Today I’m sharing a card design where I combined a stamp from Emerald Creek and used it with an easel card cut file from Lori Whitlock. I cut all of the pieces for the easel card and then added special touches to it with stamping, watercolors, and a little bit of sketching with a pen. One easel card cut file can be used to create so many different kinds of cards. Or scale the card file up and use it as home decor too!
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Rather than keep the base of the card plain white, I chose to use the same flower stamp and stamp a few more along the bottom edge. I first stamped onto a sticky note and then cut around the stamped image to use it as a mask over top of the center flower, so the side flowers look like they are behind the middle image.
Then I used a small Thank You stamp from Emerald Creek on the sentiment cut piece and then did a little bit of pen work around the edges to make it stand out. It is matted onto the same background paper as the top card piece and then popped up with foam tape. This little piece gives the card the support to create the easel part.
Change it up with different flowers or focal designs and mix and match sentiments. One card cut file can open up a world of possibilities.
It is great to have the option to be able to print and cut sentiments, but often times if I’m only making up a card or two, I know it will take me longer to find more designs to fill the page. Having a few key sentiment stamps can be very handy to finish up the card quickly.
This easel card style is one that you could easily have all the pieces cut and customize it as needed whenever you need a quick card to send out too!
The original file has holes around the scalloped edges, and I didn’t want those for this design. It was an easy modification to do by selecting the scallop piece, right clicking on it, and choosing release compound path. It may also need to be ungrouped too. Then I could move the large scallop piece away and deleted the small circles.
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Enjoy !
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**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.
Have you ever made a hybrid card before? If you have made a card, you probably have but didn’t even think about it when you did. It is a card combining digital and physical elements in the creation. I am on the Emerald Creek Design Team the June theme was “Tiny joy, simple things.” I’m sharing the details of this card creation below including a supply list for the materials used in the creation.
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Creating the Hybrid Dream Card
First, I started with the Dreams Live Here PNG by Pam Bray and brought it into Silhouette. I only wanted to use the Dream part of it, so I used the knife to cut the design apart. Then repeated the pattern to fill the size I wanted for my card front. I did play around with a couple different layouts with this as you can see in the photo below.
While I could use the Silhouette machine to cut around the design and even set it up as a print and cut, it is sometimes easier just to use a paper trimmer, especially when it’s straight lines.
Next, I used a stencil that I cut with my Silhouette from a mixed media design by Sarah Hurley in a recent Crafting Creativity project, and drew in the stencil with embossing pens.
Then added the Magical Mysteries Kiss of the Fairy Emerald Creek embossing powder and heated that up to melt the embossing powder onto the Dream background. Next, I cut a larger background from the Lemoncello Paper by Pam Bray for the card base and inked the edges of it.
And then adhered the Dream background on top of the blue background.
Then I adhered the Dream background onto the card base and then used foam tape to adhere the matted flowers to the bottom right. For a bit of dimension, I added some pink twine behind the flowers before securing it down. Then I cut just the word Dream from the other pattern I had printed and matted it on black cardstock. I used foam tape on the left side to keep it even with the flower elements.
And the final step was to add 3 clear rhinestones in the top left of the card.
Here are some close up looks at the finished Dream card.
The embossing powder is so cool when it reflects the light.
I love how this card turned out combining digital elements with physical stamping, watercoloring, and inking.
I hope this post on the hybrid card I created gives you some ideas of what you could create. See what supplies you have on hand and what you can combine to create a unique card, tag, mixed media creation and more!
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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.
When you hear “mixed media” do you instantly think of physical elements only? Or do you think of digital designs as well? In this issue of Crafting Creativity I’m sharing several projects created using Mixed Media Designs by Sarah Hurley. Whether you make the same projects or not, I hope it unlocks some inspiration and thoughts stirring around on what you can use designs for. The Crafting Creativity series is designed to spark interest and ideas on what you can create using one design file or a style of designs such as these mixed media designs.
Often times I think users get a cut file and think of only one possible project for it and then it might sit in our digital resources forever and not be used again. But, there is so much more that can be created with just one design. For more inspiration and ideas, check out the Crafting Creativity series HERE.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Crafting Creativity with Sarah Hurley Mixed Media Designs
Project #1 – Easy Shaker Cardswith Mixed Media Designs
Shaker cards can be very simple to make and assemble. It’s all about layers and creating a “pocket” to hold the shaker bits in place.
I used some glitter cardstock hearts that I’ve kept in a little baggie from when I was testing the Silhouette Electrostatic Mat cutting glitter cardstock. They have just been waiting for the right project.
I wanted to see how the design would look in 2 ways – with the mixed media design on top and as the background.
Here is a closer look at the design with the mixed media layer on top of the shaker bits.
And a close up look at the design with the mixed media layer as a background behind the shaker bits.
Watch the video tutorial below on how I created these designs.
This was such a random idea that popped into my head and I decided to try it and see what happened. I love how it turned out!
In the Silhouette software, I released the compound path and deleted some of the bits in the middle to make it a little more successful in cutting and create a larger space for the design in the middle. Then selected the entire mixed media design and made a compound path again.
Here is a look at the design before I saved as a svg to send to my Glowforge.
