Silhouette Basics

If this is your first time visiting, welcome!  Earlier this week, I shared my Christmas Wrap-Up and a PVPP Method Tutorial.  I’ve had my Silhouette Cameo a few months now, but had a Cricut machine previously.  I wouldn’t call myself a professional, but I have done my fair share of crafty projects with the Cricut and Silhouette machines.  I’ve compiled a list of my basic supplies below to help you get started.

Cutting machine
I have the Silhouette Cameo 2 and am really happy with it – see here on Amazon {aff link}.  I previously used an older model Cricut that took cartridges.  I was not sad to see the cartridges go!  I’ve heard the newer Cricut machines are fairly comparable to the Silhouette machines, but the Silhouette can cut pieces longer than 12″.

Photo Source: Silhouette America

Craft space
Vinyl projects can be done in a small closet or at a desk… and they can take an entire room {or more}.  I’m currently set up in our spare room surrounded by storage and recycling.  You may notice this if you pay attention to the photos of my projects in progress.  Painting is fine to do inside {I open the window if it’s nice out for ventilation}.  When using a spray sealant, you definitely want to be outside or in a well-ventilated space {NOT inside your house}.  Acrylic paint is permanent, so make sure to protect your table/workspace {tarps work well}.  We’re renovating our new house but once we move in I’ll have a craft room there!  I’ll still sand and do major painting in the basement to protect our new floors.  I’m a messy crafter.  At Christmas time, if there was a flat space anywhere near my craft area, it was utilized by projects {see ridiculous photo below… it’s like “I Spy” for Silhouette projects}.

Paint
When I’m making pretty much anything painted, I use Apple Barrel brand matte acrylic paint.  I usually don’t like shopping at WalMart, but that’s the easiest place to find Apple Barrel.  I’ve actually found that it’s often cheaper to buy four of the 2 oz. bottles rather than one 8 oz. bottle {weird, I know}.  On the wooden nativity blocks, I couldn’t find a dark enough blue so I tried the Apple Barrel Multi-Surface acrylic paint.  I would NOT suggest using this.  It was a lot harder to work with.  It does say it’s dishwasher/oven safe, though, so I may use it for kitchen projects in the future.  For wood projects, I stick to the matte acrylic.  Even on clothing, I use the same matte acrylic paint, then wash the item inside out.  I haven’t done a ton of clothing items, but our rifle shirts are holding up well.  You can purchase Apple Barrel brand on Amazon, but it’s a little pricier than at Walmart in my area {aff link}.

Paint Palette
As you may have noticed in my pictures, I don’t use any kind of paint palette.  I use paper plates so that I can throw them away after each use.  The paint usually stays usable on an uncovered plate for about a day.  In very festive spirit, I was using up old happy birthday plates here.

Cleaning Paint
If you’re anything like me, you’ll spill a drop of paint {or a few drops on the floor, not realize it, step in it, and track it around on the laminate floor a little}… not that that’s happened or anything.  I use only acrylic paint.  If you get paint on the floor or other furniture and it’s still wet, baby wipes work great to clean it up!  If you get acrylic paint on your clothing, remove your clothing while the paint is still wet.  Get it to the kitchen sink, then use a few drops of Dawn dish detergent on the paint.  Rub the fabric against itself while running under hot water.  I used this method to get acrylic paint out of jeans and a hoodie.

Paint Brushes
I use foam paint brushes for one color until they dry and harden, then throw them out {yes, I know this is wasteful… but it’s worth it for me to use a new brush and get a good finish}.  I try to avoid the cheapest foam brushes because they break and the foam tears really easily.  The multi-packs of brushes at craft stores are usually an okay quality.  You can also get single or multi-pack brushes at home improvement stores or you can order foam brushes on Amazon {aff link}.

Stock Photo Credit: Amazon

Vinyl
Oracal 631: for stencils and removable items
Oracal 651: for permanent applications like Christmas ornaments
HTV is heat transfer vinyl… this is what you use to apply to clothing with an iron or heat press {you can also use the Apple Barrel acrylic paint on clothing though}.  I haven’t used any HTV.

You can buy vinyl anywhere from Amazon to craft stores.  I steer clear of the Cricut brand vinyl.  It doesn’t generally get reviewed well.  Some people use contact paper as a cheaper version of 631 for stencils, but I think the contact paper is a pain to work with.  I’d rather pay a little more for the 631 and end up with a better product.

Transfer Tape
Transfer tape is used to transfer vinyl from the backing sheet onto your item.  Some people use contact paper {again, I don’t suggest that}.  I’ve used drywall tape and painters tape for smaller projects like ornaments.  You can get away with just peeling some designs by hand, but if you’re going to work with very intricate designs you will really want to use transfer tape.  AT65 is the go-to top notch transfer tape.  It’s available on lots of crafting websites but Amazon is the cheapest place I’ve found it {aff link}.  It’s kind of expensive, but you can use each piece more than once so a roll lasts forever!

Wood
For the nativity blocks, I used 2x4s, 1x6s and 1x12s cut into smaller sections.  You can buy lumber at various lengths from any home improvement store.  Lowe’s will even cut it for you for free in most locations so it’ll fit in your vehicle.  For signs and smaller decor items, I use 1/4″ thick wood which my hubby used a saw to cut into various sizes.

Artwork
The best bet is to create your own artwork in the Silhouette studio.  Anything you plan to sell has to be commercially licensed to you {images, fonts, etc}.  Licensed images {Disney, sports teams, etc} are totally off limits for selling.  If you’re only making items for yourself or as gifts, you don’t have to worry about commercial licensing.  If you purchase the Silhouette studio designer edition for $25ish on Amazon you can trace and import lots of images from the internet {aff link}!

Good luck on your road to Silhouette crafting!  Let me know if you have any questions.  I’d love to help you get started.  You can share this post below and follow Borrowed Blessings at the top of the page.