Behind the Scenes at Silhouette School...eBooks, Vacations, Conferences, Growth, Oh MY!

Every few months I like to do a Silhouette School Behind the Scenes post just so you all know I'm not a robot pumping out tuts, but instead a working mom who's attempting to balance it all (some times better than others) and knows the struggle is real, but the rewards are amazing.

In past BTS posts, I've shared a day-in-the-life of this full time blogger/mom/chef/chauffeur/cheerleader/booboo kisser, I've warned you all to shield your eyes before taking you into the deep dark hole known as my home office and I've even opened up about some pretty personal stuff for why the ebook (The Ultimate Silhouette Guide) was delayed.

Today I'm back with another peek behind the scenes of Silhouette School.  This time I'm interrupting the daily tutorials to share some exciting news and happenings both on the personal and professional levels.
Sooo let's start with what you already know - at least what I hope you already know.  For months now I've been working with Terri Johnson of Terri Johnson Creates to launch the All Things Silhouette Conference. I'll be speaking at the event and I certainly hope you'll be there!  Terri is the muscle behind the event and I'm just honored she asked me to go along for the ride.

At the same time I've been in almost daily contact with Expressions Vinyl to launch a new Silhouette School line of starter packs! Picking products, colors, and materials to include in the packs has been super exciting.  I'm also thrilled that Expressions Vinyl is actually selling The Ultimate Silhouette eBook on their website.  Of course it's always available on the official ebook site as well.

Speaking of the eBook...

Apparently writing an ebook that sold almost 1500 copies in a matter of two or three weeks (and more than 3,000 to date) makes you an expert? I don't know...that's what Abby over at Just a Girl and her Blog tells me.  If you don't know Abby - get to know her! Read her blog...her ideas, crafts, and talents are off the charts. (Plus her boys are adorable!) Anyway, Abby wrote an amazing eBook called 'Building a Framework' last year and is re-launching it later this week with tons of new content about successfully building an online business and/or blog.

I'm honored she asked me to join the project as the so-called 'ebook expert.'  Basically I had to put on makeup, do my hair and get in front of a camera to spill everything I learned about the process of bringing an ebook to market.  Even I didn't realize how much I had learned about writing, editing, self publishing, time management, marketing and so much more until I really sat down to talk about it. You can view a little snippet of my interview below (excuse the awkward camera angle...this is why I don't typically do videos)....


....so if you're at all interested in blogging (and yes it can be definitely be a full time income - both Abby and her husband (and of course myself) are full time bloggers) I encourage you to check out Abby's awesome book where you can get the full video of my interview plus videos with lots of other experts on various blogging-related topics.

And that brings me to the big question: 'Will I be following in Abby's footsteps with another ebook?'.  Lemmetellya I get this question A LOT.   If you knew how fast my heads spins out ideas, you'd know it was churning with ideas before the first one was even out.  So...do I have plans for more ebooks? Yes!  How much time I've actually committed to them up until this point, however, is another story.  Trying to write an ebook while keeping an active blog current with daily new tutorials can be a bit of a struggle - especially when you have kids who are now out of school for the summer. Gotta love the free 'help.' 

Speaking of help....

Silhouette School is growing at an astonishing rate.  And with that the blog has presented me with opportunities (see above) that I would never have imagined.  But I'm one person and I still have two young children - one of whom is not yet in full time school.  For that reason, and for my own (and my husband's) sanity, I'm thrilled to have brought on some additional help.  My admin, Ashlee (who's as close to a clone as I can get!), has been working closely with me behind the scenes for about a month now helping with answering the dozens of emails, Facebook questions/comments, and messages I get every day.   I made it a priority to find an admin who had an extensive knowledge of all things Silhouette and craft-related stuff so that she can help you guys out just as I always strive to do.

In addition, I'm sure you've noticed Becky and Glenna of My Paper Craze have been making weekly appearances on Silhouette School.  These ladies are now weekly contributors to Silhouette School and I couldn't be happier that they've joined the team. Their paper crafting background is top notch and their ideas and tutorials are high quality so I'm truly thrilled to have them...and I'm just glad they caved to my pleading.

Speaking of Thrills...

I'm just about as thrilled as everyone else for all of the new Silhouette products, machines and software upgrades that are coming out later this year. I think there's a general misconception out there that I work closely with Silhouette America.  While I love them and their products - that's actually not the case.  We are not affiliated or associated in any way.  Will I be getting the new machines?  Yes. I will be buying the Curio and the Mint just like everyone else.  BUT I won't be getting them any earlier than they're available to the market and I don't have any inside scoop.  So as soon as the new machines, software upgrades, and products are available I'll start purchasing them and sharing tutorials and reviews on Silhouette School blog.

And one last thing before I go....thank you for being so nice to the subs and guest posters while I was on vacation last month. My husband and I will celebrate our 10 year anniversary in July and two weeks in Europe was the way we've always dreamed of spending it!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine! 

Thanks for coming to class today at Silhouette School.  If you like what you see, I'd love for you to pin it!

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