I still need to finish this out and I’m not sure if I’ll add stain or just a protective sealer to it.
I then scaled the design down a bit and made a business sign too.
Use mixed media designs to create unique stencils that can be used for many different purposes.
This project uses the mixed media files in 3 different ways
as stencils
as physical elements cut
as digital backgrounds
This project came together layer by layer. A collage of different mediums and materials. I love how it has turned out so far. I am not sure it’s completely finished, but I’m sure it will tell me one of these days.
Here is a close up look at some of the layered details on this canvas collage showing 3 different methods of using the mixed media designs.
I also used the stencils in a mixed media journal to practice with before adding to my canvas. My first attempt on the canvas the paint was a bit watery and ran under the stencil, so I set that aside and practiced a bit in the journal.
Use the mixed media designs and cut the design from cardstock or other materials to create a physical element. Layer and add this to the canvas for even more uniqueness and interest.
Add a digital pattern to the mixed media design, print it out, and cut out in a shape to add another layer to the canvas.
Mixed media designs have so much potential on what they can be used for and in this case I layered the different elements and just kept building the canvas project.
I created a couple different shirt designs using the mixed media designs and then cut out of HTV. The first one is cut from Siser Tiger Lily Puff Metallic HTV and another one of my favorites. I made one similar to this last year and it still looks great!
Next, I swapped out the Metallic Puff HTV and used a pattern HTV that’s in my stash along with a Siser Glitter Puff HTV. Although the glitter puff didn’t really puff up that much, it still looks great on the shirt.
And one more creation. I’m not sure how I feel about this color combination, but I think it’s growing on me. I used Siser Glitter Puff HTV in orange and it didn’t puff up much either, but still looks great on the shirt.
All of these shirts were created using the same techniques of an offset of the text and subtracting the offset from the mixed media design.
Each year for Creativation I’ve made ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and pass these out to others at the show. I used 2 of the mixed media designs on the background of the ATCs. These techniques could be applied to many other projects such as cards, bookmarks, stickers, etc.
Watch the step-by-step tutorial on creating these ATC (Artist Trading Cards) below.
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One design can be used in so many different ways. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, tips, and creative project ideas, be sure to browse the Crafting Creativitysection on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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.
Brilliant Living is a gorgeous digital kit by Nitwit Collections and I was thrilled to collaborate with them for the March 2026 Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter. Newsletter subscribers had the chance to grab the Brilliant Living Knick Knack kit for free exclusive to them in March. Throughout the month I created several different projects using the kit to show it’s versatility from layered cards to tags and even sublimation projects too! Find all the details below.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Crafting Creativity with Nitwit Collections– Brilliant LivingDigital Kit
This card has 4 layers of the elements stacked on top of each other with foam tape to give it dimension.
Here is a look at the print and cut page printed out ready to cut around each of the layers.
There are so many options with a digital kit and you can mix and match, add more layers, decrease the layers, or only print one layer for a project as well.
If you are mailing the card, you may need to keep the thickness of the layers in mind when creating it.
So for the next cards, I stacked elements together and then was able to print 2 card fronts on one sheet of paper. Each of these designs have different elements that can be layered together.
Here is a look at the final results from this printed page.
The card on the left side only has the “for you” and the “ladybug layered”, while the card on the right has the “wishes, for you, and the ladybug layered”.
There were a couple intricate areas that may not cut well for all users. I was able to get these ladybugs with their antennae’s to cut, but had to be extremely careful removing them off the cutting mat. However the butterfly antennae’s were just too delicate, which is another reason you may want to add that layer directly to the card background instead of trying to add it as a 3-D layer. But you never know until you try. The Silhouette machine might amaze you in the cut it can get.
Project #2 –Layered Tag Designswith Brilliant Living Digital Kit
Being able to create your own designs means that you can make them any size you want and create as many as you need in the moment. I started with the idea to create only 2 tags, but it ended up being 4 complete designs.
I used 2 sheets of paper to print and created 1 layered tag and one simple print and cut tag on each sheet.
Here is a look at one of the layered tags using the foam tape to pop up the dimension.
The great part about creating your own tags is there are no rules. Flower hangs off the edge, no problem! Want the design to be flush on the edges – no problem! Or mix and match. And using a digital kit allows you to mock it up first in the Silhouette software before you even cut the elements out.
Project #4 –Sublimation Projects with Brilliant Living Digital Kit
Digital designs worked perfectly for sublimation projects! I created 4 sublimation project designs on 1 sheet of sublimation paper.
I made a decorative panel, cover for a compact mirror case, a bookmark, and a coaster.
The colors are so bright and brilliant with these projects, except the center of the coaster turned out a bit washed out. This can happen with hardboard at times and moisture affecting the outcome.
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Did this spark some new creative ideas for you? It’s always inspiring to see how a single flower and greenery design can bloom into so many completely different projects! I had so much fun reimagining this one design across five unique creations and showing just how versatile a single file can be. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, tips, and creative project ideas, be sure to browse the Crafting Creativitysection on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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.
What can you do with one cut file? A lot. Each month I work with a featured designer in the Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter who provides a file for subscribers, and I share new projects each week during the month with that file. I typically start with the original file, add my own touches to it and then I create additional projects to show the versatility that one file can have. The Carrot Balloon Bunny Card by Studio Ilustrado is a perfect example. In this blog post I’m sharing 5 different design ideas that can be made with a Carrot Balloon Bunny Card design.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Crafting Creativity with Studio Ilustrado
One file, endless possibilities.
