Another Video - more help with Design Studio Grouping and Resizing

I had quite a few emails and questions after I posted the video about grouping and resizing in Design Studio so I thought it might be a good idea to make a second video to answer them.  If you missed the last video, here is a LINK to the post.  If you want to use the grouping and resizing functions, you need to be sure that you have the current version of Design Studio installed.  The last update was in May of 2010.

When you click on the help menu at the top of your Design Studio screen, chose "about" at the bottom of the drop down menu.  You should have Version 1.0.40422.0.

If you have an earlier version of the software you need to go to cricut.com to download the update.  If you have recently purchased Design Studio, the CD in the box will not have the most updated version.  You should simply download the latest version and use the number printed on the CD envelope in the box to activate your software.  From the home page, click on "products" at the top left and then click on "download updates" under Design Studio.  If you are not signed in to the site you will need to sign in before proceeding to the download page.  Here is the direct link Design Studio Updates.

To update the program follow the directions provided.  You should uninstall the current version first to avoid problems with the installation.  When you do this, you will find that you will need to relabel your cartridges into the "my cartridges" and "favorite cartridge" categories under the Preferences menu.  If you have added keywords to any of the carrtidges, these will also need to be redone.  Some people install the new version without uninstalling the older version and have no problems.

 

If your program is up to date but you are missing some of the cartridges, you need to download and run the second update for the DesignStudio FontPacks.  Be sure to SAVE the download and then run it to make sure that the cartridges are added.  If your program is open when you do this you will need to close and reopen the program to see all of the cartridges. 

The screen says that the most recent update is from November, 2010, however, if you click and download you will find that the version is V101207 which includes the cartridges announced in December so you will be up to date.

(I cover all of this in the video but I thought it might be helpful to type it out and show the screen shots here.)

This is the test cut of the frame that I designed in this video.  I'll be using this in a project that you'll see next week.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with the grouping.  It makes Design Studio much more useful and lots of fun too!

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Grouping and Resizing in Design Studio

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I generally work with the Design Studio software and in many ways, I prefer it to the Gypsy.  I am planning to do a post with a side by side comparison of the Gypsy and Design Studio soon, however, today I saw some comments on the Cricut Message Board and realized that there are many people who do not understand all of the capabilities of the software.

I haven't made any videos for quite a while for reasons that are a bit complicated and I don't think they are appropriate to share here.  However, when I read some of the complaints and saw that some of the frustrations people have with Design Studio are due to the lack of information on how to use it, I decided to go ahead and make a video to show you how to create simple or complex designs, group them and resize them to suit your projects.



Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with this - it really is pretty simple to do.

I hope you are getting a chance to relax after the hectic holidays.  The snow is finally stopping but we did get a lot of accumulation and everything is moving pretty slowly today.  Our son has managed to rebook his vacation and the silver lining is that he will actually be with us until Thursday.

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Video Show and Tell on Design Studio Update

I made two videos to show you some of the changes to the Design Studio software in the latest update.  Here is a LINK to my post a couple of days ago describing changes I have figured out so far. I must warn you that I have found that the program is behaving inconsistently - it seems that I don't always get the same results from doing the same actions.  I will update my posts and videos as I become more familiar with these new features.

These are "exploration" videos - so think of them as show and tell for what I have found as of today  I had a few unexpected things happen but I left the videos as they were so you could see that sometimes you truly do have to "play" with the software for a while to find out all of the tricks to getting it to do what you want to do.  Unfortunately, while we seem to be getting closer to a grouping function, this update seems to provide just a basic "select all."  At least it is a step in the right direction...

I ran out of time to demonstrate everything so I may add some more videos in another day or two.  I have been using a new computer and had a few technical difficulties but I didn't want to delay posting these since so many of you had been asking for videos.

Please leave comments to let me know if you are having similar results in your experimentation with the updates.  I'll post again as I find out more information about the additions to the program .  I have heard that there will be a Gypsy update tomorrow so it looks like I'll be doing more "techie time" before the weekend.  I may just go make a card or two for a break!

