The supplies you need are very simple and very easy to customize – the shapes and the colors are all interchangeable, just pick what you want!

Supplies:
Glass Ornaments
Fine Glitter
Satin Angel wings
Coordinating 3/8″ Ribbon
Funnel (or a piping tip as I used)
Pledge Floor Care clean & shine or the cheap non-aerosal hair spray works in a pinch, too
Glue gun and glue sticks

Step 1) Remove the ornament tops and swish around a small amount of Pledge or hairspray. Dump any access liquid into your next ornament.

2) Place a funnel, or icing piping tip, into the top of your ornament and pour some glitter in. Start rolling the glitter around to cover all the sides, adding more glitter if needed.

Step 3) Place caps, carefully, back on to the ornaments.

Step 4) Hot glue angel wings to the back of the ornament and tie a coordinating ribbon through the loop for hanging (or use an ornament hook).

It was really THAT simple! Now you have a beautiful ornament to adorn your tree with the memory of loved ones or give ask gifts.

Of course, you could take it one step further and add some personalization – with paint, vinyl, or stickers.

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The 9″ Portrait is great for using regular 8.5×11 sized paper (it’s perfect for Print & Cut which is one of my favorite features of the Silhouette), vinyl decals up to 9×36″, and anyone who may be crafting in a small space. I also think that this is a better machine to travel with, so if you do scrapbooking sessions away from home this would be great.

Now that you’ve picked your machine here are a few basic items that won’t come with your machine that you’re going to want straight out the gate when you machine arrives.

First up, paper crafting –

Adhesives are a bit of a personal preference but you’ll want something to help you attach small letters and cuts to your projects. Your basic adhesive runner will work for the larger pieces but you will drive yourself crazy trying to attach small letters without one of these handy “sticker machine” from Xyron. You can find them at the craft store where you can use you coupon. Now, if you want my opinion on adhesive runners I only use the big pink gun (Scotch ATG – Advanced Tape Glider) these days, make sure you use your best coupon on that one!

Now on to my recent favorite – vinyl decal making!

Once you’ve got the feel for the machine and you’ve made all the banners, birthday cards, and party supplies that you can handle it’s time to move on to Vinyl! With the right vinyl you can personalize just about ANYTHING you’d ever want to personalize.

My favorite, go-to vinyl is Oracal 651. It is a glossy finish with permanent adhesive. It’s great for anything that may get wet but not great if you’re going to want to remove it, like from your walls. It does come in matte finishes but only for black and white. There are MANY sources that will sell you Oracal 651 vinyl. From Amazon to Etsy and Ebay, a quick Google search will find you what you need.  If you want to make personalized t-shirt and apparel you are going to need Heat Transfer Vinyl, also sometimes called T-Shirt Vinyl. The best brand is Siser Easyweed. Again, it’s pretty simple to find.

The post Getting Started with Your Silhouette Part 1 appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

Step 1) Pick your design – this one is called Pumpkin Silhouette and I purchased it in the online store for $0.99 – you don’t need to worry about size yet. (I changed the color of the shape to better stand out in this tutorial, you do not have to fill in a color.)

Step 2) Draw a rectangle the height of the wording you’d like to put in the pumpkin and a width that overlaps the edges. I picked about 1.75 inches tall. (Again, I am using the green for the tutorial visual)

3) Select both images (the pumpkin and the rectangle) by holding the shift key and clicking on each one and then under the modify menu click on “Subtract.”

4) Remove the rectangle from your pumpkin. You discard the shape or you can use it as your guide to option step 5.

5) (optional, skip 8 if you do not want the extended lines) Create a long, skinny (maybe .25 inch high) rectangle that overlaps the edges of the pumpkin. Copy and paste that rectangle so you now have 2 identical shapes. Place each of the skinny rectangles on the open ends of your pumpkin pieces. To make sure everything is centered select all 3 images (holding the shift key) and then select Object>Align>Align Center.

6) Now that everything is centered you can weld the shapes together so everything cuts as one. With all 3 shapes selected in the Modify menu click on “Weld.”

7) Once you’ve selected Weld you will now have only 2 pieces to your pumpkin (and SS will color them all the same so you can see that it is no just one image).

The post How to Make a Split Pumpkin Monogram | September Silhouette Special appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

If you need to bring Sharpie markers for your back to school supplies, or let’s face it, if you just want shiny new markers for yourself (because who doesn’t!) then you’ll want to head to Staples . Starting August 10th all Sharpie fine and Ultra Fine markers and highlighters will be on sale while supplies last. As you can see I picked up these 12 packs for $7 each!

