Saturday, January 31, 2009

:CROP: WeScrap Love Fest '09 & Membership Giveaway

In case you didn't already find the link in my right sidebar, I wanted to officially announce the upcoming WeScrap Online Crop: Love Fest '09 which starts this Friday.


Mark your calendars...you won't want to miss this one. It's going to be a ton of fun - lots of games, challenges, make-n-takes, and, of course, PRIZES!! I hope you'll all check it out.

Anyone can take part in the fun by viewing the forum and gallery. However, you must be a member to be able to post in the forum and gallery and to be eligible to win the wonderful prizes.

SO, I HAVE ONE FREE WESCRAP ONE-YEAR MEMBERSHIP TO GIVE AWAY!

That's a $12 value!

To enter, simply share the love (it is a love fest crop after all!) by linking to this giveaway post on your blog or your favorite scrapbooking message board. Then, leave a comment on this post including:

FIRST NAME:
EMAIL:
URL TO YOUR LINK:

If you'd like more than one chance at this