Hawaii Revisited

I've been working diligently over the last few months to transfer my pix from a now long ago trip to Kauai, Hawaii, from a Target-bought photo album that was half falling apart to a shiny PicFolio Milestones Coverset. I'm more than halfway done, and I'm quite pleased with the result.

It's no fun having pictures in one place and memorabilia in another, right? So, finally, I've merged the two, and a few embellishments ta boot.




I started by culling all the pictures, captions, and memorabilia, then assembled and inserted them all in chronological order throughout the album. As I move on to each page, I know exactly what I need to incorporate. It's akin to the Power Layouts method.

What's even better is that I kept a journal of the trip to visit a friend when she lived there. How fantastic to recall my thoughts and memories from that week-long stint in paradise! I recorded details I would have never remembered otherwise.

I'm using the Delight & Discover milestones kit, Delight paper, Surfer Girl Power Palette Addition, and Delightful paper flowers, buttons and ribbon. Everything coordinates beautifully.

I also have some miscellaneous tropical page completion kits on hand also that coordinate well with some of the local grave groves, landmarks and relics.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the PicFolio Milestones Coverset, but it is just as versatile as the traditional albums now that the pages are removable and larger sleeves are available for memorabilia or large pictures. It's the perfect blend of traditional scrapbooking plus easy-to-use, slide-style photo album. I can still be creative yet it doesn't take me days to plan and complete a page!

Thirty-three pages thus far and still counting!

Scrap Rap: Autumn/Winter Edition

In this issue of Scrap Rap:

Bulletins – Need-to-Know Info
Specials
New products for autumn/winter – Heather’s Top Picks
Tip of the Month – Fun with Fonts
What I’m Working On

__________________________

Bulletins

I’m moving Scrap Rap to my blog for easier reading. It made sense for me to combine both of these communications into one location. By posting Scrap Rap here, I can also add links, formatting and sound bites that I wasn’t always able to via e-mail. I realize fewer and fewer of you are truly reading e-mail these days, so this way, the newsletters are always accessible!

My blog is now available as a podcast. You may have noticed the little icons throughout the page. You can subscribe by clicking the link on the right side or you can visit my Odiogo Page to subscribe and listen on the go. The podcast is also available free through iTunes.

The former Creative Memories Photo Center is now the Creative Memories Digital Center. The new URL is creativememories.com/digital. New features include: 10-minute gift ideas, click-to-enlarge tool for easier viewing, slideshow feature for viewing photos and storybooks, new “my projects” section, new flipbook feature, highlighting digital product ideas. Check out the specials available on this site just in time for the holidays.

Specials

#1 Receive FREE Winter Reflections 8-Sheet Paper Pack with any purchase over $50* (while supplies last)

#2 FREE gift wrap for any offline purchase now through December 31, 2009.*

#3 FREE Daisy Luggage Tag with purchase of Daisy Weekender, Project Tote or Wheeled Cart.*

#4 $5 OFF 7 x 5 and $7 OFF 8 x 8 softcover storybooks purchased through CM Digital Center (Expires Nov 30 – CM Digital ID: 94484775)

#5 FREE Jewel Paper Ribbon & Envelopes with Christmas Cards Featured Project ($27) – create 18 unique Christmas cards following simple step-by-step instructions at Creative Memories Project Center

#6 – FREE Expressions of Those We Love vellum accents with The Little Things Featured Project ($22) – create a paper album suitable for mailing to family members or friends

#7 – FREE Wavy Blade with Primary Bordermania Featured Project ($48) – create several autumn- and winter-themed borders using the included 12-inch rotary trimmer and primary autumn and winter additions

New Products for Autumn/Winter – Heather’s Top Picks
(View the new mini catalog online)

Power Palette Sets – These well-coordinated sets put you in the driver’s seat based on your time and level of interest. Each power palette now has a simple set ($25 includes tone-on-tone paper, photo mats, and journaling boxes), enhanced set ($14.50 includes designer-print paper and decorative ABC stickers), and a decorative set ($21 includes three photo-safe paper embellishments – ribbons, flowers, buttons, tags and/or frames). Items within each set can also be purchased separately.

