March 31, 2010

A surprise find in update 0170 regarding image size - Oh My!!

I just found this. There is a way to get the image bigger than the mat with this update.
Hooray! Is this a glitch? I don't know. Set the cursor size to something high say 11 and then add the image and you will get a big image. But if you first choose default cursor size of 1 and then try to increase it will only go as big as the mat ie until either the width or  height hits the sides.
wow!
ok edited to add pictures

 1.  Set the cursor to high value  initially before adding the image. Here I have set it to 14

2. Note how big the image is and goes off the mat


3. Now to do the old fashioned way . I have set the cursot to default that is 1 inch

4. And then when I try to increase with circles or height or double arros and single arrows the image will not increase beyond when it hits the mat in this case with this image it's 11.05


Wow so a way to go beyond the mat size without having to change the mat size. Hope this glitch? lasts and they don't take that away.

The Right Teacher ,

is the catalyst who makes things fall in place in your brain. Practicing ie doing what is taught helps open the eye. What a combo!! As you all know I have been taking a photography class at jessicasprague.com. Yeah - I have some books on this subject as well but ISO, Aperture, shutter speed - well I couldn't hardly keep my shutters open haha. Now with the right teacher - Candice Stringham- Yeah babe!!it's all clicking!!
Of course the right tools help as well - Oh Yes!!!!!!!! I got my new camera and here
is my assignment for week 2. Mind you these are my first shots with the unfamiliar camera.
Have lots to learn. I was so scared to take it out of the box and trembling when I took the photo.
Thank god the camera lens has vibration control. You can click on the photo to enlarge a little and view in seperate window. The object of this lesson was how aperture priority is important in focusing the subject and blurring the background. I am happy with the blur I got. I am doing the happy dance and singing too.certainly not off key! I am a very good singer.

March 30, 2010

Forced Re- install of Cricut firmware

by Admin Darryn posted in the G tech MB. I am logging this for my reference.
I beleive this method can be used   if the Cricut is giving you a false message of being updated to most current version, when it really is not.  It is supposed to  take the machine back to the factory setting firmware, so you can then update to the latest version.




"The following is a method to force a re-install of the Cricut Firmware using the Gypsy:

The timing of the following steps is very important. It might take more than one try to get this to work.

Forced Re-install of Cricut Firmware

1) Connect the Gypsy to your Cricut.

2) Plug the AC power into your Gypsy.

3) Power on the Gyspy.

4) Select the Cricut Application.

5) Plug the AC power into your Cricut

6) Hold down the STOP button on the Cricut and push the POWER button. Continue to hold the STOP button until the Cricut beeps one time.

7) Click Update your Cricut on the Gypsy.

a) Your Cricut will restart.
b) The Gypsy will display a screen allowing you to select the Cricut you are going to update.

8) Power off your Cricut.

9) Hold Down the STOP button on the Cricut and push the power Button. Continue to hold the STOP button until the Cricut beeps one time.

10) On The Gypsy, select the Cricut version you want to update.

a) The Cricut will restart.

11) As soon as the Cricut restarts power off the Cricut, hold down STOP, push the power button on the Cricut and do not release the STOP button until the Cricut beeps one time.

a) The Cricut will restart.

12) Follow the prompts on the Gypsy to finish the update.

NOTE: This has only been tested on a Cricut Expression. It should work on both a V1 Original Personal Cutter and Create. If it doesn't please let me know and I will look into getting new steps for those machines."



