The wait is over – the Silhouette cloChé Heat Press has officially arrived in the U.S., and it’s making a stylish statement! Available in three gorgeous colors—Milky White, Chiffon Pink, and Ice Green.
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After the Silhouette Summit 2024, I published a detailed blog post sharing everything we learned about the Silhouette cloChé. If you are interested in seeing the specs, recommended usage, temperatures, duration of use, and more; please see the post Silhouette Summit 2024 – cloChé Heat Press HERE.
At this time, there is no release date or information for international areas. If you are outside the U.S., please contact your Silhouette retailer for more information.
Silhouette first announced a heat press with a prototype at the 2019 Silhouette Summit. It was big, clunky and only a prototype that was not functional. The new Silhouette cloChé heat press is a completely new design from what we saw originally. A sleek, modern look.
I will continue to share information on the new products released from Silhouette and watching to see who does add it to their craft rooms. I am still waiting on the new tools – Super Fine Power Engraver and the Leather Carving Knife to be available.
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Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Looking for a creative way to use those gorgeous wood sign designs without needing a laser cutter? In this tutorial, I’m sharing how you can create a stunning door hanger using just cardstock and vinyl—no laser required! I’m using a design by Diva Watts Designs and showing step-by-step how to bring it to life with your Silhouette machine. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking for a new way to use your cutting machine, this is a great project that proves you can make high-impact decor with tools you already have.
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Quick Steps to Create Your Cardstock & Vinyl Door Hanger
Want the quick version? Here’s a fast rundown of how I created this layered door hanger using my Silhouette and a design by Diva Watts Designs:
DIY Door Hanger with Cardstock & Vinyl Project Details
First, I started by measuring my wood sign backer. Then, I grouped the Oh Hello design and scaled it up to 11.8″. Next, rather than paint, I printed a Wood White Texture Digital Pattern by Daniela Moscone onto a 12″ x 12″ sheet of cardstock and then cut the background out of the printed paper. I played around with many different color combinations and finally settled on basic black and white.
I added the digital pattern paper to the background to get a feel for how it would look before I printed the page.
If you are printing a large pattern or filling almost the entire sheet of material with a pattern design, skip the print and cut limits and print the entire page or as much as your printer will allow and then simply cut the design from the printed page. If I had used registration marks on this page, I may not have gotten the size circle I needed with my pattern.
I could then simply place the entire sheet on my cutting mat and cut the size circle I needed.
I cut the black piece from a sheet of black cardstock and the “OH, Hello” from white cardstock.
Now here is my next “secret”. I used the negative of the white cardstock as my placement template for the words on top of the black section. I used a couple pieces of washi tape to hold it in place so nothing moved.
Then I could easily add glue and every piece was placed lined up as the original design showed.
To adhere the background paper to the wood sign, I used Maker’s Magic glue and spread it all over the wood sign and on the backside of the printed cardstock. Then smoothed it down onto the wood backing. I’ve had this Maker’s Magic glue in my stash for a while. The first time I used it, I had a few issues, but I think it was me and just like many things, it takes practice. It worked great for this project, and I knew I wanted to not only protect the cardstock but also add it to the top of the entire sign before I applied the adhesive vinyl flowers so the transfer tape wouldn’t tear up my printed design. I did let the Maker’s Magic dry overnight before adding the adhesive vinyl flowers.
Next it was time to apply the adhesive vinyl flower design. I enlisted the help of my new magnetic glass craft mat & magnets helped to hold this sign in place to easily apply the adhesive vinyl in the exact location I needed.
Instead of using the magnets on top of the material, I placed them in 4 places around the edge of the wood sign and it held it securely in place.
I love how this DIY door hanger turned out with cardstock and vinyl!
Think outside the box! Even if a design is shown in a project photo a certain way, start brainstorming how else you can use it. What other materials could you use to create it? Cardstock and vinyl instead of wood cut pieces? This design is so much more than just a wood sign!
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Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Ready to unlock the full potential of your Silhouette machine? Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just starting out, stenciling is a fun and versatile technique that can transform almost any project. In this post, I’m sharing creative stencil ideas you can cut right now with your Silhouette—think custom doormats, etched glass, painted wood signs, fabric decor, layered art journaling, and more. You’ll also find must-know tips for designing stencils, multiple stencil materials that can be cut, and step-by-step tutorials below too! This blog post is packed with Silhouette information, tips, and tutorials—so make sure to bookmark it for future reference.
