Make it: Slogan T-Shirt with Silhouette Cameo

I have been wanting a 'phrase' t shirt for a while but I just haven't seen one that speaks to me (sorry for the pun). So I was delighted when I was rummaging in my craft stash the other day and came across a pack of iron on transfer material for use with my Silhouette Cameo. I also realised that I have never done a tutorial with my Cameo on our blog! Appalled at myself for not sharing this wondrous machine with you all, I set to rectifying the situation.

I received my Silhouette a few Christmases ago from my lovely Husband, it sits on my desk next to my laptop in my craft room. I mostly use it for my paper-craft projects, card making and scrap-booking.  However you can use it with a huge range of materials, including fabric and vinyl, I even have a kit to cut my own stamps.  It comes with its own software which you can use to design your cuts, you can download designs from their online store or even better... design your own.  I Love the ability to cut any font that you have on your computer too. I buy all my supplies from Crafts-U-Love here in the UK.

Here you can see it looks a lot like a regular printer on the inside except where the ink would be their is a small blade which sits in a motorised cradle.

To make my t-shirt I used the software to design the words I wanted on my shirt, then as per the instructions on the transfer material I flipped the image so it would cut them in reverse.  I chose Live. Love. Make. of course...What would you write on yours??

I loaded my transfer material into my silhouette on my 12x12 adhesive cutting mat and let the machine get to work.

When you have unloaded the mat from the machine you can remove the transfer material from the mat and peel away the excess from your design from the self adhesive backing paper.

This is the best bit, as you see your design revealed.

Flip it over and there you have your t-shirt transfer!

Next is to head to the ironing board and attach it to your shirt. Be very careful as you need to have your iron set quite high to get it to stick down. Also be sure you like the position because the material is delicate and hard to remove without tearing if you make a mistake. Wait for the material to cool completely.

Agonising wait over, slowly peel back the plastic coating to reveal your design. You can see I added some little gold hearts to mine too.

And there you have it a phrase t-shirt all of my own, saying exactly what I want it to say all ready for my trip to Las Vegas!

This material is completely washable, but I would say to be safe, wash and iron it inside out, so as to not spoil your design.

The t-shirt I used is from New Look Inspire. I love the chiffon detailing, I loved it so much I bought two more the same.

I love my new t-shirt and the iron material is so soft, unlike a lot of other iron-on products. Do any of you have a cutting machine? I would love to see some more projects done with them. Add your links in the comments below.

Have a great weekend.
Sammy xxx

 Live, Love, Make, Like, Share, Follow, Tweet, Pin, Add, Enjoy. 

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Top 10 Craft Tools

Today I'm going to share my top ten craft tool essentials. These are the products and brands that I use most often in my own craft kit. 

1. A die cutter is a brilliant tool, whether you work with paper or fabric, I have a Silhouette Cameo from Crafts-U-Love but there are lots of other options out there. I started off five years ago with a Sizzex big shot machine (which I recently donated with all my old dies to H's Museum), then I moved on to a Making Memories Slice machine, before upgrading last Christmas to my Silhouette. The best thing about Die-cutters is that you get a really professional clean cut and the amount of different materials you can cut with them. I would totally recommend looking into the best one you can afford and working your way up, depending on how much you find you use it. 

2. Fiskars classic general purpose scissors are my favourite fabric scissors, because the actual dressmaking scissors are a little large for my small piggy fingers I find. I adore Fiskars brand products, they are just such brilliant quality and being orange, I can always spot them in my sewing box. 

3. Another classic Fiskars product are their Pinking shears, they are by far the best I have ever owned and I have owned a lot of different brands. They are generally not a cheap option, so I would totally recommend popping them on your Christmas list (yes I am aware that is the second time I have mentioned Christmas, sorry I know its only August) but they are worth every penny. Crafty tip: If you want your fabric scissors and pinking shears to last... Never cut paper with them, ever! it will blunt your blades, you can buy cheaper alternatives to cut paper. It is also worth avoiding beaded or sequin fabrics, unless you remove them along the cutting line before you cut. 

4. 3 in 1 pliers are a brilliant addition to any craft kit. they are obviously great for beading and jewellery making but they are also great for wire work and grabbing hold of small dainty bits and bobs. 

5. I got my first Xacto knife 10 years ago, it was one of the first freebies I was given from one of my suppliers at Sew Crafty. I have since bought about 7 more. Definitely one of the best craft tools I own. I now have to buy refills online but it is the best craft knife I have ever used. I like the fact that the blades are small and neat, it means that you can be really precise with your cuts and are much less likely to slice yourself. However they are VERY sharp, so always use them with extreme caution. 

6. Scotch double sided tape is by far the best double sided tape, bar none. This stuff is gorgeously sticky. I use it on paper, fabric, cork, card, plastic and basically anything I need to stick together. I mostly use it for card making, but it is the best double sided tape I have found. 

7. A Heat gun is something I have had for ages and don't use that often but it is a great tool to have. It is great to use for shrink plastic, but also I use it for drying paint and for effects with watercolour. 

