Tomorrow is International Digital Scrapbooking Day!

I've been a crafter for as long as I can remember.  My grandmother taught me to knit & crochet at a young age.  I made scrapbooks throughout my school years.  I'll save the details of HOW those original scrapbooks were assembled for another day. 

Anyway, I fell in love with the modern scrapbooking.  Goodbye cross-stitching.  Hello scrapbooking!  There are photos I love & stories I want to tell.  I love traditional scrapbooking.  I'm a paper junkie!  Well, fast forward to the easiest way to scrapbook ever.

I was a skeptic.  I enjoy "making" a scrapbook and "feeling" the memories that go with each photo or piece of memorabilia.  When I first heard of "digital scrapbooking", I didn't think I would like it all.  I knew enough about computers to wreak havoc on a hard drive!  Why would I want to try to make a scrapbook on the computer?

Boy was I wrong.  I love digital scrapbooking.  You can do no wrong.  The "undo" button is your friend.  Experiment.  Play.  Capture your memories & the photos that celebrate them.  StoryBook Creator Plus is so easy to use.  I feel like a digital diva!  Check it out here. 

 Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!         Steph

Really Scary

With Halloween only days away, I thought I'd share some things I find really scary:

• forgetting some of the most precious moments of life - you know those funny things that come out of the mouths of children, or their sweet facial expressions of wonder and their laughter.
• forgetting where I came from - the rich heritage and stories of my ancestors, their values & way of life remind me what I'm made of and capable of making it through.
• having my computer hard-drive crash and losing any photos that have not been backed up. 

Thank goodness for Memory Manager's "shadow" backup feature.  I don't even have to remember to do a backup - it does it automatically everytime I add new photos, video or music clips to my "memory vault".                             

My digital and traditional scrapbooks help to keep these fears at bay. As I flip through the pages I'm reminded of moments that I would have likely forgotten with passing time. Things like the look on my then 3 year old son's face as he jumped in a pile of leaves. Or his expression as he scooped out "pumpkin guts" as a 7 year old.  

Consider what special moments you would be "scared" to lose.  Don't have time to make a photobook?  I understand, and I'm here to help.  Contact me about making a book, keepsake calendar, wall poster or other momento for you. 

Just want to get all of your printed photos organized in a single location?  I can do that too.  What are your waiting for?  Click here to contact me today.  I'm "your photo fairy"!

Remembering 9-11-01

Much like those before me can recall where they were when Pearl Harbor was bombed, or JFK was shot, most of us vividly recall exactly what we were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001.  I was just waking up to feed my one month old baby boy, and wondered what the future held as I watched the second plane strike. As peculiar as it may seem, I wanted to address this historic (albeit horrible) event in my son's "first year" scrapbook.  I decided to make 2 digital pages of various photos that were widely circulated at the time, and adhere those to the scrapbook pages.  I want my son to know that even when terrible things happen, you can pick yourself up and move on.  As hard as it may be, the "American Spirit" prevails.  

   

 What lessons or values do you hope to pass along to your children through your photo albums?

1 Weekend - 2 Years Captured

I love this photo album!  I was able to get photos from the first 2 years of married life into an album, in just one afternoon of a weekend.  What an amaziing feeling!  Here's photos of college friends.

The Picfolio album is perfect for busy people!
Check out the video below to see more.

Oh, and if you don't have printed photos, but jpgs, you'll love the "album planner" in Memory Manager. 

Your Photo Fairy,
Steph

Backing Up and Saving Your Images

When was the last time you backed-up your computer files, specifically your photos?  If you want to learn about a user friendly (translation my mom figured it out without much effort) software that AUTOMATICALLY backs-up your photos, videos and music or MP3 files, or will REMIND you to backup your files, then watch this short video clip.  It couldn't be much easier.  You can download Memory Manager 3.0 software at my personal website., and I'll show you how to tackle the pile of jpgs.  The link that follows is a good article that agrees that it's not a matter of IF your hard drive will crash, but when. Backing Up and Saving Your Images: Part 1  Don't lose the photos that are most precious. Contact me for a one-on-one demonstration or a group demo.                                                                  Your personal "Photo Fairy" is here to help!

Scrapbook Getaway Retreat

Scrapbook supplies = $140
Scrapbook retreat = $200
48+ hours w/ my bff = BONUS
Seeing the look on your family's faces when they look at an album about them & filled with love = PRICELESS!!!!

Hey everyone! I'm in the process of planning a fall scrapbook retreat. How would November 5-7th work for you? October was booked, and later than this we all get busy with holiday activities.