That $7 was the total price of my project. I grabbed a scrap piece of wood from the pile in our garage (you’ll need about 8 inches) and used some spray paint I found in the garage. I was going to paint this Sharpie holder Pantone’s color of the year, Radiant Orchid, originally with just a chalkboard front but I went for the all out chalkboard finish. Either way would be very pretty.

Supplies:

Step 1) measure out your drill points using a pencil, ruler, and straight edge. I wanted the back row off-center so you could see all the pretty colors.

Step 2) Cut your wood down to size. Obviously you don’t need a big fancy saw like this but since we have it, I try to get our money’s worth out of it! Don’t forget your safety goggles.

Step 3) Next you’ll need to pick the right size drill bit for the Sharpies you’ve picked out. To do this just lay your marker end to end with your bits until you’ve found the correct size.

Step 4) Now comes the fun part. Once you’ve put your safety goggles back on you’re ready to start drilling. Once again, you don’t need this big, fancy drill press. Your standard drill will do just fine, just make sure you don’t drill through the entire depth of the wood. Drill all 12 holes, exactly where you marked them.

Step 5) Sand down all the edges, including all the holes you just drilled to make sure you have a smooth, splinter-free surface. Then prep your paint area, or spray paint area in my case, and get to painting! I did 1 coat of primer and 2 coats of the chalkboard spray paint per the directions on the back of the can.

Step 6) The hardest part – you have to let chalkboard paint dry for 24 hours before it’s ready to be primed. Prime your chalkboard surface per the directions on the can or bottle which usually just includes rubbing chalk over the entire surface and wiping off.

Once you’ve finished priming the surface the holder is ready to go! I used a white chalk marker to write the teacher’s name on the front and to label all the holes with the color marker it holds. Of course you can write anything you want on it, that’s the beauty of chalkboard paint!

Isn’t that a fun way to gift a teacher Sharpie® markers? And I know not everyone may be inclined to take out your drill so I am sure your kid’s teacher would also love them presented just like this…

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Today I am going to show you how to make the above tumbler using Silhouette Studio and a file I purchased from the online store. Sidenote: I use the Design Edition of Silhouette Studio but it should look very similar to the regular edition, version 2 (I have not updated to V3 and I do NOT recommend the update. There are far too many bugs that people have been reporting).

The first thing I did was purchase this graphic from the online store.

Once it downloaded I double clicked on it and this is how it appeared on my screen (if you need a larger picture, just double click on any of the following photos).

When it comes out of the library all of the shapes will be large and grouped together. IT IS IMPORTANT TO RESIZE ALL THE ITEMS GROUPED TOGETHER. You will never get the design to match if you haven’t resized ALL the pieces together.

This is where having the grid set to 1 inch squares is extremely helpful to me. To size, simply select one of the corners of the grouped design and shrink to a size that will fit your surface.

Then click “Ungroup Selected Shapes” on the bottom left hand corner. After you click the ungroup button you will have to click away from the graphic (anywhere else on the screen) before you can go back and select individual shapes.

Next I go through and color my shapes the approximate same color  as the vinyl I am going to cut them out on. This gives me a visual understanding of how the design will look and will help me select all the shapes I need to cut out of any given color.

I have picked 4 different colors for my pinwheel – light blue, royal blue, white, and red. I then like to line them all up so, once again, I can get a good visual representation of the final layered decal.

Now I am ready to cut. I am going to start with red vinyl so I have moved only my red shapes on to the cutting surface. You can see that I have flipped the pinwheel stick to a horizontal orientation, that is just to make better use of my vinyl and have less scraps.

In the Cut Settings screen I have selected Vinyl as my material. Also, I like to cut my vinyl WITH a cutting mat, I have found it to be 10x’s easier to load that without the mat, but it’s up to you. I always cut regular indoor or outdoor vinyl with the blade set to 2.

Load your vinyl or mat.

Just make sure that you have picked the correct loading selection based on your mat choice.

Repeat this process (you won’t need to reset your blade) for every color vinyl from your design.

Now that your layers of vinyl are cut it’s time to gather your supplies.

You will need a surface to apply your decal to, a weeding tool if your design is complex and includes inner cuts to a shape (like below where I apply my name), scissors, a ruler to measure your surface, and transfer tape. Transfer tape helps you pick up your design and lay it on top of another piece of vinyl or your final surface. My personal preference for transferring vinyl when I am doing a layering project is to use clear (cheap) contact paper. I don’t feel bad using a lot of it and because it is perfectly clear it helps me align my pieces more accurately.

