FREE Shape of the Week :: Offset Stencil Tutorial

great love quote

Happy free shape Tuesday! I am loving the quotes and phrases that are in the online store lately, and the quote by Mother Teresa in this week's free shape is no exception. I like to have inspirational quotes like these displayed around my house, so for today's project I thought I'd use the free shape combined with one of my favorite backgrounds to make a little piece of home decor. 

I like the combination of the pattern and phrase, but sometimes trying to combine text and a background pattern can be tricky. They either compete with each other, or the letters just get lost. In paper crafting the simple solution is to offset the shape and create a mat for the phrase to sit on. So, I figured why not try that same technique when creating the stencils for this project.  It worked like a charm! :) Here's how you can make your own...

Start by drawing a rectangle the size of the wood piece you are going to paint.  Then, open the free shape and size it to fit nicely inside that rectangle. 

Once everything is sized, open the offset window. Then, select the phrase shape and click offset. Using the down arrow, reduce the offset distance to .085 then click apply. 

Here you can see the border it will create around the shape... 

Next,  open and size the chevron shape. Then, move the offset shape you just created right over the top of it. To make sure it is centered, select both the the offset shape and the chevron, open the align window and click center.  

Before moving on to the next step you'll want to be sure that the offset shape is in front. {right click and bring to front} Then, with both shapes selected, open the modify window and click 'subtract'. 

After that step it should look like the screen shot below, and they are all set to be cut out of stencil vinyl. 

You can see on the finished product here, that by cutting the offset out of the background it gives the phrase some nice breathing room. 

I hope this little tutorial is helpful and that you enjoy your new shape! 

Shape:

4 3 x 4 life cards

Supplies:

Stencil Vinyl

Print and Cut Party Invitations

Hi there! Do you have a summer party to plan and need a little inspiration?  Browsing the shapes in the online store might be just what you need!  The other day while I was looking through the newest shapes in the store, I found the 'slumber party girl' and that one little shape inspired these print and cut invitations...

I love how easy it is to make my own invitations by combining shapes from the store and some of my favorite fonts!

Have you tried the print and cut feature yet?

Print and cut tutorials:

Turn a regular cut shape into a print and cut 
DIY Labels
How to print and cut 

Shapes:

All of the shapes used in today's project can be found in the shape bundle here.

Simple Saturdays :: Simple Scrapbooking

Happy Saturday!  I hope your weekend is going well.  Today I wanted to share with you a few ways to scrapbook quickly, but still make your pages beautiful.  I don't know about you, but weekends are often the only time that I have to sit and scrapbook, and now that it's basically summer 'round these parts, I want to be enjoying the outdoors with my free time!  Enter simpler scrapbook pages...

For most of us, the reason we scrapbook is to tell a story.  I want to let you know right now, that every page does not have to be a masterpiece!  It is perfectly okay to have some simpler pages in our albums.  But of course, we still want them to look good.  SO.

Here are my tips for scrapbooking simply, without making your pages look dull.

1. Use a sketch or page map of some sort as a jumping off point.
This will take off half the time!  I feature a new sketch on the blog every Thursday, and there are plenty more out there to inspire you as well.  For this particular page, I used a moodboard that I found on pinterest as my inspiration.

moodboard via ohidesign blog

Which leads me to my next tip...

2. Use a large repeating shape.
By using a large repeating pattern, you can add a lot of "wow" to your page with minimal effort.  I created a diamond shape in Silhouette Studio and cut several out of scraps of patterned paper.  I also cropped my photos into the same shape. {cropping tutorial here}

3. Add dimension, without adding a lot of "stuff".
In this case, I crumpled my papers and added foam squares to the back of my photos to give them a little lift.  This helps the page to feel less flat, without adding a lot of embellishment.  The only embellishments I really added were a few buttons, staples and some washi tape.

4. Use adhesive-backed products to cut down on glue time.
You can see that I've cut a bunch of letters out on my Silhouette.  I made sure to use adhesive-backed cardstock, which has been a go-to for me lately if you haven't noticed! :)  I love how easy it makes it to adhere my Silhouette cuts, especially small letters or anything intricate.

And lastly...

5. Embrace your inner minimalist!
I am one who loves to cram stuff onto my scrapbook pages.  I love layering and putting lots of "cute things" on each page.  But, sometimes less is more!  It's nice to have a "restful" page to come across in my albums every once in a while, and I also find that it leaves the focus on the photos and the story.

So, with simplicity in your mind, I hope that you will take these tips to heart!  And I encourage you to share your simple scrapbook pages on Instagram (#mysilhouettestory) or via our Flickr group.  Can't wait to see your lovely and simple pages!

Supplies:

Adhesive-Backed Cardstock

Font:

Cactus Black

Weekly Shape Challenge & Giveaway

Hello, Friday! It's time for another giveaway winner & a new shape challenge. Our giveaway winner from last week is 'B-Fab' {love that name btw!}.  { please email me at blog@silhouetteamerica.com and include your silhouette account email address so we can issue the prize credit to your account! } There was such a great response to the font challenge and so many inspiring ideas, thanks for sharing!

Now, for this week's challenge shape... banner, tags and backgrounds.

As some of you know, I have a love for anything party related, so of course I went that direction with this week's challenge shape. Sometimes it's just the small details, like a tag or label, that take the ordinary to something kind of adorable and unique. This shape, with all of it's pieces to mix and match, is perfect for those last minute details...

Now, the paper straws with sprinkles inside are totally functional just as they are, but they aren't nearly as cute without the tiny tag.

Wondering what sprinkle sticks are? :) I wouldn't blame ya! I kind of made them up as I went along, but they are super easy to make and are a fun way to have your guests add their own edible sparkle to cupcakes or ice cream treats. To make them, seal one end of a paper straw, {I used my tiny attacher} fill with edible sparkle then seal off the other end and add adorable tag. With the 4th of July around the corner I went with a patriotic theme, but how fun would these be at a gender reveal? Fill them with either pink or blue sprinkles depending on what you are having, then have everyone at the party tear them open at the same time!

I can't wait to see what you all create with this week's challenge shape!

*  *  *

For this week’s challenge, I decided to do something a little bit different and try a mixed media project.  I have really been trying to make sure that my daughter knows that I want her to follow her dreams.  I want her to know that she can do anything.  I hung the canvas in her bedroom as a little reminder that I am rooting for her!

I cut out a bunch of tags, used some circles for a stencil, and the banner shape was the perfect home for my title.  I had so much fun building up the layers of the canvas with paint, tissue paper, a bit of gesso and all of the pieces that I cut from this week’s shape {there are eleven – what a bargain!}  Sometimes it’s fun to just let go, have fun, and get a little messy!  Here are some of the details:

I created the clouds by layering some of the labels together in Silhouette Studio, welding them, and then I used my knife tool to flatten out the bottom.  I love taking shapes and using them in unexpected ways.

Do you want to enter this week's Shape Challenge and Giveaway, here's the scoop...  

Challenge rules: 

*Create a project using the selected shape {this shape will be chosen from the most popular downloads, so most of you will already have it... but if you don't, feel free to submit a project using the weekly free shape instead}

*Leave a comment on this Weekly Shape Challenge post before next Thursday @ midnight MST with a link to your project {If you don't have a link no worries, just email us a picture of your project and leave a comment letting us know we've got mail}

Each Friday following the challenge announcement, we will select a winner at random from the comments to receive a $10 download credit to the Silhouette online store! Also...we want your projects to be seen, so each one submitted will be featured on our Weekly Shape Challenge board on Pinterest.

Happy crafting!