Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #36 - Summer of Sleuthing

Now that I've got extra time on my hands I've become addicted to Family History...It's one of the most exciting things I've EVER done! And I've done some exciting things...Anyway, I had to share this with you guys because there is a great program from the Family History Library has sponsored call "Summer of Sleuthing".

Are you looking for a fun activity to keep your children occupied this summer? Would you like to learn more about your family? Do you need a kick start to organize your family records?

Welcome to the Family History Library’s “Summer of Sleuthing—Save Our Ancestors” (SOS) program. This online summer program will teach you and your family how family history can be fun, informative, and rewarding. With a series of weekly challenges, you and your family can participate in activities that will help you to learn more about yourselves and your ancestors. Take time this summer to discover the roots of your family tree and explore the branches. These activities can give your family a connection to the past, an identity for the present, and a foundation for future success. We encourage you and your family to help each other complete the Summer of Sleuthing challenges. The challenges are tailored for age groups.

Click here to go to the website. They have an entire list of activities for all ages so everyone in the family can take part in this exciting summer challenge.

The program says, "As part of the challenges, you are encouraged to keep a journal of your experiences and create memories together as a family. You are welcome to share this activity with other families as well. We hope that this experience will bring your family closer together and that you will gain an appreciation for the lasting treasures to be found in family history work."

This is a great activity the entire family can enjoy and it's so rewarding. Take the time to go check it out and learn how to connect with your family.

Enjoy and PLEASE keep me posted on your experience and success!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Being an Ex-Scrapbooker has freed up so much of my time...and money...I love all of my new hobbies and crafts and I love sharing them with you....so I'm excited to announce the winner of last week's CoaExS giveaway!! Here's what the winner is getting...

And the winner is JESSIE!! Over at Muthering Heights!! I'll be dropping you an email to get your address and mail you out your prize!!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #35 - It's a Giveaway! I ♥ Vinyl Lettering!

I ♥ Vinyl Lettering. I do.

I'm just going to come right out and admit it. I don't care if it's a fad or if it's a tacky. I don't care. I think vinyl is cool. So I made you something... Well, I made ONE of you something. ;o) I made myself one....and then I made one for you...

SO EASY to make too! Well, my friend has one of those cool Cricut doohickey things. Awesome little machine....she uses it for card making and such....she's an "EX" too. ;o) You likey?? Well, if you want one of my homemade-vinyl-lettering-picture-frame-decor-things, you've come to the right place!

It's a giveaway!

Here's how to enter this giveaway!

• For one entry go to my Cherish Bound store by clicking HERE. Visit the Story Starters (list on top left) and tell me what story you would love to capture and share. Oh and notice the sale I'm having this weekend! Leave your email if you don't have a blog profile or I will pick another winner (i'm saying it nicely)
• For a second entry follow my blog. If you already do, great. Just leave a separate comment.
• For a third entry Tweet about it and leave your link

US entries only. Giveaway ends on Thursday, July 2 @ 11:59pm. Winner will be announced next Friday. Please leave your email if you don't have a blog profile with your email listed. Winner will be picked by random.org

One more thing... EVERYTHING in my Cherish Bound Story Store is 20% off!!! Don't forget to check it out! ;o) okay...I'm done.

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #34

Image from ehow.com


Today is National Chocolate Chip Day! Today is a day of indulgence and bliss! I was honored to get a "tweet" from a "tweety" friend on Twitter today... (say that 5 times fast)

@LaurenH08 @cherishbound176 I read earlier today somewhere that today is Chocolate Chip Day and I thought of you!

She Thought Of ME! Of all the people in the world...she thought of me! I'm honored...

Chocolate chips and Diet Coke are staple items for me....they are part of my daily diet. There is nothing better than a handful of chocolate chips and a Diet Coke to keep a mama kicking.

So in honor of this most important day, I'd like to share oneof my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipes with you. These are made usually once a month, around the same time... {wink-wink} I'll usually throw these together when a violent rage is brewing in me....a few spoonfuls of this dough calm me down and life resumes safely. I've been making these since I was about 14 years old.... Enjoy!

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 Cup Butter slightly softened

3/4 Cup sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Cups Flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large bag of chocolate chips

On the lowest speed, cream together the butter, both sugars and then add eggs and then vanilla. In seprate bowl mix the flour, salt, and soda. Add slowly and cream together with mixture and mix slowly. Do no over mix. Add Chocolate Chips and mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-10 minutes. Don't overcook...they're done when lightly brown.

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #33 - Video #2 Cherish Bound Books!

Video #2 is here! Watch this video to see different types of books, styles, and options with Cherish Bound's growing book options and designs!!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #32: My First Video!

