silhouette sunday: my first vendor experience and what i learned

I did it! I had a booth as a vendor at a conference and I didn’t die from embarrassment!

Really, though. I’m not sure I could have been more dramatic on the days leading up to the event. Everyone that I talked to was wishing me well and all I had to say for myself was “thanks! I hope it goes better than I expect” and in full disclosure: IT TOTALLY DID.

A fellow foster mom reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in attending the event she was helping host, the first ever Central Florida Kitten Konference. I had created decals in the past for our foster group, and she remembered (and loved) my work.

I really only had about a week to prepare, as it was a last minute decision and other tasks/projects were higher priority. I figured if I made back my vendor fee I would be happy, and otherwise I’d just get my name out there into the community. I ended up with so much more.

From the first few minutes of the conference, I had a steady flow of people. Even when I didn’t make a sale, it was still nice to talk to and be around like-minded attendees. I was luckily placed next to a high-traffic table (the main speaker from the event’s booth was right next to mine) so I think a lot of residual traffic came to me after visiting hers.

I learned very quickly that my leaning decal display was cute, but not very functional as far as configuration went. If I continue events like these I think I’ll go another route for that particular display. It only worked for this event because I was able to sit beside my booth, not in the way of my products and simultaneously blocking off guests’ access to the vendor beside me.

It was very interesting to learn which designs of mine were best sellers and which were simply my personal favorites. I wish that I would have put the color variations in my inventory software so that I knew the color “best sellers” as well. I can go back now and count which colors I have the most leftovers for, but it’d be easier and less guesswork if I had planned ahead. I’m glad I took the time to load the inventory by design and style of decal (solid, holographic, and printed vinyl) so at least I have that.

I was surprised to see that although I had “two for ___” deals, not many took advantage of them. Perhaps I need to adjust my mug prices (either that, or people are just not as into mugs as I am)?

Overall, I’m walking away from this two day conference with a [really sizable] profit so I’m happy! I learned a lot, met some great contacts in the community I’m passionate about, and saw a lot of smiling faces-- whether because of a design or my business name. And really, that’s all I can ask for :)

silhouette sunday: DIY wall clock

If you're old school like me and still like to glance at a clock every so often (instead of a smart phone or Fitbit), did you know you could make something totally custom with a clock kit and your vinyl cutting machine?!

First you'll want to measure the center of whatever medium you choose. I picked up this square 'blank' from a craft store, but use your imagination! Cute plates, vinyl records, and CDs would make great clocks, I think! Mark the center of your item if there's not already a hole in the middle and use a drill to make a hole large enough for the "post" of the clock piece.

silhouette sunday: using your heat press to foil on PAPER?!

I’m all about multipurpose. The less things I have in my house that can only do one task, the better. Which is why, when I got a heat press, I ended up going with a many-in-one stand that had different attachments.

However, even if you have a simple clamshell heat press you’ll be able to do today’s tutorial!

Expressions Vinyl is not only great for, well, vinyl… but did you know they sell amazing DecoFoil as well? This heat-reactive foil is great when used with Siser Easyweed Adhesive (I’ve made plenty of foil shirts at this point) but it’s also amazing when paired with plain prints straight from your printer!

silhouette sunday: using tattoo paper to make artisan wood signs

If you're past your teens, I bet you never imagined using temporary tattoos again. Gone are the days where you could find them in vending machines but you know what you can do? Use your cutting machine to make them!

Now, Silhouette Temporary Tattoo paper is slightly more costly than I remember these embellishments costing... however, you can use them for so much more! Including what I'm showing you today: putting printed images onto wood signs.

Silhouette Sunday: DIY Heidi Swapp Lightbox Inserts

If you've spent more than ten minutes in the craft world over the past year, chances are you've seen one of Heidi Swapp's adorable light boxes (or some variation of it). But... did you know you could use your cutting machine to make custom inserts for it? It's so easy!



First, because I have two (the mini and the full-size) lightboxes, I took out an existing insert I had and measured it. This is the size that I'll cut my transparency sheet to. Remember transparencies?! Overhead projectors were so much fun years ago-- now you have a use for those sheets you stashed! Don't worry if you didn't save any, I got a pack of 6 on Amazon for around $5.

silhouette sunday: using vinyl scraps to make nail decals

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post about nail art! But today I'm rekindling an old flame and bringing it to life with something almost every craft vinyl user has laying around-- scraps.

Silhouette Sunday: Print and Cut Planner Stickers WITHOUT registration mark margins!

This is the story of what started as a "can I pull off this out-there idea?" and turned into a thousand-likes Facebook post to one of the Silhouette groups I'm part of...

I made these awesome stickers just messing around with my Silhouette Pixscan mat and some of Gemma Correll's artwork (you can find her stuff here-- she also sells *actual* stickers) and posted the idea to a Silhouette Facebook group-- then immediately got tons of requests for a tutorial. So, being the "tech teacher" I am, I wanted everyone to get in on this amazingness and made a video!