At the retreat you can scrapbook, take a walk by the lake, sit on the deck, scrapbook, eat, have fun with your girlfriends, win free scrapbook supplies (digi & traditionall), eat & scrapbook some more. OH, and I guess there should be SOME sleep in there somewhere.

The retreat location is set up for scrapbooking with ample room to crop & good lighting, Wi-Fi for you digi scrappers, comfy beds, free long distance (no cell signal at the ranch) and they even make breakfast & dinner for us. 3 days, 2 nights (Fri, Sat, Sun) under $200, or add a 3rd night for $79 more. The more the merrier (lower the price).

The retreat location is near the charming village of Caledonia, MO. About 90 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis, in a pastural setting, nestled in the St. François Mountains (the oldest mountain range in the United States) in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks near the Black River. The colors should be gorgeous.

Let me know if you're interested and I'll make the reservations to get a final price for our group.
I could use a getaway weekend filled with scrappin' & relaxin'.
How about you? Send me a message if you're interested.

steph

Thoughts on texting:   If we send a text message to ourselves, we can use our phone as a journal on the go. How fun!

I'm Your Personal Photo Fairy

According to the PMA 2010 U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, less than half of U.S. households have heard or seen anything about photo books, or 41 percent to be exact.  The most popular reason for making photo books is for the purpose of having a family keepsake, given by 60 percent of those who made photo books in 2009.  Forty-six percent of photo book makers made them as a gift for family, a two-fold increase over the preceding year. Making photo books for the purpose of gifting them to friends also increased this year.      Source:  PMA Data Watch: Photo book creation among U.S. households;  Posted by Kristy Clairmont on June 28, 2010    Click here to read the full column.
 

One of the services that I offer clients is that of making photo books or albums for others.  I have found that many people would like to have an organized book of photos capturing those special moments in life, but just don't have the time to personally make the book.  That's where I come on the scene.
 
Following an initial 1-hour free consultation to determine the scope of the project, I will take on your project to completion.  I love seeing the joy on a client's face when they hold that completed photobook. (Or it could be a wall poster, calendar, photo slideshow, organized photo box, etc just to name a few other services I offer).
 
What's holding you back from making a photobook or album with your favorite photos?  I'm here to help.  Just contact me to arrange your free consultation to get started.
 
Steph

The Gallery « Pixels2Pages.net

The Gallery « Pixels2Pages.net

Crash & Burn

There are two kinds of people:  those who've had their hard drive crash, and those who will.

Are your photos (and other important files) just sitting on your computer hard drive waiting for a crash to wipe them out possibly forever?  I hope that you answered no, you have them backed up to another hard drive or on disks.  External hard drives are so inexpensive these days!  You can get a HUGE amount of storage (2TB) for under $150. 

Consider just your photos.  What do they document? 
A favorite trip?  A wedding?  A graduation?  The birth of a child?
Any one of these probably had an investment on your part of WAY more than $150.  Your photos and the memories associated with them are priceless.  Back them up to disc, hard drive or an online photo sharing site such as the Creative Memories Digital Center.

I use Memory Manager to organize my digital images, scanned items, videos & music files.  The "Shadow Copy" feature automatically backs up my "vault" of the above items every time I use it.  I set it up once, and forget about it.  It's automatic - got to love that!

 

Got jpgs?

Have you ever wondered just how many jpg files are stored on your computer hard drive? Chances are you have THOUSANDS. How easy is it for you to find that great photo of your favorite vacation spot?

Since I began using Memory Manager from Creative Memories (download it from my website), I know how many photos I have, which ones have not been printed, which ones need to be backed up, and can use the timeline and search options to quickly find the photo I want.

My favorite feature is that the software recognizes when I try to import a photo that I've already imported and will keep me from having multiple copies of the same photo on my computer.

Want to know more? Check out the webinars on my website or send me an email.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Resolve: to come to an earnest decision about; to determine to do.

This year I will make a resolution that is brand new. I resolve to use my blog to teach others what I have learned about digital scrapbooking, organizing photos, and celebrating memories using photos. The purpose of my blog will shift from just being my random thoughts & musings, to having the primary purpose of sharing digital photo organization tips and digital scrapbooking how to's. Should be an easier resolution to keep than dropping the same pounds again. I'll throw in the random thoughts too, but not as often.  If you want some tips for traditional scrapbooking & organizaion of printed images, I will gladly offer those from time to time too.