Putting down my knitting (what a marathon to make Christmas gifts) and turning on the Silhouette.  Happy to be back to scrappin' and our first meeting of this new year.  We will be getting together next Monday, January 6, 2015 at Absolutely Everything from 11 to 1 p.m.

Know we have some new Silhouette owners and hope you can join us  this year.  We are a group of continuous learning with a variety of skill levels. Beginners to more skilled. And none of us can say we have explored all of what the Silhouette can do.  What a machine!! We have members who focus in specific areas of use, so it is neat that so many different approaches and ideas of use are shared.

We talked last month about doing a potpourri of skills menu. Since there are meetings that you may have missed and you want to go back and catch up or learn some topics it seemed like a good idea. (Myself, I still need to go back and play with the make-your-own stamps.)  So to cover topics competently, I need to hear from you what I should prepare.  Unfortunately, I don't always retrain the exact steps to a skill and  need some preparation so I don't stumble around too much.

I bought some Silhouette chipboard I have not cut yet. If there is time, would like to see how well that cuts..  Thought this might be good for boxes or stand up 3-D projects.

Always love playing with the tools on the Silhouette left-side desktop.  Was looking at some robot images I know we could create with squares, rectangles and circles.  Maybe we can play at that.

Take a look at some ideas that were shared last month...

Really like the "Jingle all the Way" picture frame made with vinyl phrase and filled with jingle bells.
Wish I could show you all the pages of the two December daily albums from Jennifer and Amy.  So many die cuts. The green 2014 page made from scratch by Karen is really creative.  I shared the simple bar cut-out Christmas tree files I created from an on-line inspiration (saved me from buying an expensive die).

What will we see this meeting?  Always something creative!!

Wishing you a great New Year's eve.  Stay health and safe!

Cathy

Looking back at the last post, I found I had not uploaded the picture of Jennifer's Halloween nails.  They are tooooooo cute not to show, so here's the photo.

Can't wait to see if she does some Christmas nails!

Cathy

Know we are still wrapped up in Thanksgiving prep, but please mark your calendar for our December 1, 2014 meeting coming up this Monday at Absolutely Everything from 11 to 1 p.m.

Have been looking at Christmas Tree dies and was drawn to one that is just a series of rectangles.  Of course, by using my Silhouette,  I can create the same.  Wow,  how many times have I saved a big chunk of bucks! by using my machine.  Well, I am going to share how I went about making this banded tree with the Silhouette at the meeting.

Also, am playing with my magnet sheets using family photos.  Think these will be a cute stocking stuffer.   Will share this also.

Last meeting we talked about everyone bringing gift ideas using our Silhouettes.  Hope you all will be showing up with some of those.

Check out the photos of the creative projects our group have made.  The ones above are from last month's meeting.  Check out (can you believe it)  Jennifer's Halloween nail designs she made with her Silhouette.  Silhouette has a bunch of these nail files that are fun to use.   Amy (it's hard to see) made a Mickey Mouse image from three circles and used iron on fabric to put on a t-shirt.  Don't you love the decorative post-it note holder and the card envelope you can put those dimensional cards in.  Another item from Jennifer is the halloween card made with glitter paper and a Silhouette file.

Made because of a sad event (one of the hostages beheaded by Isis came from Karen's town) and looking for something comforting, she made these plaques with biblical quotes to help her deal with the sadness.

Those tags came from free files on line at Monica's creative craft room.  What an incredible designer she is and she has a great many files she offers free.  Don't know if you remember the gazebo I made; it came from her site too.  Speaking of sites and great files that are free, check out Bird's cards on the web.  I love her designs and she is very generous to share them.

Hope these inspire!   We love to welcome new members.  It is a sharing and learning experience to expand our abilities using the Silhouette.  Many experience levels and everyone, no matter how long you have been using the machine, keep adding info and learning new things.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Cathy

See I wrote "shop" for ship in my opening sentence.  Freudian slip, love to shop!

Returned home Friday from a no-cruise to Bermuda.  Hurricane diverted our shop to Nassau.  Still had a fun time scrapping with friends in our own conference room on board.

Hope to see many of you Monday, November 3rd at AE for our regular meeting.

Last month we checked out some of Silhouette's products.   The interfacing for fabrics to cut on our machines worked pretty well.   So many of there items are really "easy peasy" to use and expand our creative juices.  This time I will bring the new pen holder to show how to use it with a variety of pens.

