Updates...

Hey there!

It has been FOREVER since my last post. Sorry it's been this long. I'm hoping to post some free downloads very soon. The good news is that I have been making progress on my Europe album. I'm currently researching places to print a photobook. This will be my first time printing a photobook. I used my Europe album to familiarize myself with PS and PS elements so it has taken considerably longer, but I feel great about the final version. Looking for printing places has been harder then expected. My concern is cost and quality and also finding a 12 by 12 format. I've been experimenting with Shutterfly lately. I find their program a bit of nuisance for uploading and putting it together but I love that you can make a front cover/back cover and spine in your own design. If anyone has any thoughts/advice as far as printing goes please send off an email...I'd love to hear some recommendations!

Thanks!

PC vs. Mac

Hey everyone,

Not sure if anyone has been to the apple website today but they have just released an new iMac. It looks like a nice machine (27 inches!), however I just got my macbook pro so I won't be buying anytime soon.

For those who are undecided between pc or mac I'll put in my thoughts.

I have grown up using a pc both desktops and 3 laptops (within a three year period) during my university days. After my unsuccessful run with pc laptops I vowed never again will I waste my money on laptop and went with a desktop for my last year of school.

Once I finished school I was able to enjoy more time digital scrapbooking. At this point I realized that my pc was great for essay writing but pretty slow for overlays and textures. I spent a good year or so contemplating the switch to a mac. I spent another 6 months debating between a desktop or laptop. I didn't want to get burned again with a laptop with no power. After hearing good things about mac laptops I went for the macbook pro. It's been nearly 6 months and I dread having to turn on my old pc to grab a file because I've become so used to my high speed mac. It is super fast for all my digital scrapbooking needs. The screen extremely clear and bright. I also love how it automatically adjusts to the lighting and the backlight keyboard. I find it's very portable (13 inches) yet surprisingly enough room to do some serious photoshop work. I did also buy the adapter to use with a tv or monitor but only use it on occasion. When it comes to price Apple products do tend to be more expensive, however providing my laptop lasts a couple of years I'll be doing better than my past pc laptops. So that is a price I'm willing to pay.

While I won't go into the technical details for my preference because honestly I'm basing my opinion on my happiness with performance. With that said I'm extremely happy with my purchase based on speed and reliability. If you are planning to do digital scrapbooking and are considering making the switch I would highly recommend it. Feel free to email me if you have a question, I'd be happy to offer advise.

DigitalScrapbookBlog

Designer Calls...huh?

Let me start with this: I'm not trying to make enemies or to centre anyone out in the digital scrapbook community. I think everyone is motivated by different things in life, and that is fine by me. I'm fairly new to the online scrapbooking community which is maybe I'm surprised by this.

Within a short time of starting this blog (really, it's been maybe 2 weeks?!) I have found a few emails in my inbox regarding designer calls. I wondered how many new bloggers found these same exact emails bcc'ed to their email inbox. Generally these emails contain the same content: flattery, an invite to design for someone else's store, and rules/guidelines (ie. how many products required, mandatory community chats, fees, and commission).

I guess my initial surprise comes down to just how new this blog is, and that I post FREE downloads for digital scrapbooking. I have never bought any digital products for any of my scrapbook pages. The reason I love to digital scrapbook is the price. For me personally, it's been the cheaper route. So I will say this now. I do not intend to design this blog as a free site and suddenly start up a store to sell my products or join a design team for someone else's profit. I do this for fun, and for a bit of a challenge...not for the money. Is the money even that great for digital scrapbooking? I'm not sure, but I won't be quitting my day job. At this point you notice there are no advertisements on my site. I will be honest and upfront now. One day there might be ads, or maybe not...who really knows. But I do know this will remain a free site with free downloads, and I will continue to design for myself and for fun. If you want to download my stuff to enjoy too, then that's great.

So for now, I will say thanks to the emails, but no thanks.

DigitalScrapbookBlog