Cricut Basics: What Materials Can A Cricut Cut + Free Crafting SVG

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Have you ever wondered “What Materials Can a Cricut Cut?” If so, we’ve got a complete material list showing what you can cut with the Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 and Cricut Joy. We’re also sharing 16 Cricut projects for beginners as well as a free I Love Crafting SVG cut file! If you are a Cricut beginner, you will want to check out all of Hello Creative Family Cricut Basics series.

Disclosure: Thank you to Cricut for working with us on this post, as with all articles on Hello Creative Family all thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.

What Materials Can A Cricut Cut? Complete material list, Projects for beginners + FREE cut file!

Hi Crafty Friends! I’m back with a brand new Cricut Basics post! This time around we are going to be chatting about the three different Cricut cutting machines– Cricut Joy, Cricut Explore Air 2 and Cricut Maker and what each one can cut.

I’m also going to share with you what materials I think are great for when you are first learning how to use a Cricut, along with 16 Cricut projects that are great for beginners!

Last but not least I’ve got a brand new crafty cut file for you! Phew! That’s a lot! Who’s ready to get started?

What Materials Can A Cricut Cut?

This is a question that I get asked all the time by readers as they try to figure out which Cricut cutting machine they want to buy.

Cricut currently makes three different versions of their electronic cutting machines– the Cricut Joy, Cricut Explore Air 2 and Cricut Maker.

The Cricut Joy is Cricut’s mini but mighty, portable cutting machine. It is a smaller machine that has the ability to cut with or without a cutting mat. The Cricut Joy cutting mat sizes are 4.5 inches by 6 inches and 4.5 inches by 12 inches.

The Cricut Maker and Cricut Explore Air 2 are Cricut’s full size cutting machines. They use cutting mats that come in two sizes– 12 inches by 12 inches and 12 inches by 24 inches. The difference between the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Explore Air 2 is that the Cricut Maker has an Adaptive Tool System which allows for it to use speciality tools in addition to the tools that the Cricut Explore Air 2 can use.

You can read more about what each of the three machines is capable of in my post What Is A Cricut Cutting Machine.

Do you love crafting? We do too! Have you ever wondered "What Is A Cricut Cutting Machine?" Be prepared to have your crafting and DIY life changed forever in this ultimate Cricut guide! We're answering all of your Cricut questions about what is a Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 and Cricut Joy and we're also sharing a free craft SVG that says "I'd Rather Be Crafting" and has a drawing of a Cricut.

The Cricut Joy is able to cut approximately 50 different materials, the Cricut Explore Air 2 can cut 100 different materials and the Cricut Maker can cut over 300 materials!

What Materials Can The Cricut Joy Cut?

Cricut Joy set up in a craft room with a Cricut Cutie sitting on it's cutting tray.

What can you cut with you Cricut Joy? Great question! Cutting materials you can cut with your Cricut Joy include:

List of materials the Cricut Joy can cut

Click here for a current list of the materials that have been qualified to cut with the Cricut Joy.

What Materials Can The Cricut Explore Air 2 Cut?

What can you cut with you Cricut Explore Air 2 cut? Great question! Cutting materials you can cut with your Cricut Explore Air 2 include:

Cricut Maker with projects and materials you can cut with a knife blade

List of materials the Cricut Explore can cut

Click here for a current list of the materials that have been qualified to cut with the Cricut Explore Air 2.

What Materials Can The Cricut Maker Cut?

What can you cut with you Cricut Maker cut? Great question! Cutting materials you can cut with your Cricut Maker include:

List of materials the Cricut Maker can cut

Click here for a current list of the materials that have been qualified to cut with the Cricut Maker.

Cricut Projects For Beginners

Now you know what the Cricut can cut, but with over 300 options of materials to cut, it can be overwhelming! So where do you start?

With a membership to Cricut Access you will gain instant access to Cricut’s huge library of projects. The project ideas there are endless. You can read about What Cricut Access Is and What Is Included here.

Are you a Cricut newbie? If so you might be wondering "What is Cricut Access?" and "Is Cricut Access Worth The Price?"Get the 411 on Cricut Access, get our opinion on who needs it and if it's worth the money! #Cricut #CricutCreated #CricutMade #CricutAccess #CutFiles

We also have a huge library of Cricut projects here on Hello Creative Family. You can find all of our Cricut crafts here.

