I've just arrived home from the November All Things Silhouette Conference for 2019 and so many ideas are hitting me. I am making notes for when I get a chance to start creating again. I wanted to share a project I created and put in the Silhouette Showcase room at the conference. This is an … Continue reading Acrylic Etching at ATS – November 2019
On October 18, 2019 a package showed up in my mail box. My kids were excited, I was excited - we were all excited. While their excitement quickly wore off, mine has not. The new tools for the Cameo 4 had arrived. After attending the Silhouette Summit in May and learning about the new Cameo … Continue reading Cameo 4 Rotary Blade – First cuts
Today I'm going to share some shirts I made a few weeks back. Some times it just feels good to sit down and make a few projects just because. My daughter started on a new softball team this Fall season and I needed a few shirts. Red is not usually in my wardrobe, so new … Continue reading Designing in Silhouette – Split Name Shirts
Look what I did! (Read to the end and you'll find a surprise!) *This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the bottom of the post for more information. Now, usually I am not one who can decide what design to put on my machine. But, when I saw Sparkleberry Ink release this Laura's Abalone … Continue reading Cameo 4 Cover and more!
Last week in the Silhouette Designs - Part 1, I showed how to make designs go farther by using some of the tools in the software such as releasing the compound path, grouping different pieces of the design together, and making new compound paths to create a different look. Today let's take it a step … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Silhouette Designs – Part 2
Today I'm going to show you how to make the most out of your designs that you purchase. Now, each design will be different because all designs are created differently, but let's take a look at how we can make a few changes to the designs and get a different look. Last year, I cut … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Silhouette Designs – Part 1
Just wanted to pop in here really quick and post the video I did unboxing my new Cameo 4. Whether you have decided to add one to your Silhouette family or are waiting a bit, check out the video to see what's in the box and the first cut with it. https://youtu.be/V5ArmbTh7go If you have … Continue reading Cameo 4 Unboxing
I think October might be my favorite month to bring you the specials as an Elite Affiliate for Silhouette America. Why? Because it's a Curio bundle!!! Maybe you've seen a few of my Curio projects or maybe you've even been in one of my Curio classes. Either way, I love the Curio and it rarely … Continue reading October special – Curio LOVE!
Did you hear? If not, I want to pop in real quick and give you a heads up! The Silhouette Design Store is turning 10 years old and to celebrate they are having a 50% off sale!!! This sale is good through October 1st, so grab it quick! It's a great time to clear out … Continue reading Happy Birthday Silhouette!
UPDATE 9-30-19: A new version v4.3.264 was released on September 27, 2019 and has fixed several of the bugs listed in the information below. I have been getting great feedback that the bugs that were affecting all users have been fixed and I feel much more comfortable recommending this version than previous v4.3 version. As … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Software update – POST UPDATED
Do you use the Silhouette software to draw your own designs? Or maybe you are like me and don't feel you are creative enough to draw your own designs? Today we are going to talk about the Drawing Tools and hopefully, you will feel a little differently by the end. As I've mentioned in previous … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Drawing Tools
Another one of my dreams has come true! A Silhouette Home Office Tour! I had the privilege of getting invited to the Silhouette Cameo 4 launch and they offered a home office tour. We flew directly from the Silhouette Getaway weekend to Utah & with a quick drop off of our luggage to the hotel, … Continue reading Silhouette America Home Office Tour
At the Silhouette Summit in May they announced the release of the new Cameo 4 (check out my Summit Show & Tell post HERE) and I am excited to say that I am in Utah and attending the Silhouette Cameo 4 Launch. Yesterday we had a tour of the Silhouette Headquarters and I will be … Continue reading Cameo 4 – New release – Pre-Order Now
Silhouette users ask "I got a new computer - Now what?" Are you a Silhouette owner and just got a new computer? Not sure where to go from there? It is pretty easy to get setup and running with a new computer and I'm going to share a few tips. First when you get a … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – New computer
I cannot believe it is already September. I love Fall but the summer sure seemed to fly by. But Fall brings some exciting things. The Silhouette Getaway weekend is next week starting on September 6th. There are still a couple more seats available if you decide on a last minute crafting adventure. I know some … Continue reading Silhouette September Elite Sale
Today I am guest over on the Terri Johnson Creates blog giving my "secrets" to getting started etching with your Silhouette Curio. Head on over to her blog and find out more HERE. If you have not taken that baby out of the box yet, check out this unboxing video https://youtu.be/bYllH6Inl3M And more tips to … Continue reading Silhouette Curio Beginner Etching
The Silhouette Design Store is having a 50% off flash sale right now. Which makes it the perfect time to clear out those wish lists in the Design Store or stock up on designs for the holidays. The 50% off sale is good through the end of August, so grab those designs you've had your … Continue reading Flash sale at the Silhouette Design Store
