My Robo and my new friend Nikki

I've had a really long break from my Blog. This is for many reasons but mainly because I have been having a lot more good days in the week and have been able to be up and about Crafting :) Yay :)  It feels amazing actually getting things done and made. So hopefully this will continue and I will be able to get a bit more organised and get Blogging again :)
I have been working a lot with the Silhouette Studio as my Mum gave me her old Robo to play with. When I decided to get an electric cutting machine many years ago I thought long and hard and did lots of research and finally chose the Cricut. This was because I thought it was an easy to use machine and although you had to buy Cartridges once you had a few you could just pop them in and cut. It wasn't quite as easy as this but was I still think the easiest machine to use and the best choice for me at the time. Very much less technical than the Robo which was also on the list to choose from. I have absolutely loved my Cricut and made some fab things with it. I have however become a little more advanced in my Crafting and felt I needed to make a change. It was quite a big change and one I was really not looking forward to but as I had a free Robo on offer I felt the chance was too good to miss and so I have been playing around with the Silhouette studio since December 2014 and WOW.

I can print and Cut :D

When I first downloaded and opened it, (link at the bottom if you want to have a go)  It looked so scary. I was lucky I had my Mum to help guide me but even with that help when you are used to something like the Cricut Craft Room and go to something like the silhouette studio it is a huge jump but I must say it wasn't too bad. It has at last come to me slowly and I do now understand what a few of the buttons do :)
 I am one for searching and finding free tutorials and spending hours finding info out myself for free but this really takes so much of my time what with not knowing how my day is going to go illness wise this time I have decided to go get some paid help :)  and that help came from Nikki in Stitches. I have been following her for years. So long now, I am not even sure how I found her. Her emails and posts struck me straight away. She sews and paints and Crafts, has a go at anything. Just like me :) About the time I got the Robo I received an email about some free classes to do with the Silhouette Studio. I never got to watch them as it all looked way to confusing and I was just not ready to delve into it all. When I did actually get round to looking into her Crafting Academy I was so glad I did. It actually looked like just what I needed and Nikki had just put out a discount code!! ..... yippeeee. I signed up straight away and have not looked back.
I have learnt so much already. We don't only do design work on the studio. Nikki talks us through making up actual projects and then has a live lesson where we get to ask her questions and she shows us how to do everything LIVE :) I managed to even remember this last month and got to "talk" to her. When she said my name I felt so special :) Eeek it is so exciting and really like a personal class rather than web based. The best you can get without actually being with her. I cannot praise this Academy and Nikki high enough. She seems to be around all the time even though she is in America and I am in the UK. It honestly doesn't take her any time at all to answer anything you post whether on her Facebook page or the Forum and she keeps you informed on other "every day" things she is doing. Like Sewing herself a blouse haha Yes she did that!! and her family life. So amazing :)
I  am currently working on last Months lesson, Drafting. I so enjoyed this as just recently really I got into these folding box cards. I managed to make a template on my Cricut using different shapes. This was quite hard, so was really not looking forward to designing it for my Robo and there it was... My first lesson.... Drafting and showing us how to make folding box cards!!  It seemed like fate :D
Here is my first go and the card I made :)

My very own template!! and I even managed to go up a gear and made this one.

I can't show the card for this one yet as it is my Mothers Day Card :) Yes I still have a few weeks to go and I have made my Card :D

I still have a lot to learn on designing these these templates as I cant remember everything but the good thing is, the class is always there for me to go back to and watch as well as every class Nikki has done!! I just don't have enough good free time to watch them all. Next Months class has already been released and I haven't got to watch it yet as I am still captivated in what I learnt last Month :D
As you can probably tell I  am so happy with this class and finally hooking up with Nikki :)
Enrolling in the Academy is closed at the moment but if you follow my link above this will take yo to Nikki's Facebook page where you can scroll down and check out info on all the classes and also there is a list to pop your name on if you would like to know when enrollment is back open :)
Right, let's get on to more box cards :D


Link to Silhouette America for the Free studio download :)