Click the You Tube logo in the lower right corner to "Watch on You Tube" to see the video in High Definition (720p) for the clearest image at full screen size.



Here is the second part:




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Scalloped Easter Egg Card (more details)

Today is my first day as Guest Designer for the Everyday Cricut blog.  You may be arriving here after reading the Simple Card Monday post.  If you are starting on my blog, you should hop over to Everyday Cricut first to see the card and the video explaining how to create the shaped card in Design Studio.  (Here is a LINK to the post).  Then come back here for the additional information, the second video and the file.




There are many ways to combine the eggs and the layers for different looks

You can layer the gemstone side over the plain reverse side,

...or layer the solid side over the shiny gemstone surface.

 I decided to use the gemstone side for all three layers (card base, solid blackout and decorative top layer).

 

The cardstock is a bit wider than 12 inches to allow for the printed label on the front.  After I cut my first decorative egg and solid layer, I flipped the paper to cut the second set.  I aligned the corner to the top left and loaded the mat from the opposite direction. (I flipped the cardstock so the egg shapes would both be cut from the same side of the sheet of cardstock - I did check to be sure that the eggs were symmetrical so my layers would work properly).

I enjoyed using this lovely gemstone cardstock by Core'dinations and I wanted to make the best use of each 12 x 12 sheet.  I cut all of these card pieces and then I looked at my cardstock and figured out how to trim it to create additional projects.

I trimmed the side with the two egg cutouts (left side in photo above) at about 4.25 inches from the edge (just far enough to get a straight edge).  Then I cut another strip at 4.25 x 12 inches and trimmed one inch from the end to create a vertical A2 card base.  I trimmed a two inch strip from the areas below the egg cutouts and trimmed the cutout from the egg with the overall design (with the flowers attached) at 5.25 inches to use as a frame.

These are the "scrap" pieces left after trimming - you can punch some shapes from the solid areas before discarding the scraps.

Here is the link to download the file.  There are endless variations possible with the colors and patterns you choose for the various layers of this card.  I hope you have fun making it.

Scalloped Egg Shaped Card

Simple Easter Egg Shaped Card with Design Studio

(This post originally appeared on the Everyday Cricut blog where I was the Guest Designer for the week of March 8-12, 2010)

Good Monday Morning! This is Diane and I am so happy to join you this week as Guest Designer. Some of you may know me already from my blog Capadia Designs. I am looking forward to getting to know many more of you. I want to thank Joy and Melanie again for asking me to share some of my designs and projects this week. I also want to thank all of you for the very warm welcome you have given me already in the comments on Joy's post introducing me!

So today is "Simple Card Monday" and I have a simple shaped card created with the Easter mini cartridge by using the Design Studio program. (For those of you who are not familiar with my work, I have to give you fair warning - I am an avid user of the Design Studio program and not entirely sure if I remember how to use the Cricut by actually pushing the keypad buttons!)

For this card I used various colors of "gemstone" cardstock by Core'dinations. My local Joann's carries this cardstock and I watch for the sales when you can buy cardstock at a great price (often 5 for 99 cents) and stock up. The cardstock has a lovely sheen and cuts beautifully in the Cricut.

The "right" side of the cardstock is textured and shiny - the reverse side is a smooth vibrant solid. You can see both sides in this photo.

I kept the cards very simple to show off the lovely cardstock. If you want to "dress it up" a bit you could add some gems or Stickles glitter glue.

I adhered the decorative layers to the solid eggs using my Creative Memories Precision Point Adhesive. This is my favorite adhesive for small or intricate cuts. I am a Creative Memories consultant and keep active so I can satisfy my addiction to this adhesive, the tools, the digital scrapbooking program, StoryBook Creator Plus 3.0 and wonderful digital content.

Since the card is so simple, I didn't think you needed to watch a video of me assembling the layers. Instead, I have made a short video showing you how to design a shaped card in Design Studio.

