Saturday, March 26, 2011

Do you Cricut or Silhouette?

I cricut but am drawn towards the silhouette. But I am way too invested in my cricut! I have the expression, 25 cartridges, design studio, and sure cuts a lot software. So to abandon my cricut is really not a justifiable option. I do wish there was a way to use the designs for silhouette with SCAL, so if anyone out there knows how to do that, i would love to know! I would also love to know any great places to find CUTE SVG images for SCAL. 

So since I have the cricut I thought I would show what I like to do with mine, other than the basics for scrapbooking. 

Now if you are a cricut user, you know the mats loose their tackiness pretty fast. Well all you need to fix that is some frog tape and Krylon Easy tack repositionable spray.
Tape off the edges of the cutting mat otherwise the wheels in the cricut will get sticky.
Take outside and spray a light coat and allow to dry 5 min. That is it! Now your mat will be nice and sticky! I do this especially when I am cutting out fabric, and yes you CAN cut fabric with your cricut. Here's how! 

You need a very sticky mat for this so it sticks well while cutting.
Iron heat n bond onto the wrong side of your fabric. 
Place fabric side on the cutting mat, so the paper back is facing up. 
Select your shape & size. Be sure the pressure is set to high, and it is best if you have a new blade, I keep one separate just for fabric cutting. You also want the speed to be on low. 
Cut your desired shape. 
Done! Now you can use then for applique, or what ever you want!!! Very simple to do! 
Last I am going to show you freezer paper stencils.
Cut your desired shape with your machine, using freezer paper, waxy side down. I used my SCAL for this design. Once you have it cut out you will need to place your pieces onto the fabric, this was a little tedious, but well worth it! The iron will melt the wax on the back side of the freezer paper so that it will stick to your fabric.
Once you have your design placed and ironed then you may apply your paint.
I use a dry brush and acrylic paint.
Once you apply all your paint remove the pieces with a tweezers and let dry. 


This is going to be a pillow, so I added some script with a stamp and staz on ink. 
Here is the finished project:

So do you cricut or do you silhouette? If you cricut with SCAL I would love to know any tips, tricks, and places to find good stuff!! 













17 comments:

Larri said...

Great bird pillow! :o)

I have neither, though I hope to own a Silhouette one day. Perhaps you could sell your Cricut on Craigslist and purchase the other. Thanks for sharing your project and tips! Happy Saturday! :o)

Hi, I'm Suz!! said...

Hi, Missy -

I have a cricut expression and use SCAL2. I RARELY use cartridges. I have found a lot of cute .svg files at www.jenniferscrapshack.com and at www.smartbuygal.com

And Denise over at paperpastime.blogspot.com Denise has some really easy to follow tutorials!

Please let me know if these help you!

Have a great rest of the weekend!!

Hugs ~~ Suz

inspiringcreativeness.blogspot

Sueann said...

I purchased the Cricut when it was on sale at JoAnn's Fabric and I have yet to open the box!! Ha! I know...but I haven't!! Duh me!! I ascared too break into it! And I haven't had the time to spend to really get into it.
So I appreciated your tips and I will break into my box and give this a go.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Hugs
SueAnn

Naomi said...

My husband bought me the cricut but there is no way I have exhausted it's uses. I don't even know where to start. Can you give us beginners some tips?

Anonymous said...

I recently bought a silhouette and I love it. I work quite a bit, but I have been able to complete 4 projects using the silhouette. It has been very easy to use so far and I haven't spent a dime on images or anything yet. I want to get used to using it before I pay money for any extras.

Thanks for these tips. I'm looking for ways to get the most out of my cutter and these help.

Unknown said...

Naomi & SueAnn I would just start playing around with it, (Sue Ann, OPEN THE BOX! :)) and make it a point to use it more! I have bothe the DS and SCAL software and I think the SCAL is much better and easy to use. Find some tutorials there are some great ones out there and follow along, I only watch a tutorial that I am about to use, then I wont forget!! :) If you have a specific question, let me know, I would be happy to help you out if I can! Thanks for the comments

Jenny said...

svgcuts.com has some great resources. There are tutorials on using SCAL, free svg files and svg files available for purchase. I am trying to master making my own svg files on a more regular basis. I own a Cricut Expression and use SCAL more than I do cartridges.

Valerie Earnest said...

I like your pillow! The words especially just add something to the design!

I have a Silhouette myself, and use it for everything! I especially love that you can import any jpg and it will outline and cut it! I rarely pay for a design.

Visiting from Motivate Me Monday-
Valerie@www.occasionallycrafty.blogspot.com
Stop on by!

Powers Fam said...

I'm drawn to the Silhouette also buy only because everybody blogs about them so much lately. I have a Cricut Expression. I've had it almost 4 years. I have about 30 cartridges but I only buy them on super sale. My lastest purchase was they Gypsy on Black Friday. Love it! You can mix and match cartridges and design on the go. Also, if my friends borrow a cartridge I can still work at home because all of my cartridges are loaded on my Gypsy. I can also see exactly where I am putting the images. The other thing I love is that the cutting mat is larger than a Silhouette. If I had a choice I probably would stick with the Cricut just for the mat size and the fact that with software you can get images for free.

Thanks for the tip on the making mats sticky again! I'll be working on that. :)

Unknown said...

I cricut -I just have the little one & am taking myself into trying some vinyl thru it soon! thanks for the mat tip!

AmyC65 said...

Hi, I am trying to contact you with a question about your "accidental bedroom remodel" with the door as a headboard. But your "contact me" link isn't working. Can you email me at AmyC65@verizon.net? thank you. Your stuff is very cute and clever.

Allie said...

I love my cricut, it works. i do not even know what SCAL is, care to share? I am making Easter buckets, check out my blog! addie's bucket was a few posts ago, like a week, but I did some yesterday as well!

Teri said...

I owned the
Silhouette and ebayed it to buy a cricut. I love the cricut and find it much easier to use than the silhouette. Don't know what SCAL is? I didn't like having to hook my silhouette up to my computer all the time and find the cuts of the cricut much nicer than the silhouette. Thanks for the sticky mat tip will definately use it!

Kari said...

Thanks so much for the sticky mat info! Saved my bacon....and some money, too. :)

Bee's hive said...

go see Jin at Underacherrytree.blogspot.com she uses a silhouette and MTC, but I'm SURE that genius knows how to do what you want.
btw I'm so in love with the fabric thing! Thank you for sharing a wonderful reconditioning treatment for mats and a fabulous project!

Gail said...

THANK YOU for the clear instructions on how to "re-sticky" the mats.

Unknown said...

Would this work for a Cricut expression 2