{sketch pen tutorial} birthday girl card

I've had a Silhouette for awhile now, and up until a week ago, had never used sketch pens.  I don't know why, because now after I've worked with them a few times, I absolutely LOVE them! I wish I would have tried them a long time ago.  They are super easy to use, and you can create darling cards in no time flat.  

I really like giving cute cards, but I don't always have a lot of time to put something together.  This is the perfect solution--you can personalize blank cards in literally less than 5 minutes--I'm not kidding! So fast, so easy, and so darling! Silhouette has 3 different sets of pens--a glitter set, metallic set, and a starter set that includes 8 basic colors. 

{DIRECTIONS}

*This tutorial is for changing any image into a sketch using the Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software, which I LOVE being able to do. If you don't have the new software, there are many sketch images to choose from in the Silhouette online store.

1.  Open up your Silhouette software, and create your desired image.  I used birthday candles from the online Silhouette store, and the font I used for the text is cursive standard.  When you use a Sketch pen, the letters in your text will not be filled in, so a skinnier font looks better than a chunkier font.  You'll want to keep that in mind if you're going to have text.

2.  Once my image was created, I decided to group it all together to make it easier for the next couple of steps.  Instead of having to repeat all the steps for each individual candle and letter, I would only have to do it one time if it was grouped together.  It also made it easier to size, and to move around.

Edit > Select All

Object < Group

Now you've got one image! 

3.  Now you're ready to turn your image into a sketch. Click on the Sketch icon, and select the edge you want.  I chose plain, because it would work best for this image.  I also like the continuous option--I've used it to make frames, and it's really fun.

4.  Once your image is in sketch form, click on the cut style icon, click on your image to select it, then choose "cut" from the choices.

5.  Replace your blade with the sketch pen of your choice.  It's easy---just take the cap off, put the pen side down, and click it into place. Send to Silhouette, and choose the Sketch Pen option. You're ready to sketch! 

6.  I sketched onto a piece of cardstock, then matted it on to scrapbook paper that I had cut to fit a blank white card.  I found a set of 10 square blank white cards and envelopes for only $1 at Michael's a few months ago, so I stocked up.  I punched holes in the bottom of the card, and tied a ribbon through.  All the edges were distressed with a Distress Ink pad (Vintage Photo). 

{Envelope}

To make the envelope, I followed the same steps as above to change the text into a sketch.  This is where the gridlines of the designer software really came into play.  I lined up my text based on those gridlines, and matched them to the gridlines on my cutting mat.  I placed the envelope on the cutting mat, and sent it right through my Silhouette.  It worked perfectly!! 

Don't forget the current Silhouette promo...

If you already have a Silhouette, you can buy the glitter and metallic pen sets for $6.99.

Go HERE to purchase!