Holidays In Hand with Jessica Sprague

Don't miss out on this wonderful FREE class given by Jessica Sprague... Holidays In Hand.

The FINAL class of 2009 began this morning, but there's still time to toss your hat into the ring!  

FREE registration will end tonight at 11:59pm, so go claim a spot!

This class will help you capture the hopes, memories and wonderment of the holidays.  This class helps us focus on what's important during the holidays.

We'll be making a great project to help you tell your holiday stories both past and present.  This class is for EVERYONE. Since you don't have to know Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, grab a friend to join you in class!
Registration is easy and free!

• Go to JessicaSprague.com.
• Copy this code by highlighting it and typing Ctrl-C (Cmd-c on your Mac): HIHFREE2009

Valentine's Day Gifts

I'm in some funky crafty obsession right now....it's like I'm nesting, but with glue and paper...and I'm NOT pregnant. What is it about Micheal's and JoAnne's that gives me goosebumps? And their weekly ad with the 40% off coupon...I mean, COME ON! It's just so inviting and I can't let something like that go to waste, right?? So I did a little drop-in @ Micheal's this past week while I was waiting for one of my daughter's to finish up her soccer practice...hum-hum-hum....had some fun! Here's what I making (right now) for my son's Kindergarten teacher....

You'll find this idea (NO it's not mine...) over at Just A Girl.
Click HERE to view the directions & Tutorial!

I'll show you pictures of mine when I'm done..... maybe....depends on what they look like. But I did go over to one of my FAVORITE places, The Shabby Princess and downloaded a FREE Valentine's-themed Digi Scrap download to use as my cute little embellishments. I bought some adorable ribbon and paper over at Micheal's and some lotion and hand sanitizer w/ my Walgreens coupons....maybe spent a total of $4 for the ENTIRE project!

I'm also making these....

Scrabble Pendants!
Thank you to Tanya over at "The Smith Family" for this awesome craft!
Click HERE to check it out! So Easy!
I'm making my girls each one for Valentine's Day and I'm going to be giving one away on my blog....next week!!! So don't miss out on that!

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!

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!

The Sprague Lab....NEW CLASS and Jessica ROCKS!

So I follow Jessica Sprague....on Twitter, I love her blog, her website....by now I should be a pro at Photo Shop, but I'm scared to death and just don't know where to begin....i take that back. Yes, I do know where to begin...with her class! I just need to get started and she's the perfect teacher.....so I'm going to do her Photo Shop Class...but that's another story. ANYWAY........

I just saw on her blog about a new class she's teaching.....ah! You have no idea how excited this makes me! I mean, this class is so up my alley! It's just awesome! It's called Stories in Hand. Go read her post and you'll see why I'm bouncing around in my seat!! I can't wait! Her work is amazing, but to know that she has such a deep passion about story and the important parts of why we scrapbook/memory keep or even attempt to just makes me love her more! No, I'm not a stocker, and she doesn't even know I exist, but I think she's awesome....so there!

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!!

A Gift for ME!

For the past 4 years I have published almost in the 100's of books. Many of them were presents for family and friends, sports teams, teachers, and special people celebrating special times. Watching those people open their presents and find a book made a especially just for them, makes my heart fill with joy! I can't even explain the emotion that runs through me every time that happens. Many times I hear back from a customer telling about their experience when they've given the gift of story to someone they love. And they too cannot explain the overwhelming joy that brings a tear to the eye.

Tuesday afternoon I was pulling into my driveway and stopped and grabbed the mail. As I opened my mailbox I saw a brightly-colored package with some "Happy Birthday's" written all over it. It had to be for me because my birthday was this past week. I was so excited! I had no idea who it could be from, but I hurried up and tore it open and to my surprise I received a Cherish Bound Book in the mail as a gift from my "Bestest Friend" in the entire world.

I sat in my car for about 15 minutes reading this story...remembering so many amazing times that I had forgotten about, and laughing hysterically as if she was sitting right next to me. I couldn't help but let a few tears pass.

