Using HTV with Expressions Vinyl.

     Last week I posted about going to the Elevate blog conference.  One of the sponsors they had there was Expressionsvinyl.  They gave us this awesome pack of Vinyl to play with.  Lucky for me, my Hubby also got me a Silhouette for Mothers Day, so I am actually able to show off how great this vinyl is.

     With the Baby Sister fast approaching, (37 weeks tomorrow) and the abundance of plain onesies I have, I figured that was the way to go.  Ok, so actually the fact that they have heat transfer vinyl (HTV) in my favorite color blue...IN GLITTER! That is what was the deciding factor.  The fact that I didn't have to buy anything extra was just a bonus.

 

     I started off by measuring the space I was working with.  If you don't have a tape measure(mine is hidden in felt somewhere), the Silhouette cutting mat worked just perfect for a gauge for me.  Then I got to work on the design I wanted to go with.  I stuck with something simple.  I am a newbie at both vinyl and the Silhouette, so I figured simple is best.

     Do not, DO NOT, forget to flip that image before you cut it.  This HTV has transfer tape already on the top.  So after flipping the image, the important thing is to put the vinyl shinny side down on your cutting mat.  Then cut away.
     A couple of the things that thought I was great about using Expressions Vinyl was the Machine setting charts.  I know the silhouette software automatically adjusts the machine for you.  If you are using their brand that is.  Because they have so many different kinds of vinyl(the glitter HTV is way thicker than the regular HTV), Expressions Vinyl make it easy to know how to set your machine.  When I did my test cut, it was spot on.  You want the machine to cut all the way through your vinyl, but not the tape.
     The next thing I thought was great was how easy it was to take off all the extra vinyl(I have recently learned this is called "weeding")

     With the glitter, I would definitely watch out what you are weeding.  The cut lines blend in a tad more than they would with another type of vinyl.  But it did come off so smoothly.  And the design stayed put on the tape.

     Flip the design over and stick it where you want it.  If you get the image in the wrong spot, no problem.  It is super easy to re position your image.
     The Machine setting page also has a page specific to HTV.  It lets you know the temperature, length of time, and pressure to iron the vinyl.  Also when to pull the transfer tape off.  This glitter vinyl had to be removed while it was still hot.  If the image doesn't exactly stick the first time, don't be afraid to re iron it.

Donezo.

     This is even after washing it, and guess what, the vinyl didn't change a bit.  I just loved how it turned out.  I can't wait to see the Baby Sister in this shirt.  Actually, I can't wait to see her in general, but that is a whole different post.

He tried so hard to be a good model.

Bryan also is pretty excited.

I did get this vinyl for free in the hopes a of a review, but I honestly loved using it and the results.

"Elevate" your life.

     A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to got to the Elevate blog conference. Some of you may be thinking "A what conference?"  (I already had this conversation with my dad.)

Picture taken by Chrissy Delacy at letmeseeyousparklephoto

     Whatever you think, it was awesome.  

     I was encouraged to go by a friend of mine, Tausha.  She told me all about it last year.  It sounded so fun and did not disappoint.

You can find Tausha -->here

     Elevate was seriously fun.  I met so many new people, then the swag bag had tons of cool stuff and the food was amazing. (Stone Fire Grill and Taco Asylum are some must visit places.) I also won a Diaper bag from Lily Jade, which we know I'm going to need in the next month or so.

http://www.letmeseeyousparklephoto.com/

     The best part though?  The speakers (though the free stuff was awesome)

     Every single one of them was just amazing.  While I felt motivated with blogging and all that,(this doesn't explain why I haven't blogged since) I also felt really encouraged about life.
     Luis teased me about the fact that I took notes.  Not that I took them, but more that I never take notes at other stuff.  I don't even take them during General Conference for church.  (though I really should. It has been a few weeks since Elevate and I have these encouraging notes in I can go back and look at)
     Here are a few of the general things I took away from Those amazing ladies:

• Telling our own stories help us remember who we are
• Negativity= the need to recenter our goals
• Take the chance to learn from those who are better than you
• Positivity over Popularity.
• You cant accomplish anything if you don't try.

http://www.letmeseeyousparklephoto.com

     Jen and Summer know how put together one awesome day.  You could tell how important the conference and the blogger community is to them.  I can't wait to see them again next year.  Until then I will just have to dream of these cake bites and cookies from thesweettoothfairy.

http://www.letmeseeyousparklephoto.com/

     All the pictures above (With the exception of the one of Tausha and I) were taken by the lovely Chrissy Delacy at http://www.letmeseeyousparklephoto.com  If you're in Arizona and need a photographer, check her out