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Stencils can be created from many different materials. Cardstock, adhesive vinyl, plastic stencil materials, and more! I’m sharing some of those materials below with tips and tutorials to help you design and create in Silhouette Studio.
Project #1 – Custom Stencils with Silhouette Stencil Material
Create your own stencils with basic shapes and patterns in the Silhouette Studio software.
I created these 2 stencil patterns and cut them from the Silhouette non-adhesive stencil material using the Silhouette Autoblade.
Silhouette has both adhesive backed and non-adhesive backed stencil material as shown above. One might work better for your projects versus another. Since my plan was to use the stencil on a flat material like mixed media paper, I didn’t really need it to be sticky on the backside.
I also kept all the negative bits that were cut out from this stencil for a possible future project. They could be used as elements on a card, creating a pattern on a card, as a stencil by itself, and more!
Then I pressed a piece of bubble wrap into the stencil butter to give it even more texture.
Make sure to let the stencil butter dry completely before touching it. I sometimes get impatient, so having a heat gun can be handy to help speed up the process too.
I shared how I created these stencil designs in the video below.
I use adhesive vinyl for many different projects as a stencil such as glass etching, painting, or in this project below – I was trying it with a Scorch marker for wood burning.
When creating a stencil with adhesive vinyl, weed out the design and that creates the stencil. In the photo below, I have weeded the flower design out of the black adhesive vinyl. I use basic shapes such as a rectangle around the design to create the outer edge of the stencil. The actual project I’m creating will determine the size of the shape I place around my design for the stencil outer edge. For projects such as painting or glass etching, I will give myself plenty of space around the design. For something smaller, as shown below, I don’t need as much extra space since it will be close to the edge of the blank being used.
Now, in this case, my project failed, but I’m still sharing it with you because it happens! Projects don’t turn out, projects fail and what you see on social media is not always reality.
These wood earring blanks were a bit too porous, and the Scorch marker liquid just bled too much. It looks more like those therapy cards – What shape do you see?
And that’s just how it goes sometimes. Some projects fail!
Here is another example of adhesive vinyl cut for stencils that I was using for glass etching.
And this one turned out fabulous!
Additional Resources for the tools I used to create the design:
Project #3 – Layered Stencil with Plastic Stencil Material
We see a lot of questions by users on cutting stencil materials. Typically, it is in reference to plastic materials that a user is trying to cut. While Silhouette machines can cut a lot of different materials, there are limits and it is not just about thickness, but also density and composition.
Another thing to keep in mind is that stencil material is plastic and plastic will dull the blade quicker than other materials. It is perfectly normal to have to increase the blade settings or passes the more that is cut. And if you are cutting this material a lot, you may go through more blades than other thinner, easier to cut materials.
I cut this 6 mil stencil material using the preset for Stencil Material in the Silhouette Studio software. All I changed was to increase the passes to 2 and then when that started having a few hang ups, I increased it to 3 passes.
The settings that work for you will depend on the blade sharpness, material, and your machine. There is no perfect setting that works for all users magically.
I do recommend cutting one stencil design at a time. This way you can catch any issues before you’ve wasted time and materials.
Do not unload the cutting mat before you check the cut and if it did not cut through you can send it again.
I was using the same Autoblade that I used with the Silhouette Stencil material mentioned above and it’s still going strong with the settings pictured above on the 6 mil stencil material.
The hardest part for me was that I had to stop the design and creation process and move on to other things. Once you get started cutting, it is easy to get wrapped up in the projects. Here are a couple more I cut before I moved on to the next phase – using the stencils.
Want to learn even more on how I designed the layered stencil used to create the design pictured above? Check out video tutorialbelow or on the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel.
And there is more!!! A follower asked for more design tutorials after seeing the video above. So, I also shared how to quickly design a flower and a heart in Silhouette too!
Click the images above or the links below to watch these quick tutorials:
When working with stencils whether it is a design or a font, the pieces have to all remain in the stencil somehow. If a piece is completely cut out, it will fall out of the stencil.
For instance, for letters A, B, D, O, P, Q, and R, they all have “counters”, which are the centers of the design that would fall out when cut. In order to cut as a stencil and remain in place, the letter needs a “bridge” so it can be held in place when cut.
