You’re throwing the neighborhood Independence Day barbecue, and it’s time for some hot dogs! Hot dogs can be a little messy with all of their drippy toppings, and that’s why we collaborated with Carina Gardner to create these fun hot dog trays. Say goodbye to ketchup and mustard stains and hello to an easy and impressive addition to this year’s patriotic celebrations.

Carina Gardner is one of our amazing designers in the Silhouette Design Store. She creates such fun designs, and this one is a perfect project for beginners! We used an Independence Day theme, but these hot dog trays would be so cute with so many different colors of paper. The possibilities are endless! This project pairs perfectly with our Fourth of July Party Invitation blog post. After you’ve sent out the invitations, it’s time to begin the party prep, so let’s get started!

Supplies:

Step 1: Open the Design in Silhouette Studio

You are going to love how easy and simple this design is. To get started, purchase the design from the Design Store and open Silhouette Studio. If the design is not showing up in your library, click the blue sync button in the lower left-hand corner of the library. After syncing the library, double click the file to open it in your library. When you open the file, it will look like the photo below.

Once you’ve opened the file, ungroup the pieces one time and drag the word elements off to the side of the artboard. Then, you can duplicate the hot dog holder piece by using the copy and paste feature. We were able to fit two trays on one piece of 12 in. X 12 in. cardstock.

Step 2: Cut Out the Paper Pieces

Once you arrange the pieces on the mat, it’s time to cut! We used the “Cardstock, Textured – Heavy” setting. We didn’t need to adjust our settings at all, but if your paper doesn’t cut all the way through, send it for another pass before you unload it. You can also perform a test cut to see if you have the correct settings for your material. There are lots of different kinds of cardstock, and it may take some adjusting to get a perfect cut. Always start with the suggested settings and go from there!

Step 3: Cut the Words Out of Vinyl

This part of the project is optional. Feel free to leave off the words, or replace them with your own design! Hop back into Silhouette Studio, drag your hot dog holder pieces off of the artboard, and replace them with the word graphic. We were able to fit quite a few onto each piece of vinyl. While you can cut vinyl without a mat on the Cameo 4 and the Portrait 3, we decided to use a mat because we used a scrap of white vinyl.

Once you have placed your vinyl on the mat and arranged the design in Silhouette Studio, go ahead and cut them. We like to adjust our blade depth to a 2, as we’ve found that this generally weeds better and gives a smoother cut. After weeding out the unwanted pieces, use transfer paper to attach these graphics to each side of the hot dog holder. Then, fold all of the dotted lines to give shape to your hot dog tray.

That’s it! We told you this project was easy. This is an upscale alternative to paper plates at your next barbecue, and we promise that it will be a big hit with your guests. These hot dog trays are ready to be filled with yummy hot dogs and all of your favorite toppings!

Check the Silhouette blog every week for new and exciting projects. You can also find more of Carina Gardner’s designs in the Silhouette Design Store. Happy Fourth of July!