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So You Bought A Cricut – What Supplies Do You REALLY Need? And What Can You Live Without

Some posts may contain affiliate links. For more information please see the disclosure page.

December 30, 2017 by Sydney 25 Comments

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Did you get a new Cricut Explore Air or Maker and not sure what supplies you need to get the most out of your machine? This post is for you!

cricut promo graphic

One of the most exciting things about getting a new Cricut is thinking about all the fun things you are going to make and all the supplies and materials you get to buy. But it can be a little overwhelming too. From vinyl to cardstock to iron-on and foil not to mention all the different tools, mats and accessories. You could easily spend as much on supplies as you do for your machine!

Learn how to use EPP in Cricut Design Space and create this quilt pillow in less than an hour! #ad

Before you go out and buy all the things let me help you with some of the choices. Below you’ll find a list of supplies you can buy for your Cricut. I’ll explain what each of them are and what/who they are good for. Let’s dive in!

PS Looking for the BEST Black Friday Deals on supplies?! Check out this post for a full list of machines and supplies with price comparisons from Cricut, Amazon, Michaels, JOANN Stores and more!

Check out how easy it is to use a Cricut including an unboxing video and easy beginner project!

PS If  you’re brand new to Cricut and feeling overwhelmed, check out this post for a complete unboxing including how to connect your Cricut to your computer and install Design Space. Also includes a Design Space basics video and super easy first project! Check out the full post and videos here.

When ordering from Cricut.com make sure to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off and score FREE shipping on all $50+! That’s on top of any sales and the 10% discount Cricut Access automatically gets.

Everything you need to about how to use the new Cricut Infusible Ink Products!

CUTTING MATERIALS (Vinyl, Cardstock, Iron-On, Etc.)

VINYL – if you’re wanting to make signs, stickers for car windows, coffee mugs and tumblers these are the products you’ll want.

  • Permanent Vinyl – great for projects you want to last, even through wear and tear
  • Removable Vinyl – great for projects you don’t want to last forever. Great for rentals and more!
  • Glitter Vinyl – removable vinyl with sparkle!
  • Dry Erase Vinyl – perfect for labeling
  • Chalkboard Vinyl – great for making calendars or also for labeling
  • Stencil Vinyl – use this if you want to make hand painted signs or screen print shirts
  • Holographic Vinyl – same as basic vinyl but with different colors depending on the angle you’re looking at
  • Printable Vinyl – great for making stickers
  • Patterned Vinyl – From Mickey and Minnie to Star Wars, watercolor and cute hippos, add some fun designs to your projects

If you’re looking to get a variety of items, these Material Bundles are great! They come with a variety of cutting materials, tools and some even come with a Cricut cutie!

ADHESIVE FOIL – similar to vinyl but has a nice shimmer to it. Can be more difficult to weed/apply. If you’re new to working with vinyl use basic vinyl before you try using foil.

TRANSFER TAPE – what you need to get your vinyl from the backing to your project. Use strong grip transfer tape with glitter vinyl.

IRON-ON – This is what you’ll use to apply to shirts, pillows, hats, etc.

  • Everyday Iron-On – great to use on almost any project! Most versatile and comes in many colors and bundles
  • Glitter Iron-On – add sparkle to any project. Really easy to weed and apply
  • Holographic Iron-On – Add dimension to your projects with either opal holographic or holographic sparkle
  • Foil Iron-On – add shine to your projects.
  • Patterned Iron-On – From Mickey and Minnie to Star Wars, watercolor and cute hippos, add some fun designs to your projects
  • SportFlex Iron-On – Stretchy iron-on, great for using on athletic wear
  • Mesh Iron-On – Make any shirt look like a jersey
  • Iron-On Designs – pre-made designs you can use alone or customize with any type of iron-on

If you haven’t worked with iron-on vinyl before, or need help with how to cut, weed and apply your project, this post is super helpful and includes a video tutorial.

