Category: Tutorial

How to Change the Colors of a Print and Cut File Tutorial by Tya

Hey everyone! Hope you are all enjoying your summer! Today I have a tutorial for you on how to change the color of a Print and Cut file. One of my favorite features of the Silhouette software is the ability to do a print and cut. Lori has some really cute Print and Cut files in her library and so I thought it would be fun to showcase one of these files today.

So I am using the a2 Shaped Card Beach (found here in the Silhouette Store). I loved all the fun colors of this card, but I wanted to add some patterns to spice it up a little . Let me show you the steps to do this.

Step 1-

Open up the file in your Silhouette. Here is what it looks like in its original state.

Step 2-

Select all the pieces of the card and then ungroup them so we can work with each piece individually.

Step 3-

We only want to work with the Print and Cut part of the file, so go ahead and delete the other pieces.

Step 4-

Select the shape and then again ungroup the shapes so we can separate all the different pieces.

Step 5-

I downloaded this digital paper set ( Summer Fun Papers found on Snap Click Supply). Adding digital papers to your Fill Patterns in the Silhouette software is super easy. Simply select the papers you want and drag them into your pattern bin in the software.

Step 6-

Select the part of the original file you want to change. Here I changed the yellow part of the umbrella to a fun stripe. Simply click on the fill pattern and the software does the rest.

Step 7 –

Go ahead and change the rest of the original elements to new ones by selecting the piece and then selecting a new fill pattern.

 Step 8-

Once you have all the colors changed to your liking – go ahead and group the file back together again and then drag it onto the card base.

Step 9 –

Just for fun – I added a sentiment to the card front using the LW Fun font. (LW SVG shop) (Silhouette) .

Step 10-

Add registration marks for an 8 1/2 x 11 size page.

 Make sure you adjust your cut settings as well to only cut the outer edge of the card and not the cute umbrella.

 Select the No Cut option to make sure the umbrella does not get cut out.

Now were ready to cut! Send the file to your printer and print it out and then load the paper onto your Silhouette mat and cut it out.

So here are the cards. The one on the left is the original card.The one on the right is the card that we made changes to. I also added some embellishments to add a little texture and interest.

Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I have taught you a new fun trick for you to try the next time you want to make a project using the Print and Cut feature! Happy Crafting!

NEW Pop-Up Box Cards Tutorial

Have you seen the New Pop Up Box Cards in my SVG Shop and the Silhouette Store?  They are fun and interactive cards that come with print and cut sentiments and fold flat to a 5″x 5″ square for mailing.  They have been pretty popular. I currently have 7 designs (with more on the way), take a peek…

These are really FUN and so easy to put together.  Here is the video tutorial I have created so you can learn how to assemble these new cards and make them right along with me:

I hope you enjoy them! Thank you for stopping by today!!

 


Digital Life Cards and Print Elements with the Cricut Explore with Karin

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I worked on a series of videos to show you how I am using Lori Whitlock’s digital life cards in my Project Life binder. I combined the videos into the one below and will add another in two weeks showing how far I have progressed in a very short time.
I had started a Project Life binder in 2012 and had it very well organized, but then I never kept it up. Since it is now so much later, I have decided that I won’t organize the binder by date. Instead I will just work through all my images and journalling using digital life cards and make my binder look nice and complete the project.
I literally have hundreds of files to work with so I need to organize them before I get started. I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to do this because it makes it so easy to find what I need. Also, if I want to tag elements for specific topics or themes, Lightroom makes this very easy. The image above shows how the thumbnails look in Lightroom.
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The image above shows how I took an element, uploaded it into Design Space, cleaned away the outer white area to have the scalloped edge and inner portions as a print element that I cut out with my Cricut Explore.
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In my video, I show you how I set up the element in the upper left corner of the print then cut image above to use it as a card in a 3×4 pocket.
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This image shows you how the cutting line goes around the outside of the card.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Be sure to check back in two weeks when I post a flip through of my Project Life binder so far.


Oven Cookie Box Assembly

Hi everyone!  Corri here today with a quick assembly tutorial for Lori’s adorable oven cookie box.   This cute box can hold a stack of cookies plus something else in the drawer.  So fun!

Let’s get started.

The pieces in the file are sorted by color.  These are the light pink pieces which form the base of the oven box.

