Hiya friends, happy Monday, so excited about today’s giveaway!  A few weeks ago I was sent a Silhouette digital crafting tool and I’ve had the opportunity to play around with it.  So fun !

I was able to come up with a few creations . . .  including these silhouette pillows made with a Silhouette.  :-)

Also these lovely etched glass creations !  Two candy jars refashioned into personalized barrette holders for both my niece Ariel and my daughter, so sweet !

Also this tall apothecary jar that now reads “Soaps” ~ can’t wait to fill it up with special scented soaps for the guests!

Here’s the cool tool that allow you to make the silhouette pillows with the software, and then cut them on the Silhouette machine.  I’m going to switch back and forth between pics, so stay with me.

First, you import your profile image, then you use the ‘closed spleen’ tool to draw points around the face.  You can zoom in and move the anchor points around to get really precise.

Once you’ve got your profile, you move the picture aside to work with just the silhouette.

Then you export your design to the cutter, and cut your silhouette !   I had to adjust the cut settings, but the user friendly software allows for that.

Once I cut my silhouette, I ironed it on some basic cotton.   

Then I stitched up some simple pillow covers ~ navy blue for the little lad and soft green plus pleats for my girl.  Cute !

My favorite part about the Silhouette was controlling the cutter with the software, and the ability to purchase only the designs you really want online.  Overall, I think this is a really cool tool for anyone who loves to craft, make cards, or scrapbook.  The machine has unlimited potential to cut fonts and designs to your specifications.  I can see how it would come in handy for a lot of school projects or home decorating crafts too.

The machine moves the material (paper/vinyl/transfer paper) back and forth in a rapid motion as it is cutting, even in a slower mode, so I was a bit frustrated trying to cut a delicate intricate design, because it got caught in the machine.  I had to settle on a bolder font for both my glass apothecary ‘Soaps’ jar and the girls’ barrette jars.   Also, the blade is temperamental, so you need to play around with the settings to get it to cut your medium just right.  Thankfully there is a “test cut” option so you avoid wasting too much of your paper/vinyl/transfer material.

All of these minor glitches I attribute to my limited experience with the machine, but I plan to play around with it more to figure it all out.  There are plenty of tools to go with this machine, so I look forward to creating even more, especially some cards and gift tags during the holidays.

Here’s the good news, one of you will win a Silhouette Machine ($300 value)!

Here’s how:

1) Visit the Silhouette site to see all the things you can create.  Come back and leave a comment telling which craft would be the first one you’d create with the tool.

2) For a second chance to win, either link to this giveaway on Facebook, or tweet this giveaway on Twitter with a link, then leave a second comment telling where you linked (FB or Twitter).

This giveaway includes a Silhouette Machine (a $300 value) plus software for Windows XP/Vista; Power cable, USB cable; 2 Cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media); One cutting blade with adaptors; $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store.

Here’s the promotional deal of the week if you buy:

AWESOME PROMO

(running from August 1st through August 9th at midnight)
Buy a machine and receive the following:

- $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter; 2 rolls of vinyl (Valued at $15.98); 1 roll of transfer tape (Valued at $7.99); Scraper (Valued at $6.99); Home Décor CD (Valued at $50); – $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store; Cutting Blade; 2 Cutting Mats

All for $249.99, a savings of $130.96

GOOD PROMO

(running from August 9th through August 14th at midnight)
Buy a machine and receive the following:

$50 off (receive for $249.99); 2 rolls of Heat transfer ($29.89 value); $10 Gift Card to the Silhouette Download Store; Cutting Blade; 2 Cutting Mats.

All for $249.99, a savings of $79.98

Be sure to enter CENTS to receive these promotional discounts!!

The unfortunate details:

Giveaway for US Residents only, sorry to my non US readers.  :-(  Also the Silhouette is not Mac compatible yet, you must have Windows XP/Vista operating system to use this.

Giveaway ends Saturday August 7th at 8 p.m. PST.  One winner chosen by Random.org

GOOD LUCK TO YOU !

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Tags: giveways, silhouette

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