Great site with tons of free SVGs!!

I just discovered Kraftynook.blogspot.com!  Holy cow – there are some wonderful free SVG files over there!
There are many fantastic sets (for personal use only) available to download for free & the blog owner only asks for thanks so be sure to leave her some love in the comment section of the files you download!  
The files are hosted on Google Drive and are easy to download. 
Here’s a little tutorial on how to download these fantastic files!
Each image is it’s own file so you can easily select just those that you want. Here’s one of my favorite sets – I <3 Star Wars! 

Click “CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD” below the picture of the set & you’ll be taken to Google Drive. 

Click on the filename beneath the image to take you to the download page.

Click on the arrow pointing down to download the SVG file.

You can navigate to the other files in the folder by using the arrows on the side.

When you’re done, click on the X to return to Google Drive and use the back button to navigate easily back to Kraftynook.com  to find new treasures to download!
Just a few of my favorites from Kraftynook: 
 
 

Have fun & be sure to leave comments on the Krafty Nook blog if you enjoy the files!!

Looking for more free files?  Be sure to check out this post!

Christmas Movie Blog Hop

I <3 blog hops!  They are such a fun way to see some great projects, discover new bloggers and sometimes you even get freebies! There is a really fun Christmas Movie blog hop ending today!  There are 10 blogs to visit and after following & commenting on each blog you’ll be rewarded with a great set of SVG files!  If you like the projects showcased in the blog hop then you’ll love the freebie files!

You can follow most of the blogs via Bloglovin’ – a great way to keep track of favorite blogs & discover new ones!  (See this post for more info about Bloglovin’)

Click here to begin the Christmas Movie Blog Hop! 

Lettering Delights $1 Sale!

 

Lettering Delights brought back their original SVG files temporarily. These files will only be available for a limited time for only  $1 each! The SVG files DO NOT contain other cutting file formats. Take advantage of this special SVG sale now, while you can!

Not sure what to get?  Here are some fun summer sets!

Soak up the Sun

Backyard Fun

When you spend $15 between July 1 & July 31st you’ll get the Get Happy Collection FREE!! It’s valued at $31  Learn more here and check out the cute ideas to use this product for here!

Silhouette Cameo & Make The Cut!

I have been using electronic die cutting machines for close to 10 years.  I’ve used a few different ones (Wishblade, Cricut & Silhouette) as well as a few different software programs including Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL), Silhouette Studio (SS), SS Designer Edition (DE) & Make The Cut! (MTC) and have found that my Silhouette Cameo and Make The Cut! are my tools of choice.  The Silhouette cuts beautifully & precisely. I love the ability to create my own titles using any font on my computer, to create files using shapes or images and also to purchase and/or share files.  There is also a print & cut feature that is fantastic.  Here’s a brief video showing just a bit of what the Cameo can do:

I LOVE my Silhouette Cameo!!

If you’re even thinking about getting a Silhouette machine (Cameo has a larger cutting area than the smaller Portrait) you should download the free Silhouette Studio program.  Play around with the program, watch videos and start collecting shapes!   Here is a link to download the Silhouette Studio program http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/software

Silhouette offers a free shape each week in the Silhouette store. You'll probably receive a download card with your Silhouette Machine good for $10 in the Silhouette Store so if you’re waiting to get a Silhouette you can set up an account, start shopping or create a wish list.   http://www.silhouetteonlinestore.com/

I have found that the free program that comes with the Silhouette machines – Silhouette Studio (SS) - isn’t easy to work with.  It’s unstable – often getting hung up and/or crashing (consider this a reminder to save your work often!)  The tracing feature is hard to use and you’re limited to cutting .sil files with SS.  That is unfortunate because most cut files are in a SVG format.  To cut SVG files you’ll need another program.   You can upgrade to Silhouette Designer Edition – that has more features but it still works the same as SS (with more features) and I’ve experienced the same crashing issues and so have many others I’ve heard from. 

Fortunately, there are some 3rd party software programs out there.  I’ve used both SCAL and MTC and really, really like using MTC.  It was designed by a scrapbookers husband and the software is upgraded from time to time at no charge to MTC owners.  It’s very user friendly!

(I am an affiliate for MTC! – but I became an affiliate because I love the program, not the other way around)

Do yourself a favor – download a trial version of MTC – simply click the “Download Now” button  It is a wonderful program – the layers feature is my favorite.  You can try it out but won’t be able to cut your items until you purchase  your copy of MTC.  Once you do that  you’ll be able to cut all other file types other than .sil files.  You can save files as SVGs, something you can not do in the  upgraded Silhouette Designer Edition program.  I use MTC for everything but .sil files.  I find myself using .sil files less and less because of the issues with the Silhouette programs and because MTC is so much easier to use.

But don’t take my word for it  - see which program you prefer and judge for yourself!

Here is a great comparison between Make The Cut & Silhouette Designer Edition:  http://underacherrytree.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-make-cut-mtc-vs-silhouette-designer.html

Here is a comparison between Silhouette Studio & Designer Edition: http://www.silhouetteamerica.com/media/docs/silhouette-studio-version-comparison.pdf

Here are some other resources for the Silhouette machines.

A good, basic – get started with your machine video:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMQ84O8o33I

This is a great series of videos - she explains things in detail and is easy to follow: http://www.youtube.com/user/2tinytreasures/search...

Tracing Without Tears series - using Silhouette Studio (the software that comes with the Silhouette Machine) http://www.youtube.com/playlist...

Good video about the Print & Cut feature. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqXrUmZoc_o

I have lots of Silhouette/electronic die cutter related pins here on my Silhouette Pinterest Board http://www.pinterest.com/lisa.../silhouette-ideas-and-finds/

and a board dedicated to vinyl projects http://www.pinterest.com/lisagraham/vinyl-projects/

This is where I order my vinyl from – great selection & quick shipping!

This is a community board showing projects created with Make The Cut - where anyone can pin to it. http://www.pinterest.com/conicuts/make-the-cut/

This is one of my favorite spots for SVG files. Lots of great, fun files and a freebie each day!

Enter to win a Silhouette Cameo from SVG Cuts on Facebook!

I love, love, LOVE my Silhouette Cameo!  It is a fantastic die cutting machine that lets you cut any font you have on your computer, design your own files, use purchased files & more.  It also has a great print & cut feature.  Here’s a chance to win a Silhouette Cameo from SVG cuts!  

Click on the image below to enter.  You’ll receive additional entries when friends enter! You'll earn one extra entry for every friend you refer.  Good Luck!! 

Not familiar with the Silhouette Cameo?  Here’s a post about Silhouette – complete with links to videos, software upgrades & freebie files.