So that's it. I do not want to try this unless necessary. So anyone trying please let me know the results - ha ha

wow 3rd post in a day - This is on welding inside frames - visual

As many know most of cartridges like george, GW, Don Juan etc does not allow weld's inside solid shapes like for eg we want to put a word inside a square and welding and I mean overlapping welding not just placing inside another shape without touching. This is not a true weld and if you do this just because the half weld yellow button bothers ;) you nothing changes and you will be still fine. Only when you overlap , insides are eaten up by the weld monster. I have shown this in many videos. This is just for the newbies. Someone wanted pictures of positive's on the MB that is - how to weld inside what we call frames - so when I went to the trouble of posting there I decided to have it in my blog too
so here. The cut shows the paper torn and I have left it as it is to show how fast the G can make the cricut go even when setting Cricut at slowest speed. This paper is not too thin but thin like computer paper or maybe a tad thicker  but still torn near intricate cuts. Hopefully sometime in the nearest future - don't hold your breath future - this will be fixed????

ok so here goes




Cutting from unlinked cartridges

was the question that came up in the MB. Of course you cannot cut. You can download a file and view and play but when you go to cut the mat . Note I said the mat as this will come to play only when you connect the G to cricut and press cut as then only the G starts thinking and says hey - wait a minute I can't cut this. So till then it's fine - Sigh - to make us design and tempt us to buy ...
well. here are visuals


Numbering cartridge booklets for easy use of both cricut and G

I did this for an email for Tuesday Treats designer's so thought I would also put this up for people visiting this blog. I am working on the promised recreating shapes video and will have it out within this weekend. Meanwhile ....
Here is how I have named the page and button's in almost all cartridges except with the earlier font cartridges as the earlier ones went by q,w,e,r,t and did not match up for easy naming from 1 to 10 (in the pages - you have to do the numbering there with sharpie carefully). I have shown this in my first video - the heart shape February box in Tuesday Treats

So here's the visual.  Note the page numbers are from the booklet in the cartridge and not the online booklet as the page numbers are different since they removed the language pages  . 
This numbering will also help you with the gypsy as G does not show creative features. I also name the last few pages (creative features break up pages) with button numbers like the first half of the photo so that I can match up the images easily.


March 29, 2010

A Tasty Tuesday Treat - POPCORN!

Admit it, you've done it, too - bought some craft item in the store because it looked really cool, then stashed it away and never used it. Well, about 6 months ago, I was looking in the paint section at my local craft store and picked up a 6-pack of Tulip Puffy Paint. Now, I was no stranger to puffy paint. I had used it long ago on various projects, but the bottles had long since dried up and been thrown away. So why did I buy more? Simple...the package said "puffs like popcorn." What a fabulous idea that I just HAD to try - but never did. Never, that is, until Pam gave me my Tuesday Treats assignment, and it was the popcorn box from TBBM! I KNEW I bought that puffy paint for a good reason!

My original idea was to make the box and attach "popcorn" all around the edges, then fill the box with movie candy, a package of microwave popcorn, and movie tickets. This idea rattled around in my brain for weeks, but I could never really picture it in a way that I thought I would like. Then I ran across a card online that was basically a sleeve with a slide-out card, and this idea was born! I'm thrilled with the outcome, and I have a few ideas to use with it, though I'm sure some of you will think of others. Please share them if you do so we can post them here as updates.

Here are mine:
"We go together like popcorn and movies." (borrowed this one from a stamp)
"POP on over to the theater for a night at the movies, on me." (enclose movie theater gift card)
"POP on over for a movie night and slumber party."
"Popping up a good time......"
"Popping up good wishes for you...."

So, pop yourself some real popcorn and pull up a seat to watch the videos. Happy crafting. Just try not to get butter on your projects!!

Cartridges: TBBM and either George or Plantin
UPDATED: the zip file will include a cut file for either George or Plantin, along with TBBM
Popcorn Card files for Design Studio
Popcorn Card files for Gypsy

I think someone plopped my whole house down in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle Monday.  It seemed like every electrical thing in my house had issues and did not cooperate, so my videos are not my best.  I had fun  making them anyway, so I hope you enjoy them!







March 28, 2010

Blog Award

I got these 2 blog awards one from Cindy McVey at  http://crazy4crafting.blogspot.com/. Thanks Cindy



 and one from SassyLady at http://www.shesasassylady.blogspot.com/ . Thanks Sassy



Ok so now it's my turn to pass this one to 5 bloggers each.


So here's the 5 for brightside award. I will just name their blogs as they might want to keep their names private. I have seen these people's works. I love the way all of their brain works. I love Sassy, Mya and Cindy and this time I will name others.


