'F' for Freebies Crafty (& Handy)

Silhouette SD Cutting Machine (Review and Giveaway)

I mentioned wanting a Silhouette SD a few months ago after reading Melissa’s review of it, and much to my delight the company sent one to me to try out. Well I’ve been having so much fun with mine that I thought you might want one too, so I’m giving one away! Details are at the end of this post, but first let me show you a couple of things that I’ve made with it and tell you about my experience with the machine.

You know the little vinyl stick figure families that mark the back windows of minivans throughout suburbia? Yeah, this is my take on that. More modern, less cutesy.

Family Silhouette Car Decal

I used Adobe Illustrator to trace a silhouette of us, basing it on a photo from the shoot by James Julius. Of course, it’s only going to be accurate for another six months and then I’ll have to make a new one for my family of four.

I also framed Eleanor’s silhouette (the same silhouette I drew for her first birthday invitations) against a sheet of patterned paper.

Eleanor's Silhouette

So cute, right? And I could think of a million more things to make too… I especially like the idea of using it to make a stencil for decorating a pan of brownies with powdered sugar, but I think that’s just because I’ve been craving chocolate lately. ;)

My Review of the Silhouette SD

The machine itself is small, sleek, and well-designed. The interface is easy, and I had no problems following the directions to get the machine up and running. The software is not Mac friendly, but there is an Adobe Illustrator plugin for Mac users (and a helpful tutorial here). I like to make my own designs anyway, so the Illustrator compatibility is perfect for me.

I was impressed by the Silhouette SD’s accuracy and ability to cut finely detailed images. I found only two drawbacks: the machine is noisy when cutting, and the sticky cutting mats attract hair and dust particles like crazy. Certainly not deal breakers, but worth mentioning.

I’m pretty excited about all of the things I can make, so I’m really pleased with the machine. There are tons of ideas and tips on the Silhouette SD site, shop, and blog. I’m not sure how the PC software works, but if you use Adobe Illustrator like I do then you can use any font or vector image you like. Nice.

Enter to Win a Silhouette SD

If you would like to win a Silhouette SD of your own, just leave a comment on this post (one entry per person). This giveaway, open to US residents only, includes: A Silhouette Machine (a $299.99 value), software for Windows XP/Vista, power cable and USB cable, two cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media), one cutting blade, $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store. One winner will be chosen randomly on August 31.

And if you just can’t wait to see if you’ve won, I also have an awesome promo for you (good from August 23 through September 1 at midnight). If you buy a Silhouette cutting machine and enter the discount code “lovely“, you’ll get all of the above plus the following for $249.99: $50 off the Silhouette Craft Cutter, fuzzy white vinyl (valued at $7.99), light blue smooth heat transfer (valued at 14.99), yellow flocked heat transfer (valued at $14.99), and a home décor CD (valued at $50). That’s a total savings of $137.97!

You can also use the code “lovely” from September 2 through September 4 for a good discount of $50 off your machine, two cutting mats (one for thick media, one for thin media), one cutting blade, $10 gift card to the Silhouette Online Store, plus two free rolls of heat transfer (a total savings of $79.98).

Good luck! I’d love to know what you’d make with your Silhouette SD. And what did you think of my projects? Would you rock a family car decal like mine? Too close to the ubiquitous stick figures? Or do you (gasp) prefer the stick figures?

August 31: Comments (and entries) are now closed. The randomly chosen winner is Renanda (renparks). Congratulations, Renanda!

Sources & Paint ColorsNeed design help? Let's work together.

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  • Debbie A.
    August 26, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    I’d LOVE to win this! Thanks for the giveaway!

  • Jenny Joy
    August 26, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    This gives me ENDLESS ideas! *squee*

  • Jen
    August 26, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    Does this not work with a Mac?
    Seriously?

    It looks like an awesome product, otherwise.

