What Materials Can Be Cut with the Cricut Explore?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine. This post contains affiliate links.

There's so many different materials you can cut with the Cricut Explore Air machine, which means there's endless projects you can create!

If you've got a Cricut Explore Air 2 machine or are looking into purchasing one, you are probably wondering “What Materials Can I Cut with the Cricut Explore?”. Did you know that there are over 100 different materials that can be cut?! Don't worry, I'm here to help! I've put together a list of the most-used materials so you can easily find what you need and hopefully find a few new things to try.

Adhesive Vinyl Materials:

• Vinyl - durable, yet removable vinyl that's perfect for decals, labels, home decor and so much more.
• Outdoor Vinyl - a durable, glossy vinyl that’s perfect for car decals, outdoor decor and projects that will weather the storm.
• Glitter Vinyl - a glittery vinyl to add sparkle to all of your projects. Most importantly, the glitter stays in place!
• Metallic Vinyl - add a touch of metallic in Silver, Platinum, Gold, Bronze, Ocean, or Blush
• Dry Erase Vinyl - turn any surface into a dry erase board
• Chalkboard Vinyl - turn any surface into a chalkboard
• Adhesive Foils - get that foiled look on all of your projects with a metallic, matte, or stainless finish
• Holographic Vinyl - similar feel of foil adhesive, this has a shimmer that's perfect for unicorns and mermaids!
• Printable Vinyl - customize your vinyl! Here's a tutorial to upload your own images to Cricut Design Space.
• Transfer Tape - a necessity to place the vinyl on your projects 

Project idea: Use vinyl to make a DIY Welcome Sign!

Iron-On Vinyl (HTV) Materials:

• Iron-On Vinyl - customize shirts, bags, and more with this heat transfer material
• Glitter Iron-On Vinyl - customize shirts and bags with a lot of sparkle
• Foil Iron-On - get the foiled look on shirts, bags, and more
• Holographic Sparkle Iron-On - customize shirts and bags with holographic sparkle
• Printable Iron-On (light fabric) - Print Then Cut designs to customize light fabric
• Printable Iron-On (dark fabric) - Print Then Cut designs to customize light fabric

Project idea: Use iron-on vinyl to make a DIY Unicorn Coloring Shirt!

Paper Materials:

• Cardstock - textured paper perfect for cards, party decor, and school projects
• Glitter Cardstock - cardstock with the perfect amount of glitter
• Pearl Paper - cardstock with a pearly shimmer
• Poster Board - a thicker paper in brights, pastels, foil and metallic
• Deluxe Paper - patterned heavyweight paper with complementary colors on the back
• Licensed Deluxe Paper - heavyweight paper featuring licensed characters with complementary patterns on the back
• Vellum - add layers with this semi-translucent paper
• Party Foil - foiled paper to make your own confetti and party decor

Project idea: Use cardstock to make a Paper Flower Wreath!

Specialty Materials:

• Foil Acetate - layer to projects to add some foil shine
• Faux Leather - looks and feels like real textured leather without the excess cost or need for a deep-cut blade
• Washi Sheets - translucent (similar to vellum) to give you all the fun of decorative tape, but in 12" x 12" sheets
• Window Cling - create static cling decals for holiday decorations, parties, classrooms, and more
• Craft Foam - perfect foam for accents, stencils, embellishments, and kid's games
• Printable Magnet Sheets - Print Then Cut custom magnets for your locker or fridge
• Printable Fabric - adhesive-backed custom fabric perfect for banners, accents, and embellishments
• Printable Sticker Paper - Print Then Cut custom stickers for kids
• Fabric: Felt, Denim, Polyester, Burlap, Canvas, and more! *Add a stabilizer to the back of thin fabrics
• Wood - make projects out of thin balsa or birch wood!
• Upcycled Materials: Chipboard, Cereal Boxes, Aluminum Cans

Project idea: Use faux leather to make a DIY Leather Bows!

One of the best parts of this machine is that you don’t have to figure out the settings to cut the materials. You can select whatever you are cutting from the Smart Set Dial! The machine has all the settings built in so you don't have to worry about it.

When you are cutting a material that's not listed on the Smart Set Dial, you can set the dial to Custom. From the cut preview screen, you can select the material (if it is listed) in a drop-down menu.

You can find a full cut list on the Cricut site for more ideas. As always, if you ever have any questions, or come across something that you are having a problem cutting with your Cricut Explore Air machine please let me know. 

What materials do you want to try cutting with the Cricut Explore?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.