by Linda | May 22, 2013 | my creative journal
This week I would like to share a friendly reminder regarding keeping on top of your publicity and mentions on the web. It’s my marketing take action task for this week, inspired by Leslie Saeta’s 30 day marketing challenge post here. Google alerts sends you updates based on a search term, so you can keep on top of certain topics. I had a few setup, but it was time to clean things up.
The idea is to monitor what is being said about you and your work online. Usually you would setup an alert for your name, business and any topic that is of interest to you. I also setup alerts for those linking to my website.
To take it a step further, you might consider setting up an alert to shadow someone you admire. It might sound a bit freaky, but the idea is to learn where that person or business might be mentioned or spending their time online to promote themselves – so you can learn from them. It can be very enlightening to do this for one of the gurus in your business or niche. Try it out!
by Linda | May 6, 2013 | my creative journal
Got a chance to do some digital coloring, using my sporty birdie sketch. I like how the digital coloring turned out… seems sort of natural and soft to me. I like it… but then again I’m not sure if it’s “done.” I’ve been held up in my birdie series project because I can’t seem to settle on what medium to use. Silly, huh?
I don’t know why, but I wanted to use acrylic paint first… but never got around to it since these days I don’t have much time for a messier medium. Then I wondered if watercolor would create a cuter softer look. I tried it out, but ended up using the brightest colors possible… so that’s not exactly soft, is it?
Hmm… I suppose it’s all been done before, so should I just go for it regardless or keep trying to search for something new? Why can’t I just move forward and do it, right?
Oh, little birdie, will you ever be finished?! Do you often get held back by your own doubts and worries? How do you break through?
by Linda | May 1, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Lisa Truesdell
I have heard and seen the work of Lisa before, but was truly introduced to her through Two Peas In A Bucket and most recently bought her e-courses there as well. I love to watch her videos and check out her projects for inspiration, so definitely wanted to hear her take on the digital versus paper divide in scrapbooking. She blogs as gluestickgirl and shares a lot about her process, from traditional scrapbooking to project life.
Lisa says:
I am very much a tactile scrapper, so I like to find ways that I can bring the digital side into the physical world. One of my favorite digital products are printable journaling cards and accents – I love that I can buy a set & print them out no matter what time of day it is. Total instant gratification. I’ve also had a lot of fun recently experimenting with photoshop brushes of stamp designs – they’re a great way to add a little something to a photo before you print it. And let’s not forget the Silhouette Cameo. Being able to create a title or a fun accent from any font or image that I have on my
computer is just too cool.
Instant Gratification
I think Lisa hits on a beautiful point regarding digital tools – it’s nearly always instant gratification! When you need something, you can quickly check online, download and print – wahlah! Pretty cool huh? There’s also the matter of multiple uses given the nature of digital products. In a sense, the possibilities are endless.
I know that Lisa often uses digital frames and digital journaling cards for her photo printing and project life scrapping. You can see great examples of her scrapping style that is very tactile and paper – even though she uses digital tools as well.
via Lisa’s blog
I hope you have enjoyed the entire Pixel and Paper Series as I wind it down with this post today. Ultimately, digital is simply another tool and perhaps one day we will no longer segment ourselves as a digital or paper scrapbooker.
We are simply all memory keepers who care about documenting our lives and sharing.
Whether it be with old fashioned pen and paper or with the latest social media technologies – the important thing to remember is to open yourself up to possibilities and have fun along!
by Linda | Apr 24, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Kelly Purkey
Kelly is a graphic designer and scrapbooker who inspires through her website by sharing her documentations of life – from travel to good eats to designs and of course, scrapbooking projects. I really love her modern style and love to model her use of typography and fonts in her projects.
Kelly says:
I think that paper scrapbookers can definitely use digital tools to add in their scrapbooks! I frequently use Photoshop to add text to my photos before printing. I’m a huge typography nerd so I love this ability to add cool fonts and words right onto my photos. It ends up saving me time (in not searching for letter stickers that I want to use) and money on supplies.