Finally....my first Cherish Bound video is done! This video is a little glimpse into my Cherish Bound world...What it is, the process, and how you start! It's my first video EVER so don't laugh! Stay tuned for the next video where I show you my favorite books and what the final product looks like!!!

Also, Click here to go to my new Cherish Bound Story Store!!!

Look Ma! Look What I Did!

Okay....so yesterday I "confessed" that I was going to sew my little girl an Easter dress....

And I DID! Looky-Looky!!

Isn't she purty!? My darling, sweet, amazing, wonderful, talented, bestest friend EVER, helped me...she helped me with some of the tricky stitching....

But I learned how to do a nice little rolled hem...

She doesn't cut any corners AT ALL! She's does it right...if I were alone I'd try and cut corners because I like to blaze through projects and go as fast as I can...you know...i try and actually find some type of competitive thrill out of...sewing...What is WRONG with me?? So she's teaching me to s..l..o..w..d..o..w..n and enjoy..... {sighhhh} and look what we did!

Hummm...I might just make a Cherish Bound book out of my revived hobby and beautiful projects...

{wink-wink}

Now did I say I was sewing ties too?? Oh...yeah...getting to the ties...but sneak peak...they're the same fabric as the cute little puffy sleeves on this dress...beautiful green with tiny white polka-dots. And my two teen daugther's informed me they expected some skirts. Looks like they'll be picking up a new hobby this week!

No matter what...I'm going to admit that I'm VERY proud of myself! I think my dear sweet Grandme has finally rolled right side up in her grave...she's been tapping her foot up there just waiting for someone to pick up where she left off...I'll never be anything close to Grandme, but every time I hear the hummmmmmmm of the sewing machine, I picture my Grandme...so Grandme, this one is for you! ♥

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #31 - Look what I'm sewing today!

I know... Me? Sewing? Yes....I actually can sew. It's crazy to think that I can sew, but I can. I actually used to have a handmade purse/gift bag company that I did with my friend in California.

So....my inspiring and talented friend here in Florida has me all pumped up to sew our girl's Easter dress and ties for the boys. So today/tonight my sewing adventure begins....

Here's what I'm making...

For the BOYS

image from the purl bee

I'm using this AWESOME tutorial from The Purl Bee

to make those adorable ties!!!

And for the GIRLS we're sewing these....

image from sandi henderson designs

Adorable Peasant dresses from Sandi Henderson Designs

Her patterns and styles are some of my FAVORITES!!!

Wish me luck...Hope to have some pictures to show you...I hope ;O)

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #30 - I Ain't No Martha, but...

I ain't no Martha....but come on, you have to admit that many of her ideas are just blissfully charming... Well, if they are all her ideas, which I doubt. I'm sure she's got the MOST amazing crew of people digging up ideas and inventing everything up....but whoever is behind the scenes, I think they rock and when I grow up I'd love to be one of Martha's secret idea people... (LOL!)

I got my first FREE issue of Martha Stewart Living...yes, got an entire year for free thanks to one of my frugal blog moms...wish I could remember which one of you it was, but I think was I am Frugal...anyway, first magazine arrives and I'm drooling... Why? Because my FAVORITE THING is highlighted on the cover...

Decoupage.... AKA Mod Podge!

Easy Decoupage Eggs... Spring's Brightest Ideas - Fresh Take on Classics!

Did somebody say MOD PODGE? Yes, she did!

Look at these...

NAPKINS! Yes, use adorable napkins as egg decor???? Stop it! How cute is that!?

This is what I want my Easter brunch table to look like....the template for the little classic bunnies is on the site!

Most of these looked fairly simple and easy...and inexpensive! Can't wait to get my Mod Podge out and glam up some eggs! Click Here to head over there and get some ideas.

All images are from www.marthastewart.com

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #29 - Spring & Home Crafts

Just because I'm an Ex-Scrapbooker doesn't mean I don't like to get messy and crafty...I LOVE it! The warm Florida sun and beautiful days have got me in a "springy" mood! Here are some cute crafts I've run into...think I'm going to give them a shot. And the kids can join in too!

Easter Bunny S'mores!

**UPDATE I have officially made these....VERY VERY CUTE!! Recommend using WIDE mouth jars.

OK...how dang cute is this! Oh my gosh....I love it! Go over to Creative Gift & Party Ideas to see how SIMPLE this project is!

Tin Can Herb Pots

Found this cute idea over at Kaboose.com. Very Cute and EASY!!

DIY Wall Art

Have an empty wall the needs some sprucing up? This is a brilliant idea...and it involved my best friend.... Modge Podge! Woot-woot! This great idea came from EightCrazy Designs

And how about this...

F-A-M-I-L-Y Decoupage Letters!

