Best Cricut accessories to create personalised gifts and more

With this Cricut EasyPress 3 you can put your name on T-shirts, tote bags and more. It's a heat press that acts like a large, flat square-shaped iron, with curved edges. Unlike using a conventional iron to transfer designs, the Easypress has precision temperature and timings, plus it can reach extremely high temperatures. It requires setting up through the Cricut Heat app on a mobile device and connects to the app via Bluetooth. The Cricut Heat app sends the optimum time and temperature to the EasyPress, depending on the type of material you are using.

While it is likely that your design will start out life in Design Space and be cut using a Cricut machine, using any type of Cricut heat press is an entirely separate process.

Cricut produce a wide range of Iron-On materials, which are a form of vinyl that adheres to the surface of a fabric. Also, there are Infusible Ink transfer sheets and pens, which bond with a material like a form of sublimation printing. These two processes give very different results. Cricut recommend using their range of customisable blanks, that include T-shirts, tote bags and mugs for best results.

There's a lot to discuss about Cricut's heat presses, materials and accessories, so I will go in-depth about the EasyPress and MugPress in an upcoming full review.

Spoiler alert: I made a personalised tote bag using the Tote Bag Blank and Infusible Ink Transfer Sheet, Splash Pad. It was my first proper attempt at using the EasyPress and I was very impressed with the results, albeit I made some errors. It's inevitable that there is a learning curve to using any machine... however, when you see what I produced on a first attempt it's pretty amazing😊.

Create one-of-a-kind custom mugs for a teacher, co-worked, friend or family member with the Cricut Mug Press™. Create, cut or draw your design using Design Space and your Cricut machine, then attach the artwork to the mug and let the curved heat press work its magic. Use with Cricut Mug Blanks and Infusible Ink that is designed to give perfect and professional results every time.

It's convenient and quick to make a personalised mug; with the Cricut Mug Press there's no worries about setting the temperature or applying pressure at a certain time. Additionally, it has an auto-off safety feature; just be sure to use it in a well-ventilated room.

I'm still testing the Cricut Mug Press and I look forward to giving my verdict.

Cricut's Smart Vinyl™ are rolls of colourful vinyl with an adhesive side that can be used to decorate windows, jars, create signage, and so much more. The material has been rigorously tested by Cricut to ensure it works perfectly with their machines.

Smart Vinyl is the easiest material to work with on a Cricut machine. It doesn't require a cutting mat and it comes on a long roll, so it's a cost effective way of producing lots of craft projects.

I'm impressed with how it's possible to achieve both fast and simple or intricate designs using Smart Vinyl. The best bit is weeding a design with the pick tool from the Essential Too Set – it's therapeutic!

I've used Smart Vinyl to creating lettering on balloons and I decorated my portfolio with a Smart Vinyl reproduction of one of my illustrations. For typography and complex designs use Transfer Tape to pick up a weeded design and place it on the surface it's intended for.

This set of three reusable Cricut Cutting Mats have varying grip, so you can work with a variety of paper, card, vinyl and other materials. The Strong Grip really lives up to it's name. It's great for keeping thicker cardstock flat. But you must be sure to flip the cutting mat over and peel it away from your material, otherwise if you peel your work directly off the mat it will curl.

The cutting mats have a numbered grid that corresponds with the equivalent of a 'Print Preview' in Design Space. It is useful for making sure your design is drawn or cut exactly where you want it to be. I was making cards without a card mat, and found that I could anticipate where fold would be using the grid.

Keep the transparent film that comes with the mats and put in back on when the mats are not in use as this will help to preserve their stickiness.

A Cricut cutting mat is an essential purchase if you plan on using cardstock that are not Smart Materials. You will not be able to cut a material without a cutting mat.

For those that think Cricutting removes the hands-on process of crafting, think again! This Essential Tool Set is your best friend after a design has been drawn or cut by the machine. You have all the pleasure of being analogue and making your project using these practical yet stylish tools.

Well, you already know my favourite tool in the set: it's the pick that I use to weed my designs. Actually, I use the majority of these tools, especially the mini cutter, scissors and scraper (which I use to smooth designs onto a surface). The tools are top-quality and they are designed by experts who know exactly what is needed during the fraught moments of transferring a design.

There's also the scoring tool, which clicks into the A Clamp on the Explore and Maker machines. I used it to create some place name cards for a special meal. It creates an accurate fold that's such an essential tool to have if you're embarking on paper craft projects.

The scraper tool is super useful if you're using a Strong Grip Cutting Mat. Believe, me, small bits of cardstock stick to the mat when you peel your cut design off. This scraper helps to remove them without reducing your finger nails to stubs.

I haven't used the tweezers so much; it just depends on the type of craft you're doing. But they are ergonomic and the angled tip is thoughtful for for keeping an intricate part of a design visible as you lift it.

If in doubt as to the two tiny blades that also come in the set, these are spares for the mini cutter... because you're going to be using it a lot!