My three favorite materials for Cricut beginners are:

Vinyl
HTV/Iron-On
Paper

I love these three materials because they are all fairly inexpensive so if you mess up you aren’t out a bunch of money. Additionally you can make some pretty incredible projects out of them.

Here are some of my favorite projects for Cricut beginners:

DIY Vinyl Coffee Mugs– Vinyl (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
Puppy Love Water Bottle– Vinyl (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
Mason Jar Pantry Labels– Vinyl and Cricut Pen (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
“Hi!” Animal Sticker Cards– Vinyl (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)

New to Cricut crafting and don't know where to start? Applying vinyl to mugs and cups is a great beginner Cricut Craft project! We're sharing everything you need to know to make a beautiful handmade mug from uploading the cut file, to applying vinyl that will last! #CricutCrafts #Cricut #CricutCreated #Handmade #CricutBasics #Cricut #Vinyl #handmadegift #Cricut101 #BeginnerCrafts #CuttingMachine #Crafts #CustomMugs #mugs

Looking for a cute, creative and easy 10 minute Cricut Project? This DIY Puppy Love Water Bottle is quick, easy and so adorable! A family friendly project you can make with your Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy! #CricutMaker #CricutExplore #CricutJoy #CricutMade #CricutCrafts #Cricut #DIY #Craft #QuickCrafts #EasyCrafts #CricutCreated

DIY Clipboards – Vinyl (Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2)
Magnetic Kawaii Sushi Print and Cut Bookmarks– Paper (Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2)
I Like You More Than Ice Cream Card and Matching Envelope– Paper & Cricut Pen (Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2)
DIY Gift Card Holder– Paper (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)

Set your goals for the New Year and then get them done with our DIY Clipboard Decal! Give your planning clipboard a bit of bling with a colorful cover and a "Get It Done" quote. Find the free SVG cut file and step by step tutorial for this easy 5 minute project! #Planning #Goals #Cricut #CricutCreated #SVG #CutFile #Silhouette

Create DIY Magnetic Kawaii Sushi Bookmarks in minutes with this quick and easy craft! Use your Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Print and Cut Feature to make this adorable project that's perfect for inexpensive stocking stuffers and party favors! #Kawaii #KawaiiCrafts #CricutMade #CricutCreated

Geometric Heart Hoodie– HTV (Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2)
Narwhal “Color Me In” Zippered Pouch– (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
10 Minute Mom Keychain– Leather & HTV (Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2)
DIY Wood Christmas Sign– HTV

Looking for an easy Cricut beginner project? This 10 minute DIY geometric heart shirt is so cute and simple to make. A perfect first Cricut project or first htv project for those new to the Cricut world! Includes step by step photos and instructions as well as a cut file. #DIY #Cricut #CricutMade #handmade #heart

Create a sweet little DIY Narwhal Zippered Pouch that the recipient can color in! This thoughtful handmade gift takes only minutes to make and is a thoughtful handmade gift idea for kids (or adults!) It's a coloring sheet and a pencil pouch in one! #Cricut #Narwhal #DIY #Coloring

Kids String Art Craft– Paper & Cricut Pen (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy *depending on size of finished art you want to create*)
Pretty Floral Place Setting– Paper (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
Cricut Utensil Caddy– Vinyl (Cricut Maker, Cricut Explore Air 2 or Cricut Joy)
DIY Rice Heating Bag– Fabric (Cricut Maker with Rotary Blade)

I Love Crafting Cut File

Free I Heart Crafting Cut File from Hello Creative Family. Picture of design on teal sweatshirt and pink notebook.

I love crafting SO MUCH and I know you all do too! That’s why I’m so excited to share this free I Heart Crafting cut file with you! Plaster this adorable design on all the things– notebooks, hoodies, sweatshirts, shirts, mugs… You can even put it on your Cricut!

Enter your name and email address below and I’ll send the cut file immediately straight to your inbox. Accessing this free cut file will register you up for my e-newsletter and you’ll be notified when I release new free SVG files. Don’t worry if you are already subscribed to our enewsletter. You will only be subscribed once.

This cut file is for personal use only. A commercial use license can be purchased here.
This file can be used in part or in whole for your personal projects.
Digital reselling, sharing, redistributing of the files is NOT allowed. If you would like to share, please direct friends to the original blog post where you found this cut file.