MUST HAVE SUPPLIES FOR CRICUT BEGINNER

If you’re a Cricut beginner here’s a list of 10 must-have supplies and accessories every newbie will need.

New to Cricut? Well, welcome to the CRICUT crafting world! I know when you first get your machine it can be SUPER overwhelming. With all the amazing projects that are out there, it’s so hard to figure out what you should buy. Are you going to be paper crafting? Vinyl crafting? T-shirt making? Sign making? SOOOOOO many things to decide. But no matter which path your crafty heart wants to take these 10 craft accessories and supplies will set you up for success.

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And it doesn’t matter which Cricut machine you use, an Explore or a Maker, these craft supplies will work perfectly with both Cricut cutting machines. At this moment in time, I currently use an older model Cricut Explore for my crafting needs. Cricut continues to come out with AMAZING crafting machines I can not bring myself to purchase a new one. My old machines work great for now.

If you get to a point where you are crafting like crazy you might want to look into where you can buy things you use often in bulk. Here’s how I save lots of money on stencil film for my handmade business.

10 supplies you need to start creating with your Cricut

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5 from 5 votes

Cricut beginner supplies & accessories

If you’re new to Cricut crafting here’s a list of 10 must have supplies and accessories every beginner will need.

Total Time1 minute min

Cost: $$

Equipment

• Cricut cutting machine

Materials

CRICUT CUTTING MATS

• BLUE- LIGHT GRIP: Use with standard paper, light cardstock, vellum, and more
• GREEN- STANDARD GRIP: Use to cut heavy cardstock, iron-on, vinyl, and more
• PURPLE- STRONG GRIP: Use with specialty cardstock, matboard, and backed fabric
• PINK- FABRIC GRIP: Use to cut most fabrics with Rotary Blade or Bonded-Fabric Blade

xacto knife

vinyl squeegee

cardstock

scissors

ASSORTED VINYL

• HTV– used on fabric and comes with its own transfer sheet
• ORACAL 651– permanent grade vinyl that is suitable for outdoors up to 6 years
• ORACAL 631– removable vinyl typically used wall decals
• ORAMASK 813– translucent blue material used for stenciling

GLUE TAPE

• super inexpensive
• little more expensive

Transfer tape

Cricut pens

Cricut Access

Instructions

• Enjoy crafting & creating with your Cricut machine. The most important thing is that you're having fun! If you have any questions about using your vinyl cutting machine please reach out. I'll be happy to help any way that I can.

1. CRICUT CUTTING MATS

Being a Cricut beginner it’s hard to tell which color mat you need. These are a must have no matter what type of project you are planning to cut out using your Cricut machine. Cricut has several different mat options and thankfully they are color coded to make crafting even easier for us.

• BLUE- LIGHT GRIP: Use with standard paper, light cardstock, vellum, and more
• GREEN- STANDARD GRIP: Use to cut heavy cardstock, iron-on, vinyl, and more
• PURPLE- STRONG GRIP: Use with specialty cardstock, matboard, and backed fabric
• PINK- FABRIC GRIP: Use to cut most fabrics with Rotary Blade or Bonded-Fabric Blade If using a CRICUT EXPLORE OR MAKER you want to purchase the mats either in size 12”x12” or 12”x24.

I personally use a green mat for most of my DIY craft projects but I also have a purple and pink mat on hand for when I need them. Here’s a project I used my CRICUT PURPLE MAT to cut out faux leather hair bows for my youngest daughter’s Valentine’s Day cards. It worked great for that type of material.

2. XACTO KNIFE

You must have a xacto knife to use with your Cricut projects. This is the most versatile tool I have in my craft room. I actually prefer using a xacto knife when weeding my designs vs using a Cricut weeding tool. And they are super inexpensive and you can pick one up almost anywhere. You can also use this to cut tiny spots in a design that your Cricut may have slipped on during the cutting process.

3. VINYL SQUEEGEE

This is typically used when applying vinyl but you can also use them to smooth out paper projects too. There are several different sizes when buying these squeegees. I use my vinyl squeegee mostly for making my wooden signs but I use it for other non-vinyl projects as well.

4. CARDSTOCK

Cardstock is a must-have to keep in any craft room in my opinion. Of course, it’s great to create beautiful cards but cardstock has a purpose beyond that too. It is so much thicker than regular paper that it’s great for using for patterns. I use cardstock all the time to cut out different shapes to trace onto wood then I cut them out using my scroll saw. Check out these adorable pumpkins I made using my Cricut and my scroll saw. I also used cardstock to help make this light up fairy jar.

As a Cricut beginner, you’ll want something affordable to practice different cuts on and cardstock is very cheap. I highly recommend stocking up when the big box craft stores have their cardstock sales. This is what I do. Having crafting little girls we go through a LOT of cardstock every year.

5. SCISSORS

This is just a must-have for crafting in general. But I do suggest having a different pair of scissors for the different materials you will be using. One for each of the following: paper crafts, heat transfer vinyl, regular vinyl and for fabric, etc. Unless you have kids then, pretty much all of the scissors for good for all the things ;)!

6. ASSORTED VINYL

Vinyl, there are several different options here. I won’t go super deep about their differences in this post but you can use vinyl for many different projects: t-shirt designs, decals on cars and cups, sign making, labeling your pantry and so much more. You can buy bundles of different types of vinyl. This is a great way to have something on hand just in case you have the crafty need to create something that requires a certain type of vinyl.

• HTV– used on fabric and comes with its own transfer sheet
• ORACAL 651– permanent grade vinyl that is suitable for outdoors up to 6 years
• ORACAL 631– removable vinyl typically used wall decals
• ORAMASK 813– translucent blue material used for stenciling

7. TRANSFER TAPE

Transfer tape is generally great for vinyl type projects. It is a carrier sheet to get your vinyl design off of its paper backing and onto the base you are placing it on. I know it can be really difficult deciding which transfer tape will be the exact one you should use, I have battled with this myself. Here are couple things to know, a stronger high tack transfer tape is best for permanent grade vinyl. It takes a stronger tack to lift the vinyl up off of the paper backing. Stenciling material can be removed from its paper backing a little easier since the grip on that isn’t as strong as a permanent grade vinyl. Here’s what I recommend:

• TRANSFER TAPE FOR PERMANENT GRADE VINYL
• TRANSFER TAPE FOR STENCILING MATERIAL

8. GLUE TAPE

This is a must if you are doing any kind of paper crafting. Glue tape is quick and easy and gives a better overall finish than using wet glues. There are several different options for glue tape out there. Just like with anything they range from super inexpensive to a little more expensive.

9. MARKERS

Did you know that your Cricut machine can also write? With the Cricut pens. writing with them is a breeze. You can do all kinds of projects with these markers including making personalized coloring sheets for your kiddos. I don’t know about the new Cricut Maker but the older Explore, which is what I use to create all of my crafty projects, you use a pen adapter to use these with your machine. This is a great starter project for the Cricut beginner.

10. CRICUT ACCESS/ CRICUT DESIGN SPACE

Cricut Access is a must if you plan on creating projects at least once a month. I have had it since I first began my journey as a Cricut beginner, well over 10 years now and with four kids that is a big winner for those reasons alone! With the Cricut Access membership plan you get access to THOUSANDS of images, fonts, ready-made projects, and you also get a discount when you order products from the Cricut website. And a bonus because you can add your discount to their sale prices! WOOHOO!

There is so much more to share but these are basic supplies to get you started on your Cricut crafting journey. If you have anything you’d add or anything you have questions about please leave a comment below.