My Crafting Toolbox: The Tools I Actually Use (And the Ones You Should Skip) — A Gift Guide for Multi-Crafters

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Welcome to My Crafting Toolbox (AKA: The Place Where All My Creative Phases Collide)

My crafting journey didn’t start with a giant toolbox.

It started with a Cricut, a few bars of handmade soap, and a garden that kept getting bigger every year.

Then life happened.

Cheer bows happened.

3D printing happened.

Sublimation and embroidery happened.

Apothecary projects and laser engraving happened.

Before I knew it, my “small crafting space” turned into an ecosystem—equal parts functional, chaotic, and weirdly comforting.

This guide breaks down everything I use:

• The BIG tools worth investing in

• Must-have essentials for each craft

• Optional but helpful upgrades

• Things to avoid (learn from my mistakes!)

• Honest notes so you don’t melt your mats or waste money

Whether you’re a multi-crafter, a beginner, or someone shopping for a maker this Christmas… this post was built for you.

CATEGORY 1: CRICUT & CUTTING MACHINES

Best tools for HTV, vinyl projects, labels, and cheer bows

BIG TOOLS I USE

• Cricut Maker 3 – handles large projects, thick materials, and precision cuts. (Link is to the newer version) Cricut Maker 4

• Cricut Joy Xtra – perfect for smart materials, fast one-step cuts, and quick projects.

These two machines cover everything from shirts and bows to teacher labels and paper crafts.

✔ MUST-HAVES FOR CRICUT USERS

• Quality vinyl & quality HTV (cheap vinyl is heartbreak)

• A system to store vinyl/HTV

• Weeding pens

• Extra blades

• Good tweezers

• Cricut pens (buy on sale!) (Micheals On-Sale)

• Scrapers & brayers

• Transfer tape

• Cutting mats in all sizes/stickiness

• Painter’s tape

• Fiskars paper cutter

• Shirt Guides

✨ OPTIONAL BUT NICE

• Tray extender

• Foil tool kit

• Scoring attachment

⚠️ WHAT TO SKIP

• Cricut accessory pack (spatula + weeding tools you’ll never touch)

• Full-size Cricut heat press (get a real heat press instead—trust me)

CATEGORY 2: GENERAL CRAFTING ESSENTIALS

The tools I reach for across ALL crafts

These items get used daily, whether I’m sewing, printing, sublimating, or attaching bows.

✔ MUST-HAVES

• A GOOD heat press

• Self-healing cutting mats (NOT heat-proof!)

• Glass cutting board with a Cricut-made grid (heat safe!)

• Cordless glue gun (Home Depot Ryobi)

• Glue gun pen (Hobby Lobby)

• Thick silicone mat

• Small silicone mats

• Good scissors (Hobby Lobby)

• Junk scissors (Harbor Freight)

• Needle-nose pliers (Harbor Freight)

• Label maker

• Laptop

• Drill press

• Dremel

• Compressed air

• WD-40

• Plastic razor blades

• Clips & clamps (Harbor Freight)

• Magnifying light

• Metal rulers (Harbor Freight)

• Embossing heat wand

• Rolling storage cart (Ikea)

• Tape measure & sewing tape measure (Hobby Lobby)

• Flash drive + external hard drive

  
  

✨ NICE TO HAVE

• Apple press

• Fine mesh strainers

• Torch/lighter

• Skådis pegboard system (Ikea)

• Storage cabinets (Michaels)

• A big work surface (Ikea)

• Dress mannequin (Hobby Lobby)

• Craft paper roll + dispenser

• Desktop vacuum with air blower

CATEGORY 3: CHEER BOWS + SASHES (CHEER ACCESSORIES)

Perfect for coaches, team moms, and bow makers

✔ MUST-HAVES

• Ribbon (lots of it)

• Variety of HTV

• Heat press

• Teflon sheets

• Lighter

• Rhinestones

• Blue flock

• Zip strips (Harbor Freight)

• Access to sublimation

• Double-back tape

• Bow templates

• Stitch Witchery

• Bow stiffener

• Grommet press

CATEGORY 4: 3D PRINTING

For jigs, molds, organizers, Jeep accessories, and custom maker tools

BIG TOOLS

• Bambu A1 Mini (for multi-color)

• FlashForge Adventurer 5M

✔ MUST-HAVES

• PLA filament

• Glue stick (bed adhesion)

• Machine grease

• Vacuum bags + vacuum

• Moisture absorbers

• 3D printing glue

• Deburring tool

• Filament cutter

• Spool clips

✨ NICE TO HAVE

• Extra hot ends

• Various print plates

• Spare machine parts

• Filament dryer

• Mini crowbar for supports

⚠️ THINGS TO AVOID

• Printers without auto-leveling

• Cheap filament

• Cheap mini drills

CATEGORY 5: SUBLIMATION

BIG TOOL

• Sublimation printer

✔ MUST-HAVES

• Sublimation ink

• Sublimation paper

• Heat tape + heat-tape dispenser

• Heat press

• Sublimation spray for cotton

• Lint roller (Ikea)

• Heat Press

✨ NICE TO HAVE

• Mug press

• Shrink wrap sleeves

CATEGORY 6: SEWING & EMBROIDERY

BIG TOOLS

• Sewing machine

• Embroidery machine

✔ MUST-HAVES

• Stabilizers

• Embroidery needles

• Bobbin thread

• Pins

• Hoops

• Thread

✨ NICE TO HAVE

• Magnetic hoops

• Specialty threads

• A bigger embroidery machine

• Desktop vacuum with blower

CATEGORY 7: SOAPMAKING, SALVES & APOTHECARY TOOLS

This is the quiet, grounding side of my creative world.

✔ MUST-HAVES

• Jars, jars, and more jars

• Jar vacuum sealer (extends shelf life of herbs + oils)

• Dehydrator

• Soap molds/forms

• Soap cutting tools

• Crockpot

• Digital scale

• Oils, butters, waxes, lye

• Essential oils

• Clays

• Beeswax

• Measuring containers for lye + oils

• Fine mesh strainer

• Coffee filters

• Silicone spatulas

• Pipettes & droppers

• Cheesecloth

• Regular printer (labels)

• Storage system

• Stamps

CATEGORY 8: SOFTWARE — MY DIGITAL TOOLBOX

These programs keep my maker brain functional:

• Silhouette Studio (rhinestone templates)

• FlashPrint (3D printing slicer)

• Autodesk Fusion (advanced 3D modeling)

• Tinkercad (beginner 3D modeling)

• Notion (my entire brain)

• PE Design 11 (embroidery)

• LightBurn (laser engraving)

• Cricut Design Space

• Bambu Studio

• Meshy.ai

• Creative Fabrica

• Canva

CATEGORY 9: LASER ENGRAVING

✔ MUST-HAVES

• Laser engraver

• Exhaust/vent system

• Blanks to engrave

Final Thoughts: The Crafting Toolbox That Built Me

My crafting toolbox didn’t appear overnight. It grew with every new skill I tried, every project that failed, and every tool I swore I didn’t need… until I absolutely did.

If you’re building your own toolbox, here’s my best advice:

**Start with the tool that excites you.

Follow your curiosity.

Upgrade the thing that frustrates you.

And never fear the learning curve — it’s where the magic happens.**

If you’re shopping for a crafter this Christmas, tools that let them try a new direction are always the gifts that spark the most joy.