Lori Whitlock Archives

Do you create more than one project with a cut file? That is exactly what the Crafting Creativity series is all about! Do more with your files like blow it up and create a supersized, giant card creation with your Silhouette. Have you seen the giant cards in the store? If you own a cutting machine, you can make your own. I took a 5″ x 7″ card design by Lori Whitlock and scaled it up as large as I could to create a giant card.

Photo shows a background of a craft studio with supplies and EllyMae with Silhouette Secrets+ holding a giant card made with Silhouette.

Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

This project type could be done with any model of Silhouette machine from the Silhouette Portrait, Silhouette Cameo, the Silhouette Cameo Pro, and even the Silhouette Curio 2. In the video below, I shared factors that go into this type of project & how I determined how big I could cut this file depending on the machine type.

Plus, more tips, still photos, and a supply list are included farther down in this blog post.

Supplies Used for Giant Card Creation

Silhouette Studio® Software
Silhouette Cameo Pro MK II, Autoblade, Silhouette 24” Cutting mat, Silhouette 12” x 24” cutting mat, Silhouette 12” cutting mat
5×7 Lemonade Bouquet Pop Up Card by Lori Whitlock – Silhouette Design Store or Lori Whitlock Website
Use code SECRETS to save 10% at Lori Whitlock’s Website
Poster Board multiple colors
12” x 24” Recollections cardstock
Adhesive Tape Runner

I used the Silhouette Cameo Pro MK II to cut all the pieces for this giant card using the 24″ x 24″, 12″ x 24″, and 12″ x 12″ Silhouette cutting mats. Here is a look at the giant card next to the original card design size of 5″ x 7″.

Photo shows a craft studio background and a supersized, giant card next to the original sized card for comparison.

If I were to recreate this project again, I would probably cut multiples of each piece and layer them together to make the card a bit more sturdy.

Here is a look at all the pieces cut for this card next to the Silhouette Cameo Pro MK II.

Photo shows a craft studio with a Silhouette Cameo Pro MK II machine on a table and poster board and cardstock pieces cut before assembly for a giant, supersized card.

How Large Can a Design Be Cut?

When cutting large projects like this, there are 4 main factors to how large you can cut.

Material size – cardstock sizes can be a limiting factor. I used poster board for the largest pieces of this giant card.
Machine model – from the Silhouette Portrait with a cutting width of 8-8.5″ wide up to the Cameo Pro with a cutting width of ~24″ wide
The Design – layout and pieces of the design affect the size or if the file will need modified to cut larger
Time – all projects take time. The larger you go, the more time it might take to cut and assemble.

Cut Settings for Poster Board

Poster board varies greatly in thickness, coating, density, and quality. There is no magic numbers for cut settings that works for all poster board. What does work to determine what works for the poster board you have are TEST CUTS!

The poster board I was using is thinner than other brands I’ve worked with, so my cut settings did not have to be very high.

Photo shows a screenshot of the Silhouette Studio software showing the Send tab with the cut settings used by EllyMae at Silhouette Secrets+ for this giant, supersized card project.

As I mentioned in the video, you want to use the largest piece of the design to determine the maximum size you can cut with your materials. I thought this green leaf piece was the largest piece and it was not until I started cutting parts out that I realized the largest piece was the pop out mechanism. I was already half way done cutting when I realized this, but for this project it was not too big of a deal and I could just scale the pop out mechanism down a little bit and keep on going.

Photo shows a screenshot of Silhouette Studio software with the pop out mechanism design on the virtual mat to be cut for the giant, supersized card creation.

This was such a fun project to create. Have you ever created a supersized project with Silhouette? Let us know below in the comments.

If you missed it above, you can watch the video on the Silhouette Secrets+ YouTube channel HERE.

Check out the even faster reel on Instagram HERE. It took me about an hour to cut all the pieces for the card, but when you forget to adjust the timelapse speed from auto, it records it all in 21 seconds.

Photo shows EllyMae with Silhouette Secrets+ holding up the giant, supersized card created with Silhouette that features a Lemonade Bouquet design by Lori Whitlock.

Additional Resources:

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Photo is in Pinterest format and shows a giant, supersized card creation by EllyMae with Silhouette Secrets+.

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!

shop classes

Silhouette step-by-step Classes by Silhouette Secrets+

Have you been joining in on the Silhouette and Michael’s free Zoom classes?

I have and I am loving them!