Typography Design Using Fonts
With all the fonts available to us these days, paid and free, there are so many possibilities to spice up our scrapbooking projects. I love how Kelly uses digital lettering on her photos – a very easy to add titling, captioning – that little something to your imagery.
via Kelly’s blog
It’s no surprise that her stamp designs also include beautiful word art pieces, great for cardmaking and scrapbooking. I totally love how they can be used as titles or embellishment in your projects.
via Kelly’s blog
Try It For Yourself
Inspired by Kelly’s work and mention of typography, I’ve created this digital word art sentiment for you to play with. Use them in digital scrapbooking, alter them digitally and print them out for your paper projects as well. What ideas do you have? Enjoy!
Download BTP_TypographySampler
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by Linda | Apr 19, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Steph from the Daily Digi
Steph is the owner of TheDailyDigi.com, host of TheDigiShow.com and most recently started up CapturingMagic.me. She’s been in the industry of scrapbooking for a long time and she defines “digital scrapbooking” as anything using technology to document memories. I love all the information she shares, from tips to techniques to picks and reviews. It’s all about inspiration and motivation to document life. I had to ask her about the digital versus paper divide…
Steph says:
My definition of digital scrapbooking is different than most. I define digital scrapbooking as any kind of memory keeping that involves a digital or technology element. Blogging, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, typing, smart phone photos, etc. If you are grabbing journaling or photos off Facebook to include on a layout, then you are a digital scrapbooker! If you are using your smartphone photos, then you are a digital scrapbooker. The lines that used to pervasively divide the digital scrapbooker from the traditional scrapbooker really started blurring about 3 years ago. Those lines continue to blur as technology becomes more and more part of our everyday life; something that we rely on. As these methods of memory keeping are becoming a standard, using Photoshop to add text to a photo to print and put on a traditional paper page, becomes less intimidating. Figuring out how to use that super cute font with my electronic cutter seems like a doable task.
Some of the tools and techniques that digital scrapbookers often use, are looks that traditional scrappers want as well. Fun filters on photos; adding frames, borders, or words to a photo before printing. Adding personalized text to a journaling card. Using a journaling card that was created digitally because you can adjust the colors to coordinate with everything else, but not have to run out or wait for something to be shipped.
The brilliant thing about all of the choices and options is that there are SO MANY OPTIONS! None of them are right or wrong; only what works best for YOU! What makes your memory-keeping-heart, sing the most is what you need to do, because in the end, it’s only the memories that matter!
It’s All About Options
I love Steph’s point of view, especially her broad definition of what digital scrapbooking can be. With all the choices out there, I think that many of us might be scrapbooking without knowing it. These days with social media, we are all capturing and archiving our lives in one way or another. Why not take the next step to recognize this and share it? Because I know that one of the most rewarding parts of scrapbooking is sharing the memories with friends and family… you can relive the beautiful moments together.
For a mountain load of inspiration and scrapbooking goodness, do check out TheDailyDigi.com, TheDigiShow.com and CapturingMagic.me by Steph. I’m sure you’ll gather inspiration information and be on your way memory keeping with technology!
Try It For Yourself
I thought it would be fun to create some designs that are social media inspired, given the fact that we all document a part of our lives through social media streams. I hope you will find the imagery fun to use in your scrapbooking, online and offline!
Download BTP_SocialMediaSampler
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by Linda | Apr 12, 2013 | my creative journal
Happy Friday! Just wanted to share some super happy and exciting news with you… I’ve been published in Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine – yippee!
You can see that my owl digi stamps are featured and the designer did a great job using them in her card designs. I’m so honored!