I'm admittedly more of a video-savvy explainer anyway, so if you want to watch this process, start-to-finish, watch the little YouTube embed below:


If you're looking for a download of the Emoji sticker sheet I'm using in the video, follow this link to the Dropbox zip file. It contains not only the sticker sheet image, but also the "blackout" cut image you can trace in Silhouette Studio to get easy cut lines.

Have fun and keep crafting!

Silhouette Sunday: Merry Christmas handlettered cut file freebie!

To get in the spirit of Christmas, I decided to spend a bit of time this week handlettering... which lead to making a free cut file for you to enjoy!

I think this will make a great decal for a mug, or even heat pressed onto a festive shirt for the holidays. If you use my file and have fun with it, I would love to see. Just tag your posts on social media as #Twinklefarts and I might even repost your picture ;)

Anyway, feel free to use it as much as you'd like for personal projects. All I ask is that you refrain from selling items using this particular design unless granted explicit permission. Download the file here.

Happiest of holidays to my wonderful blog readers,

Silhouette Sunday: DIY Print and Cut Instax Stickers

Gone are the days of using Sharpie permanent markers to caption the instant exposures of Polaroid and Instax cameras! I found a marvelous (and adorable) way to decorate my photos from a recent trip to California and wanted to share them with all of you for this week’s Silhouette Sunday!

favorite tips and tricks from All Things Silhouette Conference 2016!

Being a professional graphic and web designer, there's not a whole lot I'm unfamiliar with (or afraid of) when it comes to computers. I realize I'm probably in the minority by saying this but I. Love. Technology. However, I didn't love the Silhouette Software as much as I do now.

Last weekend I went to my first ever craft conference and I am BACK and ready to drop some knowledge on you guys! (I also met my Silhouette idol, Melissa from Silhouette School, but whateveritsfinewhocaresAHHHHH!!!!!)

The classes at All Things Silhouette weren't limited to Silhouette Studio, thankfully! There were many sessions (usually about an hour and 15 minutes long) on equipment, graphic design theory, vinyl application, and so much more. I really found myself wishing I was Hermione with her handy time turner.

For the classes I did take, here are my favorite tips I learned (if you don't pick up something new from this post, I will be genuinely surprised):

silhouette sunday: where to find the best FREE fonts

If you're new to the world of digital craft designing, you might be feeling overwhelmed. Patterns, swatches, fonts... what are all these words?! And what do they have to do with my crafts?!

For starters, fonts are every graphic designer's best friend and worst enemy-- at the same time. Pick the wrong one and agonize over "there's just something not right" but pick the right one and everything seems to fall into place.

One of the hard things about crafting with digital mediums is limited resources. Your designs seem to only be as good as the resources you have available to you. So it's really (really really) important you have great fonts! I've put together 5 of my favorite (mostly) free font spots so you can always have the best tools possible. Enjoy!

silhouette sunday! my favorite tips and tricks for layering vinyl

Layering vinyl is a great way to make your designs "pop" and add some interesting dimension to an otherwise plain design. It seems intimidating at first-- but once you get some practice in, you'll see layering becomes second nature.




Want to know my secret? Here are some of my favorite tips for layering...

silhouette sunday: 5 ways to use up those vinyl scraps!

If you use a cutting machine (like my beloved Silhouette Cameo 2), chances are you have scraps.

Now, depending on the type of person you are, you'll have scraps at varying degrees. Some people hoard scraps, filing them away into a binder never to be seen again... others will use up scraps as soon as they're cut.

Here are some ways that I love to use up my scraps (and stretch those vinyl sheets farther than you'd ever imagined!)

silhouette sunday: custom planner stickers

I have always been the type to plan.

I've been (unknowingly) bullet journaling since high school, making lists with special "codes" for to-dos and tasks. I recently got a Moleskine notebook to continue this good habit of planning and soon came to realize that there aren't many stickers out there that fit the weekly spreads that I was using.

Admittedly, I flip flop back and forth with spread layouts, so I needed something a little less concrete for my planning style. That's when I realized-- Silhouette has a print and cut function.

I took to Illustrator and made some designs. I used mostly my imagination, but some other resources to find and design the stickers I wanted in my planner.

For my planner, I knew some elements I would want to take up a certain amount of "grid squares" so I measured the squares and designed around that measurement. My "Twinklefarts To-do" sticker is 7 squares by 11 squares exactly.

Overall-- have some fun! This project requires quite a bit of trial and error, but using my Silhouette I have some super custom (and pretty, if I do say so myself) stickers for my planner.

Here are some helpful tips if you want to create your own planner stickers using a print and cut file:

• Give the design a "bleed" area, just a little past where you will have your cut line. This makes sure that the design goes all the way to the cut line and looks like a real sticker would!
• Use design resources like Vecteezy (free) or The Hungry Jpeg (paid, but soooo worth it!) for sticker ideas. My floral stickers came from a bundle that I bought from The Hungry Jpeg, among many other things.
• Print your design on plain paper first! Make sure the elements are the size you want and look right first, then use sticker paper. 
• Be careful to look for sticker sheets with one solid backing. Mine actually has some slits in it (since the original purpose is probably for full-sheet designs) and my sticker paper backing is sliced diagonally through the backing. Not a big deal, since I have it taped to the back page of my Moleskine, but it could potentially not be ideal if you're handling the sheet itself a lot.