Project #1 –Bunny Carrot Balloon Card
I started out creating the design as originally intended by making the card and adding my own special touches with inking, paper shaping, and foam tape.
I had the Silhouette Curio 2 out from testing with the Silhouette Leather Carving Knife, so it was the machine I used to cut this card. Almost all the pieces were cut out using scraps from my stash. I love being able to use my scraps!
Look at these tiny details!
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it would cut well with the electrostatic mat on the Curio 2, but it did! Especially using a scrap piece of cardstock with the Silhouette Electrostatic Mat.
Sometimes we all just need a little bit of help and taping down the cardstock scraps on the Electrostatic Mat can be that help. It just added a little bit more security to hold my scraps in place and get a successful cut with the Electrostatic Mat. I love this new technology that Silhouette has. While it does not work with all materials, it has saved me hours of time cutting cardstock.
While I used the Silhouette Curio 2 to cut the projects, any Silhouette machine could be used to create these projects.
The bunny made the perfect peeking addition to this gable box card. Don’t let the name of a design fool you either. The title of the box is called Christmas Gable Box by Studio Ilustrado, but it can be used for so much more!
Now here is one of my “secrets” – while the Silhouette machines can cut acetate for the window of this box card, I can cut it faster and with less headache.
I cut the window shape from a piece of cardstock using the Silhouette machine and then used it as a template to make a few quick snips with scissors and I was on my way to assembly. It doesn’t have to be perfect since it will be hidden inside the box. And I saved myself time, headache, and didn’t dull my blade.
However, if cutting multiples or a different design than a rectangle, it may be beneficial to set up the machine to cut acetate when needed. It’s great to have options.
I used my laser to cut this out of wood, but you could also use other materials such as cardstock too! Even though I have a laser machine, I started with a 12 inch wood round blank, which you could use as your backing board too.
I used the SVG file, opened it in Silhouette and made a few modifications to the file to be able to create the layers for cutting on wood. Since the wood has more thickness to it than a material such as cardstock, I had to add a layer behind the bunny and cut multiples to make it sit flush with the sign and balloon basket. The knife tool in Silhouette helped me to cut the bunny’s little feet off so it would sit flush on the balloon for this design. That sounds so bad when I type it out, but if you have designed in Silhouette, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
As I was designing and cutting the first sign, another idea popped into my head too! Have you seen the door corner designs?
I drew out a skinny rectangle, made a copy and rotated it 90 degrees. Aligned the right edges and welded it together to make the corner. Then sized the bunny and welded the bunny background to the rectangles to sit on top. Next, I added letters down the right side. Before welding the letters, I made a copy so I could cut them out and layer on top for color and dimension.
Before you go to cut the design, make sure it’s all flush. I forgot to cut the bunny’s feet with the knife tool, but I didn’t realize it until after he was all cut out, so he sits a little bit higher on the top of the door. In this case, it wasn’t worth recutting the design simply because you can’t really tell on our door frame.
I love these little door corner designs, even if we only have a few door frames that I can add them to in our house because the previous owner used the wrong trim to frame out the doors or the frame is too close to the wall. It is a fun way to add a bit of decoration without putting another hole in the wall.
I used the Silhouette Curio 2 to sketch this design using the electrostatic mat because that was the machine on my desk this week, but sketching can be done with any Silhouette machine model.
The clay pot was drawn in Silhouette Studio using basic shapes and adjusting the bottom edit points on a rectangle too!
Unlock your creativity by learning more about Silhouette. You never know where it will take you! Even making cards with carrots.
A great big thank you to Studio Ilustrado for contributing the free file for the Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter for the month of February! If you missed grabbing the free design in February, grab it HERE and start creating!
This year I started offering a free file each month for Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter subscribers. I love designing in the Silhouette Studio software and have shared some of my creations as well as look forward to collaborating with more artists in the future too!
Silhouette Secrets+ Newsletter
Never miss out on the news, tips, “secrets”, deals, classes, and more that I share on Silhouette Secrets+. Sign up for the newsletter and get information delivered to your inbox every Friday. Unsubscribe at anytime.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter HERE to have information delivered direct to your inbox and grab each month’s new freebie.
Did this spark some new creative ideas for you? It’s always inspiring to see how a single design can be used in completely different projects! I had so much fun reimagining this one design across five unique creations and showing just how versatile a single file can be. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, tips, and creative project ideas, be sure to browse the Crafting Creativitysection on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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.
Creativity truly blooms when you learn how to stretch a single design into multiple handmade projects. In this Crafting Creativity blog post, I’m sharing how one flower design by Flavir Design can be transformed into five stunning Silhouette flower projects using a cutting machine and paper crafting techniques. From a layered paper flower bouquet and custom greeting cards to a paper flower box topper, custom bookmarks with patterned backgrounds, and even miniature flowers, this project series is all about getting more value, versatility, and inspiration from one cut file. If you love Silhouette crafting, paper flowers, and creative ways to maximize your digital designs, this post will spark new ideas for your next crafting session.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Crafting Creativity Flowers & Greenery by Flavir Design
Daniela Moscone is the creative artist behind Flavir Designs and can be found in the Silhouette Design Store or on their website HERE. Make sure to check out their YouTube channel HERE for assembly videos too!
