I've shared with you recently a couple of things I made for a baby shower -- some table decorations in which I used a custom plaid pattern I created. There's one more thing I want to share. I bought some large chipboard letters, cut patterned paper … [Read more...]
Adding a multi-color design element into a school mascot
My son's girlfriend coaches high school soccer. Of course, that means I just HAVE to make her some spirit swag. But I didn't want just any old design. I wanted to find a way to incorporate soccer. I love the final result, so thought it would be good … [Read more...]
How to create a custom plaid pattern
Recently, I was helping with the decorations for a baby shower. The organizers wanted a sports theme with an emphasis on University of Tennessee. If you know that school at all, it's main color is a rather bright orange. The trick was to find … [Read more...]
Drawing filled shapes or text: 2 ways to select attributes beforehand
I don't know about you, but I always work with filled shapes. Unfilled shapes are harder to move around, you can't easily see front to back order, and you don't know if you have groupings or compound paths (which makes a HUGE difference when you use … [Read more...]
Right where you want it — how to move a shape precisely
I have to be truthful -- I'm not always super-precise as a crafter. I don't typically find that spending an extra 30 minutes to affect a change of .001% is worth it. If I'm moving my images around on the Design area in the Silhouette Studio software, … [Read more...]
How to assemble a Silhouette pen holder
The first time I looked at the Silhouette brand pen holder, I was completely confused. There are 5 different pieces in the package, and the instructions made no sense to me. I had to have someone else show me. So I'm going to return the favor and … [Read more...]
Hack to make sure text around a circle is centered
Today I want to share a quick tip with you about getting text in the right spot when you wrap it around a circle or arc. (If you don't know how to do that, see this post). It's not hard to do, but one thing that I used to struggle with was making … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday: Making the most of expensive HTV and vinyl material
As I told you in my first Frugal Friday tip, I hate to throw away scraps of expensive or beautiful material. I like to try to find ways to reuse the bits and pieces whenever I can. That’s certainly the case with any patterned adhesive vinyl or HTV. … [Read more...]
Frugal Friday: Using margin scraps of white tattoo paper
I admit it. I’m a craft hoarder. That means not only that I have probably way more craft materials than I could use in 3 lifetimes, but also that I HATE to throw away bits and pieces of materials that are leftover after I make a project. My brain … [Read more...]
Knockout designs made easy
For my first project in my Spiritwear series, I want to teach you how to create a knockout design. This is a fun way to combine a school mascot with the team name or another phrase.I promise it will be easier than any other knockout method you've … [Read more...]
First Steps in HTV: Project #1 — Polka Dot Heart Tea Towel
I didn’t realize when I bought my first Silhouette machine that I could use it to make custom shirts, or that heat transfer vinyl would turn out to be my favorite type of material to work with. My boys (and their friends) seem to have several new … [Read more...]
Trademark and copyright for crafters
I sit here on a Saturday afternoon watching college football, my favorite thing to do (besides crafting). The only bittersweet thing is that my son is no longer playing as he graduated last spring. I've made a TON of spirit items over the years and … [Read more...]
Get it together, man! 6 tips to make a project more cohesive
Have you ever looked at a project someone else made and thought, “Why does theirs look so professional and pulled together while mine doesn’t?” Or have you ever liked all your pieces individually, but when you put them together they just don’t look … [Read more...]
7 tricks to make a multi-piece project more interesting
I remember when I first started paper crafting. I would put together a card or scrapbook page and then look at it and think, “BORING!” What is it that makes a project look interesting and finished? It doesn't just happen. Some folks have a natural … [Read more...]
How and why to save a Silhouette design as an image
One of the things I love about the Silhouette Studio software is how flexible it is. I like to find ways to use it unexpected ways. Recently, I wanted to make a coffee mug for some dear friends who had moved away and recently returned to our home … [Read more...]