Shadowing a word on the Gypsy

While I was on vacation in Italy last month, I used the Gypsy to get a head start on titles for my scrapbook pages.  I liked the look of the Gypsy Font, so I used it for most of the titles.  Shadowing a welded word on the Gypsy is very easy to do.  It is similar to creating a shadow for a welded word in Design Studio with one key variation.  In Design Studio you simply open another page in the file to work on your shadow - with the Gypsy you need to save the word in a file and then use "Open as Template" to start a new file and create the shadow. Here is a LINK to the blog post with a video I made showing how to shadow a welded word in Design Studio

It is important to choose a font that has a shadow option available on the cartridge.  It is nearly impossible to create a perfect outline shadow by stretching a word - the center cut outs in letters like "o" and "g" will not stay in proportion.  A shadow of a word is not just a larger version of the word.  If the font does not have a shadow option, you can cut the word twice and offset the words when you adhere them to the page or card and create a "sun shadow" instead of an "outline" shadow.

I always create the top layer first and then create the shadow.  By doing this I can be sure that the top word is fully welded and fit the shadow around it.  When you make the shadow on the Gypsy you will be able to move each letter independently and will not have to "nudge" everything into place.

I will try to do more videos to show how to do the shadowing on the Gypsy - I am not able to get good resolution and a sharp image with the video of the Gypsy screen as opposed to doing a computer screen capture video for Design Studio but I'll keep working on finding a better solution.  If you'd like me to post some more Gypsy videos please let me know by leaving a comment.


(I still have a sore throat and have been doing lots of sneezing but I had some naps and drank lots of tea and other liquids today.  I hope I can get downstairs this weekend and cut some of the things I have been designing on my Gypsy!)

Shadowing Welded Words - Design Studio Video #4

Today's addition to my Design Studio video lesson series is on the much requested topic "How do I make a shadow for my welded word?" It is a little rushed at the end - I got right up to my time limit - but I think you will have all the information you need to make these shadows quickly and easily.
Click on the image at the top of this post to go to the video

EDITED May 3, 2009 - I have changed the link to share the video - when you click the image above you should see the video appear on your screen, ready to play. Please let me know if this new sharing method works for you - Thanks!

Edited (again!) 2:00 p.m. - the  videos worked for most but not all people, however, there were bandwidth limits which were quickly exceeded so I have changed the link back to the 4shared site.  I am sorry if this doesn't work for you - I will keep trying to find a better way....

For those of you who are not able to see the video play, I did a little research and found that you need to have a browser plugin version of the Macromedia Flash Player, which is free and available online.

It is very helpful to get your feedback. A lot of you have been leaving comments at the download site. If at all possible, I would prefer that you leave comments that contain questions or requests on my blog so I can answer them where others who are reading my blog can see them too. Despite having the site preferences set to send me an email when someone leaves a comment, I never get notified of new comments on the 4shared site and have to go checking for them to see if you are having any problems. Since there is usually not a way to contact you left in the comment I have to do a lot of copying and pasting to move the questions here and then hope that you see my answers - this gets complicated!

I have copied and pasted bits and pieces from the comments over the past few days here so I can answer them - the inquiries are in bold and my answers are in italics. (I added a few of the flower photos that I took last weekend to make this post a bit prettier - there were just too many words!).


Thanks for the video. I missed the second one. It went to my SPAM.. luckily I caught the 3rd one. Is there a way for me to see the 2nd?

I am not sure how you would get the video in your spam since they are hosted and not actually sent in the emails that go to the readers who subscribe to the feed. However, you can watch any of the videos by clicking on the linking images in each blog post and there are links to the video posts at the top right corner of my blog.



Would love to see a video on the Wild Card cart. - especially on sizes for cards and envelopes. Like for instance on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card, at what size do you cut your envelope?

I will show you how to do this in a future video or as part of the online lesson on designing cards with Design Studio. If you just need to know how to make a basic A2 envelope (for a card that is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches, check out the Scor-Pal site - here is a LINK to their excellent directions).

I would like to see a video on aperture cards with letters in the center please.

This is the next topic in my list so look for it in another day or two..



Looking forward to your next one, especially shading welded words.

Today's video is on this topic!


Can you also maybe explain what the different pages are used for as far as layering, etc. I really don't understand some of the cut files of layered items and which page you actually print...or do you print all of the pages with the different papers neces...


I will do a video explaining the layered cuts soon - this is also the topic of one of the live online lessons that will be available soon!

I needed that lesson--thanks so much for your time--will your lessons be available all the time or do I need to download and keep them?

The videos can be viewed directly from the download site. At this time, I have no plans to remove them unless I run into hosting difficulties.




I would also like to know what system you are running DS on. My dh wants to upgrade mine to Vista and it truly scares me! Help! :)

I have an HP laptop with Windows XP - my neighbor runs Design Studio on Vista with no problems. I believe the issues with some incompatibility with Vista have been resolved with the more recent updates but I am not "up to speed" on this since it does not affect my computer. You may want to check with Customer Service for more detailed information. Be sure to make back up copies of all of your .cut files before you make any changes.

..can you explain how to do do the word book....

Word Books are on the list and coming soon.


I am a beginner and I need all the help I could get. My problem is knowing how to do the ratio's. How do I know what number to use to make it smaller or larger besides just stretching it with the arrows and taking a chance by cutting it out?

The online lessons will include a session on the basics which will cover this topic.

I am very interesting in more videos and on line lessons so count me in.

Online lessons are coming very soon.

I would like to see a word book and something with Disney carts.

Yes and Yes - word book and Disney layered characters are coming...



Maybe I'm too new, but it would be nice to see a video on what buttons you're using, how you move things around on the mat, how are the layers used, Can I Make a Square if I don't have George? Is George a must to have with DS?

If you are totally new to Design Studio, be sure to watch THIS VIDEO on the Cricut.com site - it gives you a "guided tour" and explains basic functions but it was made before the updates to the software and does not cover many of the topics requested in the comments above. If you got your software without the CD or manual, you can download the PDF of the manual from the Cricut site - here is the LINK. Once again, this manual has not been updated so there is a lot of information missing but it does give an explanation of the basic functions.

George is not a "must" but is very useful for lots of designs and, since it is the native cartridge for the Original Cricut and can be used to cut in the trial version of the software, you will find many shared .cut files that use George.

The online beginner classes will cover this information as well - info on how to sign up for these is coming as soon as we work out a few more details.


****So - What's the scoop on these online lessons?***

For over a year I have been trying to figure out a way to do online classes that will be affordable and helpful for those who are struggling with the Design Studio software. Many people live far from any store that offers classes and need help getting started in creating their own files. Others would appreciate truly personalized lessons that address their "problem files" and how to fix them.

I have invited my friend, JenC, from the Cricut Message Board, to join me in this "Design Studio School." (Just call us the "Studio Goddesses" - a term that has been jokingly used to describe us at times!) We both have extensive experience in using the software, and, since we are on opposite sides of the USA, we can cover class times for the various time zones more conveniently.

Jen and I have done some trial sessions with volunteer students and we have been very happy with the effective teaching we can do using the service I have paid for. There will be fees for lessons and classes which will vary based on the number of students in the class and the length and topic of the class. We will teach some classes individually and there will be some "clinics" where the "Studio Goddesses" will both attend and troubleshoot the thornier Design Studio issues that you may be encountering. We will also have some project-based classes that will include .cut files and full project directions.

Our testing will take a bit longer, but we are very excited by the chance to use our skills to help others learn and to make our "hobby" help pay for itself!