~A Review of My Memories Scrapbooking Software & Giveaway~

Yesterday I told you about being approached by My Memories, a digital scrapbooking software company, to try and review their digital scrapbooking software.  After trying a different scrapbook program in the past, with very negative results, I was a bit skeptical but interested in trying this one as it is rated #1 by Amazon and TopTen Reviews, plus I knew that I could get immediate help if needed.
Going to their main site, I found a long list of video tutorials (I am very much a visual learner) and watched a few of them to get an idea of how the software program worked.  One of the things that impressed me was that having to deal with layers...raster, vector, transparent...was not an issue.  I always found it very confusing as to use what and when...grrr.  So, this was a definite plus!

Downloading the software was a breeze.  Several different album sizes are available...12x12, 8-1/2x11 and 11x8-1/2.  I am using 12x12 pages since that is the size of all my albums.  Of course, individual pages can be created in any size you want.  With the software program, there are a ton of background papers, shapes, text font and embellishments, as well as many tools to help get you started.

My first scrapbook page consisted of using the elements that are already included in the program.  I have to admit that it was a bit of a trial and error at first since I wasn't quite sure what to do and how to go about it.  Once I figured it out, it was rather fun.  Here, I am picking out my background papers and chose the rectangle shape element to configure into strips.

Remember the layers?  There are none!  Well, there are but you don't have to mess with the raster, vector and whatever other type of layers there are out there!  You just click on each piece that you add to your page and you can move it to the front or move it to the back...that's it!  For example:  The strips are moved forward to be on top of the background paper and the buttons are moved forward to be on top of the brown strips.  Get it?  But you don't have to do it in any particular order.  Just move things around out of the way, moving them forward or backward, delete or add to get the feel of what you want to do.

Like everything else, I was able to resize my photos to fit my page.  What I loved is that resizing is rather consistent.  You don't have the problem of pictures becoming distorted...another plus!  I cropped to get them to fit my page.  You can also use the shapes elements to have your photos cropped for you...no scissors involved!  I chose to round the corners (my favorite element), resized, rotated and moved them to where I wanted.

Here's the finished project!  I added a mat under the middle picture.  I wanted the names to stand out so, again, I used the shape element and then added the names.  One thing I haven't figured out yet is whether you can have the text merged to your "mat" before moving around.  If this isn't possible, be sure to get your "mat" in place before adding the text.  When creating the text, I just went through the list of fonts and used the ink dropper to match the color of the paper strips.  I like adding the shadow to give the 3-D effect.  You can add shadows to just one or two elements or everything added to the page.  How cool is that?

I got a $5 coupon code when I liked the My Memories Facebook page and used it to purchase this Quick Page from the main site.  I just chose the pictures I wanted making sure that I chose a horizontal picture to fit the horizontal frames and vertical picture to fit the vertical frames.  The frames can't be resized in a Quick Page.  I then cropped them some and moved them behind each of the frames.  If necessary, you can move the pictures around a bit to get them centered.  I ended up having a blank space underneath the picture on the far left, so I chose a coordinating paper and added text to fill that spot.  I meant to change all the photos to the sepia tone from the effect element (there are 16 different effects to choose from)...but I forgot!

If you were to purchase the My Memories scrapbook software, you get a $10 coupon code to use on any of their products.  I got one (woohoo!) and purchased several items including this A Day on the Farm kit.  There are lots of sales and freebies, so it's pretty economical considering they can be used over and over again.  I am rather rusty with my scrapbooking skills, so this layout took me a bit longer as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do.  All the graphics can be resized...a real bonus.  Everything on this page came from this kit except for the title "Our First Herd of Cattle".  I added my photos and "shadowed" everything and it was done!

There was only one time that I had a question to ask and that was where to find the stuff that I had downloaded.  Come to find out that they were in the Embellishments folder.  You just have to do a little hunting to figure out which folder they are in.   In a way, it's does save you from having to organize everything.  If you choose to have another method of organizing, you have that option to do so.


So,what are my thoughts on this digital scrapbooking software, you ask?  I know that you are dying of curiosity, aren't you?  Well, after creating three pages in the comfort of my recliner with no mess to clean up and no headache or developed stress from trying to figure out this thing out...I love it!!  It was so simple to use!  I couldn't believe it!   Another plus is the main web site...there are tutorials to help you out, a gallery where you can see pages that people are creating (in fact, you can add your own pages), a blog/forum, products to purchase or get for free AND a technical support team who answers your questions really fast!  I'm sure that I forgot something :)

 

As much as I love traditional scrapbooking, it's going to be hard to keep using all these supplies I have stashed in my closet so I guess I'll have to back and forth between the two.

