Silhouette | Lil Blue Boo

Silhouette Vinyl Promotion and CAMEO Giveaway!

May 9, 2012 By Lisa 546 Comments

Yay! We have a new Silhouette Promo for you that runs from May 9th – 16th! You get 1 Silhouette CAMEO, 1 roll 12-inch Black Premium Vinyl, 1 roll 12-inch White Premium Vinyl, and 1 roll 12-inch Transfer Paper all for $269.99! This is an excellent savings! Shop HERE and use code LILBLUEBOO to get the discount!

Here are some great vinyl projects from around the web! So many things you can make with your new vinyl!

From left to right:

Ali Edwards, eighteen25, Infarrantly Creative, WhipperBerry, Craftaholics Anonymous, Skip to my Lou, Crap I’ve Made, House of Hepworths.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaway, Giveaway Winner, Silhouette

Easy Heat Transfer Applique (A Tutorial)

April 4, 2012 By Ashley 16 Comments

Have you tried out Silhouette’s heat transfer material yet? It’s a super easy way to add some decoration to a piece of clothing! I started out with the heat transfer starter kit which has heat transfer paper samples, a pick tool and a package of template downloads:

I decided to spruce up this cute little skirt that I bought for Boo. Boo chose the free bicycle graphic that comes with the starter kit.

If you are doing an image with text make sure to mirror it on the screen so that the text looks backwards. Insert the the heat transfer material into the Silhouette with the clear plastic side on the bottom. You don’t need to use the cutting mat….although it doesn’t hurt either. Make sure to select “flocked” or “smooth” transfer material in the menu before cutting. The clear side of the transfer should be face down.

Once the image has been cut, peel off all the negative space from the clear backing:

Use the pick tool to pull off small pieces.

The finished cut out:

Place the design face down on the surface you want to iron it onto. I placed it on the side of the skirt so it would wrap around:

Place a cloth over the design and place a heated iron on top of it (cotton setting). Press firmly for 45 to 60 seconds.

Gently peel up the clear transfer sheet. The transfer should be adhered to your surface now. If the transfer still sticks to the clear sheet, replace the cloth and iron again making sure to apply more pressure:

An easy heat transfer applique!

Click here to see other projects I’ve done with the Silhouette Machine!

Filed Under: Silhouette, Things I've Made, Transfers, Tutorial, Upcycled

Project Playroom: Vinyl Lettering

March 9, 2012 By Ashley 13 Comments

Still working on small projects in the playroom! I wanted to distinguish Boo’s kitchen section from the market section in her playroom so I got out my Silhouette machine and created the lettering “Sienna’s Cafe” over it. I ordered a roll of purple vinyl and the new extra long cutting mat:

Using the Silhouette software, I wrote out the letters Sienna’s Cafe and I drew a circle with the circle tool.

The great thing about the software is that you click the little circle/cross image next to the box and drag the words to the circle and it creates curved lettering:

I changed the font and increased the circle to be as large as I wanted the lettering to be on the wall. I ended up overlapping the words to save on vinyl:

Boo loves watching the machine cut the vinyl:

I use clear vinyl contact paper to transfer the cut lettering to the wall:

A little patience to make sure it gets applied just right:

Finished! Sienna’s Cafe is open for business!

Check out the entire Project Playroom series by clicking the image below!

Filed Under: Home Decor, Kids Projects, Project Playroom, Silhouette, Things I've Made, Toys and Accessories, Tutorial

Make a Custom Rhinestone Image (A Tutorial and Free Silhouette Download)

February 8, 2012 By Ashley 18 Comments

Note: This is a sponsored post by Silhouette America.

So….I’ve been meaning to try out the Silhouette for rhinestones….and I finally got around to it. I used the Silhouette Rhinestone Starter Kit……it comes with everything you need but I’d order extra rhinestones…..I just barely made it with the packs included. It also comes with some simple template downloads…..BUT, I’m picky and I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for in the store…..and wanted to make my own template.