Fold along all the score lines, apply glue to the  tabs to make the individual boxes that form the oven.

You will end up with the lid, the oven, the two pieces that make up drawer and the little part where the oven dials go.   You can add some brads or enamel dots where the little holes are before closing up the tabs.

Glue the oven portion on top of the drawer part.  You will use cover panels to hide the seams in the next step.

Next you can cut the cover pieces (they are dark pink in the file). These can be from patterned paper.  You can cut them all on one 12 x 12 sheet.    I used this cute polka dot print from the Echo Park’s Happy Summer Collection.

Match the cover pieces up to the base layer and glue in place.

These extra panels give the box a nice finished look.

There you have it!  I hope you’ll give this fun box a try.  Be sure to stop by Lori’s SVG Shop to check out all the newly added files.

 

Guest Blogger Melissa Viscount from Silhouette School

Hi! I’m so excited that Lori has allowed me to take over her blog today! My name is Melissa Viscount and I am the blogger behind Silhouette School and the author of The Ultimate Silhouette Guide ebook/book series.  I love teaching crafters how to use the Silhouette CAMEO, Portrait, Curio and Mint machine! Lori has so graciously allowed me to share a few of my tips and tricks for cutting paper cleanly with you today!

Paper crafts are hugely popular with Silhouette CAMEO and Portrait users – the problem is paper can be a bit tricky to cut with the Silhouette cutting machines.

Getting a clean cut on paper starts with having the right Silhouette cutting mat. A new mat or gently used mat can be overly sticky which can spell disaster for paper cuts.  A mat that’s too sticky will keep the paper in place while cutting, but it will likely create a mess and a headache while trying to remove the paper from the cutting mat after the cut.  The paper may curl as you try to release it from the cutting mat – or worse – separate leaving a thin layer of paper on the mat.

To avoid this common problem while cutting paper with the die cutter, de-sticky the Silhouette cutting mat by blotting it with a clean cotton pillow case or t-shirt before placing the paper on it.  This will keep the mat clean, while gently taking away some of the stickiness of the mat.

Another option is to cut paper using the Silhouette Light Tack cutting mat. This cutting mat is specially designed for cutting paper with Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait. It’s not nearly as sticky as the regular cutting mat making it perfect for paper – which doesn’t need quite as much stick as vinyl or other materials to stay in place while cutting.

The next thing you want to do to get a better paper cut with your Silhouette machine, is make sure you are using the Line Segment Overcut feature in Silhouette Studio.

You can find the Line Segement Overcut option at the bottom of the Cut Settings window in Silhouette Studio. Use the scroll bar after you select the material type, to scroll down and you’ll see it.

After selecting “ON” in the Line Segment Overcut area, adjust the distance of the overcut.  Adjusting to 0.1 mm and 0.1 mm is usually plenty.

The way overcut works is instead of the blade staying down in the paper and turning at hard corners and angles like it would at each corner of this square…

….it instead overcuts the corner by a small distance (0.1), then lifts up out of the paper to make a new connecting cut.

The overcuts will NOT appear in Silhouette
Studio.  I have drawn them in here so you can more easily understand.

Think of it cutting a corner like an X rather than a V.  That slight overcut is small enough that it isn’t noticeable to see on the paper once cut, but it makes a huge difference in preventing the paper from being torn up, chewed and pulled while cutting.

Look at the difference in how the Silhouette CAMEO blade cut this small triangle on nearly-impossible-to-cut-cleanly construction paper!  Both triangles were cut with the same exact cut settings – except the Segment Line Overcut was turned on for the triangle on the right.

Finally, consider a double cut when cutting paper with Silhouette CAMEO. A double cut is often the difference between a soft ‘furry’ edge and a clean, sharp cut. Imagine cutting with a dull blade vs a super sharp blade.

You can find the box to turn on the Double Cut in the Cut Settings window. After you select the material type, use the scroll bar on the right side of the window to scroll down and check the box.

Of course, before you commit to any or all of these tricks for cutting paper, you will want to be sure to use the test cut option to ensure the settings you are using will provide the best quality cut. If you skip the test cut, you risk wasting a whole lot of materials, as well as time.

Thanks again to Lori for allowing me to share a few Silhouette CAMEO tips and tricks with you today! Be sure to get schooled on all things Silhouette related at Silhouette School blog! You can also find Silhouette School on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest!

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