Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine
Do you have a Silhouette Cameo and not sure what to do with it? Don’t feel alone!
I suppose I am a little different from a lot of ladies. 🙂 My Christmas and birthday wish lists in the past few years have consisted of a Silhouette Cameo, Dremel, Wood Burning Tool, Jig Saw, Mouse Sander, and a lot of other crafting tools. Don’t get me wrong – I love jewelry, perfume, and other typical feminine things. But I like to craft more!
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I am not really good at any one craft, but I definitely get a lot of pleasure from working with my hands and using creative skills.
When I received my Cameo from Santa, I really didn’t know where I was going to start. I read all the instructions that came with my machine and used Google search when I ran across something I was unsure about. Pinterest was a lot of help and also the Silhouette website.
This post will give you an idea of a few projects I have done as a Cameo beginner. Maybe you will be inspired to plug your machine in and make something!
Cameo 2 or 3?
*NOTE* Since writing this post, there is now a Silhouette Cameo 4. It looks fantastic but for now, my Cameo 2 is doing what I want and need.
My Silhouette is a Cameo 2, so that is what I will talk about. The new version, Cameo 3 looks so cool but it doesn’t make sense for me to change now since mine works just fine.
A big feature in the Cameo 3 is the ability to use Bluetooth to connect to your computer. Another pro is having 2 cartridges allowing to cut and score or print and cut at the same time. There is now an option to use the new AutoBlade function, so no more manually changing the blade depth.
If you plan to purchase a Silhouette Cameo, the Cameo 3 will probably be the only version available, so you will get the new features 🙂
Silhouette Cameo projects
Most of the designs I have used were purchased from the Silhouette Design Store. I created a few designs myself. The Silhouette Design Store sells designs that are very affordable. The average design is .99¢ and they often run sales. They offer free designs also.
Regardless of the Silhouette Cameo hardware you use, there are so many projects you can make! #SilhouetteCameo #Silhouette #SilhouetteProjects Share on XSearch Pinterest.com also for free design files. Check out my Pinterest Silhouette board.
Charger Plates Projects
One of my favorite things to make is decorative display charger plates. Here’s a few of my plates.
Most plates I made have been given as gifts, although I kept several for myself.
The charger plates can be found at Hobby Lobby, Michael’s or other craft stores and they are very affordable. You can even use the Hobby Lobby or Michael’s coupons. The Nativity plate above also has scrapbook paper in the center (the plaid design). There are really so many options when making the charger plate projects.
Charger plates are around $2 regular price unless you find some at the Dollar Tree. The charger plates come in many colors and designs. Notice the flower design of the green “Time For Coffee” and the decorative edge on the red “Nativity” plate. The decorative plates are usually a little more than the plain ones.
Be careful when placing your design, if you have to move it at all, it will take the color off the plate. As you can guess, I know this from experience.
I tried several brands of vinyl and decided that Oracal 651 is the best for permanent designs such as the plates. Oracal 631 is best for removable vinyl designs. Don’t waste your money on other brands.
Other Vinyl Projects
Several of my family received stainless steel cups for Christmas, with personalized vinyl images. They were much-loved!
We became the envy of the neighborhood with this project. I purchased the design from the Silhouette Design Store.
Then some good friends requested one, so I created one for them 🙂
I made this sign for my son for Christmas. The wood is recycled fence wood and it was a bit rough, but that is how we wanted it to look. Turned out nice 🙂
Heat Transfer Vinyl Projects
I have created several clothing crafts using Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV). I buy quality Siser Easyweed Heat Transfer Vinyl. Don’t buy cheaper HTV. It is not the same quality.
Both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s have nice tee shirts to use for your project. Remember your store coupons too.
I always wash and dry the tee-shirt before applying the HTV. Also – the design must be reversed before you cut it 🙂 I have forgotten that more than once.
Print and Cut Projects
Magnetic print and cut projects are so cool! I created a few projects with magnetic printable paper. One is a set of magnetic paper dolls. This is a Silhouette Cameo Print and Cut design. Basically, you print the design using your printer. The print includes registration marks. When you put the printed paper into your Cameo, it scans the registration marks and cuts the design. Sweet! Also, the granddaughters play with them on this 99 cent pizza pan from Wal-Mart. 🙂
I have also used the Silhouette Cameo PixScan™ technology to cut around a printed image using my camera. PixScan™ is perfect for digitizing a stamp collection or turning a hand-drawn sketch into a cut job. The door magnets on this Disney cruise were created using the PixScan™ function. This gives you basically endless possibilities for projects.
This is an easy process, but you do need a special PixScan™ mat.
Paper Projects
Paper cutting is a big part of the Cameo cutting machine, but for some reason, it is the least I have done so far. For Valentines, I made this banner for our mantle. I used the Silhouette design software to create the triangle pieces and cut them. Then I used the software to create and cut the letters and hearts.
Love Banner
One of the first things I made was this scrapbook paper cut that I framed. It was not my best project 🙁 But I was learning. I created the cut design in the Silhouette software. The cut page is a coordinating piece to the scrapbook paper it is over.
The intricate design on the mailboxes and a few of my charger plate projects are a bit difficult to weed (remove excess vinyl). They are also not the easiest thing to apply. It just takes patience and in my case, a couple of cuts.
When weeding, you have to be careful not let the weeded vinyl (especially the Oracal 651) touch any part of the project vinyl. It may be impossible to remove because the vinyl sticks together. That is one reason, it sometimes takes me 2 cuts of vinyl before I get a usable project.
There are some tips and tricks that I will save for a future project. Just remember creating with a Silhouette Cameo is fun and if you are new to a cutting machine, just keep working on it!
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