If you are not familiar with Design Studio or find it difficult to use, I am happy to do whatever I can to help you. There are many tutorials on my blog and I do my best to answer all of the Design Studio questions I receive from readers. I also share my .cut files so that you can download them and see how I put things together - or simply cut the projects I have designed.

I like my shaped cards to be able to stand up on their own - this card will stand nicely since the two lowest scallops are nearly even.

I cut eggs in a lot of different colors so I could make several variations of the card and use some of the "extra" eggs for other projects. I always try to make the most of my paper by planning out my cuts and saving the "leftovers" to use later.

The .cut file for this card is available on my blog. There is also another video in which I give a "guided tour" of the actual cut file and explain a few things about how I use the program to help me make the best use of my paper. Here is the LINK to my blog.

Thanks so much for checking in today. Don't forget that there are great prizes this week (as there are every week on Everyday Cricut!). Click HERE to get all of the details on how you can win - Good Luck!

"Grouping" in Design Studio - Snowflakes in Circles

The decorations are coming down from the attic fast and furious now - I want to get most of them up before I go to pick up our younger son for his Winter Break next week.  This stained glass Santa was a gift from my brother many years ago and always hangs in the kitchen window.

The next tree to go up is the "upside down" tree.  It has a base and two sections and it takes two of us to put it together.  This is the tree for all of the delicate glass ornaments - lots of room to dangle and out of reach for the smaller visitors!

I usually try to keep the lights on the top section and then rearrange them when the tree is assembled but this year I took them all off and started right from the top.  For the next few days we will enjoy the tree with lights only and then I will start adding the ornaments - it takes a couple of days to finish!

I did make a quick video showing how to make the snowflakes in circles.  These are what I call "adjustable" designs.  You can do some grouping in Design Studio but you need to plan and have the patience to do a lot of nudging!


 I hope you find this video helpful - I will try to make another one showing a more complicated grouped design soon.  I am limited to five minutes on a video so I may need to do this in parts.  I'd like to purchase some software that will make it possible for me to make longer videos but it is very expensive so that will have to wait a bit longer.

We have a lot of family plans for tomorrow but I want to try to get more holiday decorating done later in the day.  I hope you don't mind me posting the stages of decorating our house - it helps to motivate me to get things finished.  I know that many people put things up right after Thanksgiving, but we have always done it in gradual stages and then leave everything up well into January (the days are short, dark and cold and the lights just make things more cheery in the dead of winter).

I wonder how many of you are still decorating...

Snowflake Skate Card Video

I actually did make a quick video to show you how to get the skate snowflake drawn in the perfect centered position on an A2 card and then cut the card.



When I posted this on You Tube, I realized that it had been a long time since I posted a video - so I think I will do some catching up this week.

A funny thing happened with the snow last night - it all collected on one side of the ornaments in the tree.  It warmed up and with some bright sunshine these will be hanging straight again but in this photo they look like they are blowing in the wind.

Here is one more picture of the snow from our back deck - a winter wonderland.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway sponsored bt the Original Scrapbox.  We are trying to get enough visits to the Original Scrapbox website to have them donate two EZ View Desks to charity.  One person will also win an EZ View Desktop on my blog and have a chance to win an EZ View Desk.  Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if your comment is selected.  Comments must be left only on the original post HERE to be have a chance to win.

Video #8 - Quantity in Design Studio

I made a short video to help explain how to cut multiples of the same image quickly and easily using Design Studio. I have noticed a lot of questions lately related to filling a Design Studio mat with multiples of the same item so I thought I'd share my tips for doing this.

I find that I can usually cut more of the item than I would be able to using the "autofill" key on the Expression since I can manipulate and move the shapes to maximize the use of my paper.

I hope this video is helpful - let me know if you have questions. I will do another video soon to show how I "autofill" my mat with a welded design.

Another Quick Video - Layered Characters

I have received a few questions about the color separations for layered characters, so I thought I'd do a video showing one of the files that I created for a Cinderella cut. I have explained this in the past and posted some files on my blog but some people prefer the video format. Here is a LINK to some of the posts about Disney Princesses showing the layers with download links for the files I prepared.