1) http://www.thunderbirdlindybydesign.blogspot.com/. She has some awesome designs on her blog and is so bright and cheerful
2) http://ohhhsnapper.blogspot.com/. what a humorous girl this one is. She comes with unique things on her blog and is so willing t experimnet new stuff. I love that adventurous spirit.
3)http://scrap-n-dance.blogspot.com/. A lovely girl and so talented . She designs for gypsy challenge spot too Love her.
4) http://www.cherylswindow.blogspot.com/. A sweet girl with sweet voice and comes up with lovely designs as most of you would have already seen.
5)http://scrappyrn-scrappyrn.blogspot.com/. Enabler girl who comes up with lovely cards that I have to go and buy those cartridges.


Now for Sweet Blogger award
1) http://snoflaks.blogspot.com. Go check her lovely blog and her lovely creations
2)http://p-kaysunshine.blogspot.com - Yes she is such a sunshine. Early gypsy members will remember her as that cheerful encourgaging girl. She posts awesome layouts in her blog. Love this girl.
3) http://seefluffyscrap.blogspot.com/ - Very bubbly character. She has some very helpful gypsy videos in her blog. Lately she is doing gorgeous layouts.
4)http://scrappinphlen.blogspot.com/. She is one of the first person to start a positive thread in the G MB. Love her spirit and her lovely creations.
5)http://weremakinmemorieshere.blogspot.com/ Just love this girl's sense of humor. She is so talented and knowledgeable too. But all Mickey's watch out as she has a mean hand.


So that's my blog list for today.
now for 5 things about me. Do you really want to know?
well...
1. I love milk chocolates  - plain ones without any nuts. I am allergic to nuts. ;) 
2. I am a book worm. I can finish 500 pages within 2 hours if it's not boring LOL. Science fiction and Mystery are my favorite kind. My favorite authors in science fiction & Fantasy - Asimov, Anne McCaffrey , Mercedes Lackey  and ha ha - J.K Rowlings. In Mystery - Sir Conon Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) & Agatha Christie. No wonder I am salivating at the thought of RobotZ cartridge LOL. I also love comedy. I love reading Asterix and Tin Tin and also love the humor in  P.G Wodehouse
3. I just want to know stuff. I have a insatiable appetite to learn things.  Sometimes I go so overboard. I buy books ,do internet research.... Hubby hates this about me, as I keep buying books on so many subjects that he says that he trips over them and says however big he builds a house I'm sure to stuff it with books. He may be right on this - I have to concede as for painting alone the count has gone upto 350 . oops
4. I love my dogs and spoil them so much that hubby says that I love them more than him and kids.
5. I love color and texture. No doubt I love to paint and play with papers. But I love biology more and would have ended up as a Doctor if it were not for my brother who being a Doctor did not want his little sis to end up like him - ha ha. What a sad loss for the medical field!!!


Whew! That was so difficult . I do not like writing about myself and am not comfortable with it. Who wants to read boring stuff like this anyway!! Eeeew.






Quick Cards made easy with Gypsy and a right cutter

I usually get the ivory card and envelopes bundle from my Local  Craft store. Using coupons makes them cheaper. Then I measure the size and note it down once. Then I take a piece of paper and use my cutter with decorative blades to cut a rectangle 1/2 inch  lesser on all sides (ie of the measurement the card when folded). I have both the EK success cutter and also the purple cow. Since the blades can be changed easily in both and in case of first one so portable as it can be folded it is makes my life so easy. If I want to cut a third piece I do that too. Then an ATG gun and some embellishments cut with the cricut with help of Gypsy and some more bits and pieces and Voila! a card is ready. Of course the measurement with half inch less is also a template file on the G so that I can size the embellishments easily.
I also keep lots of clear buttons and clear stickles etc as it is easy to alter them to whatever color you want. you can versamark and then emboss it with embossing powder or use a plain old sharpie or copic. Nowadays sharpie's come acid free too. Maybe throw in some doodles with a gel pen, stamp or cut sentiments for the inside and you get a quick card under 10 mins. I like to cut some of my cuts in white as I can color it as I like.
Here is one such quick birthday card for a boy. No ribbons. All in all it took just 4 mins to cut, color and assemble. Pop darts and glue dots came in handy. The clear button is colored with sharpie and I just tied a thread in the holes to give a stitched look. The outline stickers add some shine and when you color inside with gel pen gives a real nice finish. Of course inking edges always help to pop up the different layers. Here I have used gel pens though to go around the edges.