Project #1 –Flower Bouquet
I typically start out each month creating the file in the way it is shown. I decided at the last minute to take the pieces and add them to wire to create a bouquet to add to a vase. The best part about this is, if I change my mind, I can easily clip off the wires and add it to a wreath as the original image.
I love all the layers of these flowers and you can change it up however you want. And, with flowers, there is no wrong way because flowers are not perfect in nature, so if one petal has a chunk out of it, perfect! A bug took a bite. When was the last time you saw a flower in nature that didn’t have an imperfection?
I grabbed some Bazzill smooth cardstock to cut these bright colored flowers. Now, typically I’ve shied away from thicker cardstock like Bazzill and in some cases, Bazzill can be difficult to cut. I knew my blade and my cutting mat were on the older side, so I increase my settings just a bit and then used 3 passes and I had perfect, crisp cuts.
Since my mat is older and starting to lose it’s stick, I did secure it down really well with a squeegee. Or you can use a brayer. I was lazy and didn’t go grab it in the other room. Now, if the paper had started to shift, I would have gotten up and gotten the brayer or grabbed a new cutting mat.
I sponged on color to the flowers and the leaves and then shaped them before assembling all together. It can make a big difference in the final results of the project with just a few simple touches.
This project started out totally different than a card design. I love it and it’s a good thing I can create more otherwise it might never leave my studio.
I was playing around with a Two-Tone Metallic Spray – Fuchsia & Gold by Hero Arts and now I feel like using it on all my projects. Everything needs to be bright pink with gold flecks right! Well, maybe not everything. Hero Arts has other colors too!
The idea started out with spraying the flower layers to add coloring to the solid pink cardstock. I sprayed it on top of my Glassboard mat and then used a sheet of mixed media paper and picked up excess ink to create a background paper that I cut up for the bottom half of the card. The Glassboard mat is so easy to clean up that I find myself working with more mixed media and messy things.
The flowers and greenery were scaled down to fit this 4.25″ x 5.5″ card design. I added a few splatters of the Two-Tone Metallic Spray – Fuchsia & Gold to the card base. Instead of spraying it on, I took the cap off and splattered it to give it a different look.
I used a paper curling tool to give the flower layers dimension and next reached for my shaping kit to hand embossed the greenery to add more texture to it too. After that I curled the leaves a bit with a curling tool too. Then grabbed an extra Happy Birthday sentiment from a previous project and popped that up with some foam tape. For this card, I also used 2 other adhesives – an adhesive tape runner for the large piece adhered to the bottom of the card base and the Precision Glue Press with the glue it came with to adhere the flower layers together, the greenery to the card, and the flower on top.
I added some gold shimmer trim that is adhesive backed in the middle of the card base. Unfortunately, this is a Close to My Heart product that is no longer made, but I’m using my stash.
Add flowers on top of a box to create a unique gift box or decoration. I used both flower shapes in the flower design to create these box toppers.
This box is originally designed with a cherry flower top, but why stop there! Swap out the flowers and watch it change the look of this Silhouette flower project.
This box is a unique design and easy to put together too! But if needed, there is an assembly video too – find that HERE.
I used several patterns and printed my own pattern paper for the boxes.
For this one, I didn’t even use the registration marks to print it. I added an offset of the box only and then filled the offset design with the pattern. Using a Silhouette mat and loading the mat next to the load line, I sent it to cut. With the manual print bleed, even if it was off by just a little bit, you won’t be able to notice.
I don’t recommend this method if you are needing completely accurate cuts, but it can work for some designs and projects such as this one.
By adding the print bleed around the entire design, I gave myself a better chance that it wouldn’t matter if the cut was off by a little bit.
3-D Flower file as a background pattern – say what! Yes! I took the flower and a leaf design and added a pattern fill to both, then used it as a background to create bookmarks.
Here is a look at the file in Silhouette. I set up the bottom 2 bookmarks to use foil on, even though it looks the same in the software as the print and cut, the bottom 2 have a sketch fill added to them, so when I go to print, it is not going to print that design.
I will say, it is much faster to just simply print and cut a design. Foiling does add setup and completion time, but sometimes it can be so worth it!
However, any time you add another factor into a project, you also increase the chances of something going wrong. I should have known better and either test foiled or not trusted Silhouette settings. In this version of Silhouette Studio 5 that I am using, it does not have a material preset for foiling on cardstock, so I had to add that in. And then the preset for force is 15 set by Silhouette. We have told them many, many times that it is too much and I should have decreased it even more. I changed it down to a 10 and that was still too much.
I just let it finish – it was ruined anyhow. If this happens to you – you are perfectly normal. Well, at least we are in the same boat together – I’m not sure I’d say I’m “normal”. LOL!
Let’s just say – HOT MESS!
But, don’t give up! I adjusted the force down to a 2, which is still probably too high and I sent the second design to foil.
Once the foiling was done, I added a holographic overlay sheet on top of the bookmarks and sent that to cut.
