It is always a bittersweet feeling after a weekend teaching at an event. We just wrapped up the All Things Silhouette November 2019 Conference and it was fantastic!
What is the All Things Silhouette Conference about?
It’s about the people! The people who are all gathered together with the common interest of “Silhouette” in common.
We come together, we laugh, we learn, we connect, we share, and we laugh some more!
We all work hard for months before the conference, during the conference, and yes even after the conference! It takes a great team to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place.
And it all started with this lady right here! Terri Johnson Creates is the vision & working power behind the All Things Silhouette Conference, TJC Licensed Instructor Program, and many other Silhouette related events.
While I have worked side-by-side with her for a couple years now, it is rare that we remember to take a photo during the event. That has to be the hardest thing for me to remember to do at an event is to take photos.
Check out the upcoming 2020 events that are planned on the Terri Johnson Creates website HERE.
The All Things Silhouette Conference brings together the top of the Silhouette Industry leaders who share their knowledge, techniques, testing, and skills with the conference attendees. Here are a few of us at the end of the conference. Again, photos of the entire group are rare. We are rarely in the same place at the same time the entire weekend.
(left to right: Terri Johnson Creates, Libby Ashcraft, Sarah Cannon (Silhouette), EllyMae Habets (Silhouette Secrets+), Kelly Wayment (Finding Time to Create), Cindy Eckhoff (Smart Silhouette), Julie Huggins (Sew Craft N’Spired), Kathryn Geddy, Amy Robinson (Silhouette Design Store Designer), Lori Whitlock (Silhouette Design Store Designer), Mags Bonham, Cindy Pope
The connections that are made at the Silhouette events are priceless!
During this ATS event, I taught several classes using the Silhouette Curio.
If you are a Curio owner, you may have realized by now that it can create really cool projects. However, it can take some time to create those and those projects are not always possible to achieve in the hour & 15 minute class time during the regular ATS weekend. From feedback provided by the attendees, a Friday pre-ATS event has been added. This is an add-on to the regular ATS package called the Ultimate Experience.
This is the 2nd time I’ve taught a Curio Boot Camp session. It is very popular and sells out quickly once it’s posted. While it is posted as a 3 hour class, you just never know what will pop up in class and we did go over in time, but everyone was so involved in creating their own designs that you could hear a pin drop in the class. I don’t think they wanted to leave even after their project finished etching.
This is a 4″ x 6″ acrylic panel from Craft Chameleon that is etched with the Silhouette Curio. This design is the Sunflower Heart Mandala by Jennifer Wambach in the Silhouette Design Store.
Thank you to both Craft Chameleon and Jennifer Wambach for sponsoring this class!
During the regular ATS weekend I taught the Basic Acrylic Etching class and I showed them how to set up the design to be etched. This design was created in the Silhouette software using basic shapes – check out this post on Drawing Tools to see how you can create your own snowflake too.
And then a little change of pace. We used the Foil Quill on a faux leather Traveler’s Notebook using the Silhouette Curio. I love the Curio because when you load the base properly, the cutting mat lines up exactly with the cutting mat on your Silhouette software screen. This means that you can place the design on your design screen and then place your materials in the same place on the cutting mat and it will line up.
Check out this The Curio – Getting Started for more information on the Curio.
Thank you to Lori Whitlock for providing the Compass design for this class.
It was a big hit!
And then the final class I taught was a 2 hour class on Saturday evening. We created an etched snowflake home decor project on a 5″ acrylic disc using the Silhouette Curio.
Thank you to our class sponsors:
Craft Chameleon for the 5″ acrylic disc and Diamond Tip Reamer
H & H Sign Supply for the Glass Etched Vinyl & Oratape Transfer Tape
Snapdragon Snippets in the Silhouette Design Store for the Snowflake Poem Design #72245
Unfortunately, due to some computer issues and things out of our control, we did not get to etch these ornaments in the Basic Acrylic Etching class. While we never like to see it happen, sometimes it does. And, I did not want them to leave empty handed, so I told them all to stop at the registration desk and pick up an etched ornament the next day.
After my last class of the day on Saturday night, I utilized the Curio classroom and connected to 6 machines to etch the 30 ornaments. With the Silhouette Studio Business Edition upgrade, you can use multiple machines at a time. I really was not sure how many machines I would be able to use at once, especially when you are using an etch design as it can be a larger data file. It was either going to be a success or a fail. But, my computer easily ran the 6 Curios etching at the same time. Check out this post on Using Multiple Machines to see how to switch between machines in the software.
Next time, I’ll see how many I can really hook up to my computer and run. There is no limit to the number of machines that can be used with the Business Edition upgrade, except what your computer can handle. This will be dependent on your computer specifications and the number of usb ports you have available to connect to. If you have too many machines going it could max out your computer processing power and that could mean anything from a lag to a crash. But, you never know until you try something out.
And when I wasn’t teaching the class, I was helping out in the classes and every single one I learn something new in. I wish I could clone myself to be in them all.
I had a moment to jump on a Curio machine and complete this design on a Embossable Foil that Kelly Wayment with Finding Time to Create was teaching in the Basic Curio class. I had never used Embossable Foil before & I love it!
I’ve added this to my Black Friday shopping list – stay tuned for that announcement!
It is absolutely amazing what these Silhouette machines are capable of! And I am so grateful for all the blessings that being a Silhouette owner has brought into my life. Now, that may sound odd but, as I started this post out – it is all about the people. Through the commonality of Silhouette I have met so many people who mean so much to me.
My biggest fault at these events is not getting enough photos, especially when I’m teaching. But here are a few I was able to snap.
Courtesy of Cindy Chapko a fellow TJC Licensed Instructor in Arkansas
A shirt made by Jane McClure. This reminds me of our recent trip to Salt Lake City, UT for the Cameo 4 launch except we were all in a mini van. Check out this post on the Silhouette Home Office Tour HERE.
Here is the backside of the shirts that Jane and her group made. These are amazing!
Dee and I had to do a couple retakes to show off her newly etched bracelet that she created in a Curio class with Mags Bonham. By the 3rd photo, no one looked like they were getting punched. We had some good laughs though!
And my hair made it on another shirt! Looks like it’s time for a little color for me.
It was a fabulous weekend and each All Things Silhouette Conference keeps getting better and better! I was writing down class ideas before the weekend was even over!
Make sure to get signed up for the November 2020 All Things Silhouette Conference as soon as registration opens. It will fill quickly with only 1 conference next year. Sign up to be notified on Terri Johnson Creates blog HERE.
While the weekend is always physically exhausting because we are on the go, it is also creatively renewing. All the creative energy, the Silhouette love, the knowledge floating around, the ideas & techniques shared…. it renews & refreshes you in a way that is so hard to put into words.
It gets your wheels spinning and ideas flowing. And I typically hit the ground running or most times while the airplane wheels are still in the air, I’m typing away on my phone jotting down more ideas.
While I tell myself I am going to take a break after each event, I feel recharged after and don’t want those ideas to run away.
On with the research and testing for the next event.
Can’t wait to share the final projects with you all!
Now, while we have to wait a whole year for the next All Things Silhouette Conference, that doesn’t mean you cannot get inspired or spread inspiration to others.
I would love to see your projects & I know others in my group do too! Feel free to post on my Facebook group at Silhouette Secrets with EllyMae.
Enjoy!
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