Silhouette Free Shape of the Week

Today I happened to be looking at the Silhouette online store and saw their adorable new "Free Shape of the Week."  They have a free shape every week, though I often forget to login and download it.  This week was different, however, and I am glad I accidentally stumbled across it!  I really liked their this week's shape and so decided to make something using it to share with you!  I also just wanted to let you know about their weekly gift in case you did not already know about it, and alert you to the chance at getting this shape for free. :) Click the link above to take you to this week's free shape, called "Try a little kindness phrase."  Funny thing...I changed the phrase for my project...but that's besides the point.  With this shape, I really liked the floral design and it's very cottage style feel.

Instead of the phrase that comes with the shape, I decided to come up with something that was a little more personal to me.  I happen to be part of a world-wide women's organization whose motto is based on a verse from the Bible that states "Charity Never Faileth."  I thought that would be perfect for the inside of my image, and would maybe make this a nice personal gift for a friend.  So, to add your own phrase (monogram, family name, etc.), just use the "ungroup" function once.  Doing it just once separates the phrase from the floral designs, but does not ungroup all the small individual pieces of said floral designs with this image--so you only do it once.  Then delete the current phrase (or keep it, if that's what you want!  It's cute, after all!).  Type your phrase in where you'd like it, then regroup it all so you can move the image around to where you'd like it cut.

After that, cut your image out using some vinyl--stencil vinyl if you have some--and use the vinyl as a stencil.  Be careful as you pull out the letters and actual cut image (to be discarded).  Small pieces of the flowers and the inner portions of the letters tend to want to pull up as well, and you'll need them to stay put in order to make your image work as a stencil correctly.   There are lots of small pieces in this design, so I used my hook to help hold them down and put them back in place when things came loose that I did not want to.

Next, using transfer tape or paper, cover the vinyl that you want to use as a stencil and then use your scraper to rub out any bubbles.  Remove the backing and then place your image where you'd like it on your board.  Choose a contrasting paint color, and paint over the stencil.

Once the paint is dry, pull up your vinyl stencil!  Use your hook to pull up the small "in-between" pieces of the flowers and letters, being careful not to scratch your board.  Quick aside--if you are at all like me when I first started out, I didn't see the need for the hook.  This is because I was just cutting large paper shapes and just used my hands!  However, a project like this REALLY needs that handy dandy little hook.  Trust me, if you don't already have one of these--get one now.  They are SO helpful for SO many things.  Okay, back to making cute boards.

Use your hook to pull up the tiny vinyl pieces of your stencil.

Once you have pulled up all the vinyl pieces--you're done!  Yay for simple projects. I tied a piece of twine around mine to add a little something more to it, but whatever you decide to do, I hope you love your finished product!  Here's to more crafting!  :)