In the end, I have 5 new bookmarks created with the flower design from this month’s collaboration. And one design that’s got some blank foiled areas and extra glitter on it where it shouldn’t. But it could still be used as a bookmark.
These little pink flowers started out much bigger. I cut the flower shape from Silhouette Shrink plastic and then watched it transform under a heat gun. Instead of letting the shrink plastic flatten out, like you would with charms, I shaped them instead. Once they curled up, I stopped applying heat and pushed the end of the Silhouette spatula into the center to form the middle of the flower. Then I glued in a yellow bead. And the finishing touch was painting on Mod Podge Sparkle to give it a bit more fairy touch.
I wanted to maximize the space I could on using the Silhouette Shrink Plastic. Since I was cutting a flower shape out of the material and did not need accurate placement, I added a fill pattern to a 8.5″ x 11″ rectangle and centered that on the letter size media page. I used a Pastel Pink Bokeh Background pattern by Sarah Hurley – Design #469254 in my final print.
I then printed out the entire page. I checked the “Show Print Border” so that I knew where the edges of the print out would be on my printed page and I could then place the designs within that gray border.
Then I simply filled the page with different sizes of the flowers and cut out the shapes from the printed page. No registration marks needed.
I didn’t need the entire page of flowers, so I added in some hearts with another project in mind. Here is a look before adding heat to shrink them down.
I would recommend cutting extras of whatever you are working with and playing with the shrink plastic. It can be a bit unpredictable when you add that heat and take a few practice runs to get it to mold how you want.
This was actually the second sheet of flowers I had cut because I wasn’t quite thrilled with the first color pattern I’d chosen. I didn’t feel it was a bright enough pink for the project and the vision in my head.
A few tips for working with shrink plastic:
colors can change & darken as it shrinks – keep this in mind when choosing a pattern or color palette. The color gets condensed when it shrinks down. If you have dark colors, it can look black after shrinking.
any type of plastic can dull the blade quicker than other materials. The settings may need to be adjusted or a new blade needed the more you cut. It’s always a good idea to have an extra blade on hand.
carefully remove the shrink plastic from the backing layer after it’s cut. It can tear or break off during this process if handled too rough or if the design is too intricate.
Printing an entire page with a background can be an option for some projects. If you do need exact placement around a printed design, then I would recommend using registration marks so the machine knows where the design is.
A great big thank you to Daniela at Flavir Design for contributing the free file for the Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter for the month of January! If you missed grabbing the free design in January, grab it HERE and start creating!
This year I started offering a free file each month for Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter subscribers. I love designing in the Silhouette Studio software and have shared some of my creations as well as look forward to collaborating with more artists in the future too!
Silhouette Secrets+ Newsletter
Never miss out on the news, tips, “secrets”, deals, classes, and more that I share on Silhouette Secrets+. Sign up for the newsletter and get information delivered to your inbox every Friday. Unsubscribe at anytime.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter HERE to have information delivered direct to your inbox and grab each month’s new freebie.
Did this spark some new creative ideas for you? It’s always inspiring to see how a single flower and greenery design can bloom into so many completely different projects! I had so much fun reimagining this one design across five unique creations and showing just how versatile a single file can be. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, tips, and creative project ideas, be sure to browse the Crafting Creativitysection on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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.
Have you ever found a card template so versatile that it instantly becomes a go-to favorite? That’s exactly what happened when I started creating with the Accordion Filled Gatefold – Card Blank by Quietfire Designs. This beautiful, interactive card base is the perfect foundation for endless creativity—and in today’s Crafting Creativity feature, I’m sharing five completely different card designs, all made from this one stunning template.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
From a spooky Halloween card, to a warm and cheerful hello friends, to a vibrant bouquet of flowers, a playful Open If You Dare theme, and even a classic happy birthday design, this single cut file transformed effortlessly to fit every style. Each project highlights just how easy it is to take one card template and customize it for any season, celebration, or creative idea.
If you love stretching your Silhouette files and want inspiration for making more with what you already have, you’re going to love exploring the versatility of this Quietfire Designs favorite. Suzanne at Quietfire Designs has amazing designs and this is just one. I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can expand your supplies!
Each month in the Crafting Creativity series, I take one design file and explore just how many unique projects it can inspire. I love showing how a single cut file—like this month’s Accordion Filled Gatefold card template—can be transformed into cards for any theme or occasion. These posts are all about stretching your Silhouette skills, sparking fresh ideas, and proving that one thoughtfully designed file can open the door to endless creative possibilities. Whether you’re a longtime Silhouette user or brand new to cardmaking, Crafting Creativity is here to help you imagine, explore, and create with confidence!
Crafting Creativity with Accordion Filled Gatefold Card Blank
Suzanne at Quietfire Designs has amazing designs and this is just one of the card templates available in the Silhouette Design Store or check out the bundle of card templates HERE. Suzanne also has assembly videos on the Quietfire Designs YouTube channel too! It makes it so easy to assemble the card designs – find those HERE.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can expand your supplies!
Project #1 –Halloween Card
I grabbed some Halloween themed paper in my stash and created this themed card.
This one I had a lot of fun collecting “friends” to share from different files by Quietfire Designs.
