If you’ve ever wondered if you can use the SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks with your Cricut Machine, the answer is yes! I’ll walk you through the process of How to Make Stencils Using SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks and Cricut Design Space.
*A couple of people have wrote about an interest in making cookie stencils using these Show-Offs Stencil Blanks and I have replied that I did not know if they would work for making cookie stencils. I have recently been in contact with Hobby Lobby customer service and they have confirmed that these SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks ARE NOT INTENDED FOR FOOD USE. * Please make sure to find a FOOD SAFE MYLAR on any stencils that are intended to come in contact with food or drink.
Supplies List:
–Cricut Machine
The Process:
I personally like making my stencils using SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks that can be purchased at Hobby Lobby. I prefer to use the 6″x18″, 9″x18″, and 12″x18″. I don’t use the 8″x10″ SHOW-OFFS stencil blanks because they are a lot thicker.
The stencil blanks have a layer of film covering that needs to be peeled off before cutting. To start the peel, I just look for one of the corners that looks like it’s starting to peel, which then just takes seconds to get the film off. If none of the corners are lifted and ready peel then I use my fingernails to start the peel, and this can sometimes take several minutes to get the layer of film off.
The stencil blank then needs to be pressed onto the Cricut mat. The glossy side of the stencil blanks faces upward, while the matte side faces downward on the mat. (The glossy side will be the side from which the layer of film is removed.) I use the 12″x24″ mat that has to be purchased separately from the Cricut machine.
Once the stencil blank is pressed onto the mat, it is ready to be loaded into the Cricut machine. I usually make sure the stencil blank is on as smoothly and without air bubbles as possible.
I turn the material dial to custom on the Cricut machine.
—-Important Information Regarding Settings for Stencil Cutting—-
When I first got my Cricut machine I had to figure out what settings I needed to change my machine to, so that it would cut through the SHOW-OFFS stencil blanks. To find the Manage Custom Materials tab, click on the menu button on the home page.
Then click on Manage Custom Materials.
A window will pop up where the different materials can be changed.
I chose to change the Stencil Film 0.4mm settings so that I could easily remember this is the setting I use to cut stencils; I changed the Stencil Film 0.4mm to a cut pressure of 350 and for the machine to cut the material 2x.
I make sure the custom materials is set on Stencil-0.4mm in Cricut Design Space.
*Update* Another option is to create a specific custom setting as shown below. First Click “Add New Material” and name it Show-Offs Stencil Blanks or whatever you choose to name it. Then click “Save”.
Next set the Show-Offs Stencil Blanks setting to cut at a pressure of 350 at 2x. Then click “Save”. If you choose to use the Custom Material option just make sure to select the Show-Offs Stencil Blanks setting when loading the mat and getting ready to cut the stencil blanks.
Cricut Design Space guides users when to load the mat and when to hit the cut button.
The blinking light on the machine also indicates when to hit the load button and when to hit the cut button. I have used both the German carbide blade that comes with the Cricut machine and the Regular blade that can be bought in stores, and both work great when cutting these stencil blanks.
After the stencil has been cut, and Cricut Design Space gives instructions to unload the mat, it is time to take the stencil off the mat. Turn the mat over so that the stencil faces down on a flat surface, preferably a clean table. Then bend the Cricut mat up, so that the mat pulls slowly away from the stencil. Once the stencil is free from the mat, a beautiful stencil is waiting to be used.
I would love to hear if this tutorial on, How to Make Stencils Using SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks and Cricut Design Space helps you, or if you have any questions.
Thanks so much for sharing How to Make Stencils Using SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks and Cricut Design Space !!
A little about the stencil and printable designs on Repurposing Junkie:
I started using stencils on furniture in 2015. I had given a white table a makeover, and painted it orange to be an accent table in the living room. Even with the bright color, the table was missing something. I applied a stencil that I had bought at one of my favorite craft stores to the table to give it that something extra and sure enough it really made the table stand out.
After seeing the transformation the table took by adding the stenciled flowers, I was hooked on stenciling. I loved how adding just a bit of detail made the piece stand out and took it to a whole new level. Adding this detail and seeing the results was all I needed to be convinced that stenciling was the way to go, and thus began my love for all things stencil.
I love how a stencil design can add detail and beauty to furniture,wall art, clothes, mugs and other accessories, walls, floors and so many other things. It’s fantastic how easy it is to make something beautiful become exquisite and eye catching just by adding a stencil overlay.
After stenciling for a while, I started designing my own stencils in 2016 to cut on my awesome Cricut Explore. It took some time and learning but it was so rewarding being able to cut my own custom designs right in my home.
