Silhouette Designer Edition Promotion Sale!

Hey, hey, friends!  I have some exciting news for you today!!  Have you been wanting a "Cammie" or "Portia" of your own?  You know what I mean, a fabulous Silhouette cutting machine that you can use to cut vinyl, chipboard, cardstock, paper, heat-transfer vinyl, fabric...well, just about anything {and sketch too}?

You're in luck!  Starting today, they're on sale with significant discounts you won't want to miss!  Check it out...

You'll notice that part of the promotion is the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition, valued at $49.99, which I'll be sharing more about in a minute.  If you purchase the Cameo bundle, it's like getting a $30 discount plus the Designer Edition totally free!  The Portrait bundle is like getting a whopping $50 off the machine's regular price, plus the software as a free bonus! Of course, if you already have a machine and just want to upgrade your software, it's half price!  Snag the Designer Edition for just $24.99 and take advantage of some of the great features it has to offer!

Some of my favorite features include the guides and rulers, the ability to skew designs, and the ability to transform any design into rhinestone shapes or sketch patterns. 

To see a full comparison of the basic software and the Designer Edition, check out this comparison checklist!

Today I want to show you how I used my Designer Edition software to create some framed inspirational art for the Artsy House!

 DOODLE ART QUOTE

I have a spot on one of the walls in our main level powder room where I like to rotate framed art. Sometimes I have something seasonal on display, but I wanted something that would be appropriate for the rest of the summer, as well as those in-between holiday times.  At first, I wasn't sure what look I was going for, but then I decided I wanted to create something colorful, whimsical, and fun...something that looked like I doodled it in my journal.  Here's how I made it happen:

STEP 1: I opened my software and chose the design file I wanted from my library.  This quote from Mother Teresa was actually the Free Shape of the Week a few weeks ago, and I knew right away that I wanted to do something with it.  I chose Letter sized paper even though I was going to be using 12x12 chipboard, because I knew I wanted to trim it to fit in an 8x10 frame.  I centered it and used the ruler tool to size it.

STEP 2: Next, I went to the Object menu and chose Sketch!

Step 3: From here, I had lots of fun choices to make!  There are different Edge effects as well as different options for the types of fill effects you can include.  I wanted mine to be a nice thick outline that wasn't perfectly neat, so I adjusted my settings until I achieved the look I was going for.

STEP 4: I placed a sheet of chipboard on my cutting mat and loaded it into my Cameo.  Then, I tested a few of my pens on the very edge of the chipboard that I knew was getting cut off to see which color looked best.  Once I'd chosen the dark blue pen, I removed the blade and replaced it with the pen, then switched the settings in my software so that Cammie knew to draw with the pen instead of cutting.  

STEP 5: My work was done for the moment and it was Cammie's turn to do the job sketching out my design.
Now, a few things I have to say about that...

Honestly, this takes a looooong time.  It's totally understandable since there are an awful lot of lines for Cammie to trace and re-trace and re-trace to get the look I want.  So, get her going and then find something else to do for an hour or two, then come back.  It's not a quickie like most of my vinyl cutting adventures are.
Honestly, when Cammie sketches, she's about as quiet as a freight train.  Little Crafter likes to say she's singing...lol.  In any case, I would advise you to be wiser than I was when I started this project at 9:15 PM and both my guys were in bed.  Oops.

Anyway, once it was all finished, I had this:

All it needed was some color.  Remember, I was going for the doodled "I drew this in my notebook instead of listening to the lecture" look, so I pulled out some old school art supplies: watercolor pencils and Slick Stix crayons.  Here's how it turned out:

The final step was putting it in the frame and hanging it on the wall in our downstairs powder room.

There's nothing like a daily reminder of the best way to live!  What small things will you do with great love today?

I definitely enjoyed creating this project...it was fun coloring, and I was so grateful that the Designer Edition software was able to turn my quote into a sketch, just the look I was going for.  The software has a ton of other great features too that the basic version doesn't include, so be sure to grab your upgrade for half off {just $24.99!}!  Or if you don't have a machine yet {what are you waiting for}, now is the time!  Get a great discount plus the upgraded software as part of the bundle!

When you check out, be sure to use the code ARTSY to get your discount!
This promotion ends July 10, so be sure to claim your deal while you still can!

Hugs & Glitter,