I typed in “stencil font” to the Silhouette Design Store search and many options come up. All kinds of styles and the perfect one will vary based on your project and taste.
You can see my taste varies and some of these will cut better at larger sizes than smaller. Each project may vary and you never really know until you test it.
The fastest way to create a stencil font is to use a premade font file, but you can also create your own from a font. This works best with a bold font where you can make “bridges” to help hold the centers (counters) of the letters in place.
I used a font style called Grossura to create the stencil quote shown above.
Once you see how easy it is to alter a font, you may not want to stop creating and the ideas may just continue to flow. See how easy it is in this video tutorial below or on the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel HERE.
There is so many different projects you can create with stencils! And you can apply the same techniques and design steps to other projects as well. I hope you’ve picked up a few new ideas and techniques!
Looking for more creative ideas and inspiration? Check out the Crafting Creativity blog posts for a treasure trove of fun and unique projects! Each month, I share a fresh collection of craft ideas designed to spark your imagination and help you expand your skills with confidence. Don’t miss out—your next favorite project could be just a click away!
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THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
I have been creating with the Craft Pro Mug & Tumbler Press from Heat Press Nation, and I wanted to share how easy it was to use. In this post, I’m walking you through my process from start to finish, including how I set up the sublimation designs in Silhouette Studio, how simple the pressing process was, and the finished mugs and tumblers I created. I’ve also included an unboxing video at the end so you can see exactly what comes with the press and why I think it’s a great tool for beginners or anyone looking to simplify their sublimation workflow.
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I purchased the Craft Pro Mug & Tumbler Press last year during the Black Friday sales and I have to admit that I didn’t unbox it right away. It sat there… whispering my name every time I walked by. By mid-January, I finally gave in, unboxed it, and set it up—and I have no idea why I waited so long! It was super easy to get started and even easier to use. Total win!
These tumblers and coffee mugs could not be any easier. Literally, print and press the design and you have colorful, beautiful projects! I will say that equipment does make a difference. I also will admit that not all projects turn out 100% of the time, but there is usually a reason for that. In my case, it’s usually due to user error of some sort. I get in a hurry or grabbed the wrong blank that’s not in fact a sublimation blank, etc.
For these projects, I am using a Windows 11 computer and printing through Silhouette software to my Epson F170 with the full printer driver’s installed direct from the Epson website. I am not changing or adjusting anything. I then press the sublimation blanks according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All sublimation blanks can vary in time and temperature.
Creating Sublimation Tumblers
The first step for a successful full tumbler wrap is to measure your sublimation tumbler. They are not all created the same size. Even if you order several at once, it’s always a good idea to grab a tape measure and just check the size really quickly.
Next, open Silhouette Studio and draw a rectangle. Scale the rectangle to the size of the tumbler measurements and center it to the page.
I used a design called Sarcastic Birds Funny Tumbler Wrap. This particular design was created for a 20 oz tumbler and since I’m doing the full wrap, I simply dragged it from the saved location on my computer and held it over top of the rectangle in Silhouette Studio and it filled the entire rectangle.
I would recommend always checking the “Show Print Border” on the Page Setup Panel in Silhouette Studio. This will turn on a gray border around the page that shows you the maximum print border for the current printer and page size set by your computer/printer. This is also the first place where you can spot an issue, such as the wrong printer selected, etc. I switch between my Canon TS9521C and my Epson F170 printer all the time and the print borders are different for each printer.
Next, save your file. This is always a good habit to get into, especially when working with heavy graphic files. I recommend saving your files every so often to preserve your work.
Before you print, you want to make sure the correct printer is selected. Click on File > Print > Select Print on the Preview > Verify Printer selected.
In this photo above, my regular printer is selected. That means the print border shown above will be what is set by the Canon TS9521C printer settings, not the Epson F170 sublimation printer.
If you have to switch printers or change page size, make the changes, click Apply and then cancel out of the windows back to the Design tab in the Silhouette Studio software. This will reset the print borders and settings to the correct printer.
Then proceed with printing by clicking File > Print > Print – verify the information is correct and send to your printer.
Sublimation prints will print mirrored. If you are using a true sublimation printer, the default should be set to mirror it automatically. If you are using a converted printer for sublimation, then you may have to mirror the design yourself before printing.