I went on to write some tutorials on cutting stencils using the Cricut machine:
–How to Make a JPEG File into a Cut File in Cricut Design Space
–How to Make Stencils Using Show-Offs Stencil Blanks and Cricut Design Space
–How to Make Extra Large Stencil Oversize Stencils in Cricut Design Space Using the Meeting and Overlapping Methods
–How to Keep the Middle of Letters from Falling Out When Making Stencils in Cricut Design Space
–How to Make a Wood Sign Using Stencils and Cricut Design Space
–How to Make Adhesive Stencils Using Peel and Stick Clear Laminate and Cricut Design Space
I also wrote a few tutorials on designing your own stencils and the tools needed to create and make stencils using the Cricut:
–How to Design Stencils in BeFunky to Cut in Cricut Desing Space
–Fantastic Stencil Fonts for Making Stencils
–Supply List for Making Stencils with a Cricut
Creating Stencil and Printable Designs:
After getting comfortable with cutting stencils on the Cricut and learning how to create my own stencil designs, I began offering stencil cut files for free on my blog and in my Etsy shop. I have since closed up my Etsy shop and opened a new shop, that offers a variety of cut files that can be made into stencils.
In my shop, I offer wall stencil cut files, and border stencil cut files, both of which are great for wall and furniture embellishments. I also have a lot of monogram/alphabet stencil cut files for personalization projects. Plus lots more stencil cut file designs to check out in my shop, and plenty more to come.
I design all the stencil cut files and printables that I offer on my blog, and in my shop, using my own hand drawn elements, or fonts that can be found on my resource page, or a combination of both.
I have found a passion for design and strive to create unique and fun designs that can be used in a variety of settings, such as home decor, furniture, wall art, fashion design, accessory items, and so much more. My eye has always been drawn to the details, patterns, and embellishments in such things as home decor and clothing, so it’s a real joy for me to become part of the design process of such things.
Stencils are a great and easy way to add that something special to a piece whether it’s repurposed furniture or wall art or a brand new canvas or wall.
I share on my blog how I’ve transformed several repurposed pieces using stencils:
You can check out the stenciled projects here. I usually add stencils to furniture and wall art pieces. Some of my favorite stencil projects include refinishing a curbside table, upcycling a piece of canvas wall art, and making an extra large stenciled wall art piece, just to name a few of my favorite stencil projects.
I also have some repurposing projects that I hope are fun and inspiring. I love taking old “junk” and turning it into something completely different:
You can check out the repurposing projects here. I have several projects using ceiling fan parts, spindles, old frames, plaques, and furniture. Some of my favorite repurposing projects are the ceiling fan blades to airplane repurpose, the angels made from hinges and spindle parts, and transforming a kitchen table using stencils, and these are just a few of my favorite repurposing projects.
I hope you spend some time on my blog, checking out the Cricut tutorials, DIY projects, and SVG Cut Files and Printable designs that I offer for FREE as a bonus to email subscribers.
If you’re interested in signing up to my blog email list, you can do so using the form below. I only send out one email a week and that is to let email subscribers know that I’ve added new designs to the cut file and printable resource libraries, and also to notify them when I have a new blog post or a special deal I’m running in my shop.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the projects, tutorials, stencil cut files and printables offered on my blog, in my Resource Library. If you have any questions concerning the tutorials, stencil cut files, printables an/or projects found on my blog, you can contact me here.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you take your time and look around, and I hope you find the blog posts, projects, tutorials, stencil cut files and printables resources to be useful and helpful in your DIY projects.
Keri your cricut machine truly is a wonderful toy to play with and what amazing stencils you make with it girl!
It is really fun to make things using the Cricut! Thank you Katrin!
I’ve wanted a Cricut forever Keri and even more so after seeing all the free printables you’ve shared. I’m definitely saving this tutorial for when I finally get one. Thanks so much, all the steps are beautifully laid out, it should make it so much easier.
You will have so much fun with a Cricut Michelle! I’m glad it’ll make things easier. 🙂
Great tutorial Keri! I’ve wanted one of these machines for some time to make signs. I’ve pinned this post for later. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Tuula! I appreciate you pinning it. 🙂
Keri I don’t have a fancy machine, or any machine for that matter. But I’m glad you do my friend. Your creations are so pretty and so unique.
Thanks so much Mary! 🙂
So glad I found your post – learned a lot, I have been working on making stencils with my new Cricut and did not know that stencil blanks were made, now I have to find out where I can get them in Canada.