  • Two Lovely Spaces
    August 26, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    I love the idea of using it for baking. I would for sure put that to use. As well, as a few silhouettes of the fam. -Susan

  • Catherine
    August 26, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    The car window decal is awesome! way to one up the rest of mom-dom again ;)

  • Callie Callender
    August 26, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    How awesome to be able to give one of these away! Probably even better to win it! Hope i can find out!

  • Rachel
    August 26, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    I would really, really love one of these things! There are *so* many projects I could do with them…etching, labels, transfers…pure awesomeness.

  • Elaine
    August 26, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    I’d absolutely love to win this amazing giveaway! thanks for the chance :)

  • tami=)
    August 26, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    wow! awesome giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win!!! I love what you did with the vinyl on your car!

  • janet
    August 26, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    I had no idea these things even existed! how cool

  • Laurie
    August 26, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    love your figures. I’d love to make home silhouettes, dog silhouettes, oh the labeling possibilities.

  • Sarah
    August 26, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    Thanks for your review. I definitely need to win this! :)

  • Amy Jaeger
    August 26, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    Holy Smokes! What an amazing giveaway! I’ve never tried heat transfers before, but would love to win so I can make custom shirts and onesies for my girls and for gifts! I also love to make cards and the silhouette would make it incredibly easy! THANKS for the chance to win!

  • stacy
    August 26, 2010 at 12:25 pm

    The brownies are so cool, and I love the silhouette of Eleanore! An annual progression of the silhouette would be an amazing keepsake for her!

  • Sara V.
    August 26, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    Very interesting. I hope they improve their mac interface!

  • Cryssy
    August 26, 2010 at 12:27 pm

    I have been wanting one of these for a long time!!

  • Marjorie
    August 26, 2010 at 12:29 pm

    I want one of these so bad. I would mostly use it for card making and scrapbooking but I would try everything and a lot of gift giving.

  • Janeen
    August 26, 2010 at 12:31 pm

    I would love to win one! I would start by making fun graphic T-shirts!

  • Lesley
    August 26, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    Wow, I’ve been looking for a cutter that allowed you to use your own designs. Very cool – thanks for the review!

  • Jennifer
    August 26, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    I would love this!

  • Megan W
    August 26, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    Love love LOVE this!!

  • Tiffany
    August 26, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    You would definately make my day if i won this giveaway. All the fun stuff people are making with theirs is so awesome, i can’t wait to give it a try!

  • aimee
    August 26, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    I would LOVE to win this!
    I hope i do!
    I would use it for everything!

  • Starlene
    August 26, 2010 at 12:34 pm

    I’d love to make all 4 of my kids frames and birthday gifts for everyone we know! I love your idea about the decals, I’d rock them =)

  • Jennifer Rutherford
    August 26, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    Wow I am so excited to enter for a chance to win one of these amazing machines. It could change my life from ordinary to extraordinary! Thank you!

  • Colleen
    August 26, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    Looks like so much fun. I would love one!

  • lucy sea
    August 26, 2010 at 12:36 pm

    oooh, so cute. i love your car sticker!

  • debbie
    August 26, 2010 at 12:38 pm

    Oh my how I would love to win one of these.. please count me in.

  • Ashley
    August 26, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    I’m not crafty, but this looks like fun!!!

  • Shelby H.
    August 26, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    the brownies sold me! I MUST have one of these.

  • Catherine
    August 26, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    I’d make decals for a few doors in our house. I love your car sticker though.

  • Cassie
    August 26, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    I would love to win!

  • Dana J
    August 26, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    I want to win this sooooooooooo bad!!!! :)

  • leana
    August 26, 2010 at 12:44 pm

    Great give away – good luck to everyone

  • Lindsay
    August 26, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    Count me in! Sounds like a nifty gadget… lots of possibilities!

  • Dee
    August 26, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    I would love to have the silhouette for Christmas for
    making gifts.

