silhouette sunday: using vinyl scraps to make nail decals

It's been a while since I wrote a blog post about nail art! But today I'm rekindling an old flame and bringing it to life with something almost every craft vinyl user has laying around-- scraps.

There are plenty of ways to get use out of those small pieces, but I think my favorite is using them for stencils or nail decals. You really don't realize how small the average nail is until you measure it (and put those measurements into Silhouette Studio). To start, I'm going to measure my nail by laying a piece of paper (I used a sticky note, but really any scrap paper will work) over my nailbed and marking each edge with a pencil.

Once I lay the paper flat, I measure the width. This helps me to figure out how big I can design decals before they get too big for my nail.

Now that I have my width and an approximate height, I'll go to my software and start designing. I did something pretty simple here (April showers bring May flowers...right?) and I suggest keeping it as such to save frustration. Some complex designs will cut, but others won't no matter how slow you set your machine.

That brings me to my next point-- make sure you slow your speed down! Many small details will get ripped or caught under your blade if you're being speedy. I always cut at a speed of 1 if I'm making nail decals.

After your vinyl is cut, you can apply over any nail polish really. Make sure to have some tiny tweezers (or even a sewing pin if you're sure to be super careful)

If you're using the decal as a stencil, I recommend painting your nails the day before if possible, or at least a few hours before to give them time to dry. The last thing you want is the polish to come up with your stencil when you remove it.