Monday, January 28, 2013

My Memories Version 4

I am SO EXCITED!!!!!!!

My Memories is a digital scrapbooking software that I have been using.  They have recently come out with version 4.  

Why is this so exciting!  This has now opened up a whole new world for me.

This version has a print and cut feature to use with the die cutting machines such as
eclips, Cameo, etc....

Now, instead of having to head down to my local store for embellishments, with the use of my computer, a program like Sure Cuts A Lot, and My Memories 4,  I can custom create my scrapbooking!

This is such an advantage for those of us with little space, young children, out in the country.......

My Memories comes with choices of paper, shapes, etc. You can also purchase scrapbooking kits online.  Here's what I think is great:

I like the idea of making small scrapbook albums. I'm not ultra creative, so to think of adding embellishments sometimes is over the top and overwhelms me. I am not always sure what colors go together so I am sometimes at a lost.

Now, I  buy a scrapbook kit (they have frequent sales) for which I pay about 4.99.

I like to make smaller, sturdier albums, so I buy white heavier card stock. I like using the 110 pound weight, it seems to make the albums stronger.

I open up My Memories, choose to do a blank page. I add my paper make a square or rectangle the size I want, print the background paper.  I then cut the paper out. There, one page of background now done!

Say I want to add some journaling to that page. I can use the Word Art feature, make the journaling to look the way I want.  I then load my paper into my Eclips machine, I import the word art, and instead of cutting out the the word art, I use the pens and the machine to add the journaling. Viola! A custom made page!

I am so excited to be able to use all these features and to learn more!

My Memories is not so much a photo editing software, and you will not be able to do all the things you can as with photoshop, but for those of us who want to do more with out die cutting machines and scrapbooking, this may be just the thing.

The price is also within reach.  Their scrapbooking kits are a reasonable price. They also have great sales, this week I bought many files of word art for 99 cents each.

If interested in this software, there is also a 10.00 off coupon code on my blog.

I also found there customer service very helpful. I was having great difficulty downloading the version4 which I had never had with the previous versions.  I have moved, so I thought it was something with my much slower internet.  Turned out, it was the way I had my Mac set to download!  How Mike from My Memories figured that out for my, I will never know, but he got it working!

I am so excited to take my scrapbooking and die cutting to another level, I hope this will also help others!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Musings

I am sitting in front of my front window of our new residence, soaking up the warm morning sun, watching the barren trees lightly sway with the morning breeze. Christmas and New Years are now over, the peace and quiet allow me to reflect on the past  year, what I hope for the New Year.

The past year has been one of challenges and change. My husband and I have been remodeling this house, having moved in two weeks ago.  There is still LOTS to do, but I have a bedroom to sleep in that is 90% finished, and a great bathroom.  Walls have been taken down and rebuilt. My son has done an excellent job with the drywall and painting. The color in the living room is quite mellow for me, allows the light from the sun to reflect. Their is a warmth that comes through, even when it is gloomy and dark.

Anyone who has ever tried a remodeling project will attest to the stress it puts on a relationship. There were many times I wanted to just stop and back out, something inside would keep me going. Add to that my chronic pain issues and my sympathetic pain disorder, I'm amazed at how well we have come through this.  I hope to post some of my projects, even the mundane such as cleaning the wood furniture.

Not much baking has gone on in the past year in our home. My two biggest baking accomplishments of the year were the wedding cake I made in August, and the baking demos I did at the MN State Fair.

I have enjoyed developing and baking recipes made from cake mixes.  One of my goals for the new year, is to come up with a recipe that uses cake mixes, but can be made in small amounts at a time.  With families being smaller, a large cake is not always practical.

I will also post more of my scrapbooking projects. I really enjoy spending time making mini albums using my new Eclips die cutting machine, so watch for those in the future.

As we get closer to spring, you will also find gardening tips, stories of my garden. Two summers ago I started a new garden out here, using the Square Foot Gardening method.  I am amazed at how well the garden did.  This past summer, I had a row that was based on the Lasagna Method, I have never seen tomatoes grow so high with such a huge yield!  Looking forward to trying that again this year!

I encourage those reading this, to take advantage of this quiet time in winter, to think back on your past year, to those thing you may want to change, new goals for the next year. This is a great time to sit back and recharge for the busy months ahead..........