When it comes to the people in my life, giving homemade gifts is my love language. In the past few years alone, I’ve gifted hand-poured candles, air fresheners made from old family photos, and personalized board games.
The Cricut Explore 3 has only expanded the scope of my crafts, making those DIY creations look even more impressive and professional. Since unboxing Wirecutter’s favorite electronic cutting machine, I’ve customized fanny packs, made silly car decals, and created bespoke decorations for not one but two bachelorette parties. Most outlandishly, I used the Cricut to ask my closest friends to be my bridesmaids, by personalizing potatoes with stickers bearing the important question ahead of my Idaho bachelorette party. With an electronic cutting machine, (almost) anything is possible.
My crafty colleagues have also used their cutters to create holiday decor, party decorations, customized water bottles, expressive car decals, and stencils for other artistic projects. And one colleague even made hundreds of shirts to sell on their (now-closed) Etsy T-shirt shop. “I’ve used cutting machines for more than a decade,” says senior staff writer Jackie Reeve, who wrote the electric cutting machines guide with senior updates writer Arriana Vasquez. “They’re a real crafting power tool.”
We’ve gathered all of the tools you’ll need to make crafts of your own with a Cricut machine. And we’ve included some helpful tips from the creatives on staff, to help you make the most of your crafting sessions.
