Monthly Archives: August 2013

Newsletters, Yay or Nay?

NewslettersNewsletters, yay or nay? I get tons of scrap related email and newsletters every day.  I love some and some drive me away screaming!  When I check my email inbox I’m often surprised at the sheer volume that have been delivered overnight.  This is what I’ve learned from this vast assortment.

They are not all created equal.  I don’t like to be bombarded with too much information in one newsletter.  Just keep it clean and interesting.  I don’t like newsletters that are pages and pages of ads!  Especially those ads that look like business cards two or three columns wide.  Stop!  That’s information overload!

I like freebies but many of my favorite newsletters don’t give freebies and it doesn’t matter.  No freebie is fine with me if the content is great.  If there is a freebie, I hope it’s good quality.  Nothing is more frustrating than making a layout and  paying to get it printed only to receive poor quality prints.

Some people believe they don’t have anything news worthy to say and it shows.  I don’t think all stores or designers have to have a newsletter but if you decide to do it, please do it right!  I’m sure it takes a lot of work to put together a good newsletter.  It probably takes quite a bit of work to put out a bad newsletter too.

All this to say, focus on doing the things you enjoy and that you’re good at.  If you’re not so great but you love it, then keep working at it.  Find a group of like minded ladies that will help, challenge and encourage you.  And have fun, you will get better fast!

Why Do You Scrapbook?

Why do you scrapbook?  A designer recently posted this question on her Facebook page.  I was never a big paper scrapper.  Actually I’ve only completed one paper scrapbook and I have an unfinished one but then I found digital scrapping and I’ve been hooked ever since.

I found digital scrapping out of necessity.  I wanted to make a “party favor” of sorts for all the family members that attended our first family reunion without spending a lot of money.  I had thought about making a Power Point presentation but that really wasn’t what I was looking for and making a paper scrapbook for everyone was just too expensive.  After doing some online research I found MyMemories Suite scrapbooking software.  It was perfect and so easy, there was a very small learning curve.

I was able to put together a lovely memory “book” for everyone which I set to music and burned to DVD.  It was really a family history of sorts.  The idea for a family reunion came about after my brother’s funeral.  Our family is spread across two states and the only time we’d all get together was for funerals!  The older generation were already passing, in the previous decade we’d lost my father and my older brother.

My son, niece and two nephews really worked at making all the plans for a reunion.  The cousins, as we call them, have really made an effort to keep in contact and remain close even though they’re separated by many miles.  So the DVD was much more than a reunion memory, it was a family heritage keepsake.  I collected old photos and tried to show highlights of ours lives as we grew up and had families of our own and they had families of their own too.  It brought back lovely memories and made everyone laugh and cry.

In the process, I became hooked on digital scrapping and found a community of people that share my love for scrapping.  We love our families and want to pass on some of our cherished memories.  We are our families memory keepers.

What about you?  Why do you scrapbook?

 

 

Kaleidoscope Effect

Yesterday the word of the day was kaleidoscope on Digi Scrapping Divas Facebook page.  This month we’ve focused more on techniques and effects for inspiration.  I think it’s a fun twist on the daily challenges.  It is very curious how bright colors are unrecognizable once the kaleidoscope effect is applied.  In the example below, I used the bright bird picture to make the kaleidoscope background paper which turned out so different you’d never guess what the source was.

Kaleidoscope

Easy Scrapbooking Cut Outs

Wouldn’t you love to know how to cut out letters or shapes when you’re scrapbooking.  I’ll show you how easy it is to make those cut outs and you won’t need expensive photo editing software to do it.  That’s right, it’s easy and free!  Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.  You’ll find the tutorial here.

HowToDoThat-CutOut2

Make Your Own Quickpage

Here’s a question I hear a lot, “How do you make your own quickpage?”.  It’s easier than you think.  Even better, it’s free!  Yes, that right, there is a free online tool that let’s you easily change your layout into a quickpage (QP) fast.  If you would like to learn how to do it, hop on over to my short tutorial here.  You’ll end up with a layout that has a transparent area.  Then just add your photo.  Rotate your photo as needed to fit the hole then send your photo back so that it will be behind the quickpage.  You can then add your title, text or anything else you’d like to the QP.

Quickpage Example

What Makes a Good Album Cover?

What makes a good album cover for the scrapbook you’re making of your honeymoon or family vacation?  I think using one of the photos from your trip works perfectly.  You can add a smaller photo of the happy couple or family, depending on the occasion, to further personalize the album.  If you’re using MyMemories Suite it’s easy to make a title using the same photo that you used for the background.  There is no need for any additional embellishments.   In the end you’ll have a cover that looks professionally designed.

If you’d like to find out how to make an album cover like this check out this short tutorial.

New Kindle eBook Free Weekend

This weekend I’m giving away free copies of my new Kindle eBook “Scrapbook Layout Sketches Volume 2”.  Yes, that’s right, you have the opportunity to pick it up for free.  After you’ve had the chance to look through, I’d appreciate it if you’d write a review on Amazon.  It’s not required, of course, but I would love to get your feedback and it will help others that may be looking for a book of sketches. Click on the cover image to be redirected to Amazon.

If you’re in the UK click this link Scrapbook Layout Sketches Volume 2

If you love it, and I hope you do, you may want to get Scrapbook Layout Sketches Volume 1. It’s not free but it’s got a lot of good information for only $2.99 US.

Scrapbook Layout Sketches Vol 2

Yes, it’s true, Scrapbook Layout Sketches Volume 2 is now available.  My second volume is full of sketches that will save you time by showing you exactly how to get the job done.  You can follow the sketches precisely or if you’re a more experienced scrapper you will have a foundation to build on.  You will find it here.

Scrapbook Layout Sketches Volume 2

August Word Challenge List

This month our August Word Challenge List is a bit different.  Instead of random words we’ve got an A to Z list of techniques to use.  We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback already and can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.  So without further ado here is the word challenge list for August.  Have fun!

August Word List