Friday feature...

Happy Friday!! Speaking of Friday's, in the next couple of weeks they are going to change a little bit here on the ol' blog. I still want to make them about YOU...so, please continue to submit your projects {the feature portion will stay the same} but I'd like to add a "Question & Answer" portion to the program as well.  So, here's the skinny...

You'll send me an email with any of the following to blog@silhouetteamerica.com with "Q & A" in the subject line...

- Tips and tricks you'd like to know more about
- Request for a tutorial you would like to see on the blog...
- General questions about crafting with the Silhouette...
- Request for a project or inspiration using a specific shape you've purchased or love 
- Basically anything you've been dying to know...ask away.

and I'll respond in my Friday posts. :) Looking forward to hearing from you!

**When submitting questions/requests...please keep in mind that if you need an immediate answer, Customer Support is your best bet.  They pretty much rock!  **

Now back to our originally scheduled program....

There have been so many great projects submitted that I couldn't pick just one to feature today. So, here is our Friday feature - spring edition! If you haven't decorated for spring yet, today's projects just might inspire you to get started.

I still can't get over the gorgeous paper flowers on this wreath from Kelly...

Fun Easter egg banner from Katie...

Pretty paper lanterns from Mandi...

Beautiful birdhouse from Pat Carson...

Nicely done ladies! :) Thanks for the inspiration.

Thursday's Sketch...

The shapes for this sketch can be cut several different ways, but I cut all of my sqaures/rectangles right out of my black piece of cardstock and layered the patterned papers underneath, then adhered my picture in 3 pieces to the top. It is kind of tricky on the eyes. Love that about it!

I think my favorite part of this page is the black doily with the tiny little circles cut out of it. So dainty! :)

Have a great Thursday... and happy scrapping!

shapes:
assorted_banner_ribbon_C01231_20387 
antique_doily_C00670_20509
bird_cage_C00027_23444 
1_piece_flourish_C00516_20509
lace_border_C20090907102726_20387 

DIY Embroidery Hoop Easter Decor...

For a while now I have wanted to create some embroidery hoop decor. It has that vintage look I love! I had a vision in my head of something hand stitched and lovely. The catch is, I can not freehand stitch to save my life, it's just not a skill I posses. :) Needless to say this project idea moved down to the bottom of my list. Until yesterday... I had an idea.  Maybe I could find a way to use my CAMEO to create the stitching lines for me, then there would be no freehand required. YAY! Here's the final product of my little experiment...

How it's done...

I replaced the blade in my CAMEO with the pen holder and inserted a disappearing ink marking pen. {I picked mine up at the local fabric store.} Then, I designed my project in the Silhouette Studio.

In my cut style window I turned off all of the cut lines but the circle, "happy" and the flower stems. I placed a 12" piece of fabric on my cutting mat and loaded into the machine. {no interfacing required for this step} Then, I selected the sketch pen setting in my cut window and let the CAMEO work it's magic.

Next I created my "Easter" stencil using the stencil vinyl. Once it was cut out, I weeded out the letters and transferred it onto my fabric. Then I painted it in with white fabric ink.

Once the ink was dry I put my fabric in the embroidery hoop aligning it with the circle around the outside of my image. Then, using embroidery floss I hand stitched the stems and happy.

After I finished stitching, I cut out the flowers using fabric/clean cut interfacing, stitched them on and added a couple of buttons.

 After waiting over night the disappearing ink had mostly vanished and I dabbed what was still left with a wet cloth and it quickly disappeared too. So glad I tried this little experiment! It will come in handy with all sorts of shapes and fonts! :)

Free shape of the week....

scalloped_globe_garland_C03098_1

This week's shape can be used for so many different things! I used the shape in 4 different sizes to create cake bunting, a fun alternative to a bow on a gift box and then I removed the dashed line in the middle and made the craft paper mat under the cake and scalloped confetti. Yup, even at confetti size it's still scalloped! :)

To assemble your scalloped globe, fold all of the shapes in half on the perforated line with the pattern you want to show facing the inside. Put adhesive on one side of the first shape.

Place the 2nd  shape directly on top of it, being sure to line up the edges. Repeat this step until you have all of your shapes adhered in a stack. Then put adhesive on the top and bottom of the stack and fan it out. If you are making a bunting, place your twine in the middle before closing the shape. If you are using it for the gift bow, keep it fanned and adhere either side to the top of your box.