Adorable!! Found this over at My Little Gems Blog...So adorable!

Okay...these projects should keep us busy for the next few days right?

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #28 ♥ Spend Your $ Wisely

I can come up w/ reasons every week why I'm an "Ex-scrapbooker"....this one is really good! Spend less on scrappy and put it towards this....

I've been introduced to an adorable, brilliant, east-to-follow, exciting "thing"....

I've had lots of anxiety lately about not having enough food storage, being prepared, being self reliant, frugal and independent. I have NO reason to not be prepared! I want to be, but for the last few years it's been really weighing on me and knowing that we have 7 mouths to feed is an added stress. If we were to have a disaster, job loss, or tragedy, we couldn't take care of ourselves. At least not with food, emergency necessities, etc.. We've been blessed to put a little money away, but gees...right now, is money really worth anything...and if you can't get to it does it really matter? So the past few months, in my search for personal PEACE, becoming all those things listed above as been a top priority. One of my bestest friends shared with me this amazing blog and "sister" blogs that work together to make preparedness COOL!

The Fun With Food Storage Network!

Jodi and Julie help you plan it.

Shauntell helps you buy it.

Chrystal helps you eat it.

These girls are so organized and filled with TONS of information. I could spend hours in there...just like I do at Etsy! So much to learn...and I made a comment the other day that if my family of 7 were to come at you for your last bucket of wheat...it could be scary.

I don't want to have to raid my neighbors in a time of need...and I'm too proud to ask for help. And I would hope to be in a position to help others. So there...

Plus it's a good way to teach my children about what's important. They need to learn the importance of being self reliant in a world that encourages material things, debt, and over indulgence. I can't control what's going on outside the four walls of my house...oh, how I wish i could...yes, I'm a control freak....but I can control what goes on in my house.

So Go check out these awesome girls and see what they have to offer...you'll love them!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #27 - FREE Photo/Story Book Publishing!

Cherish Bound is so much more than a photo book! You can create books to find, capture and share the stories of your life...As a blogger, I have endless stories and I've found a place to publish them and save forever in the physical form.

You can do so much with Cherish Bound...create books, enjoy amazing products to help you organize your stories and even an opportunity so you can make money from home. We are ramping up for some big things this summer and are looking for fun people to join the Cherish Bound family. You can be a part of the movement we're creating with some great specials and deals going on right now. You won't want to miss out! And who couldn't use a little extra money these days - especially doing something we already all love!

With Cherish Bound you can...

Capture your Story. Using our online publishing tool, you will upload your story text, photos, and scanned images into a book template of your choice. With our ever-growing selection of colors, borders, and fonts, finding the right format for your story is easy. The tool is web-based so you don’t have any software to download or update – all of that is done for you!

Submit your Story. With your book completed you are ready to submit your project to Cherish Bound online. All you do is press the submit button and we take it from there. Your book will be printed and bound using cutting-edge, archival processes and materials. You can order as many copies as you like, whenever you want. Your finished book is digitally stored in their archives indefinitely.

Share your Story. Your completed book will arrive by carrier in approximately 15 business days from date of submission so that you can begin the tradition of sharing story in your family.

Teach others about Story. Cherish Bound is growing. Kind of an "odd" thing to hear given the circumstances of our economy and how this little world of ours is turning. It doesn't surprise me. Many people are finding comfort and joy in our products, the stories that are being shared between family members and friendships that are being created between consultants and customers. It's a beautiful thing...

Many families are struggling, maybe it's your family. Many families just need an extra few hundred dollars a month in order to survive and others need a bit more. Cherish Bound is here to help those families survive this wave and find some comfort.

There are millions of reasons why we're bracing ourselves for this amazing opportunity and we want to extend the invite to all who would like to join in on this dream! If you or someone you know could use a little extra cash, friendships and an opportunity of lifetime...you have found it.

So would you like Free Publishing From Cherish Bound?

I'm looking for people to post about Cherish Bound on their blogs. If you'd like to help out you'll receive $47 in Cherish Bound publishing. Yes, you can publish for FREE just for blogging about Cherish Bound's amazing opportunity. If you'd like to participate, please email me at tarabrown{at}cherishbound{dot}com for detailed information.

And I have one more way for you to help! By adding a special button and posting it on your blog you can earn $10 in publishing for every 10 hits!! So email me for information and the button code and you'll be on your way to publishing your family's stories for FREE!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #26

What to do with all my junk? I have endless piles of paper and embellishments from my SB-day's. Even though I don't scrapbook anymore, I still like crafting with my hands and glue and getting it in my hair and such. So I've been trying to think of ways to use all junk up. So here's my latest project....

