Cricut

I am a Cricut fangirl and recently became a member of their affiliate program—but I would never promote a product that I didn’t personally use and enjoy.

I use my Cricut Maker 4 ALL THE TIME for miniature making. Here are some of my favorite materials and tools for making.

• Veneer: Walnut | Maple

• Chipboard: 2mm | 1.5mm

• Heat Transfer Vinyl (called Everyday Iron-on)

• Scoring wheel tip and housing (you need both)

• Fabric Rotary Blade

• Knife blade

• Mat Medley 

• Fabric mat

• Tiny iron - Not just for heat transfer vinyl!

I’ve also created a super detailed guide for how I use my Cricut to make minis, which you can download here.

Tools

• Bending pliers - my favorite tool for paper crafting. So handy!

• Pin vise - used to drill tiny holes

• Handheld saw and mini mitre box - key for cutting trim and small pieces of wood, metal and polystyrene

• Angle shears - used to cut wood

• 3-2-1 blocks - keep pieces square while gluing or to add weight. The added benefit is that they are 3 inches x 2 inches x 1 inch (hence the name)

Adhesives

• Bearly art glue - my go-to glue for paper, fabric, wood (sometimes!) and basically everything else. It comes in a bottle with a fine metal tip and is perfect for mini making

• Wood glue - this wood glue dries close to clear

• Loctite Super Glue Gel - my favorite superglue!

• Faller Plastic Glue - used for polystyrene and creates a very strong bond

• Blue painters tape - one of my favorites to use as a “clamp”, hold pieces together, hang mini art…you name it!

• Scotch Satin finish Gift Wrap tape - I apply this tape over printed items to create a durable but not-too-glossy finish

Sanding & Finishing

• Sanding files - like nail files with different grit sand paper, perfect for sanding any surface

• Metal files - good for metal and wood, especially when you want to really change the shape of something. They nicely complement the sanding sticks.

Materials & Surfaces

• 2mm Basswood - Used for furniture, window trim, etc. I primarily cut it with my laser cutter

• Metallic Contact paper - used to clad appliances and other metal surfaces

• Mirror sheets - used to make tiny mirrors. Looks realistic but can be cut with scissors, a craft knife, or a Cricut.

• Polystyrene rod assortment - a great starter kit. These rods come in handy for so many projects!