Joy
Hi Joy, I’m glad this tutorial is helpful. I wonder if Hobby Lobby ships to Canada? I think Wal Mart also has stencil blanks, but I’ve only used the stencil blanks from Hobby Lobby.
Hi Joy, I just wanted to write another reply to your comment because I just realized you could probably get stencil blanks shipped to you from an Etsy shop or Amazon. They may not be the SHOW-OFFS mentioned here, but they’re more likely to ship outside the U.S. than some other stores. Sorry I didn’t realize that some of the stores I mentioned didn’t ship outside the U.S. Anyway, I hope this helps! 🙂
So glad to find this post! I have been fighting with these stencil blanks for a couple of days. How did you get the film off? You make sound so simple, yet it has been anything but simple for me. I would appreciate any input you can give me. Thank you!
Oh Sondra, I’m sorry I’m just now seeing this comment. I just look for one of the corners that looks like it’s starting to peel or if there’s not one then I use my fingernails to start the peel. I’ll update the tutorial with this information.
I finally got it!! Just kept flicking the corner with my thumb nail! Thank you so much for the tutorial! Hopefully, all will go well now! Thanks again!
Sondra, I’m glad you finally got it! 🙂 You did just what I have to do sometimes. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Do I need to use a deep cut blade or will a regular blade work? Thanks so much for your tutorial!!
Hi Suzy, no you shouldn’t need the deep cut blade. I’ve used both the German carbide blade that comes with the Cricut machine, as well as the regular blades that can be bought in the stores, and both work great.
Than you I was looking for a better way than just using the vinyl. This will help with my glass blasting (etching except using a sandblaster) and keep my costs low for this new found hobby of mine!
I’m glad this was helpful. Enjoy your new found hobby; it sound fun!
Hi, I’ve tried your method with Stencil 0.4mm and 5 passes and still doesn’t cut thorough? Its a brand new machine with a new knife – any ideas why its not working? I’m using the same brand stencil as well… thanks for any help.
Hi, try changing your settings to a higher cut pressure. Each machine is different so you may have to test what works for yours. I have mine set to cut twice at a pressure of 350. To change your machine settings, click on the green icon in the upper left corner. Scroll down until you see Manage Custom Materials, and from there you can change the settings. Hope this helps.
Hello, the settings also didn’t work for me. I went to a .50 or .55mm cut & it came out perfect!! Thanks for your post. From here on I will be purchasing these materials and making my own personalized stencils for painting everything!! Currently working on a gift for a friend that just retired from the best shipping company in the world. She worked there for 28 years & her family is throwing a surprise party for her to celebrate her retirement this weekend.
Hi Julie, I’m glad the .50 or .55 mm worked for you. In order for the stencil 0.4mm setting to cut through the Show-Offs Stencil Blanks, I had to change the stencil 0.4mm settings under the “Manage Custom Materials” tab to cut 2x at a pressure of 350 as mentioned in the tutorial. I hope this helps. 🙂 That’s awesome that you are working on a gift for your friend. I’m sure she’ll love it!! Congratulations on her retirement!!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. Helped me out a great deal.
Oh good! I’m so glad! 🙂
Keri,
Thank you for the tutorial. Is it reusable and what do you recommend to hold the stencil while painting?
Thank you
Hi Teresa, the show-offs stencils are reusable. Masking or painter’s tape works well to hold down the stencil when painting. Hope this helps!
I would LOVE to be able to use a re-usable stencil, BUT I have yet to figure out how to keep words intact. For letters such as “O”, how do you keep the middle part of the O on a plastic stencil? With vinyl, you can transfer it and keep the middle part, but with a stencil I lose it. Is there a way around that?
Hi Sara,
With stencils letters like “a,d,g,o,p,b,e,q” that have the closure in their form, you’ll have to either manually edit the font/design you are cutting to make some sort of line or opening in the closure so that the stencil can connect to the rest of the stencil. For script fonts this can be time consuming but for print fonts it usually just takes a few extra minutes to cut into the closed areas so that it connects with the rest of the stencil. You can make the cut in Cricut Design Space after you upload your design or you can use another software such as BeFunky.com, Photoshop, or Pic Monkey to cut the opening.
Honestly the easiest way to make a stencil using a font is just to choose a stencil font because the openings are already “cut” for making stencils. My personal favorite is the Tingler Duo, which is a combo script and print package, that can be purchased on Creative Market. You can search for other stencil fonts there as well. I hope this helps!
Just remember when you have a closure of any kind whether it’s on a letter or graphic it has to be connected to the rest of the stencil in order for it to stay with the stencil. I hope this makes sense. 🙂 If you have any questions or want me to clarify any points, don’t hesitate to ask.
can you use the cricut create to make stencils?
