What do you do for YOU? What are your hobbies outside of being a teacher? For me, it’s a stress reliever to be creative. My Silhouette cutting machine has not only given me a creative outlet, but it also has allowed me to make some pretty awesome decorations for my home and give personalized gifts to friends and family. The Silhouette can do all kinds of amazing things, but for teachers who love to be crafty… it is worth way more than it’s weight in gold!
If you don’t know what a Silhouette is, let me catch you up to speed.
First, you make a design using fonts installed on your computer, clipart images that you trace, and other elements.
Next, you put the material you want to cut onto a sticky ‘cutting mat’ and load it into your machine.
Then, send the design from your computer to the machine after adjusting the cut settings based on the material.
Do you want to be a Silhouette Teacher? Check out some of the fun and functional things that can be done by teachers with a Silhouette!
Use cardstock or patterned scrapbook paper along with the fonts on your computer to make your own bulletin board letter headings.
Using adhesive vinyl and your own fun fonts, make labels for #allthethings! Adhesive vinyl works well for the classroom because it can be wiped clean, and it should stay put so you don’t have to replace them often!
Make a focal point in your classroom using cardstock and fun fonts! Who has time to cut out all those letters by hand?!
Using adhesive vinyl on chalkboards works, too! Chalk will wipe away, this will not 😉
Using the ‘print and cut’ feature in the Design Studio, design your own stickers. Your Silhouette can “kiss-cut” full page sticker paper to make your own stickers for your planners. You could also make reward stickers and stickers to put on assignments – the possibilities are endless here!
Create a welcoming sight on your door that you won’t have to replace all year long. Adhesive vinyl to the rescue!
Again, adhesive vinyl <3 Sticky enough to stay, but not permanent enough where the janitors will get mad at you. This is such a time saver for words that are on your whiteboard every single day!
Blank t-shirt, heat transfer vinyl, and an iron is all you need to make some super hip shirts for your grade level team. #twinning
Teachers love personalized gifts! Think clipboards, mugs, signs… so much fun!
Create picture frame letters and photo booth props without picking up a single pair of scissors.
Create a bathroom pass using hand sanitizer – the adhesive vinyl can be wiped clean without coming off!
Adhesive vinyl on floor tile. Again, permanent enough to stick but can be removed with a little elbow grease!
Convinced that this is something you need yet?! Check it out here on Amazon [affil. link] – I love that Amazon offers bundles that come with some cutting materials to experiment with!
If you have any questions about materials to use or how one of the above projects was done, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you!
Happy crafting, teacher-friend!
