Silhouette Rhinestone Template kit (Retailing at RM33.90 per pack - 3 transfer paper (sticky plastic sheets), 3 template paper (What I needed but didn't know how/where to get it) and 3 backing boards (you can use ANY hard surface for this)
OR the
Silhouette Rhinestone Starter Kit RM139 (For people who do not have any experience with rhinestones, this kit would be useful. The items included is of course not worth the money you pay, but it is a convenient and fun way to start)
was simply not worth it. I bought one pack of the Silhoutte Rhinestone Template Kit from LazBoy http://www.lazboydesign.com/about.html to find out what the Rhinestone template paper was like because I had never used it before and couldn't find it anywhere else. The transfer paper you can easily purchase online or from wholesalers selling rhinestones. I got mine from a Korean HotFix Rhinestone shop along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur. They only sell Swarovski rhinestones there (the most expensive type of Rhinestones).
I got my rhinestones from another shop near Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman -
Syarikat Bunga Reben Sdn Bhd
www.bungareben.com
G7 Plaza City One, Jalan Munshu Abdullah KL
03-26973760.
They have 3 outlets.
They sell 3 to 4 types of HotFix rhinestones (Swarovski crystals included)
I got the Skylight (Made in Taiwan)
10ss White 1440 pieces RM65
10ss Light Amethyst RM85
Sorry for digressing, back to the Template Material, this is what it looks like. It comes in A4 sizes. It feels ever so slightly spongy and when peeled away from the white paper backing, it has a sticky surface which makes it easy to
1. Create the rhinestone template holes after your Cameo has cut the holes as the circular parts simply stays stuck onto the white paper backing, revealing a template which you can see in the second picture (the green sheet with the star).
2. The sticky surface sticks nicely onto the backing board, and voila, you are ready to go!
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| Rhinestone Template material |
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| Rhinestone Templates Left: Silhouette Rhinestone Template Material Right: DIY Template |
As I mentioned before, I personally feel that the Silhouette Rhinestone Template Material is simply to expensive, and each time I want to buy it, I have to buy the entire kit which comes with the backing paper and transfer paper, both of which, I do not need. So I decided to experiment. :D
My Search for the Alternative to the Silhouette Rhinestone Template Material
The Silhouette Template Material is quite thick. So, I thought I'd try using a thin piece of cardboard as a substitute. Bad idea.... The Cameo didn't even cut through it. I refused to give up. Next, I tried cardstock of 220gsm. I can get 10 sheets for RM2.90 (even cheaper actually, because this was patterned cardstock but I was too lazy to head out so I just used it) and VOILA! IT WORKED! You can see it up there on the right entitled "DIY Template". The final products are below.
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| Used Silhouette Template Material |
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| Used DIY Cardstock Template |
Next, I will talk about the process of getting the rhinestones to fit into the template design.
I looked at a couple of YouTube videos made by people who purchased the Silhouette Rhinestone Starter Kit (which comes with the brush which helps you get the rhinestones to settle into the template holes) and I found that the brush wasn't always perfect at its job and it required patience and a few tries before all the rhinestones settled in the holes, even then, some manual fine tuning was always required at the end. So I decided not to purchase the brush, but, try with a kitchen sponge (The type with the green and yellow surface). Disappointingly, though expected, the sponge was not very effective. So I decided to try something else. I tried gently vibrating the backing sheet repeatedly (template material affixed and rhinestones spread everywhere on top) in a horizontal plane, like the motion of sifting flour, and it worked!! It was much quicker and most of the holes were filled!
A short clip demonstrating the motion (Ignore the sound please, sorry, it's the sound of my Cameo cutting :D)
I looked at a couple of YouTube videos made by people who purchased the Silhouette Rhinestone Starter Kit (which comes with the brush which helps you get the rhinestones to settle into the template holes) and I found that the brush wasn't always perfect at its job and it required patience and a few tries before all the rhinestones settled in the holes, even then, some manual fine tuning was always required at the end. So I decided not to purchase the brush, but, try with a kitchen sponge (The type with the green and yellow surface). Disappointingly, though expected, the sponge was not very effective. So I decided to try something else. I tried gently vibrating the backing sheet repeatedly (template material affixed and rhinestones spread everywhere on top) in a horizontal plane, like the motion of sifting flour, and it worked!! It was much quicker and most of the holes were filled!