*Blog post written in Silhouette Studio v4.3.372*
*Affiliate links may be present in the following blog post and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.*

This weeks class was with Lori Whitlock and she showed how to cut and assemble the Impossible Card Sunflower – Design #330051.
Don’t let the name trip you up! They are pretty easy to assemble!

I thought I’d share a few tips that I like to do when I’m working with cards or projects like this.

Tips

Cut multiples of the Design

When I’m working with something like this, especially cards that have multiple pieces to cut, if I can fit more than one of the main card piece on a sheet of 12″ x 12″ cardstock, I’ll cut multiples out.

Since I am already cutting one out, it is not much more effort to cut a couple extras. Whether I assemble them all at the same time or set them aside for later, I will have the cutting part done.

Cut material down to the size needed.

By cutting the material down to the size I need, I can fit multiple colors onto the cutting mat to cut it all at one time and it can save the adhesive on the cutting mat as well.

How does this save the adhesive on the cutting mat?
Yes, there is still cardstock covering most of the cutting mat.
However, by cutting it down to the size I need in each color, I am only placing it on the mat one time versus putting 3 full sheets of cardstock on the cutting mat and removing it after each cut.
That right there will add a bit more life to your cutting mat.

For more tips on getting the most out of your cutting mats click HERE.

How do you know where to line up the colors?

I use the Transparency slider on the Page Setup Panel to reveal the grid of my cutting mat so I can line up the design and see where I need to place the cardstock on the cutting mat.

If you are using a Silhouette cutting mat, the grid on the cutting mat lines up with the cutting grid on the Silhouette software if the cutting mat is loaded properly.

Use the Textured Cardstock setting

I use the Textured Cardstock Setting to cut almost all cardstock. However, I do prefer to cut smooth cardstock as textured can be more of a headache to cut because of that textured surface. That does not mean you cannot cut textured cardstock, however, it may not always give you the clean cut you want.

Now, not all cardstock is the same so the best thing you can do is a Test Cut. My go to cardstock is Recollections brand from Michaels or Close to My Heart cardstock.

Test cut, Test cut, Test cut!!!

Why did I say it 3 times? It is one of the most important habits that you can get into when cutting on the Silhouette. This will save you a lot of time and wasted materials if you start with a test cut anytime you are using a new material or changing materials.

You can use the Test Cut feature in the software that is located at the bottom right corner of the Send tab.

Or my preferred method is to type out a capital B and move that around on my design mat as needed.

Why a B?
There is nothing magic about a capital B and it doesn’t have to be a specific font, the default font is fine. A capital B has straight lines, corners, and curves. This makes it perfect for seeing how the settings and your blade will work for the material you are cutting.

Keep a dedicated cardstock blade

Keeping separate blades for each materials can help the blades last longer. Different materials dull the blade at a different rate. It is just like having separate scissors for fabric vs paper.

Add designs for future projects to a print and cut page

If there is a print and cut aspect to the project, add more designs onto the page to fill it up. Set those extras aside for when you get a chance to cut out the pieces for those cards.

Impossible Card Flowers Thank You – Design #329058
Impossible Card Mason Jar – Design #328683

I cut 8 of the Impossible Card Sunflower design but still had extra space on the print and cut page so I looked in my library for future cards I might make and had 2 more of the Impossible cards. I opened each file and then copied the sentiment from the file to my print and cut page. I cut several of each to fill up my page. Now my print and cut portion is done for those future projects. Make sure to keep them some place safe that you remember for later.

For more tips on print and cut check out these two posts:
Print and Cut Basics
More Print and Cut Tips

and my final tip for the day….

Take advantage of these free Zoom classes hosted by Silhouette and Michaels.
When you join the call, come to pick up the tips and tricks from the instructor.
Watch the video and soak up the creative energy and then later create the project!
I wouldn’t recommend trying to create at the same time as the class. They are typically quick, 1 hour classes and it is hard to keep track of it all at once.
Don’t forget that you can come back and watch the replay after it’s posted.

Check out this video on Michaels YouTube channel HERE.

I am loving these Zoom classes to connect with other Silhouette users and spark that creative energy again. This has been an interesting year and at least this is one good that has come out of it – more online classes.

Find Lori Whitlock’s designs in the Silhouette Design Store or on her website HERE.
She is an amazing graphic designer and has some awesome cut files!
And you will find that she has a wide selection of tutorials to go along with those cut files HERE.

I hope these tips have helped give you some ideas on how you can be more productive with your Silhouette machines.

What are you creating with your Silhouette? I’d love to hear!
Feel free to post photos or questions on my Facebook group at
Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.