(sorry about the ugly photography, but my camera decided to break! only got 2 pics UGH!)

This is a cute little 4x6 recipe collection. Easy-Peasy!

Ingredients:

• One pack of 4x6 recipe cards/index cards
  
• One metal ring (can't remember the name of them...but they open and close)
• Scrapbook paper and embellishments
• Glue stick

All I did was gather a collection of favorite recipes. You can print directly onto the cards or you can print on paper and glue to cards. You can get as creative as you want with any clip art or pictures on the actual recipes. Sorry, no picture...camera Ka-pood on me! GRRR!

I then divided them up into the following categories:

Appetizers

Soups & Salads

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Desserts

You can see my little "Sweet" divider for the Dessert section....I've had that little embellishment FOR YEARS! It finally found a home!

You can make dividers using the 4x6 cards. Then punch holes in the top corner, put the ring through it and then I tied little pieces of ribbon around the ring....had that ribbon for years too!

The cover was a piece of the scrapbook paper that I cut out in the same measurements as the card and I glued it onto the 4x6 card. I found the cute little metal tag and then printed out the Title "Secret Ingredients" and just laid and glued them down. Nothin' special ladies.

So I'm going to start making these for my FRIENDS for their birthdays. It's free, easy, and personal. You can design and create ANYTHING you want....my ideas are flowing right now as I type. I'll save it for next week. ;O) Oh, yeah....they ship in a little envelopes or wrap up really cute!

If you have any ideas or projects you've done using your old scrapbooking stuff, email me at tarabrown at cherishbound dot com so we can share it with everyone.

Happy Crafting!!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #25: 2009 Family Yearbook Challenge

Today's confessions is all about helping you find the easiest ways to capture your family's memories from 2008. Some tips, tricks, and ideas for 2009 as well....

& the announcement of the

Family Yearbook Challenge 2009!!!!!

With 2008 coming to a close and 2009 already underway, now is the time to remember and record all of your family’s 2008 adventures. There are 100’s and 100’s of events and moments worth recording from just one single year. So how do we organize and and stay on top of all those stories? How do record and pick out the most important events?

1. Don’t wait! Get a jump on your family yearbook as soon as you can. Have a goal to finish it by January 31 of the new year. Use the buddy system for find a group of friends that want to do it with you...doesn't matter, just get it done!!

2. Get your family involved. Have your husband, children, grandparents and friends share their favorite memories, stories and photos. Ask them about their favorite events, memories and stories from the year.

3. Do an A-Z book. When you’re “chronologically” challenged, resort to the A-Z style. Pick a few favorite pictures and memories that work with the intended letter. I've done quite a few A-Z books....I'm not 100% perfect with organization of any kind, so I resort to the A-Z style often. Plus my KIDS LOVE THEM!

4. Use your calendar from the previous year. Sometimes flipping through your old calendars will help remind you forgotten events. Calendars of all kinds, whether electronic or paper, hold most of our important memories without us even know it. It's a great tool to use!

5. Try out Cherish’s Bound Family Yearbook Story Starter. I use one of these every year. With it’s pages of questions and room to write, our year is organized and ready in no time at all. It's broken up into sections to help you write stories about all different areas of your family's life, events, and it's a great tool to interview your children, spouses, family and friends to get their two cents as well. There's room to write in it too!

6. Don't feel the need to have EVERY SINGLE picture in your book. It's the stories that count. The photos are the bonus....so don't waste too much time hunting down photos. Your family will thank you for the collection of "stories" as you watch them sit around the couch and READ about their family's adventures.

7. Keep it simple. Less is more…

Now here's a FANTASTIC idea that I stumbled on yesterday over at Robin's Life. She's a Scrapper, digital scrapper, yes, that's okay.....anyway, she's doing something every week of the year. So each week she'll have a page or two done of the events that happened. By the end of 2009, she'll have all her memories and ideas captured and ready to share. BRILLIANT!

I'm so inspired by this idea that I'm going to start a weekly "Yearbook Class" to help you capture your families memories WHILE THEY'RE HAPPENING!! Monday Morning I'll post the first Class and every Monday in 2009 after that. Spread the word...I'll have a button for you, prizes, giveaways, and at the end of the year, one lucky follower and classmate will get their family book PUBLISHED FOR FREE! Yep! For free. I'll have all the details on Monday. But we're going to need to get started quickly to catch up with the 19 days that we'll be behind on....so get ready!!

This will not be Digital Scrapbooking....I'm no expert in it and have absolutely no right to subject you to my skills....I can do it, but can't teach it. (Does that make ANY sense at all....)This will be a class about collecting the stories writing it or typing it...organizing your photos and getting them all in one place. They'll be in a "file" system on your computer where you can watch your family's story unfold and then share it with them. If you're a digi scrapper....have at it! You'll know what to do :O) Robin has great ideas too!