Below is an animation on how I made my own template for the Silhouette to cut. You can use any font or image to make a template using this method as long as it’s not TOO detailed.
1. I started out with the letter “T” that used the size rhinestone hole I needed and deleted everything but a straight line of rhinestone circles.
2. I copied and pasted that line several times, then copied and pasted the new larger lines several times……until I ended up with a large square of rhinestone circles.
3. I found a font I liked for the number “5″ and sized it over the rhinestone circle block…..and started deleting the holes that fell outside of my image.
4. I deleted the number “5″ and deleted any other holes that looked out of place……and the image was ready to cut!

Note: MAKE sure not to resize any holes! The holes are specific to the size rhinestones you are using!

Once the image was ready, send it to the Silhouette machine to cut the holes into the rhinestone template material:

Next peel off the template material.

A VERY HELPFUL NOTE: if the holes don’t come out when you pull the template material off, turn over the backing you just peeled it off from and stick the template material to it. Then carefully peel it off again. The holes stick better to the revers side!

Stick the template material to the backing board that comes in the rhinestone starter kit:

Put the template into a box to contain your rhinestones…..and pour your rhinestones on top:

Using the paintbrush that comes in the kit, gently brush the rhinestones in a CIRCULAR motion until all or at least most of the holes are filled:

Fill in any missing rhinestones. The Silhouette Pick Me Up tool is the bomb….seriously. I’ll never use tweezers again. It has this thick goo material that picks up each rhinestone and includes a little tool to quickly remove the rhinestone or anything else you pick up. Whoever invented this thing….genius.

The Pick Me Up tool in action:

Once all your rhinestones are in place and you’ve removed any excess…..place the clear transfer tape on top of the design and press to adhere all the rhinestones:

Carefully remove the transfer tape and the rhinestones will come off the template:

Rhinestones ready to be ironed on!

Place the rhinestones down onto the object you wish to transfer them to. Cover the image with a thin cloth and press down on top with a heated iron for about a minute on the WOOL setting. Peel off the transfer tape once all the rhinestones are adhered:

A finished rhinestone project!

Perfect, custom bling!

To save you some time I’ve uploaded my grid (it’s a Silhouette studio file) and the #5 I used for Boo’s shirt. Just click the image below to download the zip file and open it using your Silhouette software. The holes are sized for 10ss rhinestones!

Click here to see other Silhouette projects and tutorials I’ve done!

Filed Under: Applique, Birthday, Downloads, Embellishing, Gifts, Graphics, Kids Projects, Party, Printing/Stenciling, Silhouette, Supplies, Things I've Made, Tutorial

Project Playroom: The Market Awning

January 16, 2012 By Ashley 41 Comments

I’ll call this series of posts Project Playroom because it is a work in progress. Lots of little projects leading up to one big reveal. I just have to pace myself and work on things as I feel up to it! We took the old LBB office and cleared it all out into a much bigger office. It was going to be the nursery but those plans are on hold for a bit until I am cancer-free and we figure out how we want to add to our family. So NOW it’s my new “writing room” and Boo’s new playroom….we needed a room JUST for that almost-four-foot-tall Barbie dream house she got for Christmas.

Boo loves her kitchen and she’s always wanted a market/grocery store to go along with it…..so I thought I’d devote one small corner to just that. Mr. LBB found this old awning that someone had tossed out:

I took off the existing awning to reveal the frame and Mr. LBB got out the power tools to make it a tad smaller. He’s always so great when I ask him to do little projects….you know I love my power tools, but I’m not feeling quite as strong as I used to so I don’t trust myself with the saws right now….I’d like to keep all my fingers and limbs if I can:

I used my seam ripper to take apart the existing awning cover. This is the easiest way to make a new pattern! Just take apart something old, trace it onto new fabric, and then put it back together the same way! That’s how even the biggest of companies do it!