After printing, make sure to let the ink dry completely before handling.
Applying Sublimation Transfer to Sublimation Tumblers
It’s always a good idea to test the pressure on the Craft Pro Mug & Tumbler Heat Press before you get it heated up. This will guarantee that your press is tight enough around the sublimation blank and it won’t heat up the blank in the process. If you add a sublimation print to a warm/hot surface, it has a chance of starting the ink transfer process.
Adjust the pressure on the press as needed and then turn the heat press on and set the time and temperature according the manufacturer’s instructions instructions for the sublimation blank.
While the press is heating, trim the sublimation prints down using a paper trimmer or straight edge.
Clean the tumbler with an alcohol swab and a lint roller. This will remove any dust or debris on the tumbler. Dust and debris particles will absorb the ink and leave blue spots on the sublimation blank that are permanent.
Once the tumbler is dry after cleaning, wrap the sublimation print around the tumbler tight and tape securely. Make sure to place the print the right side up so you don’t press the design upside down on the tumbler.
I have tried many different ways to tape tumblers and I have to say this is one of those things that you have to practice with and you will get better and find what method works for you, your designs, and your tumblers.
For these, I wrapped the sublimation print tight, matching up the paper edges and spinning it to tighten the paper around the tumbler. Then I taped completely around the tumbler in the middle, at the top, and at the bottom. You do not want any crinkles, wrinkles, bubbles, or uneven areas when wrapped. Any air that can get in between the paper and the tumbler when pressing can cause “ghosting”, which is blurred images and not a clean transfer.
Once the Craft Pro Mug & Tumbler Heat Press is up to temperature, I wrapped a sheet of parchment paper around the tumbler and slide it into the press. Then closed the press and pressed for the recommended time. Since it is a full wrap and the tumbler press does not completely surround the tumbler, it is rotated and pressed again so the entire surface is heat pressed.
Sublimation is science. It is the process of turning the sublimation ink printed on the paper into a gas with the high heat and pressure. This gas transfers to the sublimation blank and binds to the polyester coating. Any empty space, debris, air, etc. between the print and the blank can interfere with the transfer process.
The more you do it, the better you will get. And you might as well get a box out and label it “DUDS”, because you will have them! It’s all part of the process.
Sublimation blanks are typically white and the images will show up the best on white sublimation blanks because sublimation ink is transparent. The tumbler on the left side is a Holographic Glitter Sublimation Tumbler and you can see how the colors are a bit different than the other 3 white sublimation tumblers.
I love how they all turned out! The hardest part is getting good photos of a round object. Since it is a tumbler wrap, you cannot see the entire image in a photo. Make sure to check out the unboxing video below for some full 360° views of the finished tumblers.
Since I do not sell products, I don’t print as often as some who do daily sublimation projects. I was going several weeks without printing and was having a few issues. Sublimation ink is a different composition than regular inks, however, even with a regular inkjet printer, if it goes unused for some time, it can have issues and need maintenance.
After doing some maintenance to get my Epson F170 printing well again, I decided to try to make weekly prints, whether I have a project ready to press or not. A page printed weekly is less cost in maintenance than having to do multiple maintenance cycles.
Here is a look at one of the weekly test sheets I printed out a few weeks back.
I had no real plan for the projects, just opened up my Creative Fabrica folder in my saved designs and started looking for designs that I might like to add to a future projects, such as a coffee mug. On the left side in the photo above, you can see the template shapes I drew out to size some of them. While I didn’t have a specific plan, I was thinking 3″ coasters, 11 oz., and 15 oz. coffee mugs might be a possibility.
Sublimation prints can be printed and sit for some time as long as they are in a temperature controlled environment and not subjected to moisture that would affect the paper or ink.
I love my new Sunset Turtle Coffee Mug! So bright and colorful!
And the whole reason I swapped out the tumbler attachment for the mug attachment was to press a design I created for an upcoming event. The swap between attachments was so easy! 8 screws out, switch the tumbler attachment for the mug attachment, and 8 screws in. Don’t forget to plug the new attachment into the power box on the Craft Pro Mug & Tumbler Press or it won’t heat up. Seriously, these things happen to us all!
