Wondering what to make with the Silhouette Cameo 4? This post is for you! Learn all about the Silhouette’s capabilities plus get tons of project ideas for all kinds of Silhouette crafting inspiration. This post may contain affiliate links, which help to support this site at no extra cost to you when you make a purchase through one of our links.
If you are new to the world of Silhouette crafting, thinking about getting a Silhouette machine, or just looking for Silhouette project inspiration, then this post is for you!
Today I am going to be talking about all of the things you can create using your Silhouette Cameo 4! (Most of the projects I talk about below can be made with older versions of the Cameo as well as with the Portrait.)
If you have never made a project with your Silhouette before, then I recommend first reading my beginner’s guide to getting started with your Silhouette, but if you are just wondering what to make with the Silhouette Cameo 4 or looking for Silhouette craft ideas, then you are in the right place.
What can I Make with the Silhouette Cameo 4?
The short answer is so many things! The longer answer is this big ol’ long post, or if you prefer, I made a video as well, which you can check out below.
This video is part of the Silhouette vs. Cricut series that I do with my my friend Colleen of Lemon Thistle. You can check out Colleen’s video all about what you can make with your Cricut right here. Be sure to subscribe to my youtube channel to not miss out on any future videos!
Okay! Let’s talk Silhouette Projects!
1. Make T-Shirts and Other Iron On Projects with Your Silhouette!
First, let’s talk about t-shirts! I think t-shirts might be one of the most popular Silhouette projects and it’s definitely something that a lot of new Silhouette crafters want to learn how to make right away.
It’s super easy to cut designs from heat transfer vinyl and then iron those designs onto t-shirts, sweatshirts, onesies and more.
If you want to learn how to make your own t-shirts with your Silhouette, I have a detailed guide on crafting with heat transfer vinyl right here.
I have made SO MANY t-shirts over the years using my Silhouette. Here are just a few that I have made and shared here on the blog. Several of these projects have free cut files, so you can download the designs and make your own!
Silhouette T-Shirt Projects
- Tiger Tank Top/Bear Onesie
- Ice Cream Cone T-Shirt (Free Cut File)
- Creepin It Real + I Put a Spell On You Shirts (Free Cut Files)
- Here for the Commercials Shirt (Free Cut File)
- Hit Me With Your Best Shot Piñata Tee
- Make Waves Tank (Free Cut File)
- Hip Hop Bunny T-Shirt
- Make Your Own Magic Tee
- Rad Dad Shirt (Free Cut File)
- Reflective Unicorn Shirt
- Pineapple T-Shirt (Free Cut File)
- Take A Hike (Free Cut File)
Although t-shirts might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of working with heat transfer vinyl, but it is really great for so much more!
I love to use heat transfer material on really any surface that can withstand the heat of my iron including wood, paper, leather and more!
Other Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl Projects
You can use your Silhouette and heat transfer vinyl to decorate pillows, aprons, shorts, jackets, banners, notecards, gift tags, journals, wooden signs, boxes, bags, belts, shoes, can koozies, hats, and so much more. Here are just some of the ways I have used iron on materials and my Silhouette over the years.
- Whisky Business Apron (Free Cut File)
- Make Waves Mermaid Tote
- Cat Toe Shoes (Free Cut File)
- Monogrammed Stockings (Free Cut Files)
- Fabric Banner (Free Cut File)
- Shooting Star Shorts (Free Cut File)
- Unicorn Christmas Jacket
- Pool Float Can Koozies
- Storms Don’t Last Forever Reverse Canvas (Free Cut File)
- Monogrammed Leather Notebooks (Free Cut Files)
- America Star Hat (Free Cut File)
- Flocked Christmas Gift Tags
2. Make Vinyl Decals with your Silhouette!
Next, let’s talk adhesive vinyl decals! The Silhouette cuts adhesive vinyl beautifully and you can use this ability to make vinyl decals or stickers to put everywhere. You can use them to decorate notebooks, school supplies. Really you can apply a vinyl decal to any smooth surface including walls. I’ve created full wall murals. I love to use vinyl to decorate mugs and tumblers. Vinyl with a permanent adhesive holds up well to hand washing so can be used to decorate mugs, tumblers, and other items that need to be washed.
- Giant Otomi Embroidery Inspired Wall Decals
- Hot Stuff & Bottoms Up Mugs (Free Cut Files)
- Etched Vinyl Snowflake Cloche (Free Cut Files)
- Tropical Gift Bags
- Alcohol Ink Vinyl Decals
- Simple Vinyl Planters
- Disneyland Notebook
- Welcome Foolish Mortals Pumpkin (Free Cut File)
- Color Changing Tumbler
- Lego Movie Party Hats
- Can’t Touch This Cactus Decal
- DIY Flower Sunglasses
3. Make Paper Crafts with your Silhouette!
Besides vinyl, my favorite material to cut with my Silhouette is definitely paper. Paper boxes are maybe my favorite thing to make with paper and my Silhouette, but I also love making cards, tags, flowers, wearables, party decor, and so much more.
You can check out all of my paper crafting projects right here.
- Mini Milk Carton Treat Boxes (Free Cut File)
- Fruit Straw Flags (Free Printable)
- Easter Egg Treat Boxes (Free Cut File)
- St. Patrick’s Day Paper Glasses (Free Cut File)
- Paper Crown (Free Cut File)
- Silhouette Advent Calendar
- Christmas Paper Cut Cards (Free Cut Files)
- Candy Banner (Free Cut File)
- Sweet Treat Boxes
- Floral Easter Egg Card (Free Cut File)
- Paper Flowers
- 3D Paper Honeycomb Ornament (Free Cut File)
4. Make Stickers with your Silhouette!
Silhouette has an amazing Print and Cut ability, which means you can print out a design and then your Silhouette machine can cut around that printed design. This is *perfect* for making stickers.
