Must-Have Cricut Joy Accessories & Tools For Beginners

So I have put together this list of Cricut tools and accessories with an explanation of the different projects they are suited to as well, so you can choose which of these fun materials are really must-have accessories for you!

What Does The Cricut Joy Come With?

Firstly, let’s talk about what’s in the Cricut Joy box since it does come with a few of the essential Cricut tools you will need to get started with your machine.

Here’s what you get in the box:

Cricut Joy Machine

Of course, you get your Cricut Joy machine! This compact cutting machine offers convenience in creating new DIY projects like custom cards and labels, vinyl projects and much more.

Essential Cricut Joy Tools

Although the Cricut Joy starter kit contains the most basic essentials you need to get started, there are definitely some Cricut tools that are going to make your experience easier and help avoid any crafting disasters!

Cricut Joy Tool Set

The Cricut Joy starter tool set includes three tools that are going to be used often in your various projects. A spatula, a weeding tool, and a scraper tool.

The spatula will help you lift designs off your adhesive card mats, the weeding tool is for removing those tiny sections from your designs that the adhesive hasn’t removed, and the scraper is perfect for clearing the scraps off your mat.

This basic tool set will make things easier without wasting materials and ruining your designs.

Brayer/Roller

This tool saves you a lot of time in straightening wrinkles and removing bubbles on your chosen material. A brayer/roller ensures fabric materials are applied with ease. It also works on vinyl, iron-on, and ink blocks. 

Transfer Tape

You have two options when it comes to transfer tape, which suits different types of projects.

If you aren’t sure what transfer tape is, it is used to stick over your vinyl designs to position them correctly on your project surface.

First, you have the standard grip, which is useful for standard vinyl transfer. At the very least, this is a must!

Then there is the strong grip transfer tape suitable for projects involving glitter which needs a little extra stick. You only need this is you are planning to work with those trickier materials.

Cricut Joy Cutting Mats

Yes, you do already get a Cricut Joy mat when you purchase your machine, however, this is just the smaller-sized mat with a standard grip.

There are 3 other Cricut cutting mats that are highly recommended for different types of Cricut projects.

Standard Grip Cricut Cutting Mat

This Cricut joy mat is available in two sizes, 4.5” x 6.5” (which you get with your machine) and 4.5” x 12” size.

Both sizes are good for medium-weight materials such as Cricut cardstock, thick patterned paper and vinyl.

There is a lot you can do with your included smaller standard mat, however, the longer mat is a worthwhile investment to create larger projects that don’t fit on the smaller mat size. I find it especially helpful when creating vinyl T-shirt projects that I want to create larger designs for.

Light Grip Cricut Cutting Mat

In contrast to the StandardGrip mat, the LightGrip Cricut cutting mat is more recommended for lightweight and more delicate materials.

That includes working with printing paper, vellum, and more fragile materials that can tear easily. It has less adhesive, allowing you to remove your custom decals easier.

Cricut Card Mat

A Cricut Joy Card Mat is fantastic if you are an avid card marker and especially if you plan to use the card inserts.

The Card Mat is a uniquely designed cutting mat with a divider to protect the back of the folded cards while cutting or drawing a design on the front. This means you won’t accidentally cut right through or emboss the back of your card with your Cricut pens.

If you plan to create cards, I would say this is a must-have!

Cricut Joy Materials 

The great thing about the Cricut Joy is that there are materials that have been created specifically with this size machine in mind. In saying that, if you have a different Cricut Machine, those materials can be still be used with your Cricut Joy. They just need to be cut into smaller sizes.

But the best thing about Cricut is their Smart Materials!

Cricut Smart Materials

Cricut smart materials are specialty materials that can be used without a cutting mat! This is a fantastic time saver, not having to worry about adhering your vinyls to your mat, and ensuring they are positioned correctly.

Best of all, there are Cricut Smart Materials that are sized perfectly for Cricut Joy!

The following varieties of Cricut Smart vinyl and papers are available for your different projects:

• Smart Vinyl – Permanent
• Smart Vinyl – Removable
• Smart Iron On Vinyl
• Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock
• Smart Label Writable Vinyl
• Smart Vinyl – Reflective

Each of the Smart materials is available in a range of colours, including glossy, glitter, holographic and patterned versions.

If you’re not sure what to start with, it’s best to first think about the types of things yo want to start making and plan what types of Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl you will need.

There are also sampler packs with a smaller piece of vinyl in 3 different colours. These can be a great starting point when you’re struggling to choose or if you want a variety of colours without buying full rolls of each.

You can use other types of vinyl too. You will just need to use a cutting mat and cut them down to fit your cutting mat size. So if you’ve already got vinyl, it’s still perfectly fine to use!

Cricut Joy Pens

It’s fun and convenient to have a variety of Cricut joy pens to use for your craft projects. Even if you’re unsure about how frequently you’ll use each pen, purchasing a set is a great idea.

I actually did not think I would use the Cricut Joy pens at all but I have found them to be a great addition to my tool kit. It’s especially useful for quick card-making with write and cut projects.

Cardstock

Handcraft stunning greeting cards, invitations, or party needs with Cricut cardstocks. You can purchase bundles, which are available in different tones and compatible with all Cricut cutting machines. 

You can also use cardstock that you already have in your craft supplies too, so you might not need to purchase any extra!