In the past several weeks I have been using the Fill Pattern option in the Silhouette software to create my own papers for projects that I needed. While I have a large paper collection, there are just times I do run into a project, that I want a specific paper for and I don't have … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Pattern Fill
When you use the drawing tools in the Silhouette Studio software, does every click of your mouse continue to draw another shape? https://youtu.be/h3akE52tE9E Did you know that you can change this behavior within the software? Click on the Preferences icon in the bottom right corner of the Design Tab or click on the Edit option … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Preferences – Tools
Sometimes, I think that the tools on the left side of the Silhouette Software get lonely. There is so much that you can do within the software in creating your own designs and I love seeing what everyone comes up with. First, let's take a look at the Design Tab. On the left side are … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Line Tools
Pixscan Project I get an email from my husband asking if I can make him a phone cover out of some skull vinyl he has found online. Well, of course, challenge accepted! I order the vinyl and sat down to cross this off my to list. I wanted to get it done because sometimes the … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Pixscan project
Library Snapshot One of the new features in the Silhouette Studio v4.2 software is a Library Snapshot. This takes a "Snapshot" of the library as it is right now and also allows you to revert back to this "snapshot" of the library if needed. To access and setup the Library Snapshot, click on the Library … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4.2 – Library Snapshot
I love creating 3-D paper projects and my kids love to shop over my shoulder when I'm looking in the Silhouette Design Store. My son who loves army, tanks, and soldiers saw this Combat Tank 3D Box design in the store a few weeks back and has been asking me to build it ever since. … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – 3-D tank project
Silhouette Studio Design Tab Diagram In January 2018, I started the "Let's Explore v4" series with the intention of breaking down each of the panels on the right side of the Silhouette v4 software and explaining the parts of them. When I started, I had no idea how far it would go and it has … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Silhouette Studio
I love being a part of the Silhouette community and with that I am a Silhouette Elite Affiliate and can bring you specials and sales when they are announced. From July 1st through July 15th you can grab this Mint Cameo Bundle for $239.99 when you use my code SILSECRETS and this link HERE. This … Continue reading Silhouette America Sale!
Flexishapes *This post may contain affiliate links. New with the Silhouette Studio v4.2 software is a feature called FlexiShapes. What are they? FlexiShapes are another Tool in the Silhouette Software to help you create or add to a design. Let's take a look at the Silhouette Studio v4 layout. There are 2 side menus in … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4.2 – Flexi Shapes
Print and Cut with Heat Transfer Paper *This post may contain Affiliate links. For the June 2019 All Things Silhouette Conference, I taught a class called "Let's Explore Print & Cut with Printable Heat Transfer". I had so much fun creating this class and want to share that with all of you. While I cannot pass … Continue reading Print and Cut with Heat Transfer Paper
Let's Explore v4.2 - Bugs *This post may contain affiliate links. Let's talk software. The Silhouette Studio program is a software program that is installed directly on your computer. What is software? Well, the most basic answer I can use to describe it is, it is code put together in a pattern that tells it … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Bugs
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 … Continue reading Silhouette Inspiration
Silhouette is having a sale! The Silhouette Alta 3D printer is on sale now from June 1st - 15th for $249.99 Click on this link HERE to go to the Silhouette Alta and use my code SILSECRETS to take advantage of this sale. I have seen so many cool things created with the Alta and … Continue reading Sale & FREE shipping – yes please!
Recovered Documents Did you know that the Silhouette software has an Auto-save feature? When you open the Silhouette Studio program, is there a Recovered Documents Panel that pops up? This Panel can also be found under the File menu in the top left corner, then Open Recovered. The Auto save feature will save a copy … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Recovered Documents
Using multiple Silhouette machines simultaneously One of the great features of the Silhouette Business Edition upgrade is being able to run multiple Silhouette machines at the same time. The Business Edition upgrade has many great features and you do not have to have a business to use it or have a need for it. However, … Continue reading Using multiple Silhouette machines
By now, you've probably seen somewhere online that there are new Silhouette machines and products being released in Fall 2019 and into 2020. You can see a few photos & some details I posted (with permission) on my Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook page - HERE. All the new things coming are amazing! Not only was it … Continue reading Silhouette Summit 2019 Show & Tell
As this post is being published, I will be somewhere over the United States making my way from the East Coast to the islands of Hawaii to attend the Silhouette Summit! I am so excited & honored to be attending the Silhouette Summit 2019 and it is a dream come true for me. This will … Continue reading Aloha Tuesday!