Memory Mate Daisy Totes – Weighed down by scrapbooking baggage? Travel in style with CM’s new versatile organizational totes. Whether you need a little or a lot of storage, CM has the solution. Choose from Daisy Case, Daisy Weekender, Daisy Tools Caddy, Daisy Project Tote, and Daisy Wheeled Cart. There’s also a coordinating luggage tag that you can use to identify your stash! ($15 - $145)

Custom Cutting System Jumbo Oval Pattern ($14.50) – great for creating your own decorative cardstock!

Pocket Snowflake Punch ($12) – Folds down for easy storage and makes solid snowflake shapes

Check out all the new items on my website. (Choose “Shop Products” from the top navigation menu. Then choose “New Products” from the left navigation menu.)

Tip of the Month – Fun with Fonts

Creative Memories uses a variety of resources to create its printed and electronic pieces. If you are looking for fonts to use in your digital layouts or on vellum, consider searching online for fonts that have unrestricted use. To learn about fonts and font usage, consider the Fun With Fonts (PDF) handout.

Other font sites:

About Desktop Publishing

All Good Things Typography

All Graphic Design

Dafont

Esperfonto Typeface Selection System

Font Garden

Linotype

My Fonts

Veer

What I’m working on

Those reading The Scrapbook Stand know I’m continuing to work on a traditional scrapbook (12 x 12 Album) of my trip to Biltmore Estate. I’ve completed 11 more pages, and I'm nearly finished. My goal is still to complete it by year end (hey, I do have until the 31st!)

I have one of those traditional store-bought photo albums where I’ve been storing my pix from the 2001 trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Well … not surprisingly, it’s falling apart. Those things have a short shelf life, unlike CM albums which are guaranteed for a lifetime. So, I’m using one of CM’s PicFolio Max covers, pages and memorabilia pages to transfer the photos and also incorporate my memorabilia. Fortunately, I did write captions for the pictures, and I've already planned the layouts, so all I really have to do is trim a few background papers (like Tiki, Aloha, Delight Surfer Girl and Delight Designer prints), add titles and re-scribe the journaling using photo-safe fine-tip pens. I also kept a 35-page journal while I was on the trip, so it will be great to incorporate those memories also. Once completed, I'll have added 62 pages to my page completion challenge total!

I made a few baby journaling boxes for a surprise baby shower for one of my co-workers at the office using cardstock, some of the delightful paper flowers and the scallop maker. I solicited “tips from the trenches” from other co-workers, and I added them to the Treasured Memories journal jar as a gift to her. The journal boxes will coordinate with the colors of the baby’s bedding. The tips were a big hit, and everyone enjoyed reading everyone else’s tips.

In keeping with tradition, I made Summer’s birthday party invitations also. This year, we are having her party at Kids First Swim School, where she is taking swimming lessons. I created the front with die-cuts and the tearing tool. I printed the party details on vellum for the flip side and adhered with eyelets.

*Available only through CM Consultant Heather Walls

What kind of scrapbooker are you? Take the quiz.

[Sunday, July 26, 2009]

When you hear someone utter the word scrapbooking what images come to mind? An mammoth-sized canvas bag filled to the brim with paper, cutters, buttons and brads? A surface-abused table littered with haphazardly strewn adhesive, pictures and memorabilia?

Five years ago, those images would have been accurate. However, scrapbooking has come a long way since then, particularly since digital photography has become mainstream. These days, though, the politically correct term for scrapbooking is memory preservation. Preserving memories is no longer just chipboard, paste and glitter, but also photo organization, traditional photo-safe albums and digital scrapbooking.

To become a "scrapbooker" in the 21st century, all you really need is a computer or a set of pictures and your memories. To help you determine what kind of scrapbooker you are, I developed my own self-help quiz*. Record or remember your answers, then scroll down to see where you fit.

1. What type of medium do you use most often to take pictures?
   
   
   A. Film (35 mm)
   B. Combo of both A and C
   C. Memory Cards
   D. Er ... Cell phone
   E. Those black things in the middle of my eyes!
   
   
   
   
2. How often do you take pictures?
   
   
   A. I take pictures for a living.
   B. Every day. Even my dust bunnies don’t go uncaptured!
   C. During significant events (birthdays, vacations, weddings, etc.)
   D. I swipe other people’s doubles or order prints from their photo-sharing sites.
   E. I’ve had the same roll of film/memory card in my camera for 2 years.
   
