10 Must Have Crafting Supplies

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What are my 10 MUST HAVE crafting supplies? Narrowing the list down to 10 wasn’t easy but I think I’ve done it. Keep reading to see if your favorites made my list.

I love to craft. I am not sure there is a “craft” that I’ve tried that I didn’t have fun doing. From painting to making bracelets and customized t-shirts to wood signs, I love them all.

Jenn’s Must Have Crafting Supplies

Today I’m sharing my 10 must have crafting supplies. I think every craft room can be made better by having these items on hand. Heck, every house could be made better by having these items on hand!

Number 1 – Cricut Machine

If you know me at all you won’t be surprised by the number 1 item on my list (especially if you recognize that I separate sewing from crafting). I think every home should have a Cricut machine in it.

If I never used it for anything but helping children make posters for school it would be worth it. But it does SO MUCH more than that. I’ve used my machines to make posters, cards, banners, party decor, costumes, customized clothing, quilts, signs, teacher gifts, door mats…the list goes on and on.

Cricut has a variety of cutting machines to choose from these days. You can easily find the Cricut Joy, Explore Air 2, Maker, Explore 3, and Maker 3 at a variety of retailers and online. Every machine on the market right now uses the program Design Space. They can all cut paper, vinyl, Iron-on/HTV, and other thinner materials. If you think you might really want to dive into using your Cricut for more than the standard crafting check out the Maker or Maker 3. They can cut thin woods, engrave, cut unbacked fabric, and so much more. Click here for a thorough breakdown of what each machine can do.

Why would I need a weeding tool?

Number 2 – Weeding Tool (especially the one with the extra hook)

If you’re using any type of vinyl, sticker material, HTV, transfer tape, contact paper, etc…you’ll find a friend in the weeding tool. There are a lot of options on the market and I’ve tried a LOT of them but I always come back to the Cricut weeding tool with the extra little hook. I’ve shown it in numerous videos and posts in the past. I think the way it can hook and lift the sticky material is second too none.

You can get that specific weeding tool in the Cricut weeding tool kit (it has other great tools in it) and they recently released a TrueControl Weeding Kit that includes the hook weeding tool AND the TrueControl Knife.

Number 3 – TrueControl Knife

Speaking of the TrueControl Knife…I remember the day Cricut first announced the TrueControl Knife and I was like “do we really need a new Exacto Knife?”. I’m so happy to say I was wrong.

I can’t believe how great it is. I use it all the time, from opening boxes to cleaning up rough edges on cuts I’m always grabbing it. Thankfully I have a few of them because my children use them all the time for their crafting too. They love them for cutting their clay and other crafting items.

EasyPress is more than a fancy iron!

Number 4 – EasyPress

If you’ve only ever used an iron for your HTV (Iron-on) projects I am telling you an EasyPress will change your crafting life. No more worrying about your HTV lifting after washing. If you’ve had a large heat press you’ll find the EasyPress has very similar results and takes up a significantly smaller space.

I’ve been using the EasyPress since the first one came out and I’ve been able to create beautiful lasting projects with each one of them. Currently you can purchase the EasyPress 2 in 9×9 and 10×12. The EasyPress 3 comes in those same sizes and works with the new Cricut Heat app.

There is also the EasyPress Mini – this little thing is a workhorse. All of the current available EasyPresses get hot enough to use with Infusible Ink and sublimation. It can also go low enough to use on more delicate materials. You can also use the Cricut Heat Guide with all the machines to know what time and temp to use for all materials and bases.

Every house should have a glue gun (or 5)

Number 5 – Glue Gun

Okay, you probably don’t need me to tell you about glue guns and you probably have one already. But I didn’t feel like the list would be complete without adding a glue gun.

I do recommend having both a low temp glue gun and a high temp glue gun with coordinating glue on hand. I didn’t really realize how much of a difference the temperature makes in sticking different surfaces to each other until I bought a high temp glue gun – all of a sudden my magnets were sticking to glass beads so much better.

We’re halfway through our 10 must have crafting supplies!

Number 6 – Scraper

A scraper tool really comes in handy if you’re using vinyl or really any Cricut machine with a sticky mat.

Use your scraper tool to help press your vinyl onto transfer tape and then onto your project surface. I also use mine to help remove any debris from my sticky machine mats.

I do highly recommend having one scraper you use for cleaning mats and one for pressing vinyl onto surfaces and transfer tape.

You may not even realize you have adhesive or small nicks in your scraping tool until you use it on your vinyl and the last thing you want is to scratch the vinyl.

I’m a big fan of the XL scraper but also think the regular scraper is needed for smaller projects.

Number 7 – Sharp Scissors

Growing up did you get confused when your mom would get mad if you used her “good” scissors to cut your paper? Isn’t it funny how as adults things are so much more clear?

I think sharp scissors are so important when crafting. There is nothing worse than a crappy cut line because your scissors snagged your material.

I really like these scissors from Cricut. I know these say “fabric” scissors and brand new they’re probably just fine for that but for sewing I’m a Gingher purist. But these scissors are SO great for crafting.

Number 8 – Brayer

The first time I used a brayer it was to push fabric onto my Cricut cutting mat. It was great but I didn’t think I’d use it very often. Then I got the Cricut Joy and saw that people were recommending using the brayer to push the cards onto the card mat.

OH. MY. GOSH! It made such a huge difference, no more lifting even when the mat is a little less sticky. Now I use it on almost every project. It’s especially great when working with Infusible Ink to keep from having your fingers touch the ink. I always use it now when I’m working with cardstock, it just makes such a difference with any lifting and I feel like gives me cleaner cuts.

This is the only actual supply on the list!

Number 9 – Vinyl/HTV

I now can’t imagine not having black and white HTV and vinyl in my house. Having these supplies on hand has saved us so many times. From last minute costumes to school projects and gifts I use them all the time. Of course it’s nice and fun to have all the colors but if you keep black and white on hand I think that’s a great way to get started.

Number 10 – Art Glitter Glue

Okay – this MIGHT be my actual favorite item on the entire must have crafting supplies list. If you do any paper crafting you need to buy Art Glitter Glue TODAY. There is no glitter in this craft glue, it’s just the name.

There are so many positive things about it I can’t even list them all. My favorite features are – dries fast and clear without any wrinkling. The fine tip nozzle is a game changer. A little goes a LONG way.

It had gotten to the point where paper crafting wasn’t fun for me. I was tired of glue gun strings, tired of tape runners running into the open spaces, and so tired of wrinkled paper from glue. It seemed like a million people recommended Art Glitter Glue when we did a Facebook Live at Cricut asking what type of glue people liked best and they were all right!

I know it may seem a little expensive but like I said, it lasts forever and it is so much easier to use than everything else I’ve tried for paper crafting.

What are your must have crafting supplies?

Did your favorite crafting supply/tool make my list? I can’t wait to hear what your favorite tool/supply is in the comments below. I ‘m curious what I may have forgotten…or maybe it’s something new to me that I need!

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