Gift Giving

How often do you guys make 3-D projects? They kind of intimidate me! Lots of planning and scoring and folding oh my. It gets intense. So I got really excited when I saw all the cool 3-D downloads on the Silhouette Store. I had to try some!

My Mom has a drawer in the laundry room full of little gifts so she's always prepared. I've gained that same habit and now love having cute packaging around too. These two projects would be great for quick and impressive gifts. Seriously, I will take anything wrapped in this lattice box!


paper: on the coast plankton
embellishment: juliette ribbon
shape: box_lace_cube_tent_top_C00579_19210

We always have gift cards lying around, and they make great thank you gifts. This box is the perfect size for them! It doesn't even need embellishing with that lovely lid, but I thought I would play a little anyway.


paper: on the coast lagoon
embellishments: on the coast borders, on the coast chiplet, juliette ribbon
shape: adorable_box_5_C00378_20509

Our giveaway today is absolutely fantastic! We have a Rhinestone Starter Kit for you! I know you all love a little bling, so don't be shy. To enter, leave a comment telling us what has been wonderful about your week! This giveaway ends Sunday at midnight. And don't forget to go to the Silhouette Blog for a free download of the shapes from my projects monday!
-Mandi

Vinyl Delight

When I see strips of vinyl words made to attach to walls or plaques I imagine a huge, expensive, high-tech machine creating them. I thought I would just leave it to the pros and hire someone to make one for me. Boy, was I wrong! It is really quite simple to make your own vinyl designs. The machine you need is the Silhouette and it's not scary to use at all.


Pick your designs from the library or make your own, then size them, load your vinyl and the machine does the rest. When it's finished just peel away the extra vinyl, place transfer paper on your design and go to town rubbing it off on different materials. I especially love the way it looks on acrylic albums and glass.


Papers: Bridgeport, Jocelyn, & On the Coast
Embellishments: Stickers, Petals, Ribbons & Brads
Album Shapes: delightful_phrase_C00534_20509, elegant_flower_C00066_27011, rough_flourish_C00013_27011 & flourish_1019
Jar Shapes: blossom_C00049_27011 & decorative_leaves_C00065_27011

Do you want some vinyl? Lucky you. Silhouette has provided us with 2 rolls of vinyl and 1 roll of transfer paper to giveaway! To enter, just leave a comment on this post with an idea of how to use the vinyl (with or without the machine). You have until Sunday at midnight. Be sure to enter the giveaway we are sponsoring on their blog too. It's an On The Coast assortment pack!
-Maria

Welcome, Projects, Giveaway!

Welcome to a very special week here at SEI Lifestyle! We have teamed up with the amazing Silhouette Team and are going to be bringing you some goodies we think you will love! Each day we'll be giving away product on both of our blogs, along with fabulous projects to inspire you!

Happy Monday friends! Can I start out by telling you all how much I love this machine? This thing is the coolest. It die-cuts like a dream...so crisp, so clean, it's just lovely to watch it hum along as it works. I am impressed.

We thought we'd start out the week with a layout! Easy peasy and fun. Remember when Maria mentioned she saw me using a photo to make a layout? Well, this is it! I'm constantly inspired by A Creative Mint's clean, well thought out photos and it was the perfect grid for my project with Silhouette.

I'm generally a 12"x12" kinda girl, so I just imagined some extra space on the sides. Not hard! As I started laying it out, I realized there were some cool elements that I wanted on my own layout. Enter the Silhouette SD. Paper clips made out of paper? Done. File folder shapes? Got it. Custom text? No problem! I hopped onto Illustrator and got to work, and a few minutes later my layout was practically done. Efficiency is so cool.

papers: happy day, bronze shimmer, my romeo, guava cardstock, & exquisite
embellishments: claire petals, claire metal accents, claire chiplets, claire + jocelyn designer brads, juliette ribbon, juliette stickers, & lovebirds epoxy stickers
shapes: custom (coming soon!), nameplates_C00022_27011

And see those cut-out letters? The cool part about this machine is your get the positive and negative space of your cut-outs. Two home sweet homes for me! Yipee! We were having some guests over for the weekend, so I whipped out a frame and made two custom cut mats for it (with the Silhouette, of course) a-la Miss Jennifer and ta-da! Some art for our guest room.

Now, I know you're looking at all those shapes and wishing you had them. Well, if you win the $25 Download Card Silhouette has so sweetly donated, they could be yours! To enter the giveaway tell us what you want to buy with it in a comment by Sunday, June 13th at midnight MST. That's it!

Next stop? The Silhouette Blog, who is featuring our brand new line On the Coast, and another giveaway! Thanks for playing and come back tomorrow for even more Silhouette goodness!
-Mandi