So....Who's in?

Hope these simple tips will help motivate you and help you tell your family’s stories year after year. And don't forget to spread the word about our Family Yearbook Challenge 2009!

Happy New Year!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #24

If you know me AT ALL, and you may not, just know that my tone is 100% sincere in every way possible.

Today's a Big Day in the Scrapbooking World.....

I have a very large soft spot for moms, work @ home moms, direct sales moms in particular, and a ZERO tolerance policy for companies that are dishonest. So where am I going with this?? The Creative Memories fiasco!

Over at www.scrapbookupdate.com, Scrap Nancy has been posting and keep us informed. Her posts will help you understand what's really been happening....so I've linked in all her posts here. She has about 4 or 5 very informative posts.

So here's what's happening today.... Click Here!

If you're behind in the story...
Creative Memories filed Chapter 11 a few months back. Hummm...okay, many companies are making changes, "re-structures", etc....but Creative Memories?? I was sort of surprised when I heard the news...but not 100% surprised.

From what I've heard from a VERY VERY good source is that they need a plan to save this company and from everything I have heard, that plan is digital. That claim is supported by their move in their most recent catalog/magazine. The thing is, the digital train has left the station and they just aren't on that train. They may jump on at a station down the tracks, but again, in CM tradition, it's too little, too late. They are jumping on that train with A LOT of baggage, for sure! You dance with the one that brought you. With scrapbook stores closing right and left they have this one window of opportunity to regain their focus and reclaim their spot as leaders in the traditional scrapbooking market.

But will they?

Many CM consultants who are defending Creative Memories, and I respect that, are not being told the ENTIRE truth...And as far as mincing words about WHO is filing for bankruptcy - that is nothing but spin. Creative Memories generates 95% of Antioch's revenues. Using the fact that your "parent company" is the one that has filed for bankruptcy would only comfort those who are uneducated about business - that isn't a good thing and I feel sorry for those who have placed their trust in people who have nothing but self-interest in mind and have proven that time and time again with their business practices. All of their bad decisions are just catching up to them - and those who can, have taken their money and run!

Digital has been around for over 5,6,7+ years now and doing VERY well. They got on too late, leaving behind what they were REALLY good at. They added too many options...they pretty much created a product line that just cannibalized itself. There are people who are NOT interested in digital....and that's 100% perfectly fine. That's why they should have stayed with what they were good at, traditional, and move forward with those trends quicker. They didn't move forward with the changing trends of traditional, but jumped on every other bandwagon way too late. They cannot survive with being a jack of all trades and master of none, which is what has happened.

here's a fact: 45,000 consultants, around 10% promote digital, (anyone who has published at least once in the past year....) do the math?

I'll end with this little tid-bit of info. I also saw this post on a forum....Obviously this person is slightly angry, but probably rightfully so.

"The Morgans convinced the company to buy back all the family shares at a premium price and then turn the company to 100% ESOP so that the family was completely protected from a down turn and they were set. http://www.morganfamilyfdn.org/family.html

Now most of the employees that have worked there for years to make them millions- have nothing but a pat on the back and a big cheer to say- start over. This will be a perfect case study at MBA schools all over the country on how a company that had so much going for it- could be driven to its death by such poor leadership. Truly a waste, but I guess if it can teach others how not to run a business- then there is silver lining in there somewhere.

Supporting this company and their products, undermines the promises to the employees that have not been kept, How would you feel? losing all of your vested retirement savings and having the same exact management running a new company which assets came directly from these (your) funds.

Supporting this company and their products, undermines the promises to the employees that have not been kept, How would you feel? losing all of your vested retirement savings and having the same exact management running a new company which assets came directly from these (your) funds.

YOUR LIFE, Your Story, OUR WAY.....Sucker!"

List of FREE Digi Scrap Downloads! Confessions of an Ex-"Traditional" Scrapbooker!

I found this compiled list of blogs/websites that offer FREE digital scrapbooking downloads. For the life of me I can't remember where I found it!! I'm thinking it was one of my handy-dandy mom sites that I go into, but whoever did it I wish I could remember where I saw it to give you credit! Anyway, I saved it and have referred to it 100's of times! I love this list! I also posted it on Little Scrapbook Shop as well.