Compared to Cricut machines, Silhouette has a larger print and cut area that is only limited by your printer.
I have used my Silhouette to make so many different sticker projects over the years – everything from cut sticker sheets to planner stickers to waterproof vinyl stickers.
- Rainbow Sticker Sheets (Free Printable)
- Waterproof Vinyl Water Bottle Sticker
- Foiled Name Label Stickers
- Christmas Sticker Gift Tags
- DIY Planner Stickers
- Love Mail Labels
- Stickers from Printed Vinyl with Pixscan Mat
- Printable Vinyl Stickers
- Halloween Treat Bag Stickers
5. Make Custom Stencils with your Silhouette!
Another thing I have used my Silhouette for so many times over the years is making custom stencils. You can cut designs out of adhesive vinyl or stencil material, and then pair those stencils with paint, dye, markers, and even clay for so many project possibilities!
- Stenciled Palm Leaf Pouch
- Scalloped Dresser
- Buffalo Plaid Stenciled Planter
- Stencil Embossed Clay Earrings (Free Cut File)
- Stencil Spray Dyed Butterfly T-Shirt (Free Cut File)
- Painted Land that I Love Sign (Free Cut File)
6. Make Sketch Projects with your Silhouette!
One thing that I think often gets overlooked or forgotten when it comes to Silhouette projects is the machine’s ability to sketch. By replacing your Cameo or Portrait’s blade with a pen, marker, or foil quill, you can easily turn your cutting machine into a drawing machine!
If you want to learn all about how to use the Silhouette’s sketch feature, be sure to check out my beginner’s guide to Silhouette sketching and sketch pens right HERE.
You can use the sketch feature to label envelopes, easily create custom labels, tags, and cards, create beautiful foiled designs, or to even transfer designs to paper or fabric that you can paint or embroider over. Here are just a few of the sketch projects I have shared here on the blog over the years.
- Happy Birthday Foil Quill Card (Free Cut File)
- Sketched Pattern on Advent Calendar Pieces
- Sketched and Embossed “Yum” Tags
- Sketched “Happy Day” Gift Tags
- Sketched “Love the Earth” Watercolor Art (Free Cut File)
- Sketched Chalkboard Tags with Pixscan
- “Stay Golden” Foil Quill Card
- Sketched Leather Bookmarks
- Sketched Iridescent Labels
7. Personalize Everything with your Silhouette!
I think my favorite thing about my Silhouette is how easy it makes personalizing all the things.
Because you can turn ANY image at all into a Silhouette project, you can take your own handwriting, your child’s artwork, or your favorite character, team, movie–whatever–and put it anywhere you want!
- DIY Father’s Day Custom Cups using Kid Artwork
- Monogrammed Stocking (Free Cut Files)
- Patterned Team Logo
- How to Make Monograms with Your Silhouette
- How to Turn Your Handwriting into a Decal
- DIY Mother’s Day Mug using Child’s Artwork
8. Make Party Projects with your Silhouette!
If there is a party happening at my house, you can be sure my Silhouette machine is working overtime!
I use my Silhouette to help me make everything for a party from the invitations, to the decor, to the favors the guests take home! As an example, a couple years ago I threw a unicorn party for my daughter and I used to help me make so many things for the party!
- DIY Unicorn Paper Lanterns (Free Printables)
- Unicorn Cake Topper
- DIY Unicorn Squad T-Shirts (Free Cut File)
- Unicorn Splatter Paint Art Project
- Unicorn Party Favors (Free Printables)
9. Make Specialty Media Projects with your Silhouette!
So far in this post I have mostly talked about Silhouette projects that use either vinyl or paper, but there are so many more materials you can use with your Silhouette!
Silhouette has a bunch of specialty media that pairs perfectly with your machine to make everything from magnets to window clings and more! A lot of these materials are printable to take advantage of the Silhouette’s awesome Print and Cut abilities.
The specialty media that I probably have used the most over the years are tattoo paper, shrink film, and scratch off sticker paper.
- DIY Colorful Scratch Off Easter Cards (Free Printable)
- Watercolor Fourth of July Tattoos (Free Printable)
- Shrink Plastic Snake Earrings (Free Cut File)
- Printable Scratch Off Easter Jokes (Free Printable)
- DIY Shrink Plastic Flower Earrings (Free Cut File)
- DIY Maker Tattoos (Free Printable)
10. Cut Fabric + Thicker or Denser Materials with your Silhouette!
The Silhouette Cameo 4 has a second more powerful tool carriage and some new blades that allow you to cut thicker and denser materials such as fabric, felt, craft foam, acetate, and more.
I honestly need to do some more experimenting with the new Cameo 4 blades and thicker materials, but I have cut felt, fabric, and craft foam several times with good results.
- DIY Felt Advent Calendar (Free Cut Files)
- How to Cut Fabric with the Silhouette Cameo 4
- DIY Clay Embossing Stencils (Free Cut Files)
Okay! I hope this post has helped you figure out what to make with the Silhouette Cameo 4! I just counted all the projects I’ve linked to in this post, and we are well over 90 Silhouette Cameo project ideas, so I hope that’s enough to get you started!
If you want even more Silhouette inspiration, you can see all of my Silhouette posts right here.
That’s it for today! Until next time, Happy Making!
Comments + Project Love
Cassidy says
Have you had any luck with cutting leather or metal or wood?