8. If I can't use my double sided tape I will be using my Gutteman HT2 glue. It is fast drying clear glue, I have many glues in my collection, but this is by far my favourite. 

9. I love my rolling alphabet stamp, I have had mine for a while and have used it a lot. I bought mine from Etsy.com a while ago and seem to be a little cheaper now than when I bought mine, but they are definitely a good buy. It is perfect for making personalised ribbon.

10. This is a crafting staple, a Staz-on ink pad. It can take a long time to dry on some surfaces but it is great for using on fabric and shiny paper. 

I hope that was helpful to some of you who are looking to top up your craft tool boxes. 

What are your favourite crafting tools? Do you love your fancy crochet hooks? or do you have a favourite brand you love? We would love to hear your thoughts 

Sammy xxx

Friday Favourite: A New Year

I know you have all been loving H's Link for the week feature, so I am taking on a feature of my own, Sammy's Friday Favourites. This week, It being 2013 (ahhh scary!) it's my top five things I love about 'A New Year'

1. New Diary - I love a new diary, the whole year laid out in front of you like a blank canvas, so many choices, week to a page, day to a page, pocket size, functional, pretty and all those weeks to fill with exciting new things to do. 

2. New Goals - The New Year makes me think of all the things I want to achieve, I can set my self a whole new set of goals, for my personal life and for my businesses and look back on all the things I did last year; some of them may carry over, some of them change and there are some brand new ones. Making a list of everything helps me to keep focused.

3. New Life - this one is quite specific to me this year, my new Niece is is arriving any day now! I have a Nephew on Steve's side, who is 9, who I love. But I wasn't with Steve when he was a baby, so I can't wait to have a little one in the family!

4. New Toys - I was lucky enough to get the Silhouette Cameo paper cutting machine that I wanted from my Husband for Christmas and I have been playing around with it.  I cant wait to come up with some projects that I can use it for.

5. New Ideas - The New Year always brings new ideas, once all the Christmas decorations are out of the way, new colours, clothes and crafts come to the top of the pile. I always love the ideas that come to me in January, they are the ones most likely to get done.

Hope you are all enjoying the start of the year.

Sammy xxx

Love it: Christmas Wishlists

With it being the 1st of December we thought it only right to our Christmas wishlists with you

No.1 Top of My (Sammy's) list is a Silhouette Cameo computerised paper/fabric cutting machine. I used to have a have a slice machine, which I have recently sold to make way for one of these. I need this in my life!

No.2 on my list is theses Virtue stacking rings, there are hundreds in their range to choose from, these three are my faves. I am a little bit of a fan of stars, I have lots of star pendants and charms, I even have a tattoo of five stars on my back.

No.3 are the yummy Sweetie Fur Lined Slipper Boots from my favourite high street store Accessorize! My current (last years Christmas present) pair have lasted me a whole year, I wear my slippers A LOT! But now have rather large holes in both feet. These look so cozy and I love the pompoms.

My last two are definitely on my 'DIY' list to have a go at in the new year if I don't get the real thing.

No.4 on my list is from a store that is well loved in the US and becoming a massive brand in the UK too, Anthropologie.  H is responsible for introducing me to the wonders of their existence on a trip to their Regent Street store a few years ago. I have an 'S' mug from their original range, but I just love these floral designed homegrown monogram mugs, and the 'S' is in such a cute teal and red colour combo.

No.5 Is from my current designer crush Kate Spade. I love this gold spot Mobile phone case, the perfect mix of Glam and kooky, If this isn't in my stocking though I feel a DIY version on the cards!

No.1 on my list is to go any see Matilda at the Theatre.  There are 3 main reasons: I love Roald Dahl and my favourite book was Matilda; I loved the 90's Film with Bob Hoskins and I love Tim Minchin - who wrote the  new Music and Lyrics.  So what's not to look forward to!

No.2 on my list is the House of Elliot Series boxset.  I loved it when I was younger watching it with my mum and last year BBC3 had a complete re-run and I loved it all over again.  I loved the clothes and that the 2 women were Fashion designers - one of my 'what do you want to be when you grow up' jobs.

No.3 is my new favourite thing. It is a machine built in the 80's for Japanese Children to be able to print on a small scale - similar to screen printing.  Japanese Gocco Machines are apparently very rare and have stopped making them, but I will be scouring Ebay and the world for one of these beauties and maybe one Christmas I may well find one!

No.4 is this Lisa Jones Studio Cushion.  Now I love checking out cushions but don't actually have many at home and that may be more to do with house-sharing than anything else.  But if I did have cushions, this would be the one I want as it has an Owl on it and I am a bit obsessed by birds but especially owls at the moment!

And finally at No.5 is my all time favourite thing at Christmas time and all year round in fact.  I love mint chocolate and there is something about Matchmakers that makes me feel very Christmassy!

If you have your own to share, then please post a comment below.  We would love to see them.

Love it Christmas Style

Sammy and H xxx