The weekend was very full but I have been hard at work on some projects which will be posted in the next few days. I also have something new to show you that you can use with your Cricut to enhance many of the more intricate designs.



There were some more guesses on the mystery design but so far no one has named the cartridge. (The prize is really just a token gift but I didn't think it would be so hard to give it away!)

Here are the clues - with a new one added:

1. There is only one image used to make this mesh - repeated 35 times.

2. Hide Selected Contour is involved...

3. I have never shared a design made using this particular cartridge - I have to open a cartridge that is still in the box to test cut the design (!)

Be sure to leave a comment for me if you think you have figured out what I used! If no one gets it by tomorrow night, I will just pick a random name from the guesses I have received.

Video - "Hide Selected Contour"

It has been quite a while since I posted a video. There just aren't enough hours in the day and I have had a lot going on! Lately, I seem to be getting lots of questions about the use of the "hide selected contour" option in the Design Studio software so I made a quick video to explain how to use this design tool.

If you are using a cartridge that does not separate the layer options by color, "hide selected contour" can help you save a lot of paper and make your cutting very efficient. In this video, I explain how you can separate your layers to cut each item from the proper color by using "hide selected contour."

This is the basic information on using "hide selected contour." If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that there are many ways to use this feature and there are also a few "tricks" to get the function to work in various situations. I will be adding a few more videos to explain these quirks. (I will try to get those done without another long time gap!).

Now I have to go read all about today's big reveal of the new Gypsy device - I am very interested to find out more about it. You can check it out HERE. Let me know what you think.....

A pretty little card, and some notes...

Today I made a quick card using the filigree file I shared earlier this year. (Here is a LINK to that post in case you missed it). It is a good idea to cut several of these card toppers at a time and then you will have them handy for when you want to make a card in a hurry!

The topper was cut in plain white cardstock and I used the "stylized flowers" Cuttlebug folder to emboss the plain area above the filigree.



I "fussy embossed" - carefully lining up the edges of the topper in the folder to try to have the embossing connect with the filigree design.

The butterfly was a spare from my very first use of the Storybook cartridge (when it had not been added to Design Studio and I just wanted to cut a sheet or two of images to try them out). I added Stickles to define the body and antennae and attached the butterfly to the card using foam squares for dimension.



A note about the online lesssons -

As I mentioned last week, I have asked JenC to join me in this new teaching endeavor. We have been working hard to get the new blog set up and it will soon be ready to go "live" This new blog is where the schedule, fees and registration details for all of our classes will be listed. You will be able to learn how to use the Design Studio software by participating in a live online classroom. If you like the videos I have been posting, you will love the online classroom - we will be demonstrating in real time and you will be able to ask all the questions you might have about the trickier aspects of using Design Studio.

I will be teaching some classes together with JenC and we each will be doing some classes independently so we can better cover the various time zones. I know that many of you are impatient for us to get started - keep checking our blogs for information about our "Grand Opening" - it will be very soon!



Another note about the videos -

It seems that YouTube was the answer and, finally, everyone can see the newest video (#5). By purchasing the upgrade to the software I was able to make the screen recording in a format that will upload to YouTube. I will go back and redo the earlier topics and post those to YouTube as well as soon as I can find the time.

There was a bit of initial confusion from subscribers to the email feed because the daffodil image that had been a link to the videos in the past was just a title and the embedded YouTube box does not appear in the email. If you get the daily emails, remember you can click the title and it will take you directly to that post on my blog. You can watch the video directly from my blog or on YouTube (by clicking the "YouTube" icon).

When you watch the video be sure to click on the "HD" button at the bottom of the screen (it will turn red when it is "on") - the clarity of the recording will be much improved. It is also a good idea to use the full screen view which makes it much easier to see the details.


Finally, for those of you who say you like to hear about some of the personal details (and particularly for my friend "YO"), I got a "significant" hair cut today - it is much, much shorter!