INFUSIBLE INK – Cricut’s NEWEST product!

Infusible Ink uses heat from an EasyPress or Heat Press to infuse ink into shirts, tote bags and more giving you a professional looking project with forever results! Learn more about how it works here.

  • Infusible Ink Transfer Sheets
  • Infusible Ink Pens and Markers
  • Infusible Ink Blanks

CARDSTOCK – great for making cards, gift tags, gift boxes and scrapbooking.

FAUX LEATHER – great for making jewelry, key chains, hair bows and baby moccasins.

GENUINE LEATHER – great for making accessories, home decor and more!

FELT – great for making finger puppets, ornaments, dress up masks and headbands.

WINDOW CLING – great for temporary projects for windows, fridge and other appliances.

FABRIC – ONLY FOR CRICUT MAKER – fabric bundles perfect for any sewing project.

How To Make Custom Cards with Cricut Explore Air #ad #cricutmade

ACCESSORIES (Mats, Tools, Pens, Etc.)

MATS – come in 12×12 and 12×24. It’s good to have at least one of each size. Decide which mats you need based on what kind of materials you’re going to cut most of the time.

  • LightGrip (Blue) – for paper and cardstock projects
  • StandardGrip (Green) – for vinyl and iron on
  • StrongGrip (Purple) – for posterboard, thick cardstock and other thicker materials
  • FabricGrip (Pink) – for fabric

PENS – great for making cards and gift tags.

TOOLS – While these aren’t necessary they make working with materials SO much easier

  • Spatula – helps get materials off the mat
  • Scraper – helps apply transfer tape to vinyl
  • Scissors
  • Weeder – makes removing excess vinyl SO much easier ***If you only get one tool this is the one to get. This bundle has many type of weeding tools and is super helpful too***
  • Essential Tool Kit – 7 piece kit that has includes everything mentioned above as well as a paper cutter and scoring stylus. Great for use with any Cricut machine.
  • Brayer – Use to make sure your fabric is laying smooth and flat on your cutting mat

PRECISION HAND TOOLS – Tools to help with projects AFTER you have cut and weeded your projects.

  • TrueControl Knife – easily cut even thick, thin, brittle or delicate materials quickly and easily
  • Acrylic Ruler – use to measure and cut straight lines on fabric and more. Great for cutting larger pieces of fabric down to size for mats.
  • Cutting Ruler – large 18″ ruler great for getting straight lines with cuts and placing designs on your blanks.
  • Self Healing Mat – double-sided, perfect for any sewing, iron-on, vinyl or paper project.

See what all the new Cricut tools do, get project ideas AND find out where and when you can buy them!

MAKER SPECIFIC TOOLS AND BLADES

Knife Blade – Use for cutting thicker materials including basswood, chipboard, balsawood, leather and more

Rotary Blade – Use for cutting fabric (included when you buy a Maker)

Scoring Wheel – Use to make crisp, clean score lines

Perforation Blade – Makes perfect perforation lines.

Wavy Blade – Add a fun twist to your cuts with the Wavy Blade.

Debossing Tip – Deboss paper, cardstock, leather and more with this tip!

Engraving Tip – The one we’ve been waiting for! Engrave everything from acrylic, aluminum, posterboard and more!

Keep your Cricut EasyPress and Supplies Organized with the New EasyPress Totes #ad

EXTRAS (BrightPad, EasyPress, Totes)

EASYPRESS and EASYPRESS 2 – this is a portable, easy to use heat press. If you’re planning on using a lot of iron-on this is great to have. You can read more about it here. If you want to learn about the differences between the EasyPress and EasyPress 2, check out this post.

EASYPRESS MAT – Use with your EasyPress to get best results when applying iron-on. Keeps heat in your material so your iron-on lasts a lifetime.

BRIGHTPAD – this tool makes weeding SO much easier. If you work in low light areas or plan on using a lot of glitter this is a must have. Honestly I use this almost every time I use vinyl or glitter iron on. You can read more about it here.

