Stamped Lunch Notes with the Silhouette - August Challenge

My Mom would always slip little notes of encouragement or praise into my lunchbox or my backpack as a child. In fact, she still does things like that and leaves them around the house when she visits. It is the little unexpected things that leave a lasting impression.

I didn't do that for my son last year, but now that he is an active and voracious reader going into 1st grade, I think it is time to pass down the tradition. I could have printed out a bunch on the printer, but I really wanted to try out the new Silhouette kit I picked up.

Have you tried the Stamp Kit yet?

I completely geeked out when it arrived. It came with stamp material to cut out with the Silhouette Cameo, a Sihouette Stamp Material cutting mat, acrylic blocks, ink along with instructions and ideas. As with the other kits, there was a card to download a few free images to get me started.

I browsed the image library looking for simple shapes and ideas. I ended up cutting out a school bus, along with a frame and a few other things. Quickly I realized I would need outlines only for my stamps if I intended to write on them. This was the first time I used the offset tool in Silhouette Studio. It gave me a good outline for items like the bus.

Cutting was easy enough. Once the stamp material was placed on the special cutting mat, I used the suggested settings and the material was scored enough so that I could easily pull it away on the desired lines.

Ahem. Pay no attention to the chipped nail polish. I was much more interested in getting my project completed...

I love the grids on the Silhouette acrylic stamp blocks to not only line up the stamp itself, but position it on my card stock. The blocks were also handy for straightening the edges of my outline. The material does have a tendency to stretch a little.

Just press the stamp down on the block and you are ready to start stamping. It pulls right back up afterwards for better cleaning and to reuse the blocks with different stamps.

My only issue was getting the ink to stick to the stamp material. This is the Silhouette ink that came with the kit. I did enjoy using other ink pads more, but the effect of the splotchy ink is kinda fun.

Creating my stamps was easy and I have more ideas to try. I hope to have a whole stack of little notes ready for the first week of school. I may even make a few to stick in my husband's truck.... just because.

Have you created stamps with your Silhouette? What would you like to make?

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

 
1. Weekend Craft // 2. From Wine to Whine // 3. Life After Laundry // 4. Adventures in All Things Food // 5. Dragonfly & Lily Pads // 6. Sowdering About // 7. The Kim Six Fix // 8. Architecture of a Mom // 9. greylustergirl.com // 10. Please Excuse My Craftermath // 11. Simply Kelly Designs // 12. My Paper Craze // 13. Sweet Tea & Saving Grace // 14. Black and White Obsession // 15. Ginger Snap Craft // 16. It Happens in a Blink // 17. Creative Ramblings // 18. Little Blue's Room