By George, I think I've got it!

After much trial and error, I think I have finally found a way to share the videos I have been making so that all of the people who read my blog can see them! Unfortunately, I was not able to accomplish this for free. I ended up purchasing an upgraded version of the software I was using so I can now save video in a format that is compatible with YouTube.

What a learning curve this has been! I have learned far more than I ever thought I'd need to know about video file formats, bandwidth limitations, variations in browsers that limited viewing for some people, etc., etc., etc. I now have an account on YouTube and can embed the videos right here on my blog. I don't think the picture quality is as sharp as it was in the .swf videos, but you should be able to see what I am demonstrating. I will try to go back and redo the first four video topics in this new format, but that may take a few days (or more - I have lots of other projects in the works here!).

Here is the next video - "Welding in a Frame". Please let me know if there are any issues with watching this one (I sure hope there are none!). In the meanwhile, I will get back to setting up the online lesson site!



Thanks again for your patience and your feedback!

A quick note - about the videos...

I have had a few notes from people who tried to view the videos I have been posting and have run into problems when they try to view them. The videos were all shared the using the same method but now the site is acting differently and they are not playing automatically for some people.

I spent a lot of time trying to solve this problem and I think I have found a way to share the videos directly in my blog - without going to the 4shared site at all. I am doing my best to find a way to share these freely - but if I may have to change the system if I need to pay for hosting.

I have changed the link for the most recent video (#4) and will change the rest as soon as I hear from blog readers whether this method is working for them! I hope it works out as I am a bit overloaded with technology and want to get back to creating!

Please leave a comment on this post if at all possible so I will know that this is working - I have tested from the Mac and PC here at home but need to hear from others with different systems to be sure that I have this figured out! Thank you.

In order for the video to play, you still need to have a browser plugin version of the Macromedia Flash Player, which is free and available online.

Monday, 2:00 p.m. - Edited to add - the alternate method was working for many but not all people, however, in a very short amount of time the bandwidth limits were exceeded.  I have changed the link back to the 4shared site.  I am sorry if your computer system is not allowing you to view the videos and I will try to find another way to share these little videos but I need to spend some time creating and getting the online classes set up so I can't spend any more time on this now.

Working out this solution for the video sharing consumed most of my free time today, so I don't have any projects ready to post for you tonight.

Thanks to all who did some research on the vintage cards I posted a few days ago - there is a wide range of dates offered but most seem to place them in the late 1950s or early 1960s. I have seen a few ebay postings and the descriptions of similar cards claim dates from the 40s to the 60s - it is a bit hard to tell but I do think the illustrations are charming.

I think that some of you are great bargain hunters and "up" on rummage sale pricing, as I had several people guess 25 cents which is the actual price I paid - a great find and a great bargain!

I will be doing some fun projects with these cards in the near future - lots of ideas are bubbling to the surface!

(The hyacinth in the photo is from our garden. The photo is not turned sideways - the flower was so heavy that it was bent over and almost touching the mulch. I do love that shade of blue!)

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!

Design Studio Video #3 - Welding (Method 2)

Today I am posting the video I made to explain the second method of welding a word. After uploading the video, I checked the download and I realized that I called an "a" an "i." I don't have a way to edit these videos yet so you get the little flubs along with the information! I'd like to upgrade to a better program to be able to add images and labels and fix my bloopers but that is not possible at this time. Soon I hope....


Just click on the image at the top of this post to go to the video download.


When you go to the download site you will see a small image of the video which can be played from that screen. You should click on the "Download Now" button. That will bring up the "countdown screen" - when the countdown is over click on "Click here to download this file" and the video should appear in a much larger size on your screen with the triangle play button ready to start the video playing.

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

Thanks for all the feedback on my first couple of videos - I appreciate any comments, suggestions and information about topics that you'd like to see me cover in future videos. I will be doing shadowing of welded words, aperture cards and word books in the very near future.