If you’re looking to start digital scrapbooking and would like to save some money in the process, visit these sites and see what you can grab for free! If you have a site and it's not on here, please leave it on the comment section and I'll update it to the list!

http://www.shabbyprincess.com/default.asp
http://store.scrapgirls.com/category.php?cat=21
http://happyscrapgirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.rackettyscrappety.blogspot.com/
http://www.littledreamerdesigns.com/
http://www.designerdigitals.com/
http://www.gingerscraps.blogspot.com

http://scraporchard.com/
http://ikeagoddess.blogspot.com/
http://raspberryroaddesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.sunshinestudioscraps.com/
http://vivianefreebies.blogspot.com/
http://www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/
http://www.scraphead.com/
http://www.myscrapbookart.com/
http://tracimurphydesigns.com/
http://www.the-lilypad.com/index.php
http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/
http://www.simplysarahdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.scrapmatters.com/cms/
http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/xcart/home.php
http://scrapbook-elements.com
http://scrapbook-bytes.com/
http://www.scrapartist.com/

http://ellielash.com/blog/
http://www.peppermintcreative.com/
http://bestscrapfreebies.itopsites.com/
http://mistycatodesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.memorymakersmag.com/
http://www.jenwilsondesigns.com/
http://www.hodgepodgeart.typepad.com/
http://happyscrapgirldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.ginamillerdesigns.com/shoppe/
http://fishinmom.blogspot.com/
http://www.digitalscrapbookpages.com/
http://www.digitalfreebies.com/freebies.php
http://www.digitaldivasdesigns.com/
http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/
http://digifree.blogspot.com/
http://www.cottagearts.net/
http://www.catscrap.com/
http://bitsoscrap.blogspot.com/
http://www.atomiccupcake.com/
http://www.scrapgoo.lliella.com/
http://pineappleplantation.blogspot.com/
http://angeltown.typepad.com/
http://imaginebyfran.blogspot.com/
http://www.godigitalscrapbooking.com/blog/?p=33
http://lifebeginswithlove.blogspot.com/
http://scrapandrea.blogspot.com/
http://amandaheimanndesigns.com/blog/
http://sugarsnapscraps.blogspot.com/
http://www.funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/home.php
http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/

http://frostedillusions.blogspot.com/search/label/Freebie%20Kits

http://vicki20.blogspot.com

http://misschifis.blogspot.com/search/label/Freebie

http://www.snapnscrapfreebies.com

http://digi-designs.blogspot.com/

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #23

Wikipedia's definition of "Scrapbooking" ~ Scrapbooking is a method for preserving personal and family history in the form of photographs, printed media, and memorabilia contained in decorated albums, or scrapbooks. The idea of keeping printed materials of personal interest probably dates to shortly after the invention of printing. This trend is probably similar for photographs. Historically, scrapbooking was a tradition similar to storytelling, but with a visual and tactile, rather than an oral, focus.

Did you see that? Storytelling? Yes, the history of scrapbooking comes from the idea of "telling ones story"....yes, story! Scrapbooking came from the idea of writing story, capturing the essence of the photos in words, and having something to hand down to the next generation. And believe it or not, Mark Twain and Thomas Jefferson were also keepers of scrapbooks. Even back to the Victorian period, the young ladies had a tradition of giving "friendship albums".

The thrill and excitement of the traditional craft has taken it's own course, and I did spend some time there. I loved many things about "traditional" scrapbooking. I loved to BUY the stuff...I'm a shopper. I could spend HOURS in the little shops...and spent 1000's and 1000's of dollars (crap I hope my hubby doesn't read this post). I loved the crop nights with my friends. I loved looking at the pictures and trying to magically fit 19 photos and embellishments on an 8x11 piece of paper. (The competitor in me...sorry...always up for a challenge)

However......that excitement and challenge only lasted for so long. I was overwhelmed with oodles of scrapbooking "things"....paper coming out of the wazoo, pens, embellishments that cost a fortune, bags of stickers, files, carts.....and the list goes on. And spent more and more, made bigger messes, and got farther and farther behind. I was frustrated.

During that time I started reading "Roots" and had this overwhelming feeling of connecting with the past....with more than just pictures and pretty things. Alex Haley, the author of "Roots", introduced the book in the 1970's and a huge interest in genealogy was born. This interest in genealogy led to people wanting to capture their heritage. And that's what I wanted...heritage, story, memories, photos....

Late one night...or actually about 2am in the morning I was trying to get a few pages done in peace and quiet when I decided that something was wrong....this wasn't going the way I wanted it to go.

I asked myself a question, "Tara, why did you start scrapbooking?" I had one vision in my head....I could see myself older (flinch).... sitting down at the holidays or during the summertime with my kids and their kids and sharing these memories, stories, photos, and teaching them about where we all came from, who we are and were, what life was like. That's all I wanted. I realized that's not what I was doing....I wasn't preserving the most important part of my vision...the story.

