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HTV 'Coloring Book-Style' Designs: A Silhouette Tutorial

HTV, heat transfer vinyl, coloring book, Silhouette tutorial, Silhouette Studio
A few weeks ago I shared on the Silhouette School Facebook page and on Instagram a fun little project I did for my daughter's 6th birthday party. She wanted an American Girl birthday party at an ice cream shop. Ok.....

The best I could come up with was to have the girls all bring their dolls and as a craft/activity  they could all decorate little shirts or bags for their dolls.  The problem I kept running into was "but we're at an ice cream shop." I wouldn't have access to an outlet for an iron to make HTV shirts on the spot and I didn't want the girls using paint - it would be too messy and there would not be enough time for the paint to dry.  So thanks to a brainstorming session with some of my buddies in the Silhouette Challenge group, I came up with the idea of HTV shirts that could be decorated/colored in with fabric markers.

I started by ordering the doll shirts. I purchased them from Punch Place Plus. They come in a bunch of fun colors, but becuase I planned to have the girls color the shirts with markers I skipped the darkest colors like black and dark pink thinking the markers may not show up as well. 

DIY Growth Ruler Chart Tutorial (Free Silhouette Studio Cut File)

DIY, do it yourself, growth ruler chart, Silhouette tutorial, Silhouette Studio, free cut file
A few weeks ago my husband's cousin welcomed twin girls...perhaps you've seen me gushing all over them on Instagram?  Well...I can't stop making stuff for them and today's tutorial is no exception.   I needed an excuse to make a growth ruler chart and I finally got not one, but two!   These growth charts are really popular right now and sell for big bucks on Etsy..and I can see why - it's actually a decent amount of work (says the perfectionist in me who had to start over like 4 times).  Anyway, I've finally got it figured out and I'm here to share some tricks of the trade.

The growth chart ruler I made is a slight variation on the traditional growth charts since I was making it for twins. I wanted each of the girls to be able to be measured on the same chart, but I didn't have enough room to put two sets of ruler markers so...I opted to center the markings down the middle so each of the girls' heights could be marked on 'their' side.

To start you need a piece of wood. I purchased a 12'x10"x2" at Home Depot and had a nice gentleman in the lumber department cut it in half for me.  (I ended up making a second one for another cousin who is having a baby this fall.)


If you're only making one, you'll just need a 6' piece of wood unless you are making it for someone who has a whole lot of height in their genes....

SVGs Troubleshooting: SVG Files Won't Cut on Silhouette (And I have Designer Edition)

SVG, troubleshooting, won't cut, Silhouette, Silhouette Studio

So you have Designer Edition, but you still can't get your Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait to cut the files? Fear not!  While it is necessary to have Silhouette Studio Designer Edition to import SVGs there is one more step you have to take to get them actually cut.

Chalkboard Style Subway Art Tutorial

Subway art, chalkboard style, Silhouette tutorial, Silhouette Studio, PicMonkeyAlmost as popular as the recent Ice Bucket Challenge is the Chalkboard Style Subway Art.  I've had several people ask how they are made and so today I thought I'd share how you can make one with birth stats, first day of school info, or a milestone birthday.   I'm making one for my daughter's first day of school, but you can do whatever theme you'd like - the process is the same.

There are several programs you can use to create these, but I think the easiest, most user-friendly and best graphics package is PicMonkey. So we're actually going to start in PicMonkey - you can design the entire chalkboard subway art there, but I want to incorporate a few 'extras' so we'll be using Silhouette Studio, as well.  If you're not familiar, PicMonkey it's a free photo editing and design website that offers tons of fonts, designs overlays, graphics and more.  You can get the upgraded Royale version which I think is more than worth it for $33 a year, to gain access to ALL of the graphics and fonts...but it's definitely not necessary for this project.   Royale features are indicated by a little gold crown in the program. 

