Tutorial - How to Make Halloween Notepads

Great idea for any holiday!

Halloween Notepads Tutorial at Craftlinky
"Haunting Halloween notepads are a wonderful idea for a small Halloween gift! Done in assembly line fashion, you can make a lot of them in a short time.

These Halloween notepads are perfect for Trick or Treat, small gifts for friends or co-workers, or for kids to make to give their friends.

Another great way to use them is as Halloween party or classroom favors. Or they could be a project for kids to make during a classroom or Halloween party..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Halloween Countdown

So fun!

Halloween Countdown Tutorial at Small Fry & Co.
"Halloween is coming just around the corner and if you are a major fan like me then you will want to make sure you enjoy everyday leading up to the big candy event. I created this super easy (but a bit time consuming because you have to make 31 of these after all) countdown..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Skull Wreath

Creepy cool!

Skull Wreath Tutorial at Craftlinky
"The idea for this skull wreath came to me one day when I was wandering around the dollar store and came upon a mesh bag full of skulls.
In Mexico the Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. This skull wreath would make a perfect Day of the Dead wreath.
I like to do quick and easy inexpensive crafts so I decided to recycle items, as well as use craft supplies I already had..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Mini Fall Wreath

Cute! Switch out the banner and the colors for any holiday!

Mini Fall Wreath Tutorial at Mine for the Making
"You knew it was coming.
After the Autumn Leaves printable and the Fall Doily Banner....
You had to have known that, inevitably, there would be a fall wreath tutorial..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make Fabric Halloween Candy

They're filled with candy!

Fabric Halloween Candy Tutorial at Small Fry and Co.
"I am not becoming a hoarder but I am finding myself thinking, "I bet I could use that" about a lot more things than I used too and consequently I have little piles of odds and ends, trash and treasures all over my house. One such thing was a stash of toilet paper rolls which I had an idea would make super cute Halloween candy (with real candy inside)..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a July 4th Wreath

Very fun! How about different colors and shapes for other holidays?

July 4th Wreath Tutorial at Surviving Motherhood
"Ok, well, this wreath was super dee duper easy it just took me awhile... awhile awhile. All that yarn wrapping was tedious and my arm almost fell off a couple of times lol. But it is SO cute..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make Love Photos Father's Day Gift

What an absolutely incredible gift!

Love Photos Father's Day Gift Tutorial at Just A Thought
"bout a month ago, we were having coffee by the park and talking about Love. ♥ Specifically, how much we are loved by God, and how much the realization and experience of that, changes everything in our lives. Beginning to live out of that Love, and out of who God says we are, has made a huge difference in our lives. I have been blessed beyond words, watching my husband grow, experience, and walk in this new place of belonging and Love. So, with Love on the brain and heart, I have been searching for ideas,something to remind him of how much he is loved, and I came up with this..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make a Spring Wreath with Coffee Filters and Food Coloring

Sweet! This would be perfect for a baby shower too, huh? Or all in white for a bridal shower!

Spring Wreath with Coffee Filters and Food Coloring Tutorial at The Country Chic Cottage
"Now my door has a gorgeous touch of spring...all with items I already had on hand around the house..." Read more

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Now In 3D

One of the favorite comics here in the office is xkcd, a somewhat geeky webcomic with math, science and technology themes.

For April Fool’s Day the site went 3D (XK3D). Since this foray into the third dimension lined up so closely with NCH Software's own 3D addition, with the new stereoscopic 3D video content support that was added in the most recent release of VideoPad (version 2.30), I thought it was the perfect opportunity to introduce any of our readers who are not familiar with xkcd to its wonders.

Note: if you're new to xkcd, make sure you don't to miss the hover over text on each comic as you surf through their archives.

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Tutorial - How to Make a Flip Top Gift Box

Sandy, you're amazing! Unique and adorable for any holiday or occasion!

