I don’t tell people what I want for Christmas. It’s just not my thing…well, not since I was little and would spend hours spread out on the living room floor with the JC Penney catalog in front of me, carefully noting the page numbers and details about the items I hoped Santa would bring. It didn’t take me many years to realize, though, that I much prefer to be genuinely surprised when I open my gifts. I love the anticipation. I love to slowly, painstakingly unwrap the item that my loved one brainstormed, purchased or made and wrapped. It all takes thought, and I really appreciate that thought and love the feeling of it.
So, because I don’t create wish lists for my peeps, I don’t believe I can expect them to know the deepest desires of my heart (materially speaking). I mean, how could they? All I expect is that they will give me something that they believe I’ll like based on what they know of me. Is it so far fetched to believe that sometimes our deepest desires might intersect with what our family knows about us? Do you believe? I still believe.
In 2008 Matt was my Scrap Santa! I have one of the original QuicKutz Silhouette machines because my loving husband figured me out. I remember being so surprised when I opened that package that I started to cry. How in the world did he know how much I had been longing for one?
Well, I love my Silhouette…most of the time. But there are definitely ways that my experience in using it could be improved. I mean, how many of you Silhouette users who upgraded to the new Studio software really like the improvements to the interface but find that it crashes about every other time you use it? And every time I buy a new design or two using my subscription I have to go back in and re-download it. Oh well, those are just technical snafus; I still love using the machine and am amazed at what I can make with it.
So, I recently came across a few ideas for making your Silhouette crafting even better, and I think it’s only fair to pass them along to you, gentle reader:
- Cardstock that is a bit “creamier” in texture is said to cut better. In fact, I’ve heard from several sources that American Crafts cardstock is awesome to cut with the Silhouette.
- Once you’ve chosen your design and sized it the way you want it, mirror horizontally so that it is in reverse. Then flip your paper over so that it’s face down when you put it on your carrier sheet. This way once you’ve cut the design you can just apply your adhesive to the die cuts while they’re still on the sticky mat. Then just lift once and adhere to your page.
I hope these few tips are useful to your scrapping life. Every little tip helps, right?
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