Peel back your contact paper and put the sticky side down on to your first piece of vinyl – the piece that will be at the very bottom of your design. Rub your finger over where the contact paper meets the vinyl and then lift the vinyl off it’s backing.

Place your vinyl onto your surface, rub it down well, and then remove the contact paper. Continue the process until you have applied all your shapes. I like to refer back to my screen to make sure I am applying all the layers correctly.

Now we are ready to add our name/monogram/initial.

The toughest part of adding your name is picking the font! Click on the Text button on the left hand bar of SS and type in the name you want, then use the text style window to the right to select your text. You don’t want to cut out anything too thin, dainty, or complex unless you have patience and Advil close at hand. This is about the thinnest type of font I like to cut out.

 Another tip I have is to (almost) always place your name on an offset, or background, so that it really stands out on your design. Silhouette Studio has made this extremely simple to accomplish.

First, select your name by clicking somewhere on the design, then click the OFFSET button on the top right bar of option. Click Offset and then use the arrows to increase or decrease the area to be offset. This basically outlines your name and creates a personalized background to place your letters on. Once you’ve decided on how large or small you want it, click Apply.

And here is the finished cup! Ready for a whole lot of summer sippin’!

The before, middle, and final phases of my tumbler.

Layering final is a fun way to put almost any design onto any surface. I love giving these tumblers as gift and the options are endless!

The post Vinyl Layering 101 | A Silhouette Tutorial appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

To make the Gold Vinyl circles I opened my Silhouette studio, drew a circle to the size I needed and then used the duplicate function to fill up the page. Once you cut out the circles, simply sandwich your twine between two gold vinyl circles every 4 inches for as long as you need your garland to be. That’s it, it’s really THAT simple!!

I also used my Silhouette Cameo to make a really fast Joy banner using black cardstock hot glued on to twine.

I am really in love with these gold gumballs, they are just too pretty.

(1)  A Silhouette CAMEO®, Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software, a dust cover (the color is decided by Silhouette), a $25 download card, a hook, a scraper, a spatula, and a pick-me-up® tool for $229.99. Retail price for all of this would total $406.93 (over 40% savings!)(2)  A Silhouette Portrait®, Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software, a dust cover (the color is decided by Silhouette), a $25 download card, a hook, a scraper, a spatula, and a pick-me-up® tool for $129.99. Retail price for all of this would total $286.93 (over 40% savings!)(3)  A Silhouette CAMEO®, a Silhouette Portrait®, and two $25 download cards for $299.99. That’s right: If you buy a Silhouette CAMEO® at full price, you get two $25 download cards and a Silhouette Portrait® ABSOLUTELY FREE! Retail price for all of this would be $406.93 (over 40% savings!)(4)  40% off consumable products at silhouetteamerica.com. This excludes machines, subscriptions, download and gift cards. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Rain checks not available.(5)  FREE SHIPPING on orders over $25.Here are a couple products I will be buying to stock or re-stock my supplies:

A 12″x24″ cutting mat

Stamping Starter Kit (you can make your own rubber stamps!!!)

After 2+ years of heavy use I finally think I could use a new blade.So don’t forget – the sale runs from Nov 28 – Dec 8. You must you the special BLACK FRIDAY LINK and the coupon code KINDA to get these incredible deals. Also, if you need help deciding on which machine or which materials you need please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or Facebook.

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Using the fun supplies in the September Baribox coupled with my Crop-a-dile, a rhinestone brad, a 4 bar sized blank card, double sided scrapbook adhesive, and a little glitter glue I came up with a great way to present a gift card for an upcoming wedding.

First use the really cute Dear Lizzy date stamper and the Color Box ink to stamp a sentiment and the date onto one of the SEI Polished Pearl embellishment tags. Then hand write Congratulations or whatever phrase would best fit your special occasion. Then glue the tag to the center of the front of the card. I added 2 more butterfly embellishments that were also in the kit to give the card some fun and dimension.

To create the gift card pocket I glued the foldable embellishment tag to the inside of the card and attached another really cute tag I found in the kit on top of that. I hand wrote Mr. & Mrs. and this was for a wedding present. Insert your gift card so you can get a good idea where to attach your brad and one more tag from the SEI Polished Pearls set.

 To add more fun and dimension I glued the rest of the butterflies from the kit to the inside of the card as well as used a little glitter glue to make “polka dots” all over the card. When the glue dried I used the Color Box ink pad along all the edges of the card to add some color.

The post Gift Card Holder Wedding Card | Baribox appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

 Read on to get the details on making this card and a sweet (over $100 in savings) Silhouette machine offer!!