Once I gathered all of the designs I wanted to use, I turned the cut files into a print and cut so I could do it all on one sheet.
Here’s a look at my print and cut design file. I always like to fill up my page when doing print and cut, so I ended up making two card designs using different patterned papers.
Once I had all the designs I wanted for the card sized to fit, I turned them all into a print and cut page. Since these were designed to cut each individual piece, I simply selected them all and on the Send tab chose “Cut Edge”.
I used the flowers and greenery design from the Flower Posy Gift Card Box – Design #346522 and cut 9 to layer inside the card. When needed, I would snip off sections of the greenery that didn’t fit well and then glue them in underneath the flowers in other spots to fill it in and make it unique.
The front section has 3 of the flowers and greenery placed together and I enlarged the bow on the design to “wrap” around all 3.
I ended up with an extra set of flowers and added that to the front belly band for the card closure.
This card is another combination of designs by Quitefire Designs.
And if you are daring enough to open the card, here is a look at the inside.
I started with an idea in my head and then simply cut out the pieces I knew I wanted to use from each of the design files. Then started moving them around and seeing where they would best fit.
A bright, fun card filled with balloons! And… it was all created with scraps. This was another card that was “built” as I went along. It may be a little over the top with balloons, but that’s the best part – you can customize it however you like!
I drew the balloon using the Flexishapes tool in Silhouette and then just cut a bunch from different colors. The Happy Birthday is a sentiment from the Dinosaur Birthday Card in a Box by Quietfire Designs. I sized and arranged the words together, then made an Offset around it.
This was the perfect sentiment for the card as both Happy and Birthday are both welded together, so it was easy to glue using my new Precision Glue Press.
A great big thank you to Suzanne at Quietfire Designs for contributing the free file for the Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter for the month of October! If you missed grabbing the free design in October, grab it HERE and start creating!
This year I started offering a free file each month for Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter subscribers. I love designing in the Silhouette Studio software and have shared some of my creations as well as look forward to collaborating with more artists in the future too!
Silhouette Secrets+ Newsletter
Never miss out on the news, tips, “secrets”, deals, classes, and more that I share on Silhouette Secrets+. Sign up for the newsletter and get information delivered to your inbox every Friday. Unsubscribe at anytime.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter HERE to have information delivered direct to your inbox and grab each month’s new freebie.
Did this spark some creative ideas for you? It’s always exciting to see how one card template can lead to so many completely different designs! I had such a great time dreaming up each of these themed creations and showing just how versatile the Accordion Filled Gatefold file can be. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, tips, and creative project ideas, be sure to browse the Crafting Creativity section on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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.
Creating custom card designs in Silhouette Studio is easier than you might think, and today I’m excited to share a step-by-step Tri-Fold Shaped Edge Card tutorial now live on the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel! This project is perfect for any occasion, and once you learn the process, you can customize it with your own text, images, and themes. You’ll find the full supply list conveniently located right below the video link, so you can gather everything you need and craft along with me.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Watch the full step-by-step tutorial below. I walk you through each part of creating a Tri-Fold Shaped Edge Card so you can follow along at your own pace and customize it to match any theme or occasion. And while you’re there, I’d love your support—click the Like button, leave a comment to share what design you plan to create, and make sure to subscribe for more Silhouette tips and project inspiration. Don’t forget to tap the bell so you’re notified as soon as new tutorials are released!
Ready to design your own? Once you’ve watched the tutorial and are inspired to start creating, here are the supplies I used for my Tri-Fold Shaped Edge Card. Feel free to follow along with the same materials or customize your project with what you have on hand—either way, you’ll be crafting a unique card in no time!
This is a card design that can be used all year long and for many different situations.
Here are a couple more designs that I created too!
Mix and match different paper patterns with the same designs to create different looks.
This is a great way to use up scraps papers or smaller sheets too!
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.
This edition of Crafting Creativity is full of heartwarming inspiration straight from the Hundred Acre Wood! Using the Classic Pooh: Friend Like You digital stamp set by Katie Pertiet Designs, I created several sweet and timeless projects featuring Pooh and his friends. From layered cards to charming home décor, each piece highlights how versatile digital stamps can be when paired with your Silhouette. Get ready to see how these delightful designs can bring warmth, friendship, and nostalgia to your craft table.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Did you know that the Classic Pooh is now in the public domain in the U.S.? Classic Pooh entered the public domain on January 1, 2022. The Disney version is not in public domain. *Outside of the U.S., please refer to trademark laws & regulations for your area.
Each month in the Crafting Creativity series, I dive into a single design file and transform it into a variety of unique projects to inspire your own creativity. From cards and stickers to home décor and custom tags, I love exploring all the possibilities one file can offer. These posts are designed to show you how versatile a single design can be and to spark ideas for using your Silhouette in new and exciting ways. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or just starting out, Crafting Creativity is full of tips, tricks, and inspiration to help you make the most of every design!
Crafting Creativity – Classic Pooh Projects
Digital stamps are incredibly versatile and perfect for creating a wide range of projects. Pair them with your Silhouette for precise print-and-cut projects, and suddenly one file becomes the foundation for endless creative possibilities. Whether you’re crafting for holidays, birthdays, or everyday inspiration, digital stamps make it easy to bring your ideas to life!