Silhouette Sunday: Lighted Inspirational Glass Block

I spent most of this Sunday bemoaning a stiff neck (I guess that's what I get for falling asleep all lopsided while watching Fixer Upper), so here's a slightly delayed tutorial for this beaut...

Unfortunately I didn't progress pics, but I've laid out how to do this simple yet pretty craft below! First, the list of "ingredients"

• A glass block (like the ones for shower walls/windows. I found mine at Goodwill on 50% off day and almost didn't buy it. Since there was a hole already drilled at the top, my mom pressured me to get it "for a craft" ...so here we are now. If you can't find one with a hole pre-drilled try following this tutorial-- though I can't vouch for the effectiveness, it looks pretty simple!)
• A strand of christmas lights (OR some battery powered twinkle lights)
• Etching cream (more about etching cream in my last post)
• The usual vinyl supplies (vinyl cutter, permanent adhesive vinyl, etc)

(I don't think this is the "home" Coldplay was talking about in the song these lyrics are from but... if the shoe fits...)

To start off, I laid on a thick coat of etching cream to the side that I wanted to apply the lettering to. While this is an "optional" step, I think it really completes the look. The less transparent the block, the easier it is to read the message, I found.

After letting the etching cream do its job, I simply measured my block, designed the lettering in Illustrator, and cut the vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.

The block originally had traditional (aka plug) Christmas lights in it, but I opted for these battery powered "twinkle lights" I found at HomeGoods for ~$8, just so that I could place the block wherever I wanted without the limitation of having to plug it in. I really like how the block looks without a cord coming from it. To keep the block simple, I taped the battery pack and switch to the back of the block. Perfect!

Some tips for those of you trying this at home: 

• Cut a hole in your block larger than you think you will need. Mine is about the size of a quarter wide, and was perfect for threading lights in and out. Smaller, and I would have easily spent double the time trying to get Christmas lights to cooperate with the tiny crevice.
• The battery powered lights were SO worth it for me, but I only knew they were right because I tested the lights in the store. Some battery powered lights are weak and very orange-toned. Keep in mind your end result and purchase accordingly. 
• Feel free to decorate your weird "light slot" with fake florals to make it look less obvious. I stuck a branch of faux baby's breath in mine and actually liked it quite a bit! You might also be able to plug this area up with hot glue, which can be removed pretty easily to replace lights if you ever need to.

silhouette sunday: etched & nerdy wine glasses

If you haven't heard of etching cream, you need to get your eyes over to Amazon or a craft store pronto.

You know those expensive looking vases and things at Things Remembered that everyone used to go ga-ga over? With the personalized names or symbols? Well the magic (ha!) behind etching cream is that you can apply it to pretty much any glass (yes, even ones from the dollar store) and get a beautiful customized etch that is dishwasher safe!

For my designs, I started in Illustrator with a Harry Potter inspired font and brainstormed a bit (I think these phrases may have come from or were heavily inspired by Pinterest). After coming up with a design I liked, I cut my vinyl and applied to my stemless wine glass. To help with this (and the etching process), I used a half a container of Play-Doh to make a moldable "surface" for the glass to lay on. Forget those specialized cradles! I've found that Play-Doh works for a variety of projects, and holds things put with little to no effort.

I ended up doing two rounds of "etching" on these glasses, but compared to another project I used with only one pass, there wasn't much of a difference. I think from now on I'll skip the second etch. I've heard a thicker coat of cream works better, so I may use that advice next time.

Gratuitous slow-mo pour. Mmm yes.

Overall, I'm happy with how these came out and have already poured myself a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy in them. I'm glad to report they do their job very well (almost too well..)!

As always, a few tips:

• Be patient with the vinyl stencil application on your rounded surface, especially if it's taller than half the height of the glass. I had some trouble getting the vinyl to adhere correctly and had a little bit of etching cream that got into the bubbles-- not a deal breaker for this design but it could be an eyesore with others
• The Play-Doh trick worked so well for this project, I can't imagine doing it any other way! The etching cream needs at least 5 minutes to "etch" and this trick saved me from having to hold the glass in one place that would otherwise roll all over.
• It might be wise to invest in a larger size container (10oz vs the 3oz that I got) if you plan on doing more than just a few projects. I'm not sure why I only got this one, but I've read that thicker coats produce deeper etches, and I was nervous to use "too much" and run out of product and thus was more conservative with my layers.

Let me know if you end up trying this super fun project out! The possibilities are endless :) And here's a cut file for Silhouette software if you want to make these glasses.

Have a safe and awesome 4th of July!