A short clip demonstrating the motion (Ignore the sound please, sorry, it's the sound of my Cameo cutting :D)
I hope this tip will be useful to you!
Sincerely,
Mim
I know this may sound like a dumb question, but I am a new user of the cameo and rhinestones...how do I cut a template with the holes in it for the stones to fall into. Thanks for any help you can give me.
ReplyDeleteHello there! It's not a silly question at all! I will post a new tutorial on today so I can include pictures. It is easier to describe it and learn it that way. But basically if you want to design templates, you will need the SSDE (silhouette studio designer edition). With the basic silhouette studio you can only cut templates that are bought from the silhouette online store. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteMy question is how do I just purchase the stencil sheet the sheet that you brush the rhinestones in the hole is it anyway to purchase that stencil without digital
DeleteHi Mim, thanks for your blog. My starter kit was incomplete and contained sub standard rhinestones.
ReplyDeleteI will try the 220gsm card which will be great if it works and get in touch with your supplier for rhinestones. I will mention your recommendation and who knows they may give you a discount on your next order.
Thanks for taking the time to write the blog, I found it very useful..
Hello Dee! Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind me asking, how was your starter kit incomplete? Did it get it from Silhouette America? If it is, you should sent in a complaint! I've heard some reviews that the rhinestones in the starter kit had some glue problem, if this is the case, you could send in a complaint and get them to send you replacements.
One note about the card technique, if possible, try to get cardstock that has a smooth (plastic-type) surface especially if your transfer paper is very sticky. [You know the folders that you normally get from conferences? The ones that feel like paper but has a smooth surface? That's the type of cardstock that works the best] I had two types of transfer paper. With the less sticky one, using the regular cardstock was fine but with the stickier one, sometimes when I try to peel off the transfer paper, bits of the paper rips and sticks onto the transfer paper which can be quite disastrous.
Do let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!! :)
Mims
the starter kit is terrible, the only good thing is that you get $25. credit to buy rhinestone templates
Delete*send
ReplyDeletei am completely new to the cameo, but rhinestoning i have been doing for about 3 years. am i understanding correctly that you are using cardstock in your cameo for the rhinestone template? (;
ReplyDeleteHello! Yes, in my post I mention cardstock, but after some trial and error, I found that cardstock with the plastic-type coating is best. As I mentioned to Dee recently,
ReplyDelete"One note about the card technique, if possible, try to get cardstock that has a smooth (plastic-type) surface especially if your transfer paper is very sticky. [You know the folders that you normally get from conferences? The ones that feel like paper but has a smooth surface? That's the type of cardstock that works the best] I had two types of transfer paper. With the less sticky one, using the regular cardstock was fine but with the stickier one, sometimes when I try to peel off the transfer paper, bits of the paper rips and sticks onto the transfer paper which can be quite disastrous. "
Hope that this is helpful!! Thanks! :)
Patience is really very important when you are working on this project. You can never really perfect it, but in time you'll acquire the skill to at least do it close to perfection. Thank you so much for sharing this insights and information. I really love seeing tutorial and I hope you can share more of your work. -www.dazzlingdesignsinc.com
ReplyDeleteiHAVE THE CAMEO,MY QUESTION IS WHEN I CREATE THE ART WORK WHAT DO OR HOW DO I GET THE HOLES IN THE PAPER I HAVE TRIED ALL THE SETTINGS I KNOW
ReplyDeleteCAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT SETTINGS WILL MAKE THE RHINESTONE HOLES
ReplyDeleteHi .. I am going to jump in and answer this question. This isnt a specific setting in the cameo but you need to simply create circular holes of the correct size to hold the Rhinestones in place - you can create these manually using a circle that is slightly larger than the required rhinestone. There are a number of free templates about or you can buy rhinestone templates from the online store - simply filter the search using the appropriate selection option.
ReplyDeleteFor Mims thanks for the fab information on making your own template material!
You made a very good instruction of your project. I love your style and technique. Hunting a cheap rhinestones is not easy but you made it. Perfectly done!
