Ideas for DIY Christmas Ornaments 2023: YES! It's That Time Already

It may be hard to believe that it's time to start thinking about DIY Christmas Ornaments to make with Silhouette...but for small businesses and crafters setting up shop at craft fairs it's time to prep for the 2023 holiday season! 

I gathered 12 of my most popular DIY ornaments and the tutorials that go with them so you can get some ideas and inspiration in a hurry. 

Be sure to check out the video on Youtube all of the links to the tutorials to match the ornaments are in the description there.

Will you be selling or gifting  DIY Christmas Ornaments in 2023? Leave a comment.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

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How to Mark Commercial Use SVGs in Silhouette Studio Library

If you purchase designs with the commercial use license, add them to your library then quickly forget which designs you can use on items you sell - I have a solution for you.

While a folder full of Commercial Use SVGs and designs in your Silhouette library is one way to do it...what happens when you do a search for a design? By looking at the design outside of a folder, you have no way to tell how you can use it. That's why I like this option I'm about to share with you organize your Silhouette designs.

5 Tips for Creating Mock Ups in Silhouette Studio That Sell

If you sell digital cut files or buy commercial use designs to make products to sell with your Silhouette, you should make sure your mock up game is strong!

Mock Up photos help sell physical goods and digital designs by letting potential customers 'see' the finished product without you actually creating it first.  Put it to you this way...which of the above sets do you think sells more?

Craft mock ups are a huge help in selling digital products as well allowing designers to show examples of how their cut files can be used.  These five tips will help you take your mock up game to the next level so you can sell more - and at a higher price!

Heat Transfer Vinyl Temperature and Time Settings (at Your Fingertips)

If I've been asked once I've been asked a thousand times about the appropriate heat transfer vinyl time and temperature press times.

Apparently not everyone knows about the FREE app that lists all of this info on HTV temperature and time recommendations!

I'm sure most of you who are cutting HTV are cutting EasyWeed.  Siser's Smooth EasyWeed is perhaps the best known, but it's just one of many types of Siser brand heat transfer vinyl. 

Faux Leather Earrings with HTV: 3 Tips

Faux leather earrings are SO popular right now, but sometimes the details are difficult to cut!

One thing you can do is combine faux leather and HTV! Heat Transfer Vinyl is the perfect addition to add some detail - there are so many colors and finishes which give you even more options for customization and creativity. 

Here are a couple of tips that will make cutting HTV and leather earrings with your Silhouette even easier!

Most Accurate Siser HTV Color for Silhouette Studio Mock Ups (Free HEX Color Sheet & Design Set)

A few weeks back I shared with you a trick on how to add HEX colors to Silhouette Studio. It's definitely a work around- but for those who sell and want - or need - to make mock ups it's a really good way to offer accurate colors in the digital format.

I'm excited to say that I can now also share the HEX color codes for Siser Heat Transfer Vinyl!

12 Craft Blanks for Vinyl and HTV on Amazon

If you're looking for craft blanks, Amazon has a wide variety of blanks for heat transfer vinyl and vinyl.

Everything from canvas bags to wine glasses to baby and dog outfits can be found on Amazon and usually with free and fast shipping.  Check out these 12 craft blanks for vinyl and HTV on Amazon.

The Secret to Making Realistic Mockups in Silhouette Studio: The Warp Tool

If you want to sell your handmade products to order, but don't necessarily want to create one of every single design offered, you can use mockups to showcase all the designs in an amazing photo.

However, if your photo is not perfectly straight towards the camera, it can be hard to get a realistic looking mockup, unless you know the right tool to use in Silhouette Studio.

Silhouette School contributor Kati from Houseful of Handmade is here to share how to use the warp tool to make realistic mockups in Silhouette Studio.

9 Steps to MockUp Photos for Your Silhouette Designs

If you're running a Silhouette-based business, chances are you've needed a mock up photo at some point.

You can purchase stock mockup photos or you can create your own - which is what I do.

How to Make Drinkware Mockups in Silhouette Studio (Plus, Free Background Image)

So many Silhouette crafters use their machines to make things they sell, so today we're going to talk about how to make realistic mock ups for drink ware!

Sarah from Sarah Design is here today to share some of her tips and tricks on making mock ups like a pro right in Silhouette Studio!

High Volume Custom Transfers as an HTV Alternative

I see this all the time in the Silhouette CAMEO groups - someone says they have a huge order for a school, a sports team, or family reunion - and they're tempted to turn down the job because it's just too big.

Cutting a hundred or more identical heat transfer vinyl designs is not only expensive, but time and labor intensive. That's where custom heat transfers can become a great alternative.