 To make this card I started with the double-sided adhesive starter kit that Silhouette recently sent me. It has everything you need to make really cute glitter and flocked details on any surface and even includes a special download card for 10 free special designs that work great with this specialty media.

I opened my Silhouette Studio design software and designed where I wanted my card to have glitter.

 I used the recommended settings and cut out my design using a sheet of the double-sided adhesive.

  Weed out all the negative areas off your cutting mat and this is what you are left with. Yup, my cutting mat is WELL loved and used as you can see!

So to make the card you’ll need 1 folded blank card, mine is a 4 bar size, your cut out, glitter, and a brush.

Very carefully remove the YELLOW BACKING on your cut out design. It will be must easier to pull off the white front, but don’t. Trust me!! Once you’ve removed the yellow backing lay your design down on the front of your card.

At this point you can now peel off the front and then give it a glitter bath. The included brush is great for getting all the extra glitter off the card.

Promo 2– The list of specialty media plus a Silhouette Portrait for $129.99 (savings over $110 from retail cost $263.90)

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Supplies for this project are fairly simple

• Felt (I bought mine from Giant Dwarf, it’s super DUPER nice felt)
• Sharp Scissors
• A pattern
• Hot Glue/Gun

To speed up this project and hopefully make more than 1 flower in your 20 minutes skip the tracing of your template and just stack up 2 or 3 pieces of felt and simply cut around your patter as you go. You could pin the template in place if you’d like.

I used my Silhouette CAMEO (I’ve got a deal coming for you on those in 2 weeks!!!) to cut out my templates but you can simply draw your own shapes onto thick cardstock and cut them out by hand. You’ll just need 2 different sizes of basically the same shape.

Here are the larger flower pieces that will go in the back.

And then the smaller pieces that will go in front. You will need 2 of each size to make these flowers. You don’t need a backing piece of felt for this flower, just lay down your back flower and add a drop of hot glue (or felt glue) to the center and then place the next flower on top, twisting it slightly so the petals aren’t all lined up. Repeat this process 2 more times until you have glued together all 4 pieces of felt. To finish off your flower you can hot glue some seed beads or fringe a round small piece of felt or paper as I have done. Attach your center as you did the flowers.

My hands are starting to hurt just looking at these pictures again, it was a lot of cutting!

I love these colors together, they remind me of a coastal fall.

You can cut out a couple leaves if you’d like, or leave them plain. I mixed it up a little.

The post 20 Minute Tuesday | Fall Felt Flowers appeared first on Shes {kinda} Crafty.

The supplies for this project are simple (I happened to have them all on hand but that’s because I am a craft hoarder).

• White or light colored grosgrain ribbon
• printable heat transfer paper for light fabrics
• a computer and printer
• Iron
• Paper trimmer or scissors and a steady hand

Open up your favorite designing software on your computer (even if it’s just MS Powerpoint or MS Paint). Create the image and text you want on your ribbon in real size meaning, measure your ribbon width and draw a rectangle in your design software to mimic the size of your ribbon. Then type in that rectangle, add graphics, clip art, monograms, whatever you want to “print” on your ribbon. Remember that this is normal 8.5″ x11″ paper, and you’ll need room for borders if you don’t have borderless printing options on your printer, so keep your design in according to those dimensions. My pieces of ribbon were 6″ long and my ribbon was .75″ wide so I drew a rectangle of those dimensions and designed my Southern Craft Academy graphics to size. I was able to fit 11 strips on 1 sheet of paper.

**Most Important Part** You must FLIP your design before you print it. Some printers will do this automatically for you if you select Iron-On Transfer as your type of Paper, but PLEASE check out the preview of your page BEFORE you print to make sure everything is backwards!!

Using your paper trimmer (mine is REALLY dirty from 8 years of use), cut out your strips of transfer paper to the exact size of your ribbon. The reason to make them the exact size instead of trimming off those blank edges is that the transfer paper & process will discolor your ribbon slightly, using the exact dimensions will make the entire ribbon look the same color.

If you are doing this process to a long stretch of ribbon simple but the edges together of your transfer papers.

You’ll want to do these next steps on a table or other hard surface protected by a towel (thus the weird texture background in these photos). An ironing board just doesn’t give you the resistance you need.

Line your transfer paper up on top of you ribbon, printed side down.

According to the package direction iron the paper onto the ribbon.

Once the paper/ribbon has cooled, slowly peel back the paper.

BAM! You’ve got yourself some custom ribbon!!

Or maybe you have a BUNCH of custom ribbons!

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