Did you know that you can change your Selection Preferences in the Silhouette software? To open the Preference Panel, click on the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the Design tab or click on the Edit menu in the top right corner and choose Preferences. Selecting an Object There are several ways to … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Selection Preferences
Have you seen Edit points before? Do they intimidate you? Well let's see if we can change that. What are Edit points? Edit points are basically the data points the Silhouette reads to make a particular shape of the object. Each edit point has qualities on how it is supposed to act such as straight … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Edit Points
Last week, in Part 1 of Designing with shapes, we used the tools in the Silhouette software to draw an egg shape. Now, we will use those same tools to draw decorations for that egg. Check out the previous post HERE to see 2 different ways to draw an egg shape. I had 3 eggs … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Designing with shapes Part 2
In October of 2018, I put up a vinyl skeleton on our front door. After Halloween, my kids & husband asked me to leave it up because they thought it would be fun to decorate all year long. They tell me the ideas that they would like to accessorize the skeleton with and I cut … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Designing with shapes
The warp templates area new to the v4.2 software release. They are available with the Designer Edition upgrade or higher and a version higher than v4.2.279 of the Silhouette software. To update the Silhouette software version, I would highly recommend going to the Silhouette website and downloading the update direct from there. Before updating the … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Warp Templates
Text to path *created in version 4.2 of the Silhouette software Let's explore how to take ordinary text and make it more interesting by adding it onto a path. The most common way I see this used is when you want the text to form to a circle or oval shape. But why stop there? … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Text to path
Image Effects Panel in Silhouette Studio v4 Did you know there are a lot of options to change the Image Effects in Silhouette Studio v4? Under the Image Effects Panel on the right side, there are many options that include: - Grey Shade - Colorize - Contrast, Brightness & Saturation - Gamma - Invert - … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Image Effects
There is this little Silhouette machine called the Silhouette Curio that came into my studio and has quickly grown to be another favorite tool. Now, I have to admit that the first day I opened the box, I did holler upstairs to my husband and say something like "I think I made a mistake. I … Continue reading Let’s Explore – The Curio – Getting started
This past weekend I had the opportunity to teach at the Terri Johnson Creates Silhouette Spring Retreat. This was an intermediate level retreat and not only did the attendees learn lots of new things, but I learned from both the attendees and my colleagues as well. But, do you know what the most important part … Continue reading Silhouette Spring Retreat 2019
This week let's take a look at how to create your own design in the Silhouette Studio software using basic shapes and text. We will create an overlay that could be cut out of cardstock or other materials. I most often see these at trade shows cut by big, fancy laser cutters. But, why can't … Continue reading Creating designs in Silhouette Studio v4
This week we are going to explore one of the newly released features of the v4.2 software. The Puzzle Panel is available in the Silhouette software with the Designer Edition Plus or Business Edition upgrade. (Use my code SECRETS10 to save an additional 10% off the great prices on upgrades at Swing Design) The Puzzle Panel … Continue reading Let’s Explore v4 – Puzzle Panel
Today, I am stepping away from the "Let's Explore v4" series about software for another topic I am asked about all the time. Today I will give you some tips I've discovered about getting the most use out of the Silhouette cutting mats. As a beginning Silhouette user, I do feel you go through mats … Continue reading Tips to get the most out of your Silhouette mat
Print and cut with the Silhouette software has so many options available. The past 2 weeks we have explored using a print and cut file (Part 1) and creating text (Part 2) to use in print and cut. This week we will explore creating a print and cut file from a jpeg or png image. … Continue reading Print and Cut – Part 3 – Images
Let’s Explore v4 – Print & Cut – Part 2 In Print and Cut - Part 1, I showed how to create a print and cut project from an already existing file that was set up for print and cut. In today's post, we will create our own text and turn it into a print … Continue reading Print and Cut – Part 2 – Text
Let's Explore v4 - Print & Cut - Part 1 I love the print and cut option on the Silhouette software! I've used it for many years and in this 2 part series I will share some tips with you for getting a successful print and cut. A few weeks back I made up special … Continue reading Print and Cut – Part 1
Did you ever need a quick card? Grab that cardstock and an easy cut file from the Silhouette Design Store. I used Lori Whitlock's Sympathy Card Thinking of You - Design #258278. While the card says Sympathy, it could be used for a lot more than that. This was a pretty easy card to cut. … Continue reading Cards with your Silhouette
I get a lot of requests to put my classes online. And it's been a work-in-progress and a learning experience too! I currently have 7 Silhouette classes available online on my Teachable site. These have been developed in response to requests by my students and followers. These classes are created in the Silhouette Studio v4 … Continue reading New! Silhouette Online Classes