Here is a look at the entire reason for kicking my butt into gear to get this blog post and unboxing video done. Check out the Upcoming Events page HERE or sign up to be notified by email when a new event opens for registration HERE.
Since these designs are not full wraps, they do not need taped completely around the surface. I cleaned the sublimation coffee mugs, let them dry, then placed the sublimation print where I wanted it and secured the design with heat tape around the edges. You do want to get it tight against the mug so no air gets between the paper and mug.
Coffee mugs can be tricky near the handles. Again this just takes practice and depends on the blank itself. Make sure to secure the print as best you can for the best results.
And HAVE FUN creating!
A few of these tumblers have already found their way to friends and family as gifts and I have a couple tumblers and mugs for myself too!
Check out the unboxing video and a 360° view of the finished tumblers below.
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THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Ready to take your Silhouette skills to the next level? In this step-by-step video tutorial, you’ll learn exactly how to create custom sketch designs in Silhouette Studio—perfect for sketch pens, foiling, sublimation markers, and more! Whether you’re personalizing cards, creating decorative outlines, or adding hand-drawn touches to your projects, this tutorial will show you how to design from scratch and prepare your file for sketching.
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This year I took a watercolor class from artist Tracey Weinzapfel and I’ve been creating all kinds of projects with the ideas from class. When I started designing a class for the Sublimation & Beyond Camp 2025, I wanted to see if I could recreate my designs in the Silhouette Software.
I had so much fun in the design process of these custom sketch designs and just kept on creating flower designs just to see if they would turn out.
I used the sketch designs to create sublimation coasters using the Artesprix sublimation markers. Since the class would be viewed by a variety of cutting machine owners, I designed in Silhouette Studio and then saved the file as a SVG.
Here is the supply list for the sublimation coasters in case you want to create too!
Watch the video belowand follow along as we unlock the creative power of sketching with your Silhouette machine! Can you spot my mistake I made in the video?
What custom sketch designs will you create? Let us know in the comments below.
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THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Did you miss this video tutorial? Don’t worry — I’ve got you covered! In this step-by-step tutorial from the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel, I walk you through exactly how to create a layered stencil design in Silhouette Studio. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to level up your stencil projects, this video will show you how to break a design into layers, align them perfectly, and prep each one for cutting. Layered stencils are perfect for multi-color painting, mixed media, and more — and with these tips, you’ll be designing your own in no time! Watch the full video and start crafting with confidence.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
What would you use stencils for? Let us know in the comments below.
Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.
Enjoy !
THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Looking for a fast and easy way to jump into designing with Silhouette Studio? In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a custom design in under 1 minute! Whether you are brand new to Silhouette or just short on time, this step-by-step guide is perfect for beginners and seasoned crafters alike. From shape tools to compound paths, you’ll learn how to make a project-ready design in no time—ideal for faux leather, fabric, vinyl, HTV, paper crafts, and more. Let’s get designing in 60 seconds or less!
Quick Design in Silhouette Studio
Open Silhouette Studio and grab the teardrop shape from the Flexishapes menu on the left side of Silhouette Studio.
Left click on the design mat and drag down to create the teardrop shape to create approximately a 2″ tall shape. It does not have to be perfect. Then right click and choose Convert to Path.
With the tear drop selected, in the top QAT (Quick Access Toolbar), highlight the numbers in the H box and change it to 2″. Press Enter.
Double click on the tear drop shape to activate the Edit Points. Click on the edit point at the top of the tear drop and 2 blue nodes will appear.
Grab the blue node on the left and drag it out so it is even with the red cut line on the left side.
Grab the blue node on the right side and move it to the right so it’s even with the red cut line.
Ta-da! Ok. It probably took longer than a minute to read the steps and follow them, but you can do this again and could design this shape in less than a minute. But you don’t have to! It’s not a speed test.
If you want to create the hole for the top of the earrings. Grab the Draw Ellipse tool on the left side, hold the Shift key down to draw a perfect circle. Let the mouse button go before you let the Shift key up and you will have a perfect circle. Decide what size you would like and adjust as needed. Place the circle at the top, select both the circle and the tear drop and Align Center.
With both the circle and the tear drop selected, right click and choose Make Compound Path. Fill the design with color and you will see the hole is “punched out” of the tear drop shape.
Quick Video of Designing in Silhouette Studio
Check out this quick video below showing these steps in less than 1 minute.