Flip Top Gift Box Tutorial at Sandy's Space
"Happy Valentine's Day everyone ! Today I'm sharing a flip top box tutorial created as my guest project for Ladybuy Blessings. I filled it with little sweets for SJ who's always ready with a cheery smile when I need help at KCK..." Read more

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Tutorial - How to Make Hanging Valentine Cones

Absolutely adorable! These would be fantastic for any holiday or occasion!

Hanging Valentine Cones Tutorial at Sun Scholars
"I had seen a similar hanging Valentine cone last week, and knew I had to make a set of these for my kids. I found some coordinating fabrics that I loved, and this is what I ended up with. They were fairly simple and quick to put together. I love them!..." Read more

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Mix Up Your Valentine's With A Sweet Gift

Valentine’s Day is a day for love but it can also be a day of great stress. Finding just the right gift for the one you care about on a tight budget can be mind boggling and quite taxing.

Make this Valentine’s unique by bringing back the puppy love from ’85 and making your sweetie a mixed CD. Fill it with songs from your memories together, or revive your passions with new songs that tell how you feel.

Use Express Burn CD Burning Software to copy your heartfelt songs to disc so your beau can listen in the car or upload your creation to their iTunes. Get crafty and make a CD label with Disketch Disc Label Software to completely customize your one-of-a-kind gift.

Browse more NCH Software to find your own creative gift ideas.

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Break Free From The Groundhog Day Typing Tedium

Most people are familiar with the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray gets trapped living the same day over and over again. While it is a funny film, I can't help but sympathize with his frustration and how hard he tries to break out of the routine and tedium of living the same thing over and over again. One thing I like about my job is that every day is different. It is nice to have different things to do to help keep things fresh, but even more dynamic jobs can have a hint of a repetitive undercurrent. On the bright side, using FastFox text expansion software helps reduce some of the monotony by helping you get through some of those tasks faster. By saving frequently used text such as answers to common questions, descriptions of the company or various products, or even phrases that you are bound to misspell or waste time correcting, you’ll get on to the next challenge quicker. And since Punxsutawney Phil forecast an early spring, using FastFox shorthand software also means you’ll get to enjoy spring sooner.

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Put a DJ in da House (Next to the Christmas Tree)

Do you know someone with tons of music, opinions on how it should be listened to, and with a desire to share their music with others? It might be time to give them the opportunity to become a disc jockey.

At first thought, it sounds expensive. Think of all the records, the turntables, the earth-moving speakers, the disco ball—then calm down. You don't need any of these to get started! All that you need is Zulu DJ software, and your existing music collection. Designed for beginners and professionals alike, Zulu gives any DJ-in-training the tools to start out with a basic setup and will grow with them as they begin to buy and use all that hefty equipment later on.

Beginners can practice transitioning between songs loaded on virtual decks, and with automatic beat detection, cross-fading, live effects, and synchronization between tracks, Zulu will make any DJ newbie sound like they know what they are doing. Soon, they'll be cueing up the next track and applying effects on the fly for a completely customized music experience.

Zulu also works great as an auto-DJ for those who want control over the music without the maintenance. Simply pre-load a playlist into the program, and Zulu will keep the music coming all night long, with seamless transitions between each track so you'll never hear a pause in the music at your holiday parties or upcoming New Year celebrations.

So if you're struggling with those last-minute gifts, consider Zulu for the music lover on your list. Then throw a party and put them in charge of the tunes!

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Give A Gift of Memories

If you are looking for a really special gift idea, why not give new life to your home movies? Whether they are on VHS cassettes or just taking up disk space, you can easily edit them together and create a memorable home movie DVD for a truly priceless gift to give your loved ones.

First, collect together all of the home videos you want to use. If you have any old analog home movies stored on an old camcorder or VHS tapes you can use a Golden Videos VHS to DVD Converter with a video capture device to connect your camcorder or VCR to your computer and digitize your home movies in no time.

