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Vertical painted and stained porch sign with contact paper stencil

June 11, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

contact paper stencil welcome sign

Lately, I've been sharing several lessons as I've been spiffing up my porch for spring. (Yes, for some of you it's already summer, but we are still having nights in the 40s here). I painted a door mat with our name using a freezer paper stencil. I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cutting, Designing, Materials, Projects Tagged With: contact paper, home decor, paint, projects, stencil, vinyl, wood sign

The trick to removing “baked on” vinyl

June 4, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

cracked baked on vinyl

Here I am again with another project for my front porch. I've already shown some custom-made layered letters I'm working on for a sign and my door mat. Once I had those up, I realized my address sign was looking pretty worn. (It's completely true … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Materials, Tips Tagged With: projects, vinyl

Personalized door mat with freezer paper stencil

May 20, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

personalized door mat

It was one of those "almost, but not quite" moments. My husband, noticing our front door mat was looking ratty, proudly brought home a new one. Only problem -- it wasn't exactly my ideal design. I had been planning to make a custom one. Famous last … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Materials, Projects Tagged With: door mat, freezer paper, home decor, paint, projects, stencil, vinyl

Glass block and vinyl project to practice text techniques

April 16, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

silhouette vinyl text on glass

We've been doing a LOT of renovations in our home, which means it's been a good time to reevaluate some decor pieces. I've had a glass block with vinyl sitting in one spot for several years, but always meant to redo the vinyl. Why? Because it's the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Designing, Projects, Silhouette Studio Software Tagged With: bold, character spacing, cut edge, frame, line spacing, line thickness, offset, projects, Text, text box size, vertical text, vinyl

Getting organized with kitchen labels

February 26, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

It's the new year -- that lovely time when many of us are motivated to get organized. It's even a bigger deal now that we are all at home more during the pandemic. We have just replaced our kitchen appliances and floor, so to go with all the new … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Projects, Silhouette Studio Software Tagged With: containers, home decor, kitchen, labels, nesting, scraps, Text, vinyl

Tuesday quick tip: how the middle rollers help

February 23, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

silhouette cameo middle rollers

Today's quick tip is for owners of Cameo 3 and 4 machines. I'm going to explain how the middle rollers on the silver bar can help you in both loading and cutting. NOTE: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click the link and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cutting, Machines Tagged With: Cameo, rollers, vinyl

Unexpected surfaces to use HTV on

January 22, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

I gotta tell you -- HTV is probably my favorite material to cut. I rarely have to change my cut settings, don't have to use a mat (on pieces that are wide enough to fit under the rollers) and the plastic carrier holds everything in place really well. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Materials, Projects, Tips Tagged With: ceramic, glass, htv, leather, metal, projects, vinyl, wood

Understanding different types of vinyl

January 18, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

I get lots of questions about the differences in the numbers and brands of adhesive vinyl. The type and quality of your vinyl can make or break your project, so it's good to understand the differences. Today, I'm going to give you an overview of what … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Materials Tagged With: 631, 651, adhesive, oracal, vinyl

Etching slate

January 14, 2021 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

etched slate coaster

Recently, I saw a project from a friend who had etched some slate pieces. I'd seen folks use their Curio and the etching tool, but this time my friend used the etching cream you normally use on glass. I just had to try it! Since not everyone has a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Projects Tagged With: coaster, etching, projects, slate, stencil, vinyl

Spirit Swag — Personalized cowbell

October 1, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

For me, fall means FOOTBALL!!! It's an especially good bright spot this year. Since my son is no longer playing college ball, we have "adopted" a couple of players from a local university. It's so they have a family away from home. This week, I'm … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Projects, Tips Tagged With: bell, logo, project, spirit swag, vinyl

Tips for using the crosscutter on Cameo 4 models

August 19, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

cameo 4 crosscutter

One of the advantages to the new Cameo 4 models is an improved crosscutter. The crosscutter is designed for use with materials such as adhesive vinyl or HTV that come on a roll and are often cut without the mat. Rather than unloading at the end of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Machines Tagged With: cameo 4, crosscutter, htv, vinyl

Think outside the box project: custom peel-and-stick paint samples

August 17, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

After several bad paint choices, I have learned it's best to put samples on the walls. I live with them for a bit, checking them at different times in the varying light. But it's not always practical to have different-colored squares of paint all … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Projects, Tips Tagged With: home decor, paint, project, vinyl

Tuesday quick tip: dealing with tiny pieces of weeded vinyl

July 7, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

Today's quick tip is one I used recently when creating a stencil from vinyl. I had a ton of little dots to weed away. Weeding isn't the problem -- it's what to do to corral all those little pieces once they are off. My solution? A lint … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Materials, Tips Tagged With: quick tip, vinyl, weeding

Vintage-look sign letter on acrylic

July 3, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

Our family room is decorated to express, well, our family. There's an old Disabled Vet license plate that was my dad's, a football, locker baskets with tags whose numbers are our old house numbers, an old Clue board of my mom's and more. For years … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Designing, Materials, Projects Tagged With: acrylic, paint, plexiglass, project, sign, stencil, vinyl

Think outside the box: customizing a ready-made sign

May 14, 2020 By Cindy Eckhoff Leave a Comment

wood sign painting

Today I want to share an out-of-the-box idea with you for a wood sign. Rather than starting completely from scratch, I'm going to show you how to take a sign that already has something on it and add your own unique twist. I found a really cute … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Designing, Projects Tagged With: crop, page size, paint, photo, sign, stencil, vinyl, wood

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