I still love "Scrapbooking" but in the digital sense, with STORY. I love technology and I love the amazing things it provides memory keepers, storytellers and scrapbookers. I love what digital scrapbooking and technology is providing to people of all ages, all over the world. I love being a part of this movement with Cherish Bound. I love that I can teach people about the importance of story, how to organize, write, and preserve it for the many generations to come. Most of all, I love that we have our kitchen table back. ;o)

Next week's "Ex" post will be all about Digital Scrapbooking with a twist of story. Right now, Jessica Sprague is having the MOST AMAZING class that's guiding people into story....it's perfectly inspired!! It's awesome and I'm so very excited about it. (can you tell...) Hopefully you signed up for it!! It not, you have missed out....seriously!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #22

Today started out like any Friday...alarm buzzing at 4:55 am, out the door by 5:40 am, morning jog, one kid out the door, two kids out the door, three kids out the door.....and then....two more left at home. Yes, the twins (20 months old) fast asleep in their beds....or so I thought.

The monitor had been turned off (what the heck?) and so I didn't hear anything, right? It's 8:30 am! They're still sleeping. Unusual? Yes. Usually they're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 7:00 am...but it's Friday. We had a long week...got to bed late every night, so I figured a few extra hours of sleep was probably overdue. Humm.....

For those of you who have multiples you'll know my pain...you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. There's this wicked adorable laugh twins have when they're doing something bad...and then there's this demonic wicked laugh when they're doing something really, really bad. I decided to turn the monitor back on while I was cleaning up the disaster in the kitchen when I heard it. Yes, the demonic-wicked-twin laugh.

The second I heard "it" I bolted up the stairs. I knew there was trouble, but had no idea the extent of it. I assumed it was the old "let's dump our last 1/2 ounce of milk out on the carpet" or throw the blankets over the edge of the crib....huh-uh. No. That's not what was happening at all. It was better than that. They were having a finger-painting party. FYI: We don't have finger paints in our house. Yep, you got it! There was a party going on and mommy wasn't invited. It was quite the smelly party too....OH MY GOSH!!!!!! EVERYWHERE! Hair, toes, walls, more hair, face, carpet, beds, pillows, ears.....EVERYWHERE!

Try getting two poo-covered twins out of the room and into a bath and not leaving one unsupervised while trying to wrangle the other one. So the mess of course trailed down the hall, down the stairs, to the big bathtub where some serious soaking could go on. The drama slowed down a bit as they frolicked in the bath and I re-ran bath water about 3 times....sorry, no saving water today in this house! They were clean after an hour or so, dressed and off to play. However, my work was not done....there's now laundry that needs to be done...quickly.

So off I go to get the mess upstairs and begin the cleanup process...I honestly wanted to call John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson to see if they could do one of those crazy Pulp Fiction cleanups they did in their movie....wouldn't that be awesome?!! Anyway, I proceeded to sanitize and decontaminate the area. I rolled out the yellow caution tape to spare any one the pain of what had happened. I took a load of laundry down the stairs and to my surprise....no, not to my surprise there were NO twins. WHAT?? Where did they go???

And then I heard it again....the demonic-wicked-twin laugh. With a little teamwork they realized they could stand on their little push cars, open the bathroom door, go in and wreak havoc on another unsuspecting room of the house. I can't be certain the toilet was flushed...we have 7 people in this house. But what I can be certain of is they were wet. The toilet brush was out, magazines were in the toilet, the TP was all over the floor and wet, and they were having fun! Fun! They heard me coming and bolted out the door with a demoniacal laugh that would send chills up your spine. I proceeded to chase them back into the other bathroom so we could bathe once again.

After this entire drama was over....they were actually tired. Hum...go figure. They'd been up for who knows how long finger painting and had exhausted themselves...or so I thought. I put them in their new clean beds and decided I needed a shower. It's only been 3 days so I figured it was my turn. I waited until the monitor went silent and I could hear the steady breathing of the two angels....and I ran to the shower.

So I'm sitting here now, in my towel, hair not washed, slightly damp recording this story....why? Because somehow they managed to get out of their beds and paid me a visit while I was in my "Calgon" moment. They had a box of crackers and an apple as they greeted me at my shower door. All smiles of course because once again, they had won. I had hoped they would sit by the door and eat the little treasures they had found....but within seconds they were up and running out the door...laughing.

You may be asking why this is this post is under "Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker". In my old life I would have maybe thought to grab the camera and get one or two blurred pictures...and then hope to scrap them in their baby books. But not today. Today I realized that it's stories like this that need to be recorded, in my version, so that on their wedding days I can read out loud to the 100's of guests that fill the reception hall about how wonderful and amazing they were. They can read about their fun little mishaps and adventures as twins. They'll more fully understand the paybacks of parenting when they're parents themselves. But most importantly, this moment will now be capture forever, in words. I can sit on my porch in 50 years with my husband and grandkids and great-grandkids and read to them about what life was like with twins 2008.