Although it’s just a tiny step, it’s amazing to get this feature and bit of publicity. Thank you to the magazine for the opportunity! We all want to share our work to a bigger audience after all. I hope the readers will try out digital stamping and have lots of fun! Enjoy!
by Linda | Apr 10, 2013 | my creative journal
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Monica Bradford
Monica Bradford is a scrapbooker and teacher with a blog about finding and using inspiration. I had the pleasure of designing her blog theme and love all that she shares regarding scrapbooking inspiration. I decided to ask her about digital versus paper scrapbooking…
Monica says:
I’m definitely what I would call a hybrid scrapbooker. My end result is paper 90% of the time, although I do occasionally do digi pages. But I use my computer 100% of the time when I’m scrapping. I always edit my photos a bit in PSE and often also use digital collage templates to get more photos on one 4×6. I prefer to scrap on one 12×12 page so using digital collage templates allows me to put many more photos on a 12×12 page without interrupting the design.
I also consider Pinterest a digital tool for me. Once upon a time I used to get magazines and put post-its on my favorite pages. Now I search blogs and pin them to boards on Pinterest. It keeps my inspiration organized in a way that is easy for me to find, and use, later. I almost never start a layout without first scanning my Pinterest boards.
I also sometimes use digital template designs as sketches. I don’t print them out, but I look at them and then replicate the design onto my page.
And then of course, I use apps on my phone that assist my scrapping. Mainly photo apps like Camera + which I often use to take pictures, but I also occasionally use Evernote to keep track of scrapping ideas. And I use Momento to document funny things my kids say, which I can then turn into scrapbook pages later.
I would say that my computer, the internet, and my phone are essential tools in my scrapbooking life. Even though I am primarily a paper scrapper. 🙂
Technology and Inspiration
Monica is a great example of someone who uses technology to collect, organize and use scrapbooking inspiration. Pinterest is super popular and it’s simply a digital way to collect inspiration. As Monica stated, we used to do it manually, but now there’s a faster and easier way. Again, we see how technology can help us be more efficient and organized for our crafting and scrapbooking.
via ScrapInspired.com
via ScrapInspired.com
via ScrapInspired.com
Try It For Yourself
When it comes to inspiration, anything and everything can be a starting point for our scrapbooking and memory keeping. Sometimes we have to be on the lookout! This week, let’s share our pinterest accounts and inspire each other in our scrapbooking. Feel free to leave your pinterest links below. I’m also on pinterest and if you like printables, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter for new designs, links to freebies and the latest from yours truly.
by Linda | Apr 3, 2013 | my creative journal
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Christine Newman aka Listgirl
Christine is a scrapbooker and designer, usually going by her alias Listgirl on forums. She scraps both digitally and traditionally, sharing her creations on her blog and various creative teams. She is currently very much into Project Life and I love seeing her spreads and how she combines all the various tools she has at her disposal to create. I had to ask her about hybrid scrapbooking.
Christine says:
Just like in life, I don’t like to limit myself or pigeonhole myself into categories that can be counter-productive to creativity. I love to use whatever tools are available to me to be creative, whether that means digital or physical items. I began scrapbooking in 2003, but really hit my stride when I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2006. For a while, I was solely digital. Until mid-2011, when I discovered my love of paper again. I am a scrapbooker and life-documenter. It doesn’t matter to me whether I’m documenting my life on my blog, on a digital layout, a paper layout, a hybrid Project Life album, or any combination of the above and more. I use digital tools like Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Silhouette digital cutter, and even my iPad to help me create both digital and physical products to put on my pages. It’s exciting to me that we live in a time where we have all these tools at our disposal to create anything our heart desires. The line between digital and paper scrapbooking is very blurry for me. Almost all photos are digital now. So if you process your photos digitally, and add some journaling on it and print it out, are you paper or digital? Both!
Don’t limit yourself!
Christine really hits the nail on the head, driving home the point that we should not limit ourselves to only certain tools or materials. With so many items at our disposal today, there’s room for so much creativity and innovation in scrapbooking. Yes, I said innovation! Who knows what you might come up with next – perhaps a new use for an old technique? I love how Christine mentions her blog as part of her life documentation. It’s so true that many of us scrapbook in new and technological ways, but we often don’t consider it memory keeping. From facebook to instagram – they all help us tell the story of our lives.