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Enjoy !
THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Looking for a creative way to level up your handmade jewelry packaging? In this DIY tutorial, I’ll show you how to create custom earring cards using Silhouette Sketching and vibrant Sakura Gelly Roll pens. These unique earring display cards not only showcase your earrings beautifully but also add a professional, artistic touch to your small business or handmade gifts. Using Silhouette Studio software and your Silhouette cutting machine, you can sketch intricate designs, logos, or text with ease. Whether you’re selling on Etsy, prepping for a craft fair, or making gifts for friends, these handmade earring cards are the perfect finishing touch!
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Have you ever made custom earring cards with Silhouette? How about sketched with your Silhouette machine? Why not combine the two and create custom earring cards? I created the projects shown in this post to send with a gift to a friend.
Customize your designs for your specific project, a gift, or just because!
Keep in mind the software and machines are designed as cutting machines, so the red “cut” lines on the screen are exactly how a sketch pen will sketch out. It will sketch the outer lines of a “cut” file. If a design or font is not filled in, the sketch pen will not magically fill things in unless it’s told to.
If you want a design or font to be filled in by a pen, you can use the Sketch Panel/Line Effects Panel to add a fill. Keep in mind that the sketch fill pattern will affect the time to sketch the design. When a design or font is filled in with a small sketch fill pattern, that pen is going over and over an area just like if you were filling in a design or font by hand with a pen. That can mean that it cements the paper to the cutting mat, so be careful removing the materials from the mat.
Sketch designs, fonts, or single line fonts can work better for sketching without having to do much to alter the designs.
However, not all sketch designs or fonts are truly designed for sketching. The file name may simply include sketch, so it’s always good to click on the Send tab and take a closer look to see where the pen may travel to get an idea of what it will turn out like.
Install the pen in the Silhouette machine and test.
The Silhouette pen holders allow for a wide variety of pens to be used in the machines. The installation process is the same no matter if using the Silhouette Type A, Type B, or Type C Pen Holders. Find the collar that fits the best for the size pen you are using and make sure it’s secure.
Did you know that the cap on the Silhouette pen holder has a purpose? Keep the cap! Place the cap on the pen holder when you install the pen and when the tip of the pen touches the cap, that is your pen depth. This should work for most pen types and all Silhouette pen holders.
If needed, you can also use a popsicle or craft stick placed underneath the pen tip when you insert the pen holder in the machine. This will show you if the pen is too far down in the adapter or installed at the correct height. Pens installed too low in the adapter have a greater chance of drawing drag marks.
Silhouette Cameo 3 with Type A Pen Holder
If the pen is too low, simply remove it and lift it up in the pen holder a bit before tightening the collars. Proper setup and testing will save you frustration and drag lines across your project.
If you are working on a project with specific materials such as envelopes, etc. Test on cardstock first to save your more expensive materials.
Sketching a Designwith Silhouette
If sketching and cutting a project, set up the design to Cut by Line Color. I use red lines for the cut lines and blue lines for sketch lines.
I recommend sketching first and then cutting, so there is less chance that the design will move. Do NOT unload the cutting mat after the design has sketched.
Uncheck the sketch lines and check the box next to the cut color, install a blade, and send the job to cut.
Add you earrings and you have DIY custom earrings cards that can be used as gifts and more!
Just get started! Set it up to sketch and just start selecting designs and sketching. It is so much fun to just play around with it, even if you do not have a specific project or purpose in mind. Grab some cardstock and set up the machine to sketch and just play!
Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.
Enjoy !
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Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
Welcome to this edition of Crafting Creativity, featuring the bold and beautiful abstract floral designs by Clikchic Designs! These eye-catching patterns are the centerpiece of a wide range of creative projects that highlight the versatility of digital designs. From a custom shaker card and sketch-style greeting cards to shrink plastic tool charms, bracelet charms, earrings, wine charms, and a personalized chalkboard sign—these florals bring a fresh and modern flair to every creation. You’ll also see them used in card backgrounds and oversized tags, offering endless possibilities for crafters of all kinds. Get ready to be inspired by how one design collection can do so much!
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Crafting Creativity with Clikchic Abstract Florals
Project #1 – Custom Shaker Card
I set this up to print on a 12″ x 12″ sheet of cardstock. The only thing that did not fit on one sheet was the frame. It could easily be cut using letter size cardstock too.
