

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