New Baby in the Studio

I teased you a month ago about a new "baby" in the house.  Well here it is...my brand new Silver Bullet cutter!  I've been wanting to upgrade to one of these babies for a few years and after finally admitting that I had outgrown my well-used Cricut, I knew it was time to "pull the trigger".  This is the big one...24" of cutting area.  In fact so big I had to order a stand to put it on because it wouldn't fit on the counter top!  Actually I'm glad it's on the stand...so convenient to roll it around as needed.  I also purchased the acrylic tables that go in front and in back of the machine.  These hold the mat level for best results.

After using this machine for a month, I have to say that it lives up to all the hype.  I haven't used all the features yet (any and all pen sizes for lettering, etching--on acrylic or metal, distressing and cutting fabric) but what I have done so far is awesome!  Intricate cuts are no problem---letters that are the width of a hair!  I made my own stencils---cutting through thick stencil material was like cutting through butter!  The print and cut feature--a quick calibration and it was spot on!  

If I wasn't busy preparing for a show next month, I'd be spending time trying out those unused features!  I can't wait to try out making some things from heavy chipboard and giving the pens a whirl.

I know some people have been intimidated by the Silver Bullet.  If you are familiar with SCAL and cut regularly on any machine, you will easily get the hang of it.  Support is top notch and there are instructional videos to watch as well as a complete printed guide included with the machine.  I thought that the machine was so easy to operate that this is what I cut within the first hour of getting the machine set up...

I'll keep you up to date on the new things I'm trying with my SB.  In the meantime, here are some of the vinyl projects I've been creating for the show: 

Vinyl on canvas. 

Vinyl on tile.

 Vinyl on glass ornament.

Stencil painted wood.