Incorporating social media into our scrapbooking – via Listgirl blog
Digital and Paper layout versions – via Listgirl blog
Check out this video of using the Silhouette – via Listgirl blog
Using digital supplies for other crafts – via Listgirl blog
If you follow Christine’s blog you’ll know that she shares a lot of her tips and tricks in using many programs and tools out there in her scrapbooking. I love how she seems to invent her own way, forging ahead and blurring the lines between digital and paper scrapbooking. It’s all just scrapbooking after all.
Try it for yourself
How can you use these digital materials in your scrapbooking and memory keeping? How about just some creative fun and crafting? Feel free to share your creations in the comments below and let me know what you think.
If you like printables, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter for new designs, links to freebies and the latest from yours truly.
by Linda | Apr 1, 2013 | my creative journal
Even with so much going on in my life now, I previously blogged about enrolling in Lilla Rogers Studio School – a course called Make Art That Sells – as an investment in my own dreams and ambitions. I had been anxiously waiting for the registration to open and can’t be more excited for it to start up.
I noticed that some bloggers created an illustration in celebration, so I decided to follow along. A quick little digital illustration to express my excitement. That’s me totally pumped and ready to go to school – yeah!
With a newborn in the house it’s difficult to find time for myself… but I decided well before that I had to make time. That I would not “lose myself” so to speak. It’s been a challenging first month, but I’m optimistic that I can still be productive, even if it’s in bits and pieces.
I also went ahead and bought Lilla Rogers book – I Just Like to Make Things (Amazon link) – to work through in the meantime. Yup, you can see that I’m totally gung ho! I suppose, a huge part of success is taking yourself seriously and really putting ALL your effort into it. I’ve spent too much time sliding by, I think. Now that time is so much more scarce and precious, I seem to be rising to the occasion and becoming more efficient.
It makes me think of working out, when you are super tired but the instructor says just one more rep or push a little harder or just 8 more seconds. You push yourself and end up surprising yourself!
Amazing how much we can do, if we simply put ourselves to the test.
by Linda | Mar 26, 2013 | my creative journal
Recently I had the opportunity to create a Blurb Designer Photo Book as an early bird trial, so wanted to share the results with all of you. For all scrapbookers out there, photo books are a great way to compile your memories together quickly for sharing with friends and family.
When I got back from the hospital post-labor, I didn’t have much time to do anything with a newborn, not to mention I was still recovering physically from a difficult labor. But even in those conditions, I had no trouble putting together my photo book using one of the designer templates.
You basically prepare your photos, then go into Blurb, choose a designer template and upload your photos to arrange using their software online. It was a quick and easy process!
I received my little minibook extremely fast, even located here in Tuscany, Italy and I’m really happy with the results. The book is so well made as I chose the dust jacket and linen cover. Talk about professional!
What would I change? Well, I should have color processed my photos, but in all my haste, I just used phone photos and such completely untouched and unedited. So the quality is a bit inconsistent due to the photos I chose. I believe they look duller in real life than on my computer screen generally.
The other thing is that I would get imagewrap instead of the dust jacket cover. I simply wanted to try it out, but I think it’s hard to predict how photos will print on the dust jacket paper as well. I’ve done photo books with the imagewrap cover and like those results better.
Overall, I’m happy with the results and this little book has been great for those visiting our newborn and asking about the whole experience. It’s all encapsulated in the book and they can flip through to see.
Full disclosure, I was given the opportunity to create the photo book for free, so I went ahead and tried it out. However, I have used Blurb many times before – in fact, all my photo books are printed through Blurb. It’s just that I usually design them myself, rather than use a premade template. Hope this information has been helpful to you.
Blurb is graciously offering a 20% discount for my readers… so take advantage!
Offer Code: DESIGNMYBOOK | What it’s good for: 20% Off Designer Book Templates only* | Expires: 3/31/13
*Fine print: Get 20% USD, AUD, CAD or EUR off your Blurb Designer Bookify product total up to $150. Offer expires March 31, 2013 11.59pm local time. May only be used once per customer and on books created by you. May not be combined with any other coupons, volume discount or applied retroactively to previous orders.
