I spent the weekend playing with my new Silhouette Cameo (aren’t I lucky?! What a job perk!). I made a bunch of little things that I’ll share with you throughout the week, but mostly I was trying get the hang of how the machine works so I could report back to you. After all, you need to know if it’s worth it to enter to win one (or buy one using our promo code!). Here are the details again:

Here’s how to buy one:

Just use promo code “FAVE” to get yourself a brand spankin’ new Silhouette Cameo with choice of starter kit (Fabric Ink, Rhinestone, Vinyl, or Heat Transfer) for only $299. But hurry, the code only lasts until October 31, and the machines will sell out!

Here’s how to win one:

1. Like Silhouette on Facebook
2. Follow Silhouette on Pinterest
3. Leave a comment on any of our Silhouette blog posts (this one or any post I write this week that has “Silhouette Cameo” in the title) telling me what you would make if you had a Silhouette Cameo.
4. I’ll randomly pick a winner and announce who won on October 30!

Here’s what I learned:

Setting up the Silhouette Cameo is really simple. You’ve got to install the software on your computer first, but all that entailed was putting the disc in my CD drive and doing what my computer told me to do. The software comes with each machine, and you can also download it from the Silhouette website. You do have to use your computer every time you use the Cameo, but this gives you a lot more control over what you’re cutting too, because you can manipulate everything on the screen.

Once the software is installed, you merely plug the Cameo into a power outlet, connect it to your computer via the USB cable that comes with it, and you’re ready to go! The blade needs to be adjusted depending on what you’re cutting (I turned mine up when I was cutting a cereal box and down when I was cutting printer paper). Adjusting the blade setting is as simple as twisting it until it clicks into place.

You can also adjust the rollers depending on how wide your paper (or other media) is. The best part? If you tell the Silhouette what size and weight of paper you’re cutting, it’ll automatically adjust the blade speed and pressure to match!

The Cameo comes pre-loaded with 50 different shapes to cut. You can also cut text with ANY font you have on you computer (and we all know we can download infinite fonts for free at a number of websites).

I cut this with one of the pre-loaded shapes. Wouldn’t this be a cool scrapbook background?

And here’s the negative space left behind:

Yeah, that wasn’t fun peeling all those leftover shapes off.

If you want to cut a shape you don’t have, Silhouette sells shapes on their website as well! They have approximately infinity shapes for sale, and they add new ones all the time. Each shape is about 99 cents, and your machine comes with a $10 gift card to use for shape-purchasing! I already spent mine on these:

I blew up the chandelier ornament I purchased and made a kitschy full-size chandelier for my kitchen:

As if that wasn’t cool enough, I then discovered the Trace tool. Readers, prepare to have your mind blown. I found this tutorial on how to use the Trace tool and followed it in order to create my own shape to be cut. That’s right–you can use this tool to turn any jpeg image into a shape that your Silhouette can cut. My mind is clearly blown as well.

You can also alter existing images or combine purchased images with your own designs, fonts, or traced shapes to make one-of-a-kind shapes. So if you’re crafty enough, you’ll never need to spend a dime at the Silhouette store (though they have so many cute shapes for sale, I bet you will anyway).

There’s so much more you can do with a Silhouette Cameo! Stay tuned for more craft ideas and insights tomorrow!

What would you make with a Silhouette Cameo? Leave a comment below for a chance to win one!