I bought some bright yellow canvas, bias tape, and thread at Joann’s. Hey, did you know Joann’s has an app now that you can load your 40% and 50% off coupons right at the register? LOVE that.

I traced all my awning pieces onto the new canvas:

I sewed the pieces together and tested the fit of the awning on the frame. Looks good!

I made a little template so that I could cut the bottom into a scalloped edge:

I stitched white bias tape all around the raw scalloped edges:

The finished edges!

I used a simple freezer paper stencil to add the word “MARKET” to the front. The letters could be cut out by hand but my Silhouette machine cut them out in under a minute. You can see more about freezer paper stenciling here in my beanbag tutorial.

I used a sponge to dab white fabric paint onto my letters:

While the letters were still slightly damp, I carefully peeled off my freezer paper stencil and touched up the letters with a small paint brush:

Mr. LBB hung the market awning up in the playroom. Now I’ve got to create the actual market and stock it with lots of goodies!

I just ordered this antique milk scale off of Ebay the other day to hang in her market! Isn’t it cool? It will be the perfect addition.

Click here to check out Project Playroom for all of our related projects!

Filed Under: Eco-friendly, Embellishing, Fabric Painting, Freezer Paper, Home Decor, Home Projects, Kids Projects, Printing/Stenciling, Project Playroom, Recycled, Sewing, Silhouette, Things I've Made, Thrifting, Toys and Accessories, Tutorial Tagged With: project playroom

Recycled Paper DIY Advent Calendar – Part 3 (A Tutorial)

November 30, 2011 By Ashley 15 Comments

My DIY Advent Calendar is finally finished! You can click here to see Part I (Days 1 through 6) and click here to see Part II (Days 7 through 15) .

I used the customizable advent shadowbox from Silhouette. The 25 compartment shadow box comes with 25 different box templates and 25 different drawer templates that the Silhouette will cut out onto any paper of your choice. You can use them to make a new advent calendar theme each year.

Doesn’t it look all pretty now that it’s finished! I can’t wait until tomorrow until Boo gets to start opening them up!

Here are the rest of the days I just finished up and what I filled them with:

Recycled Paper DIY Advent Calendar – Part 2 (A Tutorial)

November 7, 2011 By Ashley 10 Comments

My DIY advent calendar is almost filled! You can click here to see Part I of my Recycled Paper DIY Advent Calendar (Days 1 through 6).

I’m using the customizable advent shadowbox from Silhouette. The 25 compartment shadow box comes with 25 different box templates and 25 different drawer templates that the Silhouette will cut out onto any paper of your choice. You can use them to make a new advent calendar theme each year. See the bottom of this post for a discount code good through November 11th.

It will be so fun to see Boo open up each day in December. I’ve purchased most of my trinkets from Micheal’s craft store in the dollar bins.

Day #7: A simple ceramic Christmas tree for Boo to paint as an ornament:

Recycled Paper DIY Advent Calendar – Part 1 (A Tutorial)

November 3, 2011 By Ashley 16 Comments

I love this customizable advent shadowbox from Silhouette! The 25 compartment shadow box comes with 25 different box templates and 25 different drawer templates that the Silhouette will cut out onto any paper of your choice. You can use them to make a new advent calendar theme each year. See the bottom of this post for a discount code good through November 11th.

I can’t keep up with my usual crafty pace right now but I was able to finish compartments 1 through 6 yesterday! I chose a palette of brown paper, white, gold and gilver (goldish-silver).

For the boxes I’ve used plain brown paper and paper shopping bags:

My new Silhouette machine can cut a 12″ piece of paper:

Here is one of the boxes cut straight out of the machine…..I used double sided tape to put it together:

A finished box:

I bought a bunch of small, inexpensive trinkets to fill the boxes with. Some are generic Christmas themed and others have to do with the Birth of Jesus:

I used a basic stencil and a champagne silver spray paint to add my numbers:

Box #1: I cut a tag and spray painted a stenciled number on it to embellish the box. I filled it with a Christmas light necklace.

