Check out my new Silhouette Portrait!!

I must confess I’ve had this cool machine since Valentine’s Day but hadn’t gotten the hang of it until now.

It’s really quite versatile compared to the Cricut machine that requires really expensive cartridges… You can either purchase individual images through the online store or you can create your own! Being able to create my own was why I wanted this machine.

This is the reason I hadn’t gotten the hang of it.  The sticky grid plastic that holds your substrate was so darn sticky that anything I tried to peel off after cutting ripped completely apart.

I was so frustrated that I set the machine aside and didn’t touch it for at least 8 months. At Mr. G’s prompting, I took it back out and gave it another whirl. He had plans for it if I wasn’t going to use it….something about laser cutting. HMMM…that might be interesting too.

I had to figure out a way to make the plastic grid less sticky. I stuck and restuck a flour sack dishcloth to it over and over until it was more tacky than sticky.

It worked! I was able to lift the images from the plastic with tearing them. I did find, however, that the paper at the edge that is compressed by the rollers of the machine still tends to tear. I just have to keep that in mind.

Remember what I said about creating your own images. The Love cutout is my handwriting. Cool huh!?!  I’ll definitely be sharing more about this new tool as I continue to explore the possibilities.