Basic Welding with Design Studio - Video #2

I want to thank you all for the feedback on my first video. I have taken your suggestions for topics and the most popular seemed to be help with welding words so that is the subject of my next video. There will be a few more videos on this topic so I can show you the various methods of welding and also explain how to make shadows for your welded words.

I am not sure why some people had problems with the sound level - it could have something to do with individual computer settings. Most people seemed to be able to hear the audio, but I did try to speak more loudly and pushed up the volume control on my headset in hopes that the microphone would pick up a louder signal. I also tried to speak more slowly but I am a naturally fast talker (!) and I am not sure if I was successful. You can always replay the video if you miss something...

I have a five minute limit on the recordings I make right now. I also have to do the entire video in one "take" with no editing, so please forgive the occasional "um" or mistaken word that I have to correct. I am hoping to be able to buy the software that will enable me to make longer videos and do some editing but it is rather expensive so I am not able to do that just yet.

When you go to the download site you will see a small image of the video which can be played from that screen. You should click on the "Download Now" button. That will bring up the "countdown screen" - when the countdown is over click on "Click here to download this file" and the video should appear in a much larger size on your screen with the triangle play button ready to start the video playing.

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

Click on the image below to go to the video download.



Once again, I appreciate any and all feedback, suggestions and comments. I am still learning how to do these videos but I can already see that they are helpful to a lot of you - I think it is always easier to learn by actually watching someone else demonstrate.

Thanks for watching!


(I took the photo at the top of this post at the Boston Flower Show last year - I love flowers!)

A Video (finally!) to Help with Cricut Design Studio

I have had many requests for Design Studio lessons and for quite some time now I have been trying to figure out a way to offer both recorded videos and live online lessons. I have done a few private live screen sharing sessions with some of my blog readers to test out various ways to offer lessons to people who want more help with learning the Design Studio software. I kept running into "technical difficulties" and have been frustrated that I wasn't able to start my teaching blog which I have mentioned at various times over the past year.

I have some good news! Our cousin (who visited us this weekend for the Boston Marathon) is also a computer whiz. He helped me change some things around with my computer and today I was able to record a short video lesson. These changes to my computer should also allow me to offer live online lessons, but I am taking things slowly and starting out with just a recorded video today.

This is a lesson on how to make a simple shaped card. If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know how to do this since I have explained it at various times. The difference is that I have captured my screen "in action" while I narrate the steps I am taking. I think that, once I get used to doing these, I will find this sort of lesson much easier to prepare compared to taking and editing multiple screen shots and writing out long tutorials. I believe that those of you who like to learn from live demonstrations will also find this much more helpful.

The video is just under five minutes long. I'd really appreciate it if some of you could take the time to watch it and respond with any comments, suggestions for improvement or requests for topics you would like me to cover in future videos.

So, without further ado, here is the link for the video (just click on the image below).



Thanks for watching.

Edited early Wednesday AM - Wow! From the time I posted this yesterday afternoon until now the video has been viewed nearly 300 times and this totally used up the monthly allowance of free bandwidth for the service I was using.

I have tried another way to share this video - I uploaded it to 4shared (the site where I have been hosting my .cut files for the past few months). I have tested this to see how it works on two different computers in my house - a Mac and a PC laptop. When you click on the image you will go to a page like the regular download page for a file - you will probably see an image of the Design Studio screen with an arrow to press to play. If you try to play the video from that image it will probably be either too large or too small for you to see properly (it was too big on the Mac and too small on the PC laptop). You should click where it says "Download now" and then there will be the ten second countdown. When you see "click here to download this file" you should go to a screen sized version of the video.

If this does not work for you, please be patient while I figure out how to make the video available. Thanks for all the positive comments and for the info about any issues you have with the video. I am trying to get the process worked out so I can share these videos as I make them.

(For those of you who were following my recent posts about our Patriot's Day weekend and the Boston Marathon, our guests left early this morning. The Boston Globe published the list of finishers in today's paper and Liz was # 11213. The photo at the top of this post was taken at the church in Wellesley where we watched the runners from the lawn. I just love daffodils!)