Project #1 – Flip Action Interactive Cards
These came together so easily and I was able to fit the print and cut designs for 6 cards onto one letter size sheet of paper. Here is a look at my print and cut page setup.
I posted a quick video of cutting the pieces for this project using the Electrostatic Mat. Check out the video on Instagram or Facebook.
And I used these designs in this video tutorial to show how to match colors in the Silhouette Studio software with the eyedropper too!
Digital stamps are perfect for creating custom stickers — you can size them exactly how you want, print them on your favorite sticker paper, and even cut them out perfectly with your Silhouette! They’re a fantastic way to bring digital designs into the physical world for planners, journals, cards, and more.
I received several questions about how to use digital stamps inside Silhouette Studio, so I created a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how I set up, trace, and print and cut these adorable Classic Pooh images. It’s easier than you might think, and once you try it, you’ll be hooked on making your own personalized sticker sheets!
The first set I created using the Silhouette Super Fine Heat Pen with silver foil. I had a couple issues with the foil tearing which smeared a few parts, but otherwise they turned out great! They are a bit more work to set up with extra steps for the foiling, but if you are looking for a WOW factor! This can do it!
I used a different sketch font on each one and one I drew a balloon using the Flexishapes and the line drawing tool.
But I couldn’t stop there! I also went ahead and simply changed the line color on all the sketch fonts to black and then did the tags as a print and cut. This does not have the shine to it, but it was less steps to set up to have it all printed.
When working with sketch fonts, make sure to click on the Send tab and look at the bold red lines. That is exactly how it would sketch or print through a printer. Text defaults to “cut edge”, which can make sketch fonts act a bit goofy if they are close to single line fonts. They may not look complete and that is exactly how they would sketch or print.
Take the steps and tips I shared and create your own unique custom digital background too! Have you seen the shirts where the husband takes a photo of the wife or vice versa and puts it onto a shirt for special occasions like birthdays? I just had to do it! So I made my husband custom gift wrap for his birthday.
All of these projects were completed using just 1 digital stamp set by Katie Pertiet. She has a store full of amazing digital supplies and also produces physical products as well, such as stamps and more!
This year I started offering a free file each month for Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter subscribers. I love designing in the Silhouette Studio software and have shared some of my creations as well as look forward to collaborating with more artists in the future too!
Silhouette Secrets+ Newsletter
Never miss out on the news, tips, “secrets”, deals, classes, and more that I share on Silhouette Secrets+. Sign up for the newsletter and get information delivered to your inbox every Friday. Unsubscribe at anytime.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter HERE to have information delivered direct to your inbox and grab each month’s new freebie.
Did this spark some creative ideas for you? It’s amazing how one digital stamp set can be transformed into so many unique projects! I had such a wonderful time brainstorming, designing, and bringing each of these Classic Pooh creations to life. You can find even more inspiration and project ideas in the Crafting Creativity section on the Silhouette Secrets+ website — click HERE to explore!
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 stencil craft ideas to spark your creativity? This week, I’m sharing how one stencil design can be transformed in six fun and unique ways! Using the Hand Carved Flower Stencil by Kassy’s Parlour, created by artist Kassandra Louise Designs, I turned this single file into a home décor sign, cup decal, jewelry pendants, painted canvas, and more. It’s incredible how one design can inspire so many creative projects.
Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
When you look at a design file, do you see one project idea, or can you envision it on multiple projects? I started the Crafting Creativity series to help spark ideas and inspiration to do more with your files.
These are cut from 6 mil stencil material and it cut beautifully.
Here is a look at the stencil before I unloaded it from the machine. For harder to cut materials, checking the cut before unloading the machine is a great habit to get into. If the cut did not complete, you can send it again and it should cut in the same place. This is great for materials such as stencil materials that dull blades quicker and may need extra passes to cut through.
Once the stencil is cut, it can be used for many different projects and mediums.
One 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.
Have you ever used a Gel Press or Gelli Plate before? This is such a fun technique!
Basically, a gel press is a jelly plate that you can add paint or other mediums on top of and then you press a piece of paper over top of it and pull the paint off. You can layer colors, add textures, and have lots of options.
Here are a couple of pulls that I did using the stencil on top of the Gel Press.
These can turn out so neat and each one is unique. Once dry the pages can be used for many projects such as cards, mixed media pages, tags, backgrounds and more!
I used two of the gel prints to make this card and then stamped with black ink directly on top of the print. It turned out pretty neat with the paint showing through the black ink.
For this project, I opened the stencil design, changed the fill color to transparent and then right clicked and chose “Release Compound Path”. This will break up the design into pieces. I then deleted all the pieces around the full flower design. Then selected all of the flower pieces, right click and choose “Make Compound Path”.
I am using a 8″ frame, so drew a square and sized it to 8″ x 8″. I selected the flower design and filled it with black, just to see it better. Then started playing around with patterns. I filled the flower design with a pattern and decreased the transparency in the Fill Color panel. Then I started filling the background square with patterns and testing them out.
Here is a look at my working file where you can see the different pattern options I was playing around with.
Then I printed the design onto Epson Presentation Paper – Matte and cut it with my paper trimmer.