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #21

It's time for some scrap-chat! I'm so excited to be a guest blogger at www.littlescrapbookshop.com. I know...I know...Let me explain.

If you're familiar at all with my blog you know I'm an "X". I do not do any "paper" scrapbooking any more....matter of fact I don't do any "Scrapbooking" at all. I write stories and get my family involved, preserve pictures and stories in Cherish Bound boks and have even fallen in love with this thing they call digi-scrap....So see, I'm not technically a scrapbooker anymore, but what I do have in common with scrapbookers is the love for preserving all the memories and photos of our past and present and keeping them safe for the future.

Val over at Little Scrapbook Shop has some great info on memory keeping and has invited me to share my "Confessions", my experience and knowledge of memory keeping through Cherish Bound, using technology at its fullest to create beautiful story, memory and photos books and also dabble into some digi-scrapping. Although I'm a work in progress when it comes to "digi-scrapping", I can offer great resources and places to go to find amazing kits and fun ideas.

I'm excited to share my side of the story with scrappers and those that are struggling with the demands of scrapbooking. Hopefully I can offer some help, ideas, and a soft place to land when frustration kicks in!

Check out my posts every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. I'll also post Monthly Specials just for my readers!!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #20

I've had lots of emails and interest from many of you wondering how writing our family's stories and publishing them in Cherish Bound books can be a "group" effort or done with friends. Some of you come from the "crop night" world, and look forward to getting together with your friends to do some memory keeping. It becomes a monthly ritual and there is NO WAY you're going to miss it...not for anything! I was once a regular attendee of monthly crop nights. I enjoyed getting together with my friends, meeting new people and I really enjoyed the adult conversation.....and I loved getting something done! I really hope that the general scrapper population gets more done than I did at crop nights. It took me an hour just to unload and get situated, another to catch up on the latest gossip, and then I'd get about 2 or 3 spreads done in a six hour span....yippee!

Even though I've changed my "memory keeping ways" I still love an excuse to get together with friends that want to preserving our family's memories and stories. Story and Technology Workshops are now replacing the "crop night". As a Cherish Bound consultant, I hold monthly and sometimes bi-monthly Story workshops and Technology workshops. These workshops provide a quiet place for my friends and customers to come and work, chat, eat and get things done!

My Story Workshops are usually theme-based so everyone is working on the same story theme. I can usually get people through an ENTIRE STORY in less than 2 hours....usually an hour and a half. By using the Story Starters, sharing and pairing their stories, writing within time limits, everyone leaves with their story done and organized. It leaves plenty of time for chatting, eating and enjoy our friendship. The best part is they come and accomplish a task, they're leave knowing they can return again the next month and continue building their family's library.

Technology workshops are done with laptops and computers. Everyone learns how to use Cherish Bound's online publishing center for creating and publishing books. We also go over basic scanning, editing and photo tips. It's fun to see how everyone catches on so quickly and how creative people are! I love seeing custom designed pages from the pros and simple, beautiful photography from the rookies.

I'm hoping to start some online workshops for those of you in far off remote places with no consultants to hold workshops. It would be a fantastic way to help you get your stories organized and ready for publishing!

Table Decor from my Best Friends Workshop!

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #19

What weighs 40 lbs?
A 4 yr. old child? No. A dog? Nope. Hum....A very large bag of flour? Hu-huh.


Answer! 8 Scrapbooks!!!!!!!!! (Not very pretty either)
*Exhibit A*

Okay...one more for you?

What weighs 6 lbs?


A new baby? I wish my weighed that small! A 6-pack of Diet Coke? Yum...but no. A bag of clothes from the mall? Come on....my bags weigh more than that!



8 Cherish Bound books, published, hardbound and BEAUTIFUL!
*Exhibit B*
So what's my point? Um....yeah, if there's a fire you can actually grab your kids and your memory/story/photo books if they're done this way. Actually, I take that back.....you can let your books burn. Yeah, because if they're done with Cherish Bound they're archived FOREVER! So let 'em, burn. You can get more copies. Grab the kids, the animals....oh, yeah, wake up your husband, and get out!

And one more thing....what would you rather see on the book shelf in your family room or the coffee table in your living room????? Probably not Exhibit A. Well, at least not my "Scrapbooks"...I'm embarrassed. I can't believe I just showed that picture of my scraps! Go ahead, cringe. It's okay...I know, my S-books are ugly. But come on! Look at my new books! You gotta love those. Let me know when you're ready to save your family in the fire! (wink-wink)