Silhouette Inspiration

Today I am headed out to the June 2019 All Things Silhouette conference and I have to tell you while it may be a lot of work to prep and set up for the conference, I always come back knowing more than I did before & feeling inspired by all that I see at this conference.

So today, I’m going to share a few projects I’ve been working on and hope I can pass on some of this inspiration that I feel when I attend the conference.

First, here are a few acrylic etching projects that I’ve completed with my Silhouette Curio in preparation for the classes I’m teaching at the All Things Silhouette Conference & for display during classes.

This is an acrylic coaster from Craft Chameleon and I created a design and added text to it to be etched on the backside of the coaster. These come in a set of 4 coasters and it is the perfect gift to customize.

I love that Craft Chameleon has Curio templates that have been created to work specifically with their acrylic shapes. While the Curio is amazing in the fact that it can return to the exact spot & continue working even after the platform is unloaded (if the platform is loaded correctly), these templates are so helpful in being able to make sure the designs are in the same place the material is placed.

An Acrylic phone stand etched with the Silhouette Curio.

These are another great gift idea as pretty much everyone has a phone. And if any of you are like me, I will set my phone down on my desk and it is soon under some notebook or stack of papers. It even has a slot for the charging cord to keep your phone charging as it’s on the stand. And both pieces of the acrylic stand can be etched as the Curio template has a space to fit both pieces.

I love that there are so many possibilities and the ability to create custom items with the Silhouette machines.

This is a 5″ acrylic disc that is etched with a Beach Blessing by Deborah Stine – Design #62386 from the Silhouette Design Store.

Something to keep in mind when you are etching acrylic or any raised surface, is to keep the Silhouette tool away from the edges or any holes in the material. This 5″ disc has a hole in the top for adding a means to hang or attach it to an item. If the Silhouette tool comes near the hole or edge, it can hang up on it and cause the blade housing to move out of alignment, which can alter where the design etches. The more you design & work with the Curio, you will get a feel for what that safety zone is and how the tool housing moves.

Since I could not etch close to the edges and hole of the acrylic disc, I cut a Rope Frame from adhesive vinyl to add to the front of the disc. Once the vinyl was added, I took a little round file and poked out the hole so the disc could still be hung.

This is just another way you can mix and match different materials.

The Curio can accommodate thicker materials with it’s unique platform system. This means that not only can it etch on acrylic & metal but it can still cut paper, vinyl & HTV. The difference is in how you stack the platforms. For thin materials under 1 mm, all of the platforms must be stacked in order for the machine to cut properly. That means that a 2+2+1+cutting mat are all required to get a clean cut.

For more tips on getting started with the Silhouette Curio, check out this post HERE.

Here are a couple more items I created this week before packing my Curio up for the trip. It never fails that I want to get “just one more” project done before I have to pack.

These are 15/16” clear discs that work well as bracelet charms or wine charms, they are also from Craft Chameleon.

This is a Honu Turtle design by Suzanne Cannon from the Design Store.
The Honu turtle is a symbol of wisdom and good luck. Who doesn’t need more of that?

I found this design while trying to decide what to put on my beach tote bag for my recent trip to the Silhouette Summit. I love that you can use the designs in many ways and for more than 1 project.
Check out all the neat things I experienced at the 2019 Silhouette Summit HERE.

Here is another charm I created for my new bracelet. This one is a design that LeighBee Designs created specifically for my class attendees at the All Things Silhouette Conference.

Make sure to grab the Curio template for these discs too! It makes it so easy to line up the project.

There are so many fun things you can create. For anyone with a Silhouette Curio machine, I would suggest just getting it out and playing with it. It is the best way to learn.

Now while so far, most of the photos shown have all been created with the Curio, I love all my Silhouette machines equally (shhhhhh don’t tell them).

Another one of my favorite things to do is print and cut projects. I have had so much fun creating with Colorjet III printable Heat Transfer material by Specialty Materials in preparation for my class at the ATS conference.

This tote bag was created by using Colorjet III Heat Transfer paper for light materials and the Silhouette Cameo 3. I used the Summer Flower Bundle by Echo Park from the Silhouette Design Store and set the project up as a Print and Cut project. Check out these tips HERE on this Print and Cut Part 3 – Images post to see exactly how I set it up.

I’ll be sharing more projects I created with this Colorjet III Heat Transfer next week after my class at the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference.

I hope that this post has inspired you in some way and you get time to create with your Silhouette machines soon!

Feel free to post your comments and questions below or on my Facebook group at Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.

Enjoy!