The Heat Press Machine Accessory You Didn't Know You Needed

If you use a heat press you very likely have a teflon sheet and maybe even pressing pillows.  But do you have a heat press bottom platen cover?

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own

It's not likely...and what's more likely is you are probably like me thinking, "Why would I need a cover on the bottom platen of my heat press?" 

10 Unique Blanks for Heat Transfer Vinyl (That Will Rock Your Holiday Selling Season)

Every year around this time, the questions about best sellers and what to sell at a craft fair start coming more rapid fire than any other time during the year. 

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own

It's always been my opinion (and advice) that sellers don't need to offer a million options, you just need a few outstanding, unique items - and of course that all starts with unique blanks!

So today I'm going to share with you 10 blanks for heat transfer vinyl that will rock your holiday selling season.

Oracal 751 Vinyl: Better than Oracal 651 and 631 for Crafters

Oracal 651 and 631 have long been popular with Silhouette crafters and other hobby die cutters. But recently Oracal 751 has crept into the crafting space as more and more crafters look for a more durable vinyl at an affordable price point.

Oracal 751c is not a new permanent adhesive vinyl by any means - it's long been used by the sign and auto industries - but it's gaining popularity with Silhouette crafters for a lot of reasons!

Custom Printed Vinyl Decals: Silhouette Pixscan Tutorial Hack

You guys this might be my best idea yet...and for those of you who sell, make lots of the color vinyl decals or layered htv design, or just don't care to layer lots and lots of vinyl and HTV decals - this Silhouette tutorial hack is going to leave you speechless.

I've figured out a way to print any design multiple times on a single sheet of Oracal 651 vinyl and then cut out each of the designs to create individual decals.  Whether you run a Silhouette business or not, this is a huge time, material, and money saver for anyone who needs to create multiple copies of the same custom vinyl decals.

Think about if you had a large order of tumblers, mugs, or shirts that all had the same decal design which required a lot of layering. Or perhaps you have a popular seller that slows you down because it's time consuming to cut and layer each one. With this hack you could have several custom vinyl decals printed on the same sheet of vinyl and then you could just cut them all at the same time and apply the personalization quickly.

Combining the power of Sparkle Berry Ink's Custom Design Upload tool to create custom printed vinyl, Pixscan, and Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait I think we can all agree this is a real game changer.

Amazon Prime Day 2017: Silhouette Craft Stuff to Watch, Buy, and Stalk!

Amazon Prime Day is back for 2017 and what better excuse to stock up on Silhouette CAMEO accessories and craft stuff!!

This year Amazon Prime Day (which boasts better deals than Black Friday) spans two days beginning  Monday, July 10 at 9pm EST and stretching into late Tuesday, July 11. 

I've been scoping out deals for more than a week now to get you ready for this and make sure you don't miss any of the Prime Day Deals.  They don't really tell you what's going to be on sale too far ahead of time...but I have put together a Silhouette Prime Day Watch List for you - with a few love notes... so you can justify to the Mr. if necessary ;)

Custom Printed Pattern Vinyl and HTV

Oh my gosh you guys I've been dying to share this huge secret with you...for months I've been sworn to secrecy but finally today I can spill.it.all!!!

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own

Sparkle Berry Ink just introduced custom printed vinyl and heat transfer vinyl. When I say custom printed I mean like you can design you own designs in Silhouette Studio...then upload it to their portal, they professionally print it out, and a few days later it shows up in your mailbox. Do.you.see.why.I.am.so.excited.about.this.

Literally dying!!

How and Why Pressing Pillows are the Secret to Applying HTV

There are some craft gadgets that I think are 'nice to haves' and then there are some that I think are 'must haves' for Silhouette Crafters.

A set of pressing pillows is definitely on the must have list.

Graphic and Font Commercial License Game Changer

You guys know I love The Hungry JPEG...for their fantastic commercial use fonts and graphics! But I bet you didn't know what I'm about to tell you...

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.

We all know one of the best things about The Hungry JPEG is that their designs and fonts are ALL available for commercial use. BUT...as I was looking closer at their licensing agreement, I almost did a double take in what is a total game changer!

14 Free Use-However-You-Want (Public Domain) Fonts for Silhouette Crafters

So...let's have a little chat about fonts.  I know there's a lot of confusion about how fonts (and designs) can be used when crafting - specifically when it comes to selling items in physical form and selling digital files.

It's something that holds a lot of Silhouette crafters back from moving forward with actually selling...but if you know what you're looking for when it comes to fonts you can legally use, you should be good to go!  That's why today I'm sharing 14 of my favorite Public Domain fonts.