When you have all your video clips collected you are ready to start editing with a quick and easy video editing program like VideoPad. Trim down clips, arrange on the timeline and select transitions. Add a soundtrack or record your own narration to share your memories about the recorded events. VideoPad also has a video stabilization feature to help clean up shaky video if your hand wasn't very steady when you were recording. And for a little extra emphasis you can even adjust the speed of video clips to add in an instant replay of that first home run or other momentous event. VideoPad is very user friendly so editing your home movies really only takes a little time and a little creativity.

Once your editing is complete you are ready to package everything together. Give your video the finishing touch by burning to DVD and adding a custom DVD label for a polished and professional looking final product.

See our software gift ideas page for more ideas on software programs to give, or other ways to add a little personal flare to your gifts.

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Holiday Photo Creativity

It’s the holiday season again, which means it’s time for family, food and photos. What should one do with the boundless amounts of photographs taken at this time of year? You should share them – and this year instead of making a resolution to send out a custom scrapbook to each family member (a goal most of us can never keep), I’m going to create a custom slideshow to send to the whole family.

It’s quick and simple with PhotoStage Slideshow Software. You can easily combine pictures with video clips and add sound or narration for a more festive slideshow. What better way to show off baby’s first Christmas than to give a play-by-play with sequence shots or add your favorite holiday tunes and videos? If you’re anything like me, you print your photos and stack them in a dusty box in some remote location, where no will actually see them – this year I’m going to make a captivating visual experience with them instead.

PhotoStage comes equipped with an array of transition effects so you can make every slideshow a unique event to be shared. You can edit your photos from right within the program, giving you complete control of the outcome.

My favorite part is being able to share my slideshows on my iPhone so I can look at them on-the-go! Making video slideshows really is worlds better than leaving holiday photos in a dusty box to never be seen again.

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Scary Halloween Tutorial: Make a Howling and Haunting Halloween Soundtrack

5 easy steps for making your own Halloween soundtrack

Last week we showed you how to spookify your screen saver in 3 easy steps using VideoPad. This week we'll help you prepare for that Halloween party you have planned, or for setting a spooky atmosphere for your trick-or-treaters with a haunting halloween soundtrack.

1. Using WavePad audio editor, download three sounds from the sound effect library, found under the Tools menu. We recommend Ambience SciFi 1 for the background, and Nature Weather Lightning 3 and Human Scream 1 as accent sounds. Save them in a location you can remember. To download more than three sounds, upgrade to the WavePad Master's edition, or record more sounds of your own.

2. Open your downloaded sounds in WavePad. For the basics of using WavePad, view the WavePad tutorial series.

3. Copy your background sound and paste at the end of the file one or two times, so the length of your soundtrack becomes a few minutes long.

4. In this step, you are going to add your accent sounds to your background sound. Copy the entirety of one of your accent sounds, then go back to the window with your background sound. Place your cursor in a random location, then select Paste Mix from the Edit menu and click OK on the dialog that appears. The accent sound will be pasted over the background sound. Repeat this process as many times as you want for each accent sound throughout the duration of the background sound file.

5. Save your finished background file with the added accents to a format suitable for your CD player or portable device. When you play the soundtrack, make sure you loop it so the sounds play continually throughout your Halloween night.

With Christmas around the corner, you can get a head start on personalizing Christmas songs with reindeer noises, elves cheering, and bells ringing using the same steps given here. Feel free to share your creations, and we'll feature you on our blog!

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Scary Halloween Tutorial: Spookify Your Screen Saver

3 Easy Steps for Making Your Own Halloween Screen Saver

With Halloween on the horizon, you might want your screen saver to reflect a serene cemetery scene, or a haunting moonlit evening. Follow these easy steps and we'll show you how to create your own personalised screen saver free.

1. Create a short Halloween movie or slideshow using VideoPad video editor and your favorite Halloween images and video clips. If you're new to VideoPad or video editing see our VideoPad tutorial to help you get started.