Also, working on a demo of "text to path" that is on the Silhouette Blog.  If you don't already follow it, check it out.  Their design team come up with some clever uses for our Silhouette.  After checking out Monica's Craft Room, am inspired to share creative gift tags and how to make your own designs.

While I was away, I see they introduced a new Cameo.  Don't have much knowledge of it as of yet, so maybe some of you will and can share what's new with it.

Don't forget to share anything you do with your Silhouette.

Cathy

Home after a nice long vacation!!  and ready to turn on that Silhouette machine and try something new.  Where did this cold weather come from?  It's only September!  It means we will be spending more time indoors unless you are caught up in winterizing your garden.... out to the orchards for the new apples....taking long walks to see the leaf changes or heavens to Betsy, getting ready for ski season.  But that's not a description of me......indoors...hot chocolate...cooking soups....knitting....sewing...books...and any sedentary activity that involves food.

As I look at the Silhouette blog and You Tube videos since I've been gone, I feel they are moving past me with all the new stuff.   Have not set in stone what I will go over at the meeting, but it will be definitely be something new.   I have fabric interfacing, magnet paper, adhesive paper and more in my stash of Silhouette stuff that I haven't worked with.    Also, have a request to come up with some holiday projects.   Who knows what it will be.   And e-mail me if you want me to incorporate something you are interested in.

Can you ladies bring any ideas (you have done recently or past) with holiday themes....past Christmas cards, Thanksgiving ideas, Halloween, etc.  to share.   If you feel up to a challenge with a fabulous prize (and you know how much I invest in those...at least a dollar or two), bring a holiday idea to show.

Also, come with your questions about our new Software or any topic that you ( and probably others) are struggling with.   If we don't have a ready answer, we'll put it on the "need to find out and learn" list.    It doesn't seem there is an end game to mastering this machine and I love it!!

If you haven't been following the Silhouette blog, take a look.  Their projects inspire me or are a jumping off point for doing something new and different.

Well, enough rambling...hope to see many of you at Absolutely Everything as we meet:


Monday, October 6th, 2014, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Cathy

August 4th is a week and a half away and we will once again meet at Absolutely Everything from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m for our Silhouette group meeting.

Planning on continued review of the new software, mainly the tools on the left side and also checking out the preferences.

Show and tell.....bring it along for us to ooooh and aaaaah over.

Want to also lead you to some good free fonts that we can use in a challenge to make subway art.  Also, I have had some fun with finding free dingbats (images replacing letters in font formats).  Clever Someday website has a list of reliable downloads of dingbat sites.  In the same vein,  DaFont has always been a safe and reliable place for fonts and also has dingbats.  Don't forget we can take those dingbat images and turn them into cutting files with the Trace feature.  We'll also talk about this at our meeting.

How about a challenge for those of you attending the meeting (and a chance to win a prize of great value......at least a dollar)!    Theme:    It's a party!   Make anything, banners would be a fun, party favor boxes, invites, table decorations,  wall decorations,  flags, vinyl images on glasses,  etc. etc.  And don't just think of birthdays, holidays are on the way.

Always look forward to our meeting, seems new ideas flow from you ladies and I love it!!

Cathy

Can we tear ourselves away from our gardens and beaches now that summer is really here (although here in New Hampshire it may be temporary)?    The next meeting of our Silhouette Designers Group at Absolutely Everything is July 7, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We'll continue to review the Silhouette Software Update....review the survey results and decide what topics we'll schedule for the coming months.....show and tell our challenge results (specifics of challenge following)...and share as we always do any tips on Silhouette use or resources.

Since the group said it would like to try a challenge....here it is:

Using the theme "SUMMER SUN",  create any type of item you like (tags, bookmarks, cards, pennants, cupcake holders, layouts....etc. etc.) using your Silhouette incorporating the theme.  Now,  think outside the box and surprise us.  Think what first comes to mind when you read those words.  For me, it was colors...oranges, yellows, reds....warmth, brightness.  It can cover millions of things....food, trips, mosquitos, skimpy bathing suits, family, bugs, water, frogs, barbeques and on and on.

I also have some Silhouette sticker paper I am playing with and hope we have time to look at that.

Here is a picture of some of the items we shared last month.  We are good!!!!