I added a bit of sparkle on top of the flowers with a shimmer pen and love it. The hardest part is getting that to show up well on photos.
My mom loved it!
Don’t forget to add your shaker bits before you adhere the acetate & frame down. I got excited and forgot, so I had to peel up a corner and add them in. Nothing like making a project harder than it needs to be.
I drew out 2 rectangles and applied different Sketch Effects to them to create the sketched squares, then added a sketch sentiment around the outer edge of the border using a font called Flannel Shirt Sketch.
I then added some foam tape on the back of the Abstract Floral designs and added those to the center of the sketched frame to give it some dimension.
Next, I sketched a couple more with a premade frame called Dot Frame Sketched.
I think this one is my favorite of them all, but I think I’m drawn to this pink flower for some reason.
They are all gorgeous when paired with the Abstract Floral designs by Clikchic Designs.
I added the random dots around the edge of the square frames by hand after the card was sketched. I could have set it up in the software and had the machine do it perfectly, but it might have also smooshed the tip of my pen. This gives each card a randomness to it as well and makes it unique.
I used the default settings in the Silhouette Studio software to start with. Here is a look at the Send tab when I sent this page to cut.
Larger shrink plastic designs can be interesting when they shrink and you just have to keep going to get them to flatten out. Sometimes, they will also not be a uniform shape at the end. I think that adds to their uniqueness and can be fun to see what happens.
Custom tool charms are a great way to mark your scissors either for a specific purpose or to identify them when you go craft with friends. They are also handy to help you locate them on your craft table if they like to hide in a “safe” place often.
Any type of plastic will dull the blade quicker than other materials, so it is not uncommon to have to increase the settings the more you cut.
There are several brands of shrink plastic out there and they can all be a bit different. I cut both Silhouette Shrink Plastic and Grafix Shrink Plastic during this process. I was using an older blade and I think it’s about done for now. It was having a hard time cutting through the Grafix Shrink Plastic in clear.
Test cuts are really the only way to know what is going to work with your blade and materials.
Two “secrets” of mine are:
I’ll take a blade that isn’t cutting other materials such as cardstock or HTV well and move it to my shrink plastic blade. I get a bit more life out of my blades this way.
Do not unload the cutting mat after the cut and check it first. If it did not cut through, you can increase the settings and send it again until it does cut.
I started by measuring out the size of this chalkboard sign and then drew a rectangle the same size in Silhouette Studio. Then I just started adding the abstract floral designs and moving them around to create a floral frame.
Did you know that vinyl goes bad? Yep! I started this project using Silhouette Printable Vinyl, which I love for the print quality. However, it must have been an old package because it would not weed properly and was separating. I ended up using Orajet 1917 that I’ve had in my craft stash for many, many years and it cut beautifully.
There is a shelf life for vinyl and other craft products such as pens, paint, string, inks, tape, etc.
What is the lifespan of vinyl? Well, there really isn’t an exact date or time as you never really know how long it’s sat on a retailers shelf or the manufacturer’s shelf, etc. And other factors play into it as well, such as temperature, humidity, etc. You will see many mention 2 years when stored properly. But, you never really know how it was treated before you bought it. I have some vinyl that I still try to cut even though I know it’s like 7 years old. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
How can you tell if it’s gone bad?
The 2 most obvious signs I have found is that it can separate when you try to weed it and it’s a bugger to work with no matter your troubleshooting or cut settings. These 2 things can present themselves by the adhesive can visibly be separating from the actual vinyl or the vinyl will not easily come off the backing paper.
Usually I try to push through and I always end up kicking myself for working so hard to try to salvage it.
However, the final way I know the vinyl has gone bad is when I get a new good piece and it weeds so smoothly. And that’s when I end up kicking myself.
For this project, I lost a few letters of the text in the middle, so I just ended up cutting the text from a scrap of Oracal 651 in white and adding that on to the project. A great use of scraps!
When I do a print and cut page, I will fill the page with extra designs and this month I had a good bunch of the florals left over to create with. So I set about brainstorming what I could do with the left overs.
I was browsing Pinterest and found an idea where they created custom backgrounds with a stencil and inks. Why not do that with a stencil design & digital patterns?