She took the time to write a story about our friendship, how we met, how we've connected through Cherish Bound and our families, our struggles and triumphs, added great quotes about best friends and even added some pictures from when we first met all the way up until the present. She custom designed a beautiful cover in digital scrapbooking software and added a cute photo of us from about....10 years ago.

This book is a treasured gifted. I've never really been on the receiving end of this process. I'm always giving the books or helping people create the books to give to others. But this time, the gift was for me! Not only did this help me remember how blessed I am to be helping people do this all over the US, but it reminded me that the power of story is really a gift. It's a gift that needs to be shared and passed on no matter how young or old you are, the gift of story is priceless! I will never forget the feeling I had as I sat there in my car reading a story that was written just for me.

Confessions of an Ex-Scrapbooker #16

Can I just tell you all how much I love "DIGITAL" scrapbooking? I'm over the traditional paper stuff, but I have to say I'm pretty impressed with how much fun digital scrapbooking is. Now, I can see how it could get a little over the top obsessive and with my OCD personality....I have to be VERY careful. But I've found some great places for FREE down-loadable digital scrapbooking....stuff. ( I don't even know the word for it is...ha! Sorry) I've played around with it and have had some fun.

The best part about it is the only messy place is my computer screen! I can keep all my "paper" and junk in the computer and on the screen. No pens, papers, stickers...NOTHING! Well, none that are tangible objects. They're ALL DIGITAL! I can close it up and walk away without anyone touching anything, using anything, or destroying my piles and files, and whatever else I used to lug.

Anyway, this is just a post for me to vent about something I think I like a little bit...Remember, it's still about the stories, but Digital Scrapbooking might lend a little fun if you get an extra hour or two to mess around!

Here are some of my favorite free digital scrapbooking sites.

www.digitalscrapbooking-free.com
www.shabbyprincess.com (one of my favs!)
scrapgirls free downloads
www.computerscrapbook.com

My New Favorite Book

I posted a few times about the photo/memory book I was making for my 14-year-old daughter that was moving on from middle school to high school. You catch up on those post by clicking here and here

Well, I got the book back and gave it to her.....and it's now my new favorite book. Not only does it look awesome, but the pictures, letters and words of wisdom from her family and teachers are so encouraging and motivating. I've seen her many times lying on her bed flipping through the pages and reading the letters that were written just for her.

So here are some pictures of the book...

I did the cover with digital scrapbooking downloads from Shabby Princess
I created the cover with the "Express Yourself" Collection
I loaded the entire page as an 8.5x11 portrait size into the Cherish Bound full-bleed template.



I then added pictures and text using the Cherish Bound templates. Cherish Bound has beautiful background pages and colors already available, so I thought I'd save myself hours of time and stress and just use the templates and colors provided. They matched PERFECTLY with the cover colors too. I used the background called persimmon. This page background is gorgeous. It has very faint paisley pattern running across the bottom of each page....it's just plain pretty!



I did an A-Z of "Surviving Middle School". The book was 69 pages, which covered 3 years of stories and memories from school events, sports, holidays and even the new arrival of our twins.

Cherish Bound and Digital Scrapbooking!

Cherish Bound's Online Publishing Center allows you the room and freedom to publish your digital scrapbook pages. Digital Scrapbooking is becoming more and more popular as the majority of the population is turning "Digital".

If you're creating digital layouts in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and/or various scrapbooking software you can use Cherish Bound as a way to preserve those pages into hardbound books without all the cost and fees...scrapbooks, page protectors and the agony of PRINTING...whether you print yourself or have someone else do it, it can cost a fortune. You can have multiple copies of your digital scrapbooks published.

Our motto is Point & Shoot + Cut & Paste + Drag & Drop = Shared Memories and Family Traditions. Do something with those beautiful pages you've created. Don't let them just sit on your computer or in a website somewhere. Publish your pages, put them in books, and share them with those you love.