 

Here's the good news....I'm having my first giveaway!!  What am I giving away?  My Memories digital scrapbooking software.  A $40 value..yep, you read right.  A $40 value!!!  If scrapbooking is not your style, I'm sure that you know of someone who would love having this and it would make a great gift.  How do you enter?  Several ways.....

1. Become a follower of my blog.  There's a button on the top right side under the My Country Friends picture and post in the comment section.  If you are already a follower, just let me know.
2. Go to www.mymemories.com and choose which is your favorite, or favorites, digital paper kit or page layout. (Be prepared to spend a bit of time on the site...there's alot to look at!).  Come back and let me know what you've chosen.
3. You can like My Memories' Facebook page and get a $5 coupon code.  Come back and let me know that you've done so.

Three ways to enter!  A winner will be chosen from the comment section of this post.  The contest starts today and will end on Wednesday, September 7th.  Tell everyone you know about this great giveaway so that they can enter as well.

I am so excited to be part of a company that offers a great software, great products and great technical support!

In the coming days, I will be sharing more about the software, layouts, kits and maybe even another page or two that I have completed.

Create a wonderful memory today ~

~A Hobby To Be Passionate About~

I love scrapbooking!  If there is a hobby to be passionate about, it would be scrapbooking.  I love to take pictures and have boxes and boxes of them to prove it.  I think I inherited it from my mother.  She took lots and lots of pictures.

In fact, right after I was born, I think she took a picture of me every week until I was about 23 weeks of age.  Why she stopped at that particular time, I don't really know.  But she did continue taking lots and lots of pictures.

Was I her first born child, you ask?  Well, yes I was, as a matter of fact!  In the early years, my mother had the wherewithal to at least write (on the back of the photo) who was in the picture, how old the person was and sometimes what the picture was about or where it was taken.  Yes, I was very fortunate.

Over time, life got in the way and she quit her 'mini journaling' for the most part and she died before I could ask her about the rest of the pictures.  Several years ago, I was introduced to a creative way to scrapbook and chronicle all those pictures...all the ones that she took and all those that I had been taking. Lots and lots of boxes of pictures!

  In those boxes were my family's history; who we were, where we came from, what we had done, etc. etc.  Pictures with no story, most with no notations and no sense of order. I wasn't quite as smart as my Mom and my children would be left with that if I didn't do something about it.

The importance of chronicling those photos; putting them in some sense of order, telling stories and storing them in a safe fashion became very real to me and scrapbooking became my passion.  I became a consultant for C***** M***** and shared the importance of scrapbooking to others while creating my own.

 It became fun to also chronicle places we had been, the things we had done.  It became fun to save little souvenirs to put in the scrapbooks.

This is where the scrapbooks are stored.  Having them available to be pulled out and looked out time and time again; hearing "oh, I forgot about this" or "oh, do you remember when..." or "Mom, your clothes looked so funny back then!"  All things that make my heart swell knowing I am doing the right thing.

  But, unfortunately, I'm not anywhere near done putting those books together!  For about eight years or so, I would work on them from time to time and then life got in the way.

This is my "Scrapbook Closet" located in my Sewing/Craft and Office room.  As you can see, I've got a ways to go.  I've got lots and lots of digital photos on my computer to work with!!!  Fortunately, I've also got a stash of new scrapbooks and pages to use.  I've GOT to get back to work on this hobby...time is getting away from me and I'm not getting any younger!!

I've thought about incorporating some digital scrapbooking in with my traditional scrapbooking.  I had heard that it was alot faster.  Plus the embellishments and papers could be used time and time again.  A bit of a money saver in the long run.  So, I took the plunge and purchased a software program for digital scrapbooking, got totally lost and confused and gave up.

Well, recently, I was approached by My Memories, a company that offers digital software to be used for creating digital style scrapbooks, to try out and review their software program.  I was ecstatic!  A company that was willing to let me "try out" their software and help me with any problems or glitches!  Woohoo!!

Tomorrow, I will share with you what I did, how I feel about this digital scrapbooking and, more importantly, whether or not I like this particular program and what this company has to offer!! And guess what???  They are allowing me to give away one of their products!!!

This will be my very first giveaway!  What better way to get a new blog off and running?!?  But you have to wait until tomorrow.  All I will say is that I encourage you to invite everyone you know, who may be interested in digital scrapbooking, to read tomorrow's post.  Who knows?  They may want to enter the giveaway, too!

Until then, if you are not an avid scrapbooker, I hope that you will give it some thought and maybe you will become passionate about this hobby, too!!

Make a day of memories today ~