Happy First of May!

Happy First of May!  It is a thrill to see the spring flowers at last. I have so much to catch up with here on the blog.  Thanks to everyone who has checked in with me while I have been busy with other parts of my life.  All is well here and I look forward to more creative time now that my craft studio is almost settled and we are working on unpacking the last boxes in the garage after what may be the longest house move process in history!

I finally decided that I was never going to be "completely" finished and that getting back to blogging might help spur me on to organize the areas that I am still working on. There have been several times when I had a blog post drafted and nearly finished and then another distraction would interfere - like the huge snowstorm we had on April 1st. Winter was very pretty here in the woods but I am definitely ready for the warm weather and a chance to spend time outside.

 
I know that many of you are already having summer temperatures but this photo of a duck on our little pond was taken just a few weeks ago on April 10th - look at all that ice!

We were lucky to have a visit with our little granddaughter (and her parents) in April.  She started walking at Christmas time and now is a full-fledged runner!

image from Cricut.com blog

 

For many months, the new version of software for the Cricut Explore machines (Design Space 3) has been in beta testing and last week the Public Beta was made available.  You can read some information about the development of this great new tool in a post by Ashish Arora, the CEO of Cricut, on the blog HERE and then get started with the new version by going to www.design.cricut.com and downloading the plugin for the new platform.

The layout of the work space has been updated and I think it is much easier to see the image choices for your projects.

The font menu now gives you a good preview of the font options so you don't have to remember what they all look like!

I have found that the new Design Space works faster and it has not been difficult to make the switch from the previous version.  Some tools are in different places on the screen but you don't have to switch between panels to find the functions that you need.  There are some other improvements that I am excited about and will share with you in future posts.

If you have questions or suggestions about the new Design Space there is a feedback option at the bottom of the menu on the left side of the screen.  Both the current Design Space 2 and Design Space 3 will be available for the next few weeks and your projects will show up in both.  The new version is not Flash based which eliminates problems some people had with shockwave errors.

I have lots more to share about some of the new things I am working on and I am looking forward to doing a craft room tour to share soon.  Getting settled in a new place is always a challenge but I do love my big, bright and comfortable studio here at our new house!

I am also working on digitizing a lot of family history items that have appeared in the "mystery boxes" that we are unpacking from prior generations.  This will be an ongoing project and one that I feel is very important for preserving a lot of information for future generations (it seems that becoming a grandparent makes you focus on these things with a new perspective!).

We are so lucky that Ramona's great grandparents were able to spend a little time with her at her 16 month birthday celebration at our house!

Has spring arrived at your house?  Leave a comment and let me know what is new with you.  What types of projects are you working on? Do you have any new craft obsessions? 


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