Vinyl Cutting Goes Hybrid!
Vinyl is a really hot trend in home decor lately. From quotes you can apply to your wall to chandelier silhouettes on framed glass, one doesn’t have to look far to find a myriad of possibilities when it comes to decorating with vinyl.
One of the reasons I was excited about getting my Silhouette cutting machine was because I was interested in creating a few things to decorate my home and to give as gifts. When I figured out how to cut digital scrapbook elements on my machine, a whole new world opened up! I am so excited to share with you how I turned some elements and word art into cute little decor pieces for my home.
Supplies used:
- digital scrapbook elements, I used a bird from Haunted by The Cutting Files and word art from Card Sentiments 2 Digital Stamps by Arty Pants Digital Stamps
- Printable inkjet vinyl, purchased from Planet Label
- Silhouette cutting machine
- Silhouette Studio software
- Robo Master software (download here)
- Photoshop CS5
- Transfer tape
- popsicle stick (may come with the transfer tape, mine did)
- straight pin
- scissors
- items to embellish, I used a plate and a metal tin
I opened a new document in Photoshop that was 8.5″ x 11″. The Silhouette canvas requires a top margin of 1.5″, and left and right margins of .625″. There is also an unusable square of space in the lower left corner that measures 1.375″ x 1.375″. I made sure I placed my elements within these margins. Then I saved the document as a .jpg file, and opened up my Robo Master software.
I created a new document in Robo Master and then I right-clicked on the canvas and selected Get Outline. In the dialog box that opened, I selected File > Load Image and I selected my jpg file. Then I clicked Convert to Outline and then clicked Paste then Exit. After that, I went to File > Save As and selected the GSD file type.
I opened my Silhouette Studio software, and then went to File > Open. I had to change my Files of type: option to GSD so I could see the file I had just created.
I opened the file and then opened the Silhouette Cut Settings by clicking on the blade icon (the 2nd icon in the last group on the right-hand side of the screen). I selected label sheet (with adhesive back) as my paper type, and then changed my blade to the blue cap. I placed my vinyl onto my carrier sheet and loaded it into the machine. Then I clicked the Send to Silhouette option and proceeded to cut the vinyl.
Once the vinyl was cut, I started extracting the bird and swirl element by removing the excess vinyl from the image.
I worked diligently to ensure that my element remained on the vinyl backing.
I used a straight pin to remove the inside pieces I didn’t want.
Once I had the excess vinyl removed from my element, I cut a piece of transfer tape to fit over the design.
I pressed the tape down and used the popsicle stick to burnish the tape over the design.
Then, I lifted the transfer tape up very slowly, making sure my entire design stuck to the tape.
I moved the tape and design over to the top of my metal tin, and applied the tape to the top center of the tin lid. I used the popsicle stick to burnish the image again.
Once again, I very slowly peeled away the transfer tape, making sure the design stayed adhered to the lid.
And voila! I have a really cool bird and swirl on top of my black tin.
I had so much fun making this one that I decided to embellish a plate as well. I used the exact same process – look at how cute it turned out!
Ceramic plates make great dry erase surfaces. I have a feeling several people on our Christmas list will be receiving something very similar this year! 
Stop back by next month when I show you how to print and cut out embellishments from your favorite digital kits using the Silhouette!
Other Articles by joana1n:
- Make Your Own Paper Tape! - March 25th, 2013
- Thanks a Latte Single-Serve Coffee Gift Box - February 18th, 2013
- Tootsie Box and a 3-D Santa Sticker - December 5th, 2012
- An Unlikely Advent Calendar - November 28th, 2012
- Gift Card Holder! - October 30th, 2012