Sent out info of June 2, 2014, 11 p.m. to 1 p.m. meeting.  Reviewing new software update and of course.....open questions,  looking at knife feature related to creating image edge card done by Doodling Debbie on youtube, always show and tell.   Working on having a file for everyone on a perforated window reveal.  And whatever else comes up...

Here's a picture of our April show and tell.   Not to shabby!!!!  Good job ladies.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

What a month!!  Download the new version of Silhouette Studio or wait.  Waiting seems to have paid off.....Silhouette has restored some of the features we used efficiently and continues to update the new software.

Belinda has downloaded and has been pleased.  We will have to pick her mind at the next group meeting and hopefully, find out what is really great about this version.  Her Silhouette blog and comments about this has me ready to download without hesitation.

Monday, May 5, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. is our next come together.  Some tips to pass along and Belinda said last time she would review the print and cut in the new version.

Working on some show and tell from internet free files and should have some samples to bring.  If you applied the Trace feature we looked at last month on a project, do bring it to share.

Always seems to be more to cover than the time we have.

Looking forward to a sunny day and Silhouette sharing.

Cathy

Monday April 7, 11 to 1 is the next Silhouette group meeting at Absolutely Everything.   Can't wait  to show you what I have been doing with some downloaded files.   Please bring anything you may have been working on or share anything new about the Silhouette.  There seems to be endless options with this machine.  After having one for seven years, I still find new ways to use it.

We will take a look at two of the Trace features at this meeting.   

Just to let you know Kate has received the stamp material and mats that members of the group said they wanted.   She sold out of the first batch so don't forget to pick up yours.  Twelve dollars to create your own stamps is a really cheap option when buying these supplies. 

Seen some interesting projects on the Silhouette blog.  Take a look!  They inspire me and show us how to use some of the additional products they have for the Silhouette.  Need to check out the fabric cutout option.

And oh yes...I have a file to share.... a card called Scallop Tab Topper Card which I have seen on youtube and pinterest. 

Hope you got the freebies Silhouette had been giving out daily.  Last time I looked they had grouped them together and put them in the Bundles area and still free.

Looking forward to seeing you ladies on the 7th.     

Cathy

Quick note to let everyone know Silhouette is giving an additional number of free designs through the 27th.  So pick up the weekly free image and then click on the box that will take you to the daily free image. 

March Silhouette Group Meeting

Hopefully the weather won't still be bad on Monday, March 3  (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) as we have our monthly meeting at AE.

Thought our attempts at stamp making at the last meeting brings a nice dimension to our Silhouette can do list.  Bring anything you may have used your stamp on.  Jacquie had an observation that I wanted to pass on.  The stamp material is thinner than what we find on commercial stamps and it is easy to pick up ink on the sides of the block where the image sits, so maybe we could try double cutting a design and place it on top to make it thicker.  Haven't done it yet, but will give that a try when I break out the stamp kit again.   Also, don't know a lot about inks, so if anyone wants to recommend what is best to get a good image with Silhouette stamp material, pass it on.    Kate at AE is ordering the stamp mats and stamp material for us, so will let everyone know when that comes in.   Twelve dollars is a small investment to be able to do your own personal stamps.

Planning on diving into a rhinestone kit I purchased a while ago and share how to use your Silhouette to create bling designs for fabrics, t-shirts, etc.

Also, looking forward to seeing what you all did with the design template from Page Maps. 

Don't forget to bring anything you have worked on with your Silhouette.

Organizing your Silhouette file

Happy New Year Everyone!!

You ever notice how the New Years always brings the thoughts of organizing and re-organizing things? I do and have begun to look forward to it. Despite the fact that anytime of year could work.  Well if you are like me and you keep on getting new Silhouette files, you will eventually forget what you have. And what a pity since you just knew you were going to use the files.

Well I thought it would be great to start the year off organizing our Silhouette files.  If you look at the Silhouette Online store they have a wonderful structure for organizing the files. I have since moved to this structure with a few tweaks.  I created a PDF file that you can print out to see the categories Silhouette uses on there store. It is very helpful when you are creating your organization structure Feel free to head on over to my Belinda's Crafts and download the file and see a few tips on organizing your files.

I hope you are all well and look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming Silhouette Designer's Meeting on Monday, February 3rd.

Happy Crafting!!
Belinda