Enjoy your fun free shape and have a great Tuesday!! :)

DIY growth chart/wall art

Last week my sister was invited to a baby shower and she sent me a quick text asking for a creative gift idea. I usually prefer the hand made, something no one has one just like it kind of gift, so I told her I'd have to think on it and get back to her. Sadly the idea came to me the day after the shower so she didn't get to use it. Bummer! {sorry sis!} On the up side, now I get to share it with you! :) My DIY growth chart that doubles as wall art...

There are a couple of trends that I'm loving right now and wanted to incorporate in this project... pallet art and thick horizontal stripes. Here is how it came together...

First, I enlisted some help from one of the handy guys in the office. {thanks Ben!} He attached the 3 smaller pieces of wood to the back of the two 4' pieces with some everyday Elmer's glue and several screws.

You'll notice in those photos that we used new wood for this project. When it comes to pallet art, I prefer to buy new wood and make it look old rather than use actual pallets.{you just never know where they have been}  To make the wood look aged, Ben distressed it with a hammer, nails and some sand paper.  Then, to achieve the rusty grey color, we made a mixture of steel wool and vinegar and let it sit for several hours. Then he brushed the mixture onto the wood and let it dry. {color will vary depending on wood and number of coats applied}

Next I measured out 6 inch stripes and taped them off with painters tape. Then I painted them in with a mixture of acrylic paint and water.

After the paint was dry I drew the lines for feet and inches with a sharpie, using a tape measure as my guide.

Next I created a vinyl stencil for the numbers with my CAMEO and adhered them to the board using the transfer tape. Then I painted the numbers with black acrylic paint, let them dry and removed the vinyl stencil.

At this point it is ready to hang and measure the kiddos! There are lots of ways to add a child's measurements to the chart, but to match the look I was going for I thought it would be fun to hang a "dog tag" with the name, age, date and height on an eye hook. So, I marked each height with a pen and went back to my computer. I opened the dog tag shape into Silhouette Studio and filled it with a grey color. Then, I typed in the stats and filled the text with off white.

Next I turned on the registration marks and printed the image. Then I put the printed paper on my mat just as it shows in the Silhouette Studio, loaded the mat into the CAMEO and cut my shape.

Once the tag was cut, I screwed the eye hook into the board where I had previously marked with my pen and hung the tag.  Here is a close up photo...LOVE the distressing and how clean the painted numbers came out too. :)

Here in Utah it is a rainy/windy day. Perfect weather for staying inside and doing some crafting! :) Have a great Monday!!

Friday feature... organization edition

Over the last week I've been doing some spring cleaning to get ready for the yard/crafty sale that my friend and I are having this weekend. Once that is all done and over, it will be time to reorganize! An organized space makes for a happy me. It helps when it looks pretty too though. {I can't be the only one who wants a pretty pantry, right?} In my quest for ideas, I found some organization projects using the Silhouette and thought I'd share...


Vinyl labels for your pantry from Landee See Landee Do 

Menu board from Burlap N Bling...

An organized linen closet from Somewhat Simple...

Heat transfer laundry labels from I Heart Organizing...

Now I just have to decide where to start!

Any spring cleaning/organizing plans for your weekend?

DIY spring banner

In honor of it being the first official week of spring and all, I figured a banner was in order... :) Mix a few pieces of cardstock, with shapes from the online store, a moss mat, spray adhesive, fabric strips and voila, an easy peasy banner for spring!

You can easily arrange your letters to get the most out of your cardstock...

The cardstock letters that I adhered to the moss mat worked awesome as a template for cutting and also for stability.

What projects are you making with your Silhouette for spring? Leave a comment with a link to your project... we'd love to see!

Have a great day and enjoy some sunshine :)

Shapes:
banner_flags_C00905_20509
butterflies_C00001_27205

Font:
Arial - bold 

Using your own designs...

Did you know that you can open, manipulate, cut/sketch your own designs with the Silhouette?  As a designer this is one of my VERY favorite features of the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition of the software. It came in especially handy when creating today's project. I have been seeing all of these super cute frames and cabinet doors with chicken wire in them and I wanted to incorporate that look into my scrapbooking. It is a really random shape, and I knew exactly how I wanted it to look so I drew my own shape and was then able to use it with my CAMEO in creating this page. I kind of love how it turned out...

To use your own .svg files with the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition.

Go to file and select your .svg.

This is how my file looked when I opened it...

Once your file is open you can manipulate is just like you would any other shape you have downloaded from the online store. The solid lines of this shape are great for cutting, but I wanted it to look sketched. So, I selected the shape and in the sketch window clicked on "plain"

Then I sized, duplicated and placed it on my page where I wanted it to be sketched.

