A Silhouette Project: Frame Tray Refresh

You may not believe it, but I can think of at least one thing that has stuck around in my living room decor for the past year: The Frame Tray. I love it. It anchors my over-sized coffee table and serves as a somewhat stylish catch-all for remotes, drinks, etc. Though it has stuck around in grand fashion for a long while, I knew that in order to continue this record it would need a little re-fresh.

So, I put my fabulous Silhouette machine to work and made this:

I decided to order navy blue vinyl for two reasons; one, I was dying to try the vinyl, and two, I thought navy blue would be different. I have since decided that I need to stick with what I know for this project and maybe replace the navy with white, but it made the vinyl no less WONDERFUL to work with. It was pretty much a breeze, which is saying a lot since I had no clue what I was doing, and didn't slow down enough to read very many directions!

First, I used a font I liked and the Silhouette Studio Software on my Mac to design a quick monogram. (You will notice as we go that I am missing some step by step pictures. I got a little too excited and a little carried away, forgetting to take pictures along the way!) Then I just loaded my vinyl in and pressed cut:

And wouldn't you know it, I forgot to read some key instructions that reminded me to change the blade I was cutting with: oops! Lucky for me, I wasted just a couple of inches and the vinyl rolls seem to be never ending!

I also apparently overlooked the need for transfer paper which would have made this project much quicker! Apparently you can just rub that stuff right on after your cut out your shape? Then, it keeps the design in line to allow for a perfectly even transfer.

Luckily for me, I figured out how to proceed without, mostly due to the fact that the vinyl was incredibly easy to work with and would be peeled, stuck, unpeeled and re-stuck without harming the design in the least.

(For full directions on how to apply the vinyl, look here, or look on the insert that comes with your adhesive vinyl from Silhouette. They make it so easy!)

I first placed the design in the middle.

I knew that since I always have a vase of flowers on the tray, I would hate not seeing the monogram, so I quickly peeled and re-stuck it in the corner. The vinyl was beyond easy to use! (Now I am thinking I might change it back...thoughts? Does that really surprise anyone?)

I'll be linking to these parties this week. Hope to see you there!!

Happy Thursday,