March 26, 2010

Photography class

I am taking a photography class at jessica sprague .com from the renowed photographer Candice Stringham and how fun it is especially when our Myamagoo too is also taking the same one. Sort of a mini G MB there lol.
I am waiting for my camera to arrive but till then I am doing the class with my old and trusty little panasonic DMC FZ5 which is not a true SLR.
I thought I would share these two which I just took for the creative assignment for it's apt to my blog lol
Bugbytes -  This one won't bite unless you bug her


And this one - ha ha - updates be safe or else we will send this guy after you

March 23, 2010

Hello, butterfly flower box

Hello, everyone! This is Melanie from Everyday Cricut and Courtney Lane Designs! Today I have a sweet little gift box that I made using my Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More cartridge, my Don Juan cartridge, my Cake Basics cartridge, my Gypsy, and my expression.

This box is on page 120 in your handbook and is a personal favorite. I was so glad that this was the one that Pam and Magoo asked me to do!



The flower petals are hearts from Don Juan.


The butterfly is cut at 1 1/2" from cake basics.


I made ==>this<== cut file using my gypsy and cut out the box(using green cardstock and a 12 x 24" mat), the hearts(using pink cardstock), and the scallop(using white cardstock).

Then I stamped the bottom of the box with a leaf stamp from Papertrey Ink.


Then I inked the edges of the flower with green ink. This will be my leaves portion of the flower.




These are the hearts once they were cut out.


Then I adhered the hearts in the following manner.










I adhered the scalloped border. Then I scored the box using my scorpal. Using the cut tick marks as my guide.

Then I cut out a circle for my flower center with a circle punch and inked the edges. Then cut the flower center in half and adhered it to my project.


I added ribbon and a bow.



Then added my butterfly that I cut with the *New* Cake Basics cartridge at 1 1/2" with a small sentiment banner.



VOILA! Now you have a pretty little box that is perfect for any Mother's Day, birthday, or just because gift.


Thank you so much for stopping by today and checking out my creation. Please feel free to stop by one of my other blogs. As a matter of fact on my own blog this week I am giving away several prizes. I am also making cards all week with the newly released cartridges. Click ==>here<== to check it out.

Have a wonderful day!



March 20, 2010

Update 0170

Hooray I got this old computer to work some. cleared up files . It's always wise to periodically (maybe once or twice in a month) to run your Disk Clean Up and Defragmentor ( for windows users it's usually in the start and if you have XP then -> all programs -> accessories ->system tools.
Anyway glad that this update is just a font update. Mine had some multicut problems in the previous update but seems that this is fixed. Don't know why and how but it did.
Here is the report for update 0170 . Mine has the photoapp so it will be 0170 but yours maybe at 0169
After making some test cuts

1) multipage is ok - no dumping  and cuts ok too
2) seems a little slower in cutting. Blessed be. 
3) multicut - did a clean cut . My brain froze seeing that LOL
4) flipped welds ok too

But welding preview is still a bit slow especially if you have multiple welds in one page. So obviously the cutting time will be more too. So do keep your G connected to power when attempting to cut and adapt if you can by moving some cuts to the next page and keeping the previous page as template. That way you just need to return to deign instead of loading and unloading mat.