If you have intricate and shaded artwork, it's best to use the Print and Cut option on a Cricut machine. Choose to print it on this Cricut Smart Paper Sticker Cardstock and you can create stickers. This cardstock needs to be used in conjunction with a cutting mat.

I used this sticky-back cardstock to create a collage. The lovely range of pastel colours was ideal for my Alice In Wonderland-inspired illustrations. The cardstock is excellent quality and I used Cricut's Fine Point Pens to draw scaled-up reproductions of my artwork. In Design Space I had two layers of my artwork in the Canvas. The first layer was the drawing. Then, I duplicated the drawing, used the Contour function to turn off all paths except the outline and set this to Cut. Therefore, I was able to have a cut out sticker of my drawing. I used the various cut-outs to create a collage that's on my Instagram.

One word of warning: I tried using transfer tape on the cardstock and wrecked a part of my collage. Therefore, note these two products cannot be used together.

This pack of fine point pens feels like a real treat; it's the kind of bumper pack you receive only at Christmas. Each colour is lovingly named and evocative. The name corresponds to the pen options in Design Space and if you're using multiple pens in a design the Cricut machine will apply the colours in order of the colours of the rainbow – that's a gorgeous little user experience touch🌈.

The pens are used one-at-a-time in the A clamp on the Cricut Explore 3 and Maker 3. They slot in with a neat click. Just make sure you've pushed it fully down to ensure the pen will have contact with the material when it starts drawing. Note, that Cricut pens are not compatible with the Joy machines.

One aspect I really love is the manual process of inking in a design. This has always been a stage of my illustration work and these Cricut pens are an absolute treat to use to colour in by hand. You'd never know the final outcome was replicated by a machine.

Cricut Watercolor Marker & Brush Set includes eight watercolour markers, plus a freehand water brush. Create beautiful hand-drawn and hand-painted effects with these pens with the Cricut Explore and Maker machines. Note that the water brush does not connect to the machine.

In addition to creating a 'Thank You' card using my Cricut machine to draw elements, I also used these watercolour pens for one of my favourite techniques. Fans of the unicorn and mermaid aesthetic will love this easy way to to create a multicoloured background: Scribble patches of ink on a plastic bag and drip a few drops of water on it. Then, press cardstock into the wet ink. It creates a stunning watery rainbow effect in seconds. Then, let it dry and write some calligraphy on top.

I also played with carefully painting strokes and shading on some simple circles to create sunbursts. This reinforces that Cricut is not wholly digital, and it's a very relaxing and meditative process. Just remember to squeeze the water-filled brush pen to make the water flow into the brush head.

The thick Cricut Watercolor Cards absorb liquid and spreads the ink like any top-quality art paper. The 300gsm card is conveniently pre-folded and comes with matching envelopes, so making a hand-painted card is achievable in less than an hour. There are ten cards and envelopes in a pack. Drawing a design using the Cricut machine and watercolour pens gives you the best of both worlds, as you can then paint the watercolour effect by hand.

The pre-cut cards fit the Cricut Card Mat so you can make up to four cards at once and they don't necessarily have to be the same design.

I was impressed with how easily it was to manipulate watercolours on this card. Colours blend effortlessly and yet I was able to control the blending. I don't normally work in watercolour but this material and the Cricut Watercolour pens made it easy and it was a relaxing pleasure to mindfully paint the petals of the hibiscus blooms on my 'Thank You' card.

The Cricut Card Mat 2x2 can be used in conjunction with any pre-folded Cricut cards. This reusable mat allows you to make up to four cards at one and they don't necessary have to be the same design. Like the cutting mats it has a slight sticky surface which holds the cardstock in place while the Cricut machine draws, scores and cuts.

I used the card mat for my Halloween place cards and I just know it's going to get so much use in the run-up to Christmas. It's such a time-saver because I can use pre-folded Cricut cards and I know I'm going to get a perfect result. Be sure to put the semi-transparent film back on the mat when it's not in use to preserve it's grip.

If you want to use your Cricut for card making, Cricut Insert Cards are high quality cardstock that removes the trial-and-error of scoring, folding and cutting a batch of cards. It's super convenient to have pre-folded cards and allows you to enjoy designing and embellishing.

I used these Cricut Insert Cards to embellish a couple of birthday cards I'd make. I stuck the gold card inside so it showed through the cut design. You could use these cards in a 101 different ways. In particular, I think the gold metallic and cream cardstock and matching envelopes are ideal for wedding invitations.

As long as you keep the design simple to weed, it's easy to use these cutaway cards in a variety of projects. I used a Halloween design that's available with Cricut Access, in order to make name place cards for a special dinner. I love the vibrant range of colours and the gold holographic cardstock was perfect for my project.

I used the scoring tool as well and everything worked perfectly together because Cricut materials have been tested to ensure perfect results. Having tried some of my non-branded cardstock, I can definitely see the difference in Cricut's materials being flawless and conveniently cut to size.