STORAGE TOTES – great for keeping your machine and supplies organized and safe. You can read why I love them here.

  • Rolling Storage Tote – hold your cutting materials, tools. laptop, BrightPad, EasyPress, Cuttlebug and more!
  • Machine Tote – holds your machine and cords
  • EasyPress Totes – holds your EasyPress machine and extra materials and accessories.

If you want to shop on Amazon, check out my favorites in my Amazon Cricut Shop! When ordering fromCricut.com make sure to use promo code TFSPRING to get 10% off and score FREE shipping on all $50+! That’s on top of any sales and the 10% discount Cricut Access automatically gets.

If you’d like to check out more ways you can use your Cricut check out these posts! Need help with your Cricut? Join our Cricut Support Facebook Group!

35 Ways To Use Your Cricut (That Aren't Vinyl)

Want some help starting projects? Check out these 35 Projects You Can Make With Your Cricut and wood, leather, magnets and more!

cricut promo graphic

Filed Under: Cricut, Most Popular Tagged With: Cricut, Materials, Tools, What You Need

« New Denim Cricut Explore Air 2 Bundle + 20 Ways It Can Make Your Life Easier
You’re The Bomb Valentine »

Comments

  1. DANA M JORDAN says

    March 28, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    I purchased an Expression 2 recently. It is an older version, I know, but, do you happen to know if the Starter Kit will work with this version?

    Reply
    • tmana says

      March 1, 2019 at 7:23 am

      The Expression 2 will cut most of the same things as the Explore series and the Maker, but since Cricut closed the Expression’s online program (Cricut Craft Room) in July, you will only be able to use designs from cartridges.
      I hope you registered your Expression 2 and downloaded Cricut Craft Room when you got your Cricut, because Provo Crafts sent out a serious discount to upgrade to a Design Space-compatible model if you used it before July 15, 2018 (the day they closed Cricut Craft Room).

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    December 20, 2018 at 8:07 am

    I just purchased the Cricut maker and I am total beginner at crafting. what items do I need to purchase to get started on this machine? My main thing is going to be making T-shirts and sweatshirts with iron on‘s . Thank You

    Reply
  3. Trina Reid says

    December 27, 2018 at 4:54 am

    I am thinking about purchasing one but haven’t decided which one yet. Do you have to purchase all your materials from them or can I just go to somewhere like Michales or Walmart and use their felt and t-shirts to do projects?

    Reply
  4. Wendy says

    January 29, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    Hi, I just ordered my cricket maker!! It’ll be here in a few days. I just read your post, thanks so much great info for newbies like myself! I have a question though…. Cuttlebugs….do they do something that the makers don’t? Would you purchase one if you have the maker, I guess is my question. Thanks again and have a great day 😁

    Reply
  5. marija says

    April 14, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Can you use cricut without an additional program? Is there a cutting machine that can cut with standalone no internet required program?

    Reply
  6. Sue Marie says

    May 15, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    I’m looking to buy a Cricut Explore Air 2 but the more I read, the more confused I am. After seeing the info here, I have questions I didn’t even know existed. lol For example, is the Cuttlebug a more limited machine and/or how does it compare to the one I’m interested in? Also, on the Cricut site, these machnes can be purchased with an Essentials Bundle or Everything Bundle. Not knowing the tools,… I don’t know if this would be a good investment. Any help would be appreciated.

    Reply
    • brittni says

      May 3, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      hi hun ok I admit I’m scared you guys I just looked into getting my cricut Explore Air 2 and I’m so excited I don’t know where to start I have been watching videos actually headed to store to purchase more items needed before using my machine for the first time. Any helpful tips I’m planning on starting off with shirts first then when get the hang of it going deeper and more creative I have to learn to design and etc.