Tracing Complex and Multi-Color Designs (Silhouette Tutorial)

Silhouette Studio, trace, cut, complex, layered, designs
Tracing is a pretty basic skill in Silhouette Studio...and one that I would venture to say is almost essential.  We've talked plenty about tracing here at Sil School...like here and here and here...but today we're going to take it up a level and discuss tracing complicated and more detailed designs.

These are designs that would be cut in several layers either on different paper or vinyl.  Since I've been asked multiple times about sports logos, I'm going to use one in this example.

You'll really get a sense of why the fill tool, compound paths, and layering are important in this tutorial so stick with me.  While this tutorial will assume you know the basics of tracing images and importing jpegs into Studio, we take baby steps on Silhouette School and today's lesson is no exception.

The first thing you want to do is find the image you want to trace.  I'm using the Philadelphia Eagles logo.  Save your image as a Jpeg to your desktop and then drag and drop it into studio.  Here's the step by step tutorial in case you need a crash course on importing.

$200 Silhouette Gift Basket Giveaway with PixScan, Roll Feeder & More


So I'm back from vacation and since I missed you all soooooo much I thought  'Sure, why not, I'll give away a Silhouette Gift Basket worth more than $200!'

What's that?? Did you say you wanted the new Silhouette Roll Feeder and PixScan? I've got you covered!!  I knew I had you at 'Silhouette.'  I'm even drooling over that the prize pack of goodies put together by me and some of my blogging buddies (all of whom are totally awesome and you should definitely check out after you enter). Click right on the graphic below to go to each and every one of their blogs!


Image Map


And now for why you're here...the giveaway! Get entering...claim as many of the entries as you can to increase your chance of winning.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The minor details: The giveaway runs August 20-25 at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be contacted by email on August 26 and will have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be picked.  Due to shipping, you must have a US mailing address to enter.

Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!


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How to Add Custom Material Cut Settings to Silhouette Studio

Custom, cut settings, Silhouette Studio
I have proclaimed my love for Glitter HTV on this blog many a times...and I have fielded many questions about what the cut settings should be.

I'm not a numbers person and for the life of me I can never remember what the cut settings should be. So after wasting a decent amount of my precious glitter HTV today I finally broke down and manually added Glitter HTV to my materials list with the settings I found to work perfectly.every.time.

You can do this with any material that doesn't come pre-loaded with recommended settings such as freezer paper or, in my case, glitter heat transfer vinyl.

Once you have found the settings that work for your medium, what you want to do is open up Silhouette Studio. Click on the Cut Settings Icon.

Circle Monogram Tip: Getting Two Monograms for One with Silhouette


Circle monogram, two, one cut, Silhouette Studio, Silhouette tutorial
A few weeks back I posted a quick tip on the Silhouette School Facebook page about how to get a two for one monogram.  Basically you use the positive and negative part of the cut.  I ended up getting a lot of questions about exactly how this technique works so I thought I should further explain in a full on tutorial.

How to Create Custom Split Monograms in Silhouette Studio

Split monograms, custom, Silhouette Studio, Silhouette tutorial

And our final sub of the week is Michelle from Weekend Craft.  I'll be back in the classroom on Monday with lots more great tutorials and tips!

*****

Hello there! I'm Michelle from Weekend Craft and I am so excited to be substitute teaching on the Silhouette School today! Over at Weekend Craft not only do we craft with our Silhouette but we also feature upcycling, home decor and lots of furniture makeovers. We would love to have you stop by and follow along!

I have attended five wedding showers this summer and my go to gift has been a set of monogrammed tea towels and a glass etched monogrammed pie plate. I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you how I make the Monograms in Silhouette Studio. 

Custom Laptop Vinyl Decal

Custom, laptop, vinyl, decal, Silhouette Studio
Another day on vacation and another guest blogger today here at Silhouette School. I hope you all have been enjoying the projects and ideas these lovely ladies have been sharing this week! I know I have!!!  Right about now I'm enjoying my last day in Florida before heading back home.    And since I need to get back to my book and mimosa I'll hand it over to Emily.