Cricut Joy Replacement Blades

Depending on how often you are using your Cricut Joy, your blade may last a long while or it may need regular replacement.

As a rule of thumb, I like to have one replacement blade in my craft stash just in case I need to replace it mid-project.

This way you’re not going to end up in a pickle if your existing blade stops performing. Then just re-order a new one once your spare is in use.

Cricut Design Space

Cricut has created a fantastic design program for creating your different projects. This is available as both a desktop program and an App. Best of all, it’s completely free!

Cricut Design Space software is where you will set up your designs. There are also loads of free images and fonts for you to use. You can also purchase extra images and fonts or upload your own designs.

It connects via Bluetooth and communicates directly with your machine, so you don’t need to push any buttons or anything to operate your machine, other than powering it on and placing your materials in position.

It’s definitely essential since you can’t create without your Design Space! For quick projects, I like to use the app. For more intricate vinyl projects and iron-on projects, I prefer to use the desktop version.

Cricut Access Subscription

While you can do a lot with the free Design Space program, you have endless options with a Cricut Access Subscription.

Your membership allows you to use all of the images, fonts and projects within Cricut Design Space without having to pay individually.

It’s not immensely essential, however, if you want to expand your options, it can be a fantastic option for Cricut beginners.

Plus, new subscribers get a free trial to try Cricut Access with their welcome pack.

Best Cricut Joy Accessories That Are Nice To Have But Not Essential

These Cricut Joy accessories might not be essential unless you have a specific project in mind. However, they will level up your crafting game:

Cricut Heat Press

The Cricut EasyPress 3 is available in two sizes, 9 in x 9 in and 12 in x 10 in.

You’ll have a hassle-free process of customising shirts, tote bags, shoes and other fabric using the heat press.

Yes, you can manage with an iron, however, if you are doing a lot of large iron-on vinyl creations, the large EasyPress is fantastic as it is much bigger than a standard iron and you won’t have creases or iron lines from having to move it around.

I have an EasyPress 2, which is the earlier model, and it is large to store. This is one downfall.

Alternatively, if you’re using iron-on vinyl for more intricate items, such as shoes or curved surfaces, the EasyPress Mini is perfect for getting around those corners easily. Plus it’s compact to store and really affordable!

Cricut Insert Cards

I absolutely love the Insert Cards and Cutaway Cards for quick card-making creations at a moment’s notice. Best of all, they come in bulk packs and in a range of colours and sizes.

Having this means if we are running late for a special occasion and realise we haven’t got a card, you can have one cut and ready in under 5 minutes using these card packs.

However, you can also create your own using standard card stock in your craft stash in the same sizes and dimensions, which is probably a more thrifty alternative if you have the extra time to do so.

Check out the card pack varieties below:

• Insert cards
• Cutaway cards

Cricut Infusible Ink

If you want to go next level on your iron on designs, the Cricut Infusible Ink may become your new favourite!

The Infusible Ink range of products makes it possible to achieve pro-level, personalised heat transfers on T-shirts and more. This is essentially a simplified version of sublimation created by Cricut.

The range includes:

• Infusible Ink Pens
• Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet – Plain Colours or Patterns

Cricut Tote Bag

Keep all your Cricut Joy supplies in one place with a specialty tote bag. There are a few different options to suit your preferences, including some that are suitable for storing the Cricut EasyPress also.

There is a standard Cricut Joy Tote Bag which mostly just protects your machine with a little extra storage space for pens.

Or there is the much larger VIGEGARI Carrying Case on Amazon which fits your tools, a mini EasyPress and vinyls.

Lint Roller

Don’t have lint regret! Use a lint roller to remove any annoying little lint, scraps or dirt particles from your fabric before you apply your iron on.

You can pick these up cheap anywhere. A great accessory to have and you might already have one.

Tweezers

Having sharp pointed tweezers is helpful for placing really intricate designs or when your weeder is struggling to remove some tiny pieces. A handy tool, but not a must-have.

Scrap Collector

When you do your first vinyl creation, you will probably find yourself frustrated with all the annoying pieces stuck to your weeding tool that end up all over the place. I was and thought there had to be a better option.

There is! You can get these cute little scrap collectors that suction onto your work surface and you just scrape your tool on it and it cleans it right off.

I got mine in this set that also came with tweezers from Amazon. Not a must, but highly recommended!

Cricut Joy Pen Adaptor Set

Although the Cricut Joy machine has its own collection of pens to use for writing and drawing, what if you want to use pens you already have, either from a other machines or Sharpies?

Well, that’s where a Cricut Joy pen adaptor set allows users to design with other drawing tools such as Sharpies, markers, or highlighters.

Cricut Joy Essentials Bundle

Want to skip straight to the good stuff? You can get some fantastic bundles for Cricut Joy that have many of these accessories and tools included.

Here are some great bundles that are available in the online store:

• Essentials Bundle
• Smart Vinyl Bundle
• Insert Card Bundle
• Label Making Bundle
• Smart Iron-On Bundle

There are also some fantastic Cricut bundles on Amazon:

• Card Starter Bundle
• Digital Content Library Bundle
• Writable Vinyl Starter Kit

This ultimate list of the best accessories for Cricut Joy and useful tools certainly make your crafting much easier and a lot more fun. crafting a more exciting hobby! Now the most difficult thing is choosing what you are going to create first!

If you need some ideas, check out my beginners’ projects on my YouTube channel.

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