When there are straight lines and a larger image as shown above, an old school paper trimmer does the trick versus trying to set up for a print and cut. I use Silhouette Studio to do the design work and printing and then with 4 swipes, my paper trimmer has the project ready to go.
And the best part about this is, you can change it out whenever you feel like. Print a new image and swap it out to coordinate with the season, your decor, or your mood.
I cut several flower decals from patterned adhesive vinyl to decorate my new travel coffee cup. I used the same technique as described above to separate the flower design from the stencil and cut individual flower decals.
After I weeded the decals, I cut them apart and then applied transfer tape and placed each one individually around the cup, so I could control where they were and how they fit together.
Here is a close up of the decal where I hope you can see a bit of it’s sparkle & shine.
Tips for Creating Cup Decals with Adhesive Vinyl
Surface Area
When applying adhesive vinyl to a surface that may be handled often, you want to keep in mind the size of the pieces of the design. The smaller the piece, the less adhesive there is to stick to the surface of the blank. So thin letters, intricate flourishes, delicate designs may not stick well to the surface of an object that’s handled or washed.
Even if using “permanent” adhesive vinyl, that doesn’t mean it will never come off or lift. Permanent adhesive vinyl simply means it has a stronger adhesive on the backside than “temporary” vinyl once cured. You can still peel it off, pick it off, scrape it off, etc.
The greater the surface area of the solid pieces of the design, the more adhesive there is to stick to the object.
There are a couple things you can do to help with a decal staying put longer.
thicken fonts or enlarge small areas of the design
eliminate the smaller or tiny sections of a design if possible
clean the surface of the cup with an alcohol swab & let it dry completely – this cleans off any dust or oils off the surface that can repel the adhesive
after applying the decal, let it sit for 48-72 hours for the adhesive to set up
apply a bit of heat to help the adhesive vinyl stick – not too much, you don’t want to melt it
Surface of the Cup
Stain resistant, nonstick, or silicone surfaces are designed to repel anything from sticking to it. Even if you are able to get a decal to stick initially, it usually does not for long.
It doesn’t just apply to cups though. There are a lot more stain resistant paints on the market and being used to paint interior walls of homes. Stain resistant is designed so things don’t stick to it, so even a “permanent” adhesive vinyl decal may not stick.
Textured surfaces can also be more difficult for a decal to stick to or it may not last long on a texture surface.
Placement of the Decal
When placing decals onto a cup, keep in mind where it is placed. I purposely placed my designs higher up on the cup knowing that it would be set into a car cup holder.
The more a cup is handled, the greater chance there is that the decal can catch, lift, or come off. This would include things like someone picking at the design, washing the cup, scrubbing the cup, sliding in and out of a car cup holder, being tossed around in a bag, etc.
And…
Sometimes things just happen and it won’t last. The best part about having a cutting machine is that you can cut another one. Or you can take the current one off, clean the cup, and apply a new decal to fit your mood.
I tried several different things with these and they are still a work in progress. Some things didn’t turn out such as using the stencil with white sharpies or sponging on white texture paste. I had too much bleed, so I ended up painting another layer to cover it up.
When the white Sharpie and texture paint didn’t work out on this one, I switched gears and cut a stencil from Silhouette adhesive backed stencil material and started filling it in with TCW Stencil Butter. OH MY! I have to say that the Silhouette adhesive backed stencil material worked AWESOME! Even with the texture of the canvas, it worked great! I will definitely be using this more in the future. The only drawback is that it is letter size and I would have loved to create a larger stencil.
But I made it work. I had to let the first flower dry and then I added more.
All I need now is the perfect saying to add to it. Let me know if you have any ideas that jump out at you when you see the project!
The next one has several layers of paint on it, but ultimately, I ended up with a solid pink background. I had cut a 12″ x 12″ stencil to use with this, but then I started looking at all of those negative pieces that were left over from the stencil and wondered if I could use those in some way.
I ended up applying transfer tape and picking up all of those pieces that I then used as a negative stencil on the wet paint. It was really just a “let’s see what happens moment”. I just laid the transfer tape on top of the wet paint with the negative pieces attached and smoothed it down to see what would happen.
It gave it an interesting pattern. Once the paint was dry, I then simply traced around with the white Sharpie Creative Maker and then I added a layer of Mod Podge Sparkle on top of it.
I am not sure if it’s finished yet or if I will add more to it. Just waiting a bit to see where the art goes.
A great big thank you to Kassy for contributing the free file for the Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter for the month of August! If you missed grabbing the free design in August, it is available in the HERE.
This year I started offering a free file each month for Silhouette Secrets+ newsletter subscribers. I love designing in the Silhouette Studio software and have shared some of my creations as well as look forward to collaborating with more artists in the future too!
Silhouette Secrets+ Newsletter
Never miss out on the news, tips, “secrets”, deals, classes, and more that I share on Silhouette Secrets+. Sign up for the newsletter and get information delivered to your inbox every Friday. Unsubscribe at anytime.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter HERE to have information delivered direct to your inbox and grab each month new freebie.
Did this spark your imagination? ✨ It’s amazing how one single file can be transformed into so many unique projects! I loved exploring all the creative possibilities with this design. You can find even more inspiration and project ideas in the Crafting Creativity section on the website — check it out HERE.
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.