  • Sarah
    August 26, 2010 at 12:46 pm

    so cool

  • Bethany
    August 26, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    Oh, what wonderful creatures could be created with this amazing machine. I hope I win. Also, this is my first time to your side and it really is lovely.

  • Kristyn
    August 26, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    yes please! love it!

  • jamie m p
    August 26, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    Your family decal is AWESOME! I’ve been thinking about buying one of these machines for a while, but it’d be better if I won it :)

  • Gina S
    August 26, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    I would LOVE to use this for the paper crafting! Especially the cute cupcake holders.

  • Laura in LA
    August 26, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    I think I could come up with some nifty projects with this!

  • kristina
    August 26, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    Oh how I would love to have this machine. You can only get so detailed with an xacto knife cutting silhouettes.

  • Jill
    August 26, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    Just think of all the wonderful crafty things you could do with this fine machine!

  • Tina
    August 26, 2010 at 12:51 pm

    This guy has been on my wishlist since I first saw it. Oooh, the endless fun and possibilities!

  • Lindsay Széchenyi
    August 26, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    I want to win :)

  • Tonya
    August 26, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    Oh, I have been coveting one of these machines for quite a while now! I NEED one to make me look uber crafty! :)

  • Ally
    August 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    I would love this!!! Your brownies really pushed me over the edge of wanting one!

  • Lindsey T
    August 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    I would love one! I like your family on the car much better than the stick figures, very cute!

  • Cristen
    August 26, 2010 at 1:00 pm

    Oh, I could make so many things with this! Pick me, pick me please!!

  • Heather Dunham
    August 26, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    Would LOVE to win this! Amazing things to do with this…parties, vinyl, etching! I’d be a supermom for sure!!!!

  • Michelle
    August 26, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    What a great giveaway! I love the modernized family sticker on the back of your car, I’d definitely have to try my hand at one of those!

  • Nikki Estep
    August 26, 2010 at 1:04 pm

    I would totally use this to make my cupcake wrappers, bday invites and for school projects. I totally liked the silhouette you did. Way precious!!

  • Dana
    August 26, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    Thank you for the chance!!! This would be great!!

  • Jill Browning
    August 26, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    Thanks! Have a great day! :)

  • Kathryn
    August 26, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    What I great invention! Seems like it would make sillouettes so so easy! I see homemade Christmas gifts in my future.

  • Cindi M
    August 26, 2010 at 1:11 pm

    This would be perfect for making Christmas gifts…..glass etching, heat transfer, and more!

  • Jerri
    August 26, 2010 at 1:12 pm

    such a cool little machine! Cupcake wrappers would be such a lovely touch to my homemade cupcakes!

  • Danielle
    August 26, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    I love this! Oh the many things I could make!

  • Connie
    August 26, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    Great machine! I would definitely use it to test out my creative side!

  • Brie
    August 26, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    What a nifty tool!

  • Kate
    August 26, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Aaaagh! I want one!

  • Stephanie
    August 26, 2010 at 1:18 pm

    Thank you for the opportunity to win this machine. Now the gods have to be in my favor(fingers crossed) :)

  • Linda
    August 26, 2010 at 1:19 pm

    Cute brownies!!

  • Becky L.
    August 26, 2010 at 1:21 pm

    I love all the vinyl projects, oh, and the glass etching, and the heat transfers, and the…. Oh, I just love all of it!

  • Tonya McLean
    August 26, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    I have coveted the Silhouette for some time and hope I win! I have a lot of projects planned for this wonderful tool!!!

  • Tracy
    August 26, 2010 at 1:22 pm

    What a snazzy looking gizmo – I’d be thrilled to win one. I adore the NOM NOM NOM brownies.

  • Liz
    August 26, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    I would love to win, I think I would use it the most for fabric stencils but I am sure I will keep this machine hoppin’.

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

  • Aileen
    August 26, 2010 at 1:24 pm

    Oh how I would love this!!! The vinyl projects have to be the most unique way to decorate a room! Makes me think there is hope for me to be crafty!!!