      Reply
  7. Sarah says

    July 7, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    Can you please update your hyperlinks, the majority of the ones I chose to click on were not found.
    Your blogs are so very helpful with my new toy!!! 🙂

    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      July 8, 2019 at 11:15 pm

      Oh no! I’m so sorry Sarah… but thank you soo much for letting me know! I will go through tonight and tomorrow and update all the links and add any new products.

      Reply
  8. Lynda K Cull says

    July 19, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    I just bought a Cricut Explore Air 2 and I don’t plan on doing a ton of heat-applied things. Do I really need the Press or Press 2?

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      July 21, 2019 at 5:24 pm

      Hey Lynda! If you are not planning on using iron-on vinyl you don’t really need the EasyPress. If you are wanting to get one for the times you are planning on doing an iron-on project on occasion, I would wait for a sale on Cricut.com so you can get the best deal on something you won’t be using all the time.

      Reply
  9. Catherine Heaton says

    October 16, 2019 at 11:11 pm

    Will my Hp envy 5055 printer work for circuit explorer air 2.

    Reply
  10. Terri says

    November 3, 2019 at 10:13 am

    I would like to know do I need to use only circut T-shirt’s etc or can I use any T-shirt’s and bags?

    Reply
    • Lydia says

      November 11, 2019 at 7:48 pm

      I bought a Gildan t-shirt at Michael’s for a class and it seems to be just fine for iron-on vinyl.

      Reply
  11. Karen Birdwell says

    November 12, 2019 at 9:20 am

    I’m new with a machine. I bought the Martha Stewart one. I found a great sale. It says it uses all Cricit supples and blades. Is this true, before I open it. Watching your tutorials and supply list has been so helpful.
    Thank you
    Karen

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      November 13, 2019 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Karen! So you do need to use only Cricut blades but you can use any brand vinyl, iron-on, paper etc. Let me know if you have any other questions. That Martha Stewart Air 2 is gorgeous!!

      Reply
  12. Theresa Michelle Morris says

    April 20, 2020 at 6:59 am

    So, I bought a Cricket Expression (sure it is the original and not 2) so is this only able to work from cartridges?
    It is still in the box, never opened.

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      April 24, 2020 at 5:43 pm

      Yes, any machine older than the Explore Air or Explore One can only work with cartridges. There is a sale going through 4/25 for the Air 2 that is only $179 https://shrsl.com/28u34

      Reply
  13. Reina says

    May 4, 2020 at 8:12 am

    I’m about to purchase the Circuit Explore Air 2, to print my logo on the poly envelopes. Is there anything else that I would need besides the printer and poly envelops? Thank you

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      May 4, 2020 at 3:25 pm

      I would purchase printable vinyl, or sticker paper. It would be easier to print multiple logos on these and stick them to the poly mailer. https://shrsl.com/29gvw

      Reply
  14. vickie says

    June 15, 2020 at 7:24 am

    I want a maker so bad I can taste it. Have used my explore 2 to death. Love it. Am planning on retiring in a year or so and have some other bills to pay off but if I dont get one for retirement Im doing it.

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      June 17, 2020 at 11:40 am

      You will have SO much fun with the Maker!! I’ll keep my fingers crossed you get it as a retirement gift 🙂

      Reply
  15. DazzDeals says

    April 6, 2022 at 7:00 am

    great article,
    I’m about to purchase the Circuit Explore Air 2, to print my logo on the poly envelopes. Is there anything else that I would need besides the printer and poly envelops?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Sydney says

      April 20, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      I would get a good sticker paper for printing your labels on. This is my favorite. You can use code TF5 to save 5% from 143Vinyl too https://www.143vinyl.com/starcraft-matte-printable-vinyl-10-pack-8.5-x-11-sheets.html?partner=339445

      Reply

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about me

I’m Sydney, the creator here at Tastefully Frugal. I’m a mom to two crazy little boys and one little princess and married to the best guy around. My goal is to help you do more with the money you have. From recipes to meal plans, crafts to organization tips and more! Read More >>>

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