Box #2: I added lobster claw clasps to some angels to turn them into charms. I embellished the box with a similar angel button strung onto elastic thread:

Box #3: I made Christmas-themed elastic hair ties.

Box #4: A small toy donkey to represent how Mary rode to Bethlehem. The #4 was stenciled in gold glitter spray paint.

Box #5: A gold and silver earth charm to represent “Peace on Earth”.

Box #6: I spray painted the top of the box with gold glitter. The box was filled with a “Grow a Santa” toy.

Now I’ll start working on the rest of the boxes today!

Filed Under: Charms and Trinkets, Christmas, Gifts, Holidays, Recycled, Recycled Paper DIY Advent Calendar, Silhouette, Things I've Made, Toys and Accessories, Tutorial, Upcycled Tagged With: Advent Calendar Tutorial, Christmas Gifts, DIY Advent Calendar, Silhouette Advent Calendar

A Strawberry Shortcake Dress (A Tutorial)

October 28, 2011 By Ashley 20 Comments

Silhouette just released their new 12″ cutting machine the CAMEO! Here’s my first project with it:

I purchased a simple 99 cent strawberry image from the Silhouette online store and had the machine cut it out onto vinyl shelf paper.

Many of you know that I haven’t been feeling well so I had a TON of help with this tutorial. Gicela brought fabric samples of scraps we had and I picked them out and she cut out the dress pieces and made them into a t-shirt dress style. You can use my Sienna Dress Pattern as a starting point.

Lisa used my strawberry cutout to make a contact paper silk screen (you can see the full contact paper silk screen tutorial here):

Basically the contact paper adheres to the screen (I use 110 mesh YUDU screens (without the machine) because they are flat and easy to store)……

……and you pull the ink (Versatex Ink) across the screen to push the ink through for your image:

Lisa also printed some polka dots onto some pink fabric and used my free beret pattern to make the hat. We already had the leggings but you could use my li’l leggings pattern to make a pair with a ruffle at the bottom too.

Boo loves it so it made my day! Here she is at school today with my mom:

Use the discount code LILBLUEBOO through October 31st you’ll get:

The brand-new CAMEO and your choice of a starter kit (Fabric Ink, Vinyl, Heat Transfer, Rhinestone) for $299. There are a limited number of Cameos for this promotion and they will sell out so if you want one don’t wait!

The Silhouette CAMEO™ is an electronic cutting tool that connects to your computer allowing you to cut fonts and images in cardstock, vinyl, heat transfer material, etc.

Filed Under: Screen Printing, Sewing, Silhouette, The Sienna Dress, Things I've Made, Tutorial Tagged With: DIY Halloween Costume, silhouette machine, silk screening, strawberry shortcake dress, t-shirt dress

The “Good Job” Jar (A Tutorial and Template)

September 29, 2011 By Ashley 16 Comments

So……I’ve tried to do job charts and job lists but I’m just not organized enough right now….and Boo can’t read so she can’t fill them out herself! So I came up with the “good job” jar until she gets old enough to track her chores on My Job Chart or on a checklist!

Here’s why I love it and it works:

1. We use marbles and pretty rocks as rewards when Boo finishes a chore or has extra good behavior. Each one is a different size so a huge special job can outweigh an simple chore:

2. It’s personalized in her favorite color purple (and if you have multiple kids they can each have their own special jar:

3. Each week a small, reasonable “prize” is selected, written down, and attached to the jar so there is a tangible goal in mind. Once the jar is full, the goal is reached, and emptied out for a fresh start.

4. There is incremental measures of success etched on the various rings. A piece of candy or extra “juice dollar” can be earned for each ring reached throughout the week.

There is more than one way you can make your own….for example, you could just add rubber bands to the outside of an old jar if you don’t have the time to make a more detailed jar like I did.

I set up a template on my Silhouette software (click here to download my template…..all you have to do is change the personalized name in the software). The template fits an area 3″ high by 9″ around (a small condiment or cherry jar).