I've shared several posts lately about projects I did for my front porch (welcome sign, door mat, address sign). Now on to the back yard! Well, yard is a bit of an understatement. We live on the side of a mountain so it's mostly a slope. The good … [Read more...]
My entry for Silhouette’s gift wrap contest
Recently, Silhouette America held a contest for their blog affiliates. The challenge was to come up with gift wrap and a gift tag. That's it -- that's all they gave us. We had free reign to do whatever we chose. The winning designs will be featured … [Read more...]
First Steps in rotary blade: crepe paper dogwood flower
Have you heard about the crepe paper flower craze? For a relatively low cost, you can make beautiful, life-like flowers from crepe paper. Really -- you won't believe that aren't real. I'm not talking about the cheap-o kind of crepe paper used for … [Read more...]
Wood tag using the Singe Quill
I've been working a great deal lately on bringing my house out of the 90s. I've just finished my powder room and it's a HUGE transformation from dark, earthy colors to light, farmhouse ones. I like to keep out extra TP and room spray in arm's reach … [Read more...]
Tuesday quick tip: how to avoid pen bleed at the end of a sketching job
I love using the sketch pens and especially my own pen in the pen holder. But there's one thing I absolutely feel the opposite about. When the machine gets to the end of a sketch job, it briefly holds the pen down at the end of the shape. That causes … [Read more...]
Think outside the box project: quilt label
I've just finished making a quilt for my first grandbaby (WOO HOO!!!). I saved pieces of all the fabrics I used to make outfits for my daughter and that's what I used for the quilt. Since I'm so familiar with the Silhouette Studio software, I used it … [Read more...]
Extremely last minute Mother’s Day gift
It happens to the best of us -- we mean to get a gift made for an occasion and it doesn't happen for some reason. I spent so much time working on a gift for my daughter's baby shower that I didn't get around to the thing I was going to make her for … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving place cards
We are hosting Thanksgiving this year in our home and I love to decorate for Fall. That includes setting a festive table. I made some quick place cards from standard designs. It's not hard to do, as long as you know a few principles. Once you learn … [Read more...]
First Steps in Acrylic Etching: Curio
One of the coolest things about a Curio machine is that it can etch materials. Initially, it was created to etch metal. Some super innovative folks have been finding other materials to etch. In particular, my friend Cindy Pope uses it to etch leather … [Read more...]
How to clean a heat press
I freely admit that although I'm a very organized person, I'm not necessarily a neat one. As my creative juices get going I sometimes rush through projects to get to the end result. Or I take so long in the designing portion (which I find more fun), … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 24 — Dealing with difficulties after the cut
We've made it to the end of our series (to start with Lesson 1, go here). Your cuts should be all healed now! But today's visit is a follow up appointment where we go over things like post-operative complications. Specifically, we're going to talk … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 23 — Bad cuts part 3
I spent most of last year dealing with health issues. It seemed like we'd NEVER find the cause or the cure. The day we did was the best day ever! Now I feel back to my normal self. I feel like today will be the same for many of you, because we're … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 23 — Bad cuts part 2
Have you ever send a cut job to your machine, watched it work and away, then removed the material and realized it didn't cut the material at all or cut it all the way through? Yes, I see every hand going up! We've all had this happen at one time or … [Read more...]
Cut Doctor: Lesson 21 — Problems with the mat or material during the cut
We're delving deep into the body of the cut job here in our troubleshooting portion of the Cut Doctor series. (To start with Lesson 1 in the Cut Doctor series, go here). Our topic this time is reasons why your mat or material might act up during a … [Read more...]
How to use a roll feeder
I'm currently working on a HUGE vinyl project for my church. We're creating a forest scene with animals on a wall 45 feet long and 10 feet high. This is the perfect time to use a roll feeder, since the pieces are really large. Note: This post … [Read more...]