ReplyDeleteHi! A little late to the party here, but I'm desperate. I also have no idea if you will know the answer to this. I recently bought the rhinestone starter kit and successfully got the designs to download to my account. Now when I try to add them to my account by clicking on the design (for example the letter 'k'), it will automatically bring me back to "Browse All Designs". I have tried everything, but I can't figure out how to get the downloads into the actual 'My Downloads' in the Silhouette Studio so I can attempt to create the transfers. Have any suggestions for me? Any advice will help!
ReplyDeleteDear Mary Ann Srulowitz,
DeleteThank you for your enquiry. I've never purchased the rhinestone starter kit but I have purchase rhinestone designs from the Silhouette store before so I suspect it should work the same way. I can't think of why you might be encountering this problem as I've never encountered it myself. I have a few suggestions of what you can try:
1. Try dragging and dropping the designs onto an empty New silhouette page
2. Reinstall the starter kit and quit and restart the SIlhouette program
3. Check for SIlhouette software update
I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Please let me know how you get on.
Thank you!
I am about to purchase my Cameo and found your site when searching for alternatives to the expensive add on kits. I love your suggestion of the cardstock and how to get the rhinestones in. My question is what do you use for the sticky transfer paper? Do you use Silhouette's or do you have a cheaper alternative? Since I see that the transfer paper you keep in place when ironing, I know it must be something heat tolerant. Thanks for your suggestions!
ReplyDeleteDear MamadeLovesMAC,
DeleteThank you for your question. For the sticky transfer paper, I bought some from a shop that specialises in Rhinestone designs and another shop that does T-shirt printing. However, I doubt that information would be very useful to you as you would have to really go out and search for these specialist shops. One suggestion I have, which also depends on where you live to an extent, is to do a search on Amazon / Ebay something of that equivalent.
If you search for "Transfer Paper" / "Transfer Film" / "Motif Transfer Paper" / "Sticky Transfer Paper", a few suitable products will appear. I've searched both on amazon uk and amazon us, and both searches were successful.
Also, these transfer papers are reusable so you can buy less :)
One note about the card technique, if possible, try to get cardstock that has a smooth (plastic-type) surface especially if your transfer paper is very sticky. [You know the folders that you normally get from conferences? The ones that feel like paper but has a smooth surface? That's the type of cardstock that works the best] I had two types of transfer paper. With the less sticky one, using the regular cardstock was fine but with the stickier one, sometimes when I try to peel off the transfer paper, bits of the paper rips and sticks onto the transfer paper which can be quite disastrous.
Hope this helps!! :)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI was surfing the net for black adhesive stencil film and came across your blogging. I have a Silhouette Cameo and have been experimenting with what works best for making rhinestone templates. Thank you for the information you have shared on here about using card stock with the plastic coating. I was using card stock without a plastic coating and found that my Cameo was chewing up the card stock. Thank you again for sharing. Rose/nhrhinestoneshirts.com .
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI came back to re-read the postings on here and I started surfing the net for DIY Cardstock... I found out I really don't know what DIY Cardstock Is. Would you explain what it is to me.. The other questions I had from surfing the net this morning, what is "RM 2.90 Cardstock" and what is the meaning of " Cardstock of 220gsm"?. I am asking these questions because I would like to try to get this material and test it out for myself on my Silhouette Cameo cutter. I would appreciate any help you can offer me here... Rose/nhrhinestoneshirts@gmail.com
My wife loves to do all the arts and crafts. Recently she got into custom rhinestone transfers and I know both of us don't know much about it. I would like to learn more about it for her benefit. http://www.TexasRhinestone.com
ReplyDeleteWhat is rm 2.90 & cardstock of 220 gsm...
ReplyDeleteRm is Malaysian currency
ReplyDeleteGsm is Grams per Square Meter, it is weight of the cardstock
Great idea about using craft card rhinestone template material can be expensive , What brand of card did you use b.t.w ? thanks
ReplyDeleteI'm from Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Here it is difficult to find Rhinestones and Template Materials. With your help I will be able to produce my works! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree it's way too expensive. I still don't understand what I need to buy. in the UK it's very hard to find any thing for cameo 3
ReplyDeletethanks u for ur blog even thow I still don't understand about the transfer paper do i just search transfer paper. I brought cameo 3 2 days ago and i haven't even switched it on becuase it came with zero materials. and in the uk i cant find any thing to be honest
ReplyDeleteI love this blog!! The flash up the top is awesome!! rhinestones
ReplyDelete