   
   
   
3. Where do you have most of your pictures stored?
   
   
   A. Already in photo-safe albums.
   B. In a memory preservation container or storage system.
   C. In shoe or photo storage boxes.
   D. On my computer’s hard drive.
   E. Still in the film canisters or memory cards!
   F. One word: Rubbermaid
   
   
   
   
4. How do you most often display keepsake pictures?
   
   
   A. In photo-safe albums or scrapbooks.
   B. In picture frames.
   C. Bulletin board or reminder board.
   D. Rotating screensaver.
   E. Does the refrigerator count?
   
   
   
   
5. If you had all the pictures already collected and organized for it, which subject or event would you be most likely to preserve right now?
   
   
   A. Birth of a child, wedding, vacation or family reunion.
   B. Life of a family member or close friend who has passed away.
   C. Holidays (Easter, Hanukkah, Halloween, 4th of July, etc.).
   D. Yearbook (all the happenings of one calendar year).
   E. Charity, not-for-profit or societal work
   F. Random, candid shots of passersby
   
   
   
   
6. What is the primary roadblock to preserving your memories?
   
   
   A. My photos are not organized.
   B. It's too expensive.
   C. Can't find the time.
   D. Don't have any space.
   E. I'm not very creative.
   F. I'm not sure where to start.
   G. I'm not that interested.
   
   
   
   
7. What type of preservation project would suit you most?
   
   
   A. Crafty – Crop photos, journal, add memorabilia, embellish.
   B. Traditional – Slide pix into pockets or add to pre-designed pages
   C. Quick and Easy – Drag/drop pictures; click to add graphics
   D. Pay-Per-Project – Hire a professional
   E. Family Leavings – Let kids/grandkids sort through pictures
   
   
   
   

Determining your personality

If you chose mostly A or B:
Page Stager/Paper Junkie. You are drawn to the craft store like a moth to a light. Desks and tables in your home resemble the aftermath of an elementary school art class. You frequently carry more luggage to a scrapbooking event than you do to the airport. You appreciate anything handmade, but often sacrifice sleep to achieve the extraordinary. You prefer to print your pictures but have recently turned to sharing them online via e-mail and photo sharing sites. You opt to traditionally scrapbook pages that involve memorabilia, but digital page prints have appeal. Prioritize events and focus on the most important ones first. Consider using the Power Layouts Kit to outline pages that need chronicling. For containing and transporting large stashes, Memory Mate Totes are a paper junkies’ dream.

If you chose mostly B or C:
Drive-thru Scrapbooker. You understand the value of preservation but you feel overwhelmed by the commitment and don’t always have extra time or space to amass the stash of a paper junkie. You recently switched to digital photography but still often get your pictures printed through a photo processing center or print them at home. A photo-safe storage system (such as Power Sort) would help you organize pictures/memorabilia while saving time. Quick kits and PicFolio Albums would help you achieve your goals without sacrificing creativity or time.

If you chose mostly C or D:
Graphic Minimalist. Your lifestyle is one of simplicity, and you rarely hang onto mementos or purchase souvenirs. You enjoy digital photography and dapple in graphic design but you wouldn’t win any prizes for having the most printed photos. You’re constantly on the go, and your laptop has become an extension of your person. Digital storybook creator software would enable you to create page prints, hard- and softcover storybooks or all-photo portfolios while staying mobile.

If you chose mostly D - F:
Storyteller. You wish to experience life with your own eyes and rarely from behind a lens. The photos you do have are a hodgepodge of different events and decades. Recount your memories in detail to eager listeners. Consider writing a blog or making an audio or video diary. Ask a family member or close friend to help you sort, organize and preserve photos for future generations. A photo-safe storage system (such as Power Sort) would help you organize pictures. A photo-labeling pencil can help you record details on the back of pictures without deteriorating them.

If your choices seem random:
You thrive on spontaneity and new experiences. You often do well at anything you try. You are not content sitting still. Try the Storybook Creator 2.0 software free to see if you like it. Consider attending an upcoming crop to learn more or contact your Creative Memories consultant with inquiries.

If your choices are split evenly between two personality types:
Split personality? Consider both personalities in your quest to preserve your memories, ancestry and biography.

*This is not a scientific quiz.