2. Save your movie as a wmv file in its own folder. To do this, click the Save Movie icon in the toolbar, choose the Computer / Data output format, and then select the wmv file format. Click the Browse button to choose the save destination. Don't forget to create a new folder for your screen saver movie.

3. Under the Screen Saver settings in Windows, select the Photos option, and click Settings. Browse for the folder where you saved your movie, click Save, then click Apply. Next time your screen saver comes on, you'll be spooked!

Now that you know how easy it is to make your own seasonal screen saver you can add easily add a little fun and flair to any occasion.

Check back soon for another Halloween tutorial: Make a Howling and Haunting Halloween Soundtrack.

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A Webmaster's Love Affair with Fling FTP Software

I have a bit of a running joke with Laura, in our office, that I'm having a love affair with our FTP client, Fling, but it is based partly in truth. I really think that it is a very handy little application that does its job exceptionally well. I love it's simplicity. Fling offers such a clean and easy solution for uploading files to our website, it's admirable.

With over 80 software products in total that we make here at NCH, there is a lot of variety to what applications we might be talking about on any given day. But without fail if someone in the office mentions something about Fling, I will undoubtedly say something about how great I think it is, gushing like a girl in love.

I do personally use quite a few of our programs, which we have talked about in the blog before (Do we use our own software?) but Fling is one of the ones that I find myself using the most regularly.

I am one of the few people who reviews changes to our web pages here. After I have looked over a page and I'm ready to have it go live on the website all I have to do is right click on the file and select "Fling Upload." Fling does the rest. It's as simple as that.

It might seem a little silly to say that you are in love with an FTP client, but it's the little things, and even for such a little application I've found Fling to be a very useful and reliable little tool to have in my arsenal. I love Fling for its simplicity. I love how quick it is. I love how accomplished it makes me feel. If only every fling I've ever had had the same qualities.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again, when everyone makes their new year's resolutions. And as we all look forward to the new year and start planning for how we would like to see things go there is a surprisingly consolidated list of resolutions that the majority of people make. While searching on-line here is one Top Ten List of New Year's Resolutions that many of you may find yourself on:

1. Spend More Time with Family and Friends
   
2. Fit in Fitness
   
3. Tame the Bulge
   
4. Quit Smoking
   
5. Enjoy Life More
   
6. Quit Drinking
   
7. Get Out of Debt
   
8. Learn Something New
   
9. Help Others
   
10. Get Organized
    

My personal resolution is getting to the gym more which fits right in there with number two on that list, and I'm sure that plenty of you are with me on that. Sadly none of our software will help me make that particular goal happen, but we do have software that can help with some of the items on the list. Take a look at some the software programs that you might enjoy whether or not they are related to your resolution: Get Organized Sort through all of your photos and home movies and turn them in to memorable presentations with either PhotoStage Slideshow Software or VideoPad Video Editor. Your memories do deserve a life outside of a dusty shoebox, so turn them into something worth watching. Then use Disketch Label Maker to create CD and DVD labels and covers for all of your mixed CDs and home movies. Help Others Are you bursting with enough information to start your own podcast or tutorial series? Record yourself with RecordPad or capture video of yourself or your computer screen with Debut Video Recorder, and then share your knowledge with the world using BroadWave Audio Streamer or BroadCam Video Streamer. Enjoy Life More and Spend Time with Family and Friends One great idea would be to have more parities, and with Zulu DJ Software you can be the disc jockey for a guaranteed playlist with all your favorites. NCH Software 2010 Resolutions As always we have lots of things in the works but I would say the most exciting are plans to develop a healthy library of apps for the iPhone and Droid. Currently the top five programs that we are working on for Android and iPhone platforms are Express Dictate, WavePad Audio Editor, RecordPad Sound Recorder, PitchPerfect Guitar Tuner, and TempoPerfect Metronome Software.

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