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Hi, my name is Emily, and my blog is called My Mom Made That. My blog focuses on recipes, crafts, a little DIY and a lot about my two sweet boys. Oh, and my friend, Portia, my lovely Silhouette Portrait. It is one of my most favorite tools.

Today I'm going to share with you a project made with Portia, and one of the greatest craft materials ever-- vinyl. On Thursday, I received an early Birthday present-- my new MacBook Pro. I have officially crossed over to the dark side, as this is my first Apple computer. I'm loving it, and I wanted to do something to make it my own. I decided to make my very own Lord of the Rings Laptop Decal. It's an snap with your Silhouette machine, and with all of the available free fonts based on popular movies and novels, you can really create an authentic looking decal.

DIY Silhouette Charm Necklace Tutorial




I'm still on vacation so we have another guest blogger today! I'm thrilled to welcome Randi from the blog Sowdering About.  She has a super cute Silhouette jewelry tutorial to share today...so I'll let Randi take it from here!

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Hi, I'm Randi! I blog from a blue recliner in the wet city of Seattle where my family and I live.  I write about my crafting adventures and parenting trials, because if you can’t find humor in your own life, then who will?

With school just around the corner, it seems that every where I turn, I am being punched in the face with erasers, reams of paper and of course, pencils.  So when this idea popped up in my head, I really wasn't surprised.  I mean, sometimes I can't help but surprise myself, but this time, I feel like I was expecting this to come out of my brain.

I bought a cut file from the Silhouette store of a pencil.  I added a little circle to the top of it and used the offset tool to make another internal circle.  After a quick little weld of the bigger circle and the pencil, I had made a charm.  I cut out three of them and glued them together to make the paper pencil thicker and less delicate.

DIY, do it yourself, charm necklace, Silhouette tutorial

The details on the pencil, the eraser, pencil tip and dimension strip on the side, were all added using vinyl.  See a few months back I requested a sample book of vinyl from 3M and they sent me one.  It's a sample book of all their vinyl colors and textures.  It's only 2"x3" but it's come in handy for super small projects like this.   

DIY, do it yourself, charm necklace, Silhouette tutorial

After gluing and adding the details, I covered the charm with Mod Podge Dimensions.  

Here is where I can give you a quick tip.  If you, like me, are completely incapable of waiting for glue to dry and you try to use your blow dryer to speed up the process, just know, that it will ruin your project if you are using Mod Podge Dimensions.  I may or may not know this from experience.  I may or may not have had to completely redo this project because of said...experience.  

DIY, do it yourself, charm necklace, Silhouette tutorial

When it was all dry (after only about 20 minutes without using my blow dryer), my daughter decided it was going to hers to wear to school on the first day.  And, of course, I can't argue with that!

This project took all of 20 minutes from start to finish, not including dry time and not including having to start all over when I ruined it the first time.  It's a quick and easy project that is super versatile and could be made for any occasion!  What charms are you going to make?

DIY, do it yourself, charm necklace, Silhouette tutorial


Want to see more from Randi? Follow Sowdering About!

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Here's a look at some of Randi's recent projects...




Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I received a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine! 

Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!


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DIY Fabric Wall Art with Silhouette

DIY, do it yourself, fabric, wall art, Silhouette, Silhouette tutorial
Well, we arrived in beautiful Fort Lauderdale this morning for a quick three day mini vacation to celebrate our 9th anniversary. So today I'm handing the blog over to the lovely and talented, Sarah from Creative Ramblings.   I'll let her take it from here while I got get myself a tropical drink.

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Hello students! I'm Sarah and I blog over at Creative Ramblings. I am so excited to be substitute teaching here at Silhouette School. I'll be honest, I learn right along with you. This blog is my resource for all things Silhouette. That being said, I still hope I can teach you something, and share an adorable little project I created for my daughter's room.