I don’t know about the Cricut Create making stencils. It would probably be best to contact Cricut directly to receive the best answer to that question.
Hi,
I love your tutorials. I am just wondering why you choose to use the stencils vs contact paper or vinyl. Is it cheaper? Easier to handle? Also, I am assuming if you don’t have the stencils that this same process would work with other materials like vinyl.
Thanks,
Sharon
Thank you Sharon! I choose to use the SHOW-OFFS stencil blanks because they’re easy to work with, reusable and they’re not adhesive. Also the SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks are only $3-$4 a pack and they have 3 sheets per pack, so it’s pretty inexpensive in my opinion, plus if the 40% off coupon is used it’s a little cheaper. 😉 I’ve never worked with vinyl or contact paper so I’m not sure what the process would be for cutting these materials. There are other mylar stencil blanks out there but, again I’m not sure on the process for those because the thickness may differ and so the cut pressure and how many times it’s cut would most likely differ as well. I hope this helps. 🙂
THANK YOU!!!! You walked me through my first cricut use and stencil use!!!! It would have failed first time. Your tutorial walked me through one stop shop and came out perfect!!! I CANNOT thank you enough for this PERFECT tutorial!!!!
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that Michelle!! 🙂 Have fun making stencils!
Can the stencils be used for cookie decorating/airbrush machine?
Hi Trisha, I’m not sure if these particular SHOW-OFFS Stencil Blanks can be used for cookie decorating or airbrush machines. I’m sorry I couldn’t provide better information than that.
I am making signs with sayings that need to be made several times and am wondering how easy it is to paint using the stencils vs vinyl. I have trouble with leakage around the edges using the vinyl and wonder how much of a problem it is using the stencils. Any suggestions?
Hi Molly, sorry I’m just now seeing your comment. In my personal opinion I think it’s easy to paint using stencils. I’ve never used vinyl so I can’t answer that part. If you’re stenciling using paint and the stencils just make sure to use a small amount of paint on your brush and that should solve the leakage. If you’re interested in more details on stenciling you can check out my post on How to Stencil and I go into more details on less is more in regards to paint and stencils. https://repurposingjunkie.com/2016/09/06/paint-is-like-salt-15-steps-and-tips-for-awesome-stenciling/
I am using the same show offs but when I set it at .004 it will not cut all the through it. What am I doing wrong it just scores the plastic not through it. Thank you Ed. could you please Email me back.
Hi Ed, the stencil 0.4mm setting has to be changed in the custom material settings to cut 2x and at a pressure of 350 as stated in the tutorial in order for the cut to go through the stencils. I hope this helps! 🙂
I have followed your instructions to the letter and It still will not cut all the way through the ShowOff blanks. What am I doing wrong?? Please help
Hi Craig, have you changed the custom material settings? You’ll have to test out what works best for your machine and the stencils, but I have set my Stencil Film 0.4mm material setting to cut at a pressure of 350 and 2x and it works like a charm every time. I hope this helps! 🙂
Hi. I have set my machine to cut 2x. But when it pulls the mat back in for the second cut. It doesn’t line up with the original cut. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Karen, I’m not sure I’ve never had that happen before. If you’ve set the “Manage Custom Settings” to cut the stencil blanks twice, and it’s not cutting right/lining up then I would recommend contacting Cricut about that problem.
Hi, i’m from Argentina, and i get a cricut explore air 2, lol , i think maybe i’m de only one with it in my country. So my question is, can i cut x ray film? lol, is much cheaper than buy any thing lol . Wich custome do you suggest me ?
Thank you, God Bless you 🙂
Hi Erika, I’m glad you got a Cricut Explore Air 2. I’m sure you will have lots of fun crafting and creating with it. I’m not sure about the x-ray film. I would suggest that you contact Cricut directly to ask them what they suggest. I hope this helps. 🙂
HI! I want to make my own designs and turn them into stencils for decorating cookies. I think I can do it if I follow your tutorial. Which Cricut machine would I need to invest in? (I don’t have one yet.)
Hi Cindy,
I’m just now seeing your comment. I apologize for the late reply. I recently wrote to Hobby Lobby to find out if these Show-Offs Stencil Blanks are food safe and they replied that These Show-Offs Stencil Blanks are NOT INTENDED FOR FOOD USE. I would recommend finding a FOOD SAFE MYLAR before proceeding with making stencils for decorating cookies.
I have a Cricut Explore One and it works great for cutting stencils, however I have my eye on the Cricut Explore Air 2 because it’s supposed to cut faster and also because it’s wireless.