Silhouette Holiday Sale & Review: Stenciled Aprons

I’m excited to be a part of Silhouette’s biggest promotion ever. Silhouette electronic cutting machines can cut a wide variety of materials including paper, vinyl, cardstock, fabric, heat transfer material, and  more. To help spread the news of their latest promo, Silhouette provided me with product for review, (see below). But let’s start with the exciting news! November 28 through December 8, 2013, you can receive incredible discounts online as listed below using the promo code SOMETHING at checkout. If you already own a Silhouette, shop for products at 40% discount* and receive free shipping on orders over $25!

The Silhouette Holiday Sale

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The CAMEO & Portrait Holiday Bundle $299.99 Save $229.99 (43%)

• Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool
• Power cable/AC adapter
• USB cable
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 download card
• 12 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• Basic Instruction Guide
• CAMEO instructional DVD
• Silhouette Portrait® electronic cutting tool
• Power cable/AC adapter
• USB cable
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 download card
• 8 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• Basic Instruction Guide
• Portrait instructional DVD
• 2 $25 download cards

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The Silhouette CAMEO® Holiday Bundle $229.99 Save $176.92 (43%)

• Silhouette CAMEO® electronic cutting tool
• Power cable/AC adapter
• USB cable
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 download card
• 12 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• Basic Instruction Guide
• CAMEO instructional DVD
• Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software
• $25 download card
• CAMEO dust cover
• Silhouette hook tool
• Silhouette scraper tool
• Silhouette spatula tool
• Silhouette pick-me-up® tool

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The Silhouette Portrait® Holiday Bundle $129.99 Save $156.92 (55%)

• Silhouette Portrait® electronic cutting tool
• Power cable/AC adapter
• USB cable
• Silhouette Studio® software
• $10 download card
• 8 in x 12 in cutting mat
• Silhouette blade
• Basic Instruction Guide
• Portrait instructional DVD
• Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition Software
• $25 download card
• Portrait dust cover
• Silhouette hook tool
• Silhouette scraper tool
• Silhouette spatula tool
• Silhouette pick-me-up® tool

……………..MY PROJECT AND REVIEW……………..

When I learned that there was an electronic cutter that I could use to cut out my own custom designs, I was so excited. I had a hunch it couldn’t be quite that easy, but I was willing to give it a try. As a graphic designer, such a machine would be a dream, I could imagine die-cutting my own 3D creations, like my paper house templates. But for starters, I wanted to make a stencil of my stencil-style Inspired Barn logo to decorate aprons for future workshops. So I requested the Silhouette Cameo (which cuts up to 12 inches wide,) and Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software. I set up the Silhouette based on the simple steps provided. EASY! I downloaded the Silhouette Studio® Designer Edition software. EASY! I saved my design in Adobe Illustrator as an SVG file and then opened that file within the Silhouette software. EASY! I clicked on the icon for creating cut lines on my art and that was that, the entire design was ready to cut!I started with Martha Stewart Crafts 11″-wide stencil film, it cut ok, but once peeled from the cutting mat it continued to curl uncontrollably which made it unusable. So I prodded around the studio until I found the perfect material to cut- my poly (polypropylene) scrapbook paper storage envelopes from Michaels. Clear and very durable. I can trim a full 12″ x 12″ sheet from one side of each envelope and a smaller sheet from the other.I attached a twelve-inch square piece to the cutting mat, sized my artwork accordingly, and watched the Silhouette do her magic. I peeled the stencil from the cutting mat.I sprayed the back side of the cut stencil with a very light coat of adhesive and once dry, placed it onto an apron. I stenciled 12 aprons with this one stencil and only needed to reapply spray adhesive once. I was painting some pretty rugged burlap-type fabric, so be careful to test your more delicate surfaces when using adhesives. I used Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acryic Craft Paint and Paint Dauber to paint each apron.Then the most fun moment, removing the stencil to reveal the design!So my very first Silhouette Cameo project turned out fabulous! I also made a slightly smaller version and with brown spray paint, decorated this craft store tote!Silhouette offers so many excellent designs you can download to use, but I can’t wait to try more of my own designs for cutting. Be sure to check out the great promotion Silhouette promotion going on through December 8, 2013 and receive your discounts using promo code SOMETHING. Get yours in time for crafting some nice holiday gifts, I’ll be doing just that!