  • Danielle
    August 26, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    Love this machine it does the neatest stuff. Thx!

  • Amanda
    August 26, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    Your decorated brownies were soooo cute! i want to try!

  • Corinne
    August 26, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    How cool! I’d love one of these!

  • makana
    August 26, 2010 at 1:28 pm

    I would love to have one of these little guys. I have been wishing for one for over a year now. I would this every day for my preschool class.

  • lizabeth p
    August 26, 2010 at 1:30 pm

    ohhhh…the fun i could have with this!

  • Isa
    August 26, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    That looks like the most fabulously fun thing! I’d be making cut-out shapes to label things all over the house, and custom bumper stickers and the like…

  • Andrea
    August 26, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    The brownies’ were the tipping point. I want one. But I love the siloutte best of all.

  • Jennifer Gessner
    August 26, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    This is so neat! I would love to win this…I have ideas floating around my head already with what I would make! :)

  • Kristen
    August 26, 2010 at 1:34 pm

    Your brownies look great! What a neat idea.

  • africa
    August 26, 2010 at 1:36 pm

    pick me please!!!!!!!!!:)

  • Angela
    August 26, 2010 at 1:36 pm

    Love this and love your blog!

  • CarMaj
    August 26, 2010 at 1:36 pm

    OOOH sooo awesome!! Um and your brownies look amazing!!!

  • erin lee
    August 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    I want one of these! I used to have a large vinyl plotter which I loved, but now I need something compact for my small studio space! This is perfect!

  • Tara S.
    August 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    Oh, I would love to play around with this!

  • Alaina
    August 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm

    The “NOM NOM” brownie had me coming back to sign up for the possiblity I might win. Such a cute idea :)

  • Monica C.
    August 26, 2010 at 1:40 pm

    I’d love to win one!!

  • Jody
    August 26, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    Why only U.S. residents….? We Canadians never catch a break on great blog/online contests!!!

  • trina
    August 26, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    I would so love to win one of these. I would have so many uses for it.

  • Danielli
    August 26, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    Wow…I can’t believe I almost missed this giveaway! I usually do all of my cutting by hand, but I’m hoping to take my operations to the next level so something like this would come in very handy. I like how everything is computer-based v. the potentially cumbersome and clutter-causing cartridges of other die-cut machines.

  • Bonnie
    August 26, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    Today is the first I am hearing of this silhouette thingy and now I don’t know if I can live much longer without it :-). Fingers crossed that I win.

    Keep up the great blog.

  • Rebecca Cousins
    August 26, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    I am so excited about this giveaway. I love the projects you have showcased above. I think that I would use thes machine to cut vinyl and also maybe use it for heat transfers. I love the idea of being able to cut items from the machine and apply them to tshirts, pillows, blankets, etc. Very cool!

  • Marisa
    August 26, 2010 at 1:45 pm

    After seeing your brownie stencil, I’m convinced – winning one of these would be great!

  • Lilia
    August 26, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    I have so many ideas for this giveaway!!

  • elise
    August 26, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    Nom, nom, nom, count me in!

  • Heather
    August 26, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    Wow – what an awesome giveaway! If I win – I’m going to go into crafty idea overload!

    Thanks for the awesome inspiration!

  • Ale
    August 26, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    Wow!! this is amazing, what a great giveaway!! I have try to win one of this babies for a long time I hope luck is on my side this time :)

  • Jessica Peppel
    August 26, 2010 at 1:50 pm

    Please let me win, please let me win.!!!!!

  • Allison Carbonneau
    August 26, 2010 at 1:51 pm

    I would love to have one of these! Thanks for the chance to win :)

  • courtney
    August 26, 2010 at 1:52 pm

    ohh yes!

  • eliza
    August 26, 2010 at 1:53 pm

    keeping my fingers crossed!

  • Kate
    August 26, 2010 at 1:54 pm

    This would be awesome! Pick me, pick me!

    :)

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