Must-Have Materials for Cricut Machines

Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with Cricut. However, all opinions and views on this post are 100% my own.

Did you purchase, or were you gifted, a new Cricut machine recently? First of all, congratulations and welcome to the Cricut creative family!

Getting my very first Cricut machine six years ago was so exciting. I remember wanting to start making all the cute things but also getting a bit overwhelmed when figuring out what I needed to purchase in terms of materials. I remember being there myself and wasting money buying things I didn’t need or something that didn’t work flawlessly with my Cricut.

One of the biggest takeaways from that time was realizing that the quality of the materials you purchase to work with your Cricut machine is essential and that getting the proper materials will significantly impact your final product.

I highly recommend purchasing Cricut-branded materials instead of other, Cricut-compatible materials. I have experience working with both, and I immediately notice the difference Cricut materials make in all my projects.

Remember that Cricut materials have been specifically designed to work with your Cricut machines. They undergo rigorous testing to ensure long-lasting results and are compatible and pre-calibrated for your device. As a result, they help you avoid headaches while you are in the creative process and with your final results.

Some of my favourite Cricut materials are also their Smart Materials. Smart Materials work without a cutting mat, so you can just load the material directly into your Cricut Explore 3 or Cricut Maker 3 machine and go.

Smart Materials come in various types, including Smart Vinyl, Smart Iron-On, and Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock. Smart Materials are some of the best materials to get when you are a beginner and learning how to use your new Cricut machine, so look for those when you are shopping.  

Today I am sharing a list of must-have materials you should have when you own a Cricut machine. These materials are excellent to get you started using your Cricut machine and creating right away.  I am also linking some of my favourite projects I’ve put together using these materials with step-by-step instructions to get you started quickly.

 

Must-Have Materials for Cricut Machines

• Cricut Cardstock
• Cricut Removable Vinyl
• Cricut Transfer Tape 
• Cricut Iron-on Materials
• Cricut Infusible Ink Materials 
• BONUS: Cricut Customizable Blanks 

Cricut Cardstock

This is the first simple material you should get when getting a Cricut Machine. There are so many fun beginner projects to do using cardstock, including greeting cards. The possibilities are endless. Cricut Cardstock comes in various colours and textures and is acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered. Great for use with all Cricut cutting machines. I have used regular cardstock in the past when I run out of my Cricut Cardstock, and you can’t compare the quality, Cricut Cardstock is thicker and higher quality, and my projects always look amazing.

Here are some of my favourite projects using Cricut cardstock, including the super easy-to-use Cardstock Insert Cards designed for Cricut Joy. 

Bookmarks Step-by-Step

Mother’s Day Cards Step By Step

Cricut Removable Vinyl and Cricut Transfer Tape 

I love working on projects using vinyl. You can use vinyl to create labels, shimmering media covers, decor, organizational items, and more! So many possibilities to get creative. If you are a beginner, I recommend starting with the removable vinyl and progressing to the permanent one as you get more practice.

Using Cricut Vinyl, I have not had any issues with the vinyl coming off or not sticking properly.

Below I am sharing some fun projects with step-by-step instructions using vinyl.

Labelling for a movie night with vinyl step-by-step instructions

DIY Memory game step-by-step instructions 

Easy Bathroom Wall Decor with Vinyl Step by Step

Cricut Iron-on Materials  + Cricut Infusible Ink Materials 

Using Cricut Iron-on material and Infusible Ink opens up many opportunities to create and customize clothes, hats, pillowcases, bags, etc.

I have used Cricut Customizable Blanks and other blanks for my projects, and I find that wash after wash, no fading issues have surfaced for my personalized items when I use Cricut blanks. In addition, because Cricut blanks are designed and optimized for iron-on/infusible ink transfers, the transfers are usually more even.

However, I still like the freedom of using my blanks, or items I already own, to personalize them. Therefore, I stick to using Cricut Blanks when I am looking for something that will last longer, with better consistent results.

Here are some of my favourite iron-on and infusible ink projects using Cricut Iron-on materials and Cricut Customizable Blanks. 

Iron-on pillowcase step-by-step

Custom bags step-by-step

There are many more materials to create and use with your Cricut machines; however, the above materials are an excellent start. You can do so many fun projects with them.

If you are curious and want to learn more, you can see a complete list of all my other Cricut projects on my website with step-by-step instructions to follow. Click here to see the complete list.

What are you going to create first?