Here is a look at the first ones I created.
The next set, I started playing around with the orientation and mixed it up a bit.
I had so much fun playing around and creating backgrounds with different pattern papers.
Whether you need a design 2″ or 6″, you can do it with your cutting machine. You can create things whatever size you want.
These tags are 3.5″ wide and 6.125″ tall. I used the Project Wizard in Silhouette Studio to create the basic tag design and cut from 110 lb Neenah cardstock.
I used up the last 2 flowers and bits of greenery I had printed on cardstock and combined that with a patterned paper I designed and printed when I shared the tutorial on Creating Custom Background Patterns in Silhouette.
Follow Clikchic Designs for more inspiration on her website, Facebook, and Instagram. I love watching the videos of how the designs are created. I love how she takes something that she has physically painted and turns it into a digital file so we can all enjoy and create with her amazing artwork!
From handmade cards to custom jewelry and home décor, the possibilities with these abstract floral designs by Clikchic Designs are truly endless. Each project in this Crafting Creativity edition showcases how one digital collection can be transformed into a wide variety of unique creations. Whether you’re crafting with paper, shrink plastic, or chalkboard materials, these versatile florals add a bold, artistic touch to every piece. We hope you’re inspired to explore new techniques and think outside the box with your next project.
Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.
Enjoy !
THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
If you’ve ever created a design in Silhouette Studio and wanted to use it outside the software—whether for DTF (Direct to Film) printing, sublimation, print-and-cut, or any high-quality print project—this guide is for you! With just a few simple steps, you can save your design as a transparent PNG file directly from Silhouette Studio. This method is perfect for uploading to services like Siser®’s Easy® Transfers for vibrant, press-ready DTF prints, but it’s also a great option for any project that needs a clean, high-resolution image. In the video below, I’ll walk you through how to export your design as a PNG and show you exactly how to upload it to the Siser Easy Transfers site to order custom DTF transfers—plus, you’ll get tips to ensure your file is properly formatted for print success. You’ll also find written step-by-step instructions below the video in this post to make it even easier to follow along.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
In the video linked above, I show how I created the design featured. I am going to skip right to the steps of saving as a PNG from Silhouette Studio Business Edition. If you would like to see how I create the design, check it out in the video HERE.
When creating your own designs, make sure you are starting with high resolution images. Photos and digital files that are 72 dpi are designed for internet quality images and you want 300 dpi for print quality.
Note: if you are on a MAC, the screenshots below may look a bit different as I am using a Windows computer, however, the process is the same.
Select all parts of the design to be saved. This can be done by left clicking and dragging across the entire design to “rubber band” select everything the mouse moves across.
In the top left corner of Silhouette Studio, select File > Save Selection > Save to Hard Drive.
Using this method will save the design at the size created and not the entire art board. I explain and show a demonstration of why I recommend this method in the video tutorial HERE.
Choose the location you want the file to be saved, name the file, and change the Save as type at the bottom to PNG (or whatever other file type you’d like to save as).
Silhouette has a default DPI (Dots per inch), this is NOT print quality. Highlight the number and change it to 300, then press the Enter key. You will notice that the Pixels for both Width and Height increase. Pixel size is directly related to DPI.
Check the box next to Transparent background if you want a transparent background.
PNG and JPEG files are rectangle shaped files. If a PNG was not designed with a transparent background, it will show as a white rectangle behind the design. JPEG files do not have transparent backgrounds.
The maximum pixel size that can be saved for either width or height in Silhouette Studio is 10,000 pixels.
Make sure to press Enter after changing the DPI or the change will not take effect.
Click the Save button to save the file as a PNG.
Check the file in the saved location to make sure it saved as you want. On a Windows computer, in the Windows folder, move the mouse over the image and it will tell you the pixel size.
To change how you view files in the Windows Folder, select View at the top and select how you want to see those files in the folder.
When using those steps, the design should be saved at 300 DPI from Silhouette Studio.
Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.
Enjoy !
THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee. Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.
Silhouette Classes
Never stop learning! Let me help you take the anxiety out of learning with Silhouette and get to creating faster! My Silhouette classes are heavily focused on software, so you can take the skills & techniques taught and apply them to many future projects!
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.
THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click the link to buy a coffee. Every little bit helps in the cost of running the site.
