How to Choose Cricut Materials: One Idea, Three Ways

Have you ever been overwhelmed by all of the Cricut materials there are to choose from? Here are some simple tips and tricks to help, along with an easy-to-make Cricut project that you can create in no time.

I can’t believe that it’s been about a decade since I started working with Cricut, but I can believe that it’s still one of my favorite and most-used tools for making! I’m thrilled to partner with Cricut again to bring you more info about my faves.

The machines and materials can’t be beat, and I field so many questions about tips and tricks for using them.

We have a major library of Cricut information, from which machine is right for you to whether it’s worth the cost, and so much more. Here are just a few more gems:

• Three Easy Cricut Projects for Beginners
• How to Make Money with Cricut
• DIY Baseball Caps // New Cricut Projects to Try
• Custom Coffee Mug Project with Cricut
• How to Make Wooden Wick Candles with Custom Labels Using Cricut

Psst — before we dive into Cricut materials, be sure to sign up below for my VIP group, where I’ll send more of my very best ideas straight to ya!

Why are Cricut Materials so Special?

I’m such a fan of the Cricut materials because I always know for certain that they’ll work.

I admit, I’ve tried out other iron-on materials, adhesive vinyls, and more. And they’re never quite as durable, easy to work with, or high quality as Cricut’s.

Having personally visited Cricut headquarters to test new product, I can tell you that the team meticulously designs and tests materials to work flawlessly with your machine. The materials go through rigorous testing to ensure that they’re top-notch.

Types of Cricut Materials

There’s a huge array when it comes to materials, but below are the categories that I find I use most.

Infusible Ink. A newer product, Infusible Ink is a transfer material that creates a pro-quality finish, literally infusing ink into the fibers of the material to which you apply it. You can see a great example on this shirt.

Iron-On. Iron on is a perfect entry-level material! You can make things like baseball caps, shirts, and more.

Paper & Cards. For paper crafters, don’t sleep on the paper materials! There’s a massive selection of finishes and the quality is great. Here’s my favorite Cricut paper project from our archives.

Smart Materials. Smart Materials allow you to cut without a mat! Perfect for fast crafting. We made this chess board using Smart Materials.

Vinyl. Another great place to start if you’re just testing out the waters, you can use vinyl to transform so many plain surfaces! Here’s just one example, but the sky is the limit.

Customizable Blanks. The quality of the blanks like t-shirts, coffee mugs, wine bags, and more is fantastic. Did you know you can heat press onto coffee mugs?!

Pens & Markers. The machines can do more than just cut — use pens and markers to draw your own design as well. With the Infusible Ink pens, you can draw a design that you then transfer to a blank like a shirt or a coaster.

Transfer Tape. Transfer Tape is a workhorse to keep in your arsenal for various projects. It helps you get your design onto the surface of your project in perfect alignment. We used it for these candle labels.

Customizing Text with Cricut

It’s amazing how much a variety of materials can change the look and feel of a project. These next three projects are meant to show you just that!

Using just a simple text design, these beginner Cricut projects are a perfect demonstration of how a pattern can transform something plain or simple into something customized and lovely.

I used the same Cricut font for each item; what differs for each is the material, base, and application. You’ll see complementary patterns throughout each project. Sometimes Cricut will offer similar patterns across a variety of materials. In this case, I’m working with the Black and White Botanical pattern selection using Infusible Ink, Patterned Iron-On, and Adhesive-Backed Paper.

And if you want to try any of these projects, you can use my template in Cricut Design Space right here!

How to Use Our Project Template

The project template for these three projects is organized to make things quick and easy for you!

Head to the link above and open the project in Design Space by clicking “Customize.” From there, choose the project you’d like to make.

Isolate your chosen project by clicking the eye on the layers of the other projects, which will make them invisible. Once you have your selected project isolated, ensure that it’s your desired size, select your cutting machine, and click “Make It.”

If you’re using Infusible Ink or Iron-On material, be sure to mirror the design before you cut.

Cricut Materials You’ll Need

For these three simple projects, I used a variety of Cricut tools and materials to give you an idea of the scope of possibilities! What you’ll see here is:

• Cricut Explore Air 2
• Easy Press 2
• Infusible Ink Sheets (Black Botanicals)
• Patterned Iron-On (Botanical Sampler)
• Adhesive-Backed Deluxe Paper (Black and White Botanicals
• Wine Bag Blank
• Men’s Crew Neck Shirt Blank

Make a t-Shirt with Infusible Ink

An Infusible Ink project looks very fancy and super-pro, but it’s secretly so easy to do!

To highlight both the Infusible Ink and an Infusible Ink pen, we added the “bloom” text using the ink sheet and outlined it with the pen. You can find simple instructions for this project right here.

Customize a Wine Bag for a Gift

I love making gifts! A blank wine bag is a perfect canvas for a project to give to a bestie, neighbor, or friend.

The Patterned Iron-On is a material that elevates the look of a simple HTV (heat transfer vinyl) project. I feel like a pattern makes everything a little more special.

This wine bag also happens to be compatible with Infusible Ink sheets, but I wanted to demonstrate with vinyl so that you can see all of the mixing and matching possibilities!

You can find simple iron-on instructions here.

Create a Fast and EAsy Thank You Card

The Adhesive-Backed Paper is a total dream for paper crafters and card makers!

The paper quality is thick and feels very high-end. It also eliminates the need to apply any additional adhesive if you’re going to create a quick card!

For this project, simply cut out the “thank you” portion of our template in Design Space. No need to mirror while you’re using adhesive paper.

Place the paper patterned-side-up on the cutting mat and cut the design. Peel away your cut design and apply it to a blank card or a folded piece of cardstock. That’s it!

Have fuN!

Don’t be afraid to mix and match materials, surfaces, and styles! And be sure to save your scraps for the next project, because I promise you’re going to love this. xoxo

This post is sponsored by Cricut and contains affiliate links. All ideas and opinions are my own. Thank you for your support of Lovely Indeed’s favorite brands!