Faux Etched Glass Door with Silhouette

Faux, etched glass, door, Silhouette, Silhouette tutorial
Happy Monday, all! I'm still on vacation and today we have our first sub of the week! I'm so excited to have Karen here today from Dragonfly and Lily Pad blog with a great tutorial! I'll let Karen take it from here.

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Hi, Karen Marie Kedzuch subbing for Melissa at Silhouette School while she is away from technology today. I am honored to share my twist on Faux Etched Glass with you (and it's perfect timing since today is the last day for Melissa's etched glass vinyl giveaway). Can you guess the name of my blog. Check-out the window of the door for a hint. 

Dragonfly & Lily Pads is where I share my passion for DIY.  My goal is to inspire you, to join me, while I create and transform projects.

Hmmm.  How I could create an etched glass effect, which was also removable and inexpensive?  I scoured the Internet, big box home hardware stores, finding all of the vinyl was permanent adhesive, and costly. I could not make that permanent commitment, wanted to lessen the cost, and wanted to change my designs frequently.

SUPPLIES

Frosted vinyl (1 yard $3.50 of light weight frosted vinyl found in the home decor dept. of +Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores )
Silhouette 12 x 12 Cutting mat
Sharp scissors,
Cutting blade 
cut design choice(s)

9 Non-Apparel Things to Put Silhouette Rhinestones On

Silhouette, Rhinestones, non-apparel, Silhouette tutorial
So you're not a rhinestone-shirt wearing kinda girl? Ehh...me neither, but that doesn't mean I don't love me some bling.  I've put rhinestones on everything from wood signs to baby onesies and phone cases.  So for the third lesson in Silhouette School's Rhinestone Series I thought I'd share some non-apparel items you can rhinestone...and a tip or two for how to rhinestones when you can't use an iron.

Silhouette School Blog: Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes, Silhouette School Blog
In just over two weeks my daughter starts first grade...so today in the spirit of all things 'Back to School' I thought I'd break from the daily tutorial to take a minute to give you a little behind the scenes look at this blog and what the heck goes into making Silhouette School.  (BTW when I tossed out the question to my Facebook readers, if they'd even care about something like this many of them said,"Yes, but we don't even know your name" What the what?...It's Melissa. Nice to meet you and you and you...)

Anyway, I'm warning you now your head may be spinning by the end of this 'Day in the Life' so grab your coffee and hold on tight...

How to Faux Etch Glass, Mirrors and More with Vinyl

Faux etch glass, mirrors, vinyl, Silhouette tutorial
Etching is like the new black. It's in.   But here's the thing, while I like to etch glass and I love the look of etched glass, there are just some glass surfaces that I'm not 100% sure I want to permanently etch...and that's what happens when you use etching cream.  There's no going back.

Enter etched glass vinyl! Yes...etch vinyl. It gives the look of etched glass, but without the commitment since it's vinyl and can be removed eventually.

Custom Cuffs with Vinyl (PLUS a GIVEAWAY)

Custom, cuffs, vinyl, Silhouette tutorial, Silhouette Studio

If you follow our sister site, Two It Yourself, at all you know I'm a bit of a knockoff-oholic.  Pottery Barn is my favorite...but when I picked up a bunch of these acrylic cuffs from Punch Place Plus for just $1.65 each I knew at least one of them was destined for a Chanel knockoff.   Um...no way would I pay the $475 price tag and when you see just how easy this was to make, you will wonder who would!

Turning Patterns Into Cut Files (or Backgrounds)

Patterns, cut files, Silhouette Studio, Silhouette tutorial

Today's lessons is on turning patterns into cut files or cuttable backgrounds.   While the terms Pattern and Background may seem interchangeable when it comes to Silhouette Studio, they are actually not and the differences are fairly significant.  I went over all the details and differences on both here, but just as a crash course: Background is cuttable; pattern is like wallpaper (see below ... no cut lines).