This next step is pretty important. Whether you are going to cut, or use the sketch pens you'll need to define the cut lines in the cut style window. With your shape selected, click on cut and the lines will then turn red. Now you are ready to cut/sketch your image.

I replaced my blade with the sketch pen, selected Silhouette Sketch Pen in my cut setting and clicked cut. Voila...my design, exactly like I pictured it. :) The sky is pretty much the limit when you can use your own files.

Happy designing!

Shapes:
dear_lizzy_banner_C00001_27175
bird_C00019_23851  

Font:
Another Typewriter
Dancing Script

FREE shape of the week

wave_background_C03097_1

I am really lucky... every day I get to work with some incredibly talented people! Dresden, one of our graphic designers is not only great at what she does as a designer, but she also sews and is quite crafty. Today's project... courtesy of that creative girl! She turned an ordinary pillow cover into something fun and whimsical using the wave background shape, stencil vinyl and fabric ink.
Cute huh?

Shape:
tugboat_C00196_23067

DIY monogram lampshade

Hi there! Over the weekend I was doing a little spring cleaning, { craft room supplies anyone? } and the thought occurred to me that maybe it is time to do a little home make over. Sounds like kind of a big job, but my plan is to start by changing small things, frames, lamp shades and pillows. By doing that, it will begin look different before I've made any large or expensive changes. One of the things I love about home decor is that there are a million different styles to choose from, or you can come up with one of your own. Do you have a specific style? Lately, I am loving the cottage chic look. A little frilly, but also a little rustic. I think today's project would fit in that category...

To create the monogram...

First I opened and sized my frame shape in Silhouette Studio, typed the letter R in the middle and it was ready to be cut.

I chose a white piece of fabric, ironed the clean cut fabric interfacing to the back side and peeled off the paper.

I put the fabric on my mat, interfacing side down,loaded it into the CAMEO and pressed cut.

Once the shape was cut, I frayed the edges to give it the shabby chic look.

Final step was to iron the monogram onto the lamp shade. With the interfacing on the fabric it only takes a couple of seconds with a hot iron, pressing very lightly to adhere to the shade.

Voila...an every day lamp shade customized to fit my style and space.

I think this might look great on a pillow too... Hmmmm possibilities :) Have a great Monday everyone!

Shape:
1_piece_circle_frame_C00533_19210

Font:
Captain Howdy

Fan Feature...

Love, love, loving this cute "Construction" birthday party from Heather at Mae Designs. She used her Silhouette to create banners, tshirts, hats, treat bags, games etc. she said..."I think it's safe to say just about everything from this party was made with the help of my silhouette." You can check out her blog for more photos of all the fun details. 

Nicely done Heather! I can't wait to see what you come up with for this years party! :)

Thursday Sketch...and paper flower tutorial

How about a card sketch for your Thursday...

Sometimes all it takes is a little sunshine to brighten someone's day. :)

My favorite part of making this card was the vintage paper flowers. Using the 12 petal flower shape from the online store I cut out 5 of the same size.  Then I sponged the edges, layered them on top of each other and secured them together with a brad. To make each layer a little easier to work with I spritzed them lightly with water. Then, one layer at a time I scrunched them into the middle. I let the flower dry and then started pulling down each layer until it had the look I wanted. Love the dimension this brings to my card, and so easy to do!

Happy card making friends!

Shapes:
12-petal_flowers_C00667_20509
3_lace_borders_C00957_20509
3_tags_C01420_20509
6_banner_set_C01130_20509  

Holiday treat box...

Have you checked out the new shapes added to the store this week? There are some cute ones! I'm lovin' this milk carton. I wanted to make a last minute St. Patty's day treat so I added a clover window to the front mine. This way you get a little peek of the goodies inside.

To add the window...

I opened the clover shape in the same studio window as the milk carton. Then I re-sized it to fit nicely inside the 2nd panel.

Once the box was cut out, I adhered a small piece of transparency to the the inside of the box behind the clover. Tada... cute little window! Lot's of possibilities here with shapes for holidays, birthdays or just because...

Have a great Wednesday! {wow...Wednesday already?} :)

Shapes: 

box_6_milk_carton_box_C01613_20509 

shamrocks_C00110_23067
scallop_border_LG_1236 

FREE shape of the week...

 kite_C03096_1

Since moving to Utah a couple of years ago, I have learned to love the changing of the seasons. One of my new favorites is spring. Spring = sunshine and tulips! This week's free shape is perfect...it too makes me think of sunshine :) Lots of fun layers included in this one... enjoy!

Shapes:
sketch_chalkboard_frame_7_C00969_18816

Fonts:
Britannic Bold
Bradley Hand