edited


from last two updates - that is this one and the previous - a few changes
1. cartridge list dropdown window (keypad overlay - when you tap on the lower white  box which has the cartridge name - the list which pops up - look at the box which has a dropdown arrow) now has 3 options - earlier only photo app people had the 3 - All, linked, Used. 
used is a very useful option as it is very quick way to check what cartridges a file has. But note the current cartridges [b]may[/b] reflect only after closing and opening the file. 
2. copy/paste - while in group when you click just one image (image becomes purple) - copy/paste on the same page gives only that image but in subsequent pages copies the whole group. Way around is of course to ungroup just the one item and then copy/pasting that to the next page. ( thanks to this Mb and one Mb member's question made me investigate this or would have not cheacked for quite a while

March 19, 2010

Save As feature in Gypsy

When you open a file and add new features/images and then choose save as - a new copy will be created and the original will be as it is if you have not chosen save. Lately I have started using this as the automatic open template feature on multi page sometimes get so chaotic by the time you reach page 5 or 6. So say I want a wordbook - I create the main wordbook template and save the file. Then I can open the file and delete page 2 and 3 and save as "wordbookpage1". Then I can add all the elements needed. I then do the same to page 2 and 3. This way I avoid the chaos.
* remember not to save in between before choosing save as - as in that case you will be saving the changes..


edited. made some corrections as I am working on an old computer. so please bear with me for some more time

March 16, 2010

Someone hold me back

else I will be busy stamping chester approved on everything. Here is the stamp/seal of approval made by our friend Mya -

Maybe we all have totally lost our marbles at the G MB. As if wearing hats were not enough....!!!
But oh - what Fun!. Sometimes it is essential that grown up play too.

Guest Designer: Tammy - Easter Favor Boxes

Hello Everyone!  This is Tammy from Creative Critters Cricut Club!  (say that three times really fast! lol)  I am so excited to be the guest designer for today and want to share my cute little Easter Favor Boxes!

I was assigned the box on page 119 of the TAGS, BAGS, BOXES & MORE cartridge handbook.  Careful though... if you look at the handbook online at cricut.com... it will be page 69.  I think they may have gotten rid of all the different languages...just my guess.

But, I was excited to get this box as my assignment because I have done many things with it in the past.  Now that I have my gypsy... the sky is the limit!  Take a look...



My cookie on a stick.  The box full of jelly beans is the stand for the cookie (or lollipop).



This box has a window in three sides.  I used my Gypsy to add the scalloped egg (from EASTER 2010 cartridge) as a window for my box.



Here is a video tutorial that will take you through the steps on how to make these yourself.  I used the Gypsy for the taller box, but you could make a standard 9" box with the cricut expression alone.

Part I Steps 1-3



Part II Steps 4-8



The finished product...







The scalloped eggs and bunny are from the EASTER 2010 cartridge.  I am actually Guest Designer at the HALLMARK SCRAPBOOK blog this week and am featuring the EASTER 2010 cartridge all week!  They have some awesome prices on cartridges over there!  You can get the TAGS, BAGS, BOXES & MORE for only $27.99 and the EASTER 2010 is only $18.99!

Hope you like them! 



In honor of being Guest Designer here, I am giving away a TAGS, BAGS, BOXES & MORE cartridge and because I am Guest Designer at Hallmark Scrapbook... I am giving away an EASTER 2010 cartridge this week!  All you have to do is leave a comment either here or at http://www.cricutcritters.com/ or at HallmarkLadybugs or at all three places!  Drawing will be on Monday, Mar 22nd.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to come visit me sometime!  Thanks Pam & MyaMagoo, for inviting me over!  I had a great time!

Craftingly yours,

Tammy

March 15, 2010

My Circle's Challenge Layout

Well since I posted in the MB (Grr...Mya) I might as well post here.
Here is the layout


And a close up


Cuts - the biege /cream lace mat and also the tiny swirls which corner the photo are from Straight From The Nest Cartridge. The buttons have been stickled . The foot etc. And some have been stacked. The flowers - are just punched from 28mm imaginisce brad punch and then pop dotted with cut circles and then stickled.  No fancy welding with the G - just straight cuts and only resized to fit the photo. I liked the photo which I photoshopped but the layout. Well...