Hi, team member Juli here! As a mom to two teenage girls, the need for teacher or friend gifts at the last minute never seems to end.

Being the crafter at heart I am, I convinced my husband a few Christmases ago to buy me a Silhouette Cameo.  I had no idea what I was going to make with it, but “I needed it”.  Well, I have to say that it comes in handy for last minute gifts thanks to awesome digital word art by Digital Scrapbook Ingredients.

Today I’ll walk you through how to take digital word art from your computer screen and get it on to a tumbler or coffee mug…and I swear it only takes about 10 minutes from beginning to end. So let’s get started.

Supplies

Free As A Bird Word Art Stamps by Digital Scrapbook Ingredients
Silhouette Cameo cutter and accompanying software
White Oracle 651 vinyl
Scissors
Transfer tape
A plastic tumbler (Dollar Tree) and/or travel coffee mug (Michael’s)

To get started I opened my Silhouette Studio software (which comes with the Cameo, so no additional purchase required).   I clicked on File>Open…and then went and found the word art from Free As A Bird Word Stamps that I wanted to use.

Once my PNG file was imported in to the Studio Software I need to resize it to fit the object I am going to place the cut vinyl on to.  My designs are about 3 inches wide.  I’ve found going any wider than that makes it hard to wrap it around the round surface of the cup and keep the design straight.
Next ,  I needed to trace the design so the machine would know where to cut. To do so I selected Object>Trace.

Next I need to click on the button that says “Select Trace Area” that is on the far right of the screen. When I do so, I’m able to then select the area of the grid that I want the software to trace. I make sure the selection box (which is blue) covers the whole area of the design I want to include.

After you put your whole image in the Trace box, you need to click off the High Pass Filter which is next to the number 1 in the photo above.  Then you need to click on Trace, which is indicated with the number 2 in the picture above.

Your project will then have a red line all around the areas where the Cameo will cut.  All you need to do is click on the inside area that is black and then drag it away or hit delete to remove.  This leaves you with a red cut line image that shows exactly how the machine will cut the vinyl.  My example below shows my two designs (I just repeated the above process again for my second saying) together on the same grid so I can cut them at the same time.

Following the manufacturer’s instructions I loaded my vinyl on to my cutting mat and in to the machine.  I made sure my cut settings are correct by selecting Silhoutte>Cut Settings> and then I select vinyl from the menu on the far right side of the screen (see number 1 on the picture above). I double clicked on vinyl and made sure it was set to Ratchet Blade (the one that comes with the machine).  I made sure my blade was set on 3 and the Speed was set to 8 and the Thickness was set to 9 (see number 2 on the picture above). Finally I clicked Send To Silhouette (see number 3 on the picture above).

The machine now cut all the vinyl for me. When it was done I unloaded the cutting mat and carefully cut around each vinyl design using scissors.  Then I pulled off the part of the vinyl I didn’t want to use (see below).

Next I took a piece of transfer tape and placed it over my design.  I use a Silhouette burnishing tool (the side of credit card will also work) and rubbed hard on the transfer tape side of the vinyl/transfer tape sandwich (see below). This made the vinyl come off the light blue backing paper and it stuck to the transfer tape (Hint: I like to use clear transfer tape to make it easier for placement.)

I now, carefully, placed the vinyl where I want it on the cup and then use the same burnishing tool and rub hard and away from the center of the design to get the vinyl to adhere to the cup.  I continued to use the tool to work out any air bubbles and make sure the design is well stuck on the cup.  I then carefully pulled the transfer tape away and I am left with a great looking new cup or coffee mug.  I used my fingers to rub down on the vinyl on last time to make sure it’s really stuck on there.

The vinyl needs a day to cure before use, but we’ve given it as a gift a few minutes later.  I just remind the recipient to hand wash after each use and not use in the microwave (coffee mug).  The cups we’ve made for ourselves have held up very well.

My girls are now known as some of the best gift givers because there are so many beautiful Digital Scrapbook Ingredients Word Stamps to choose from!  Check out all of DSI’s Word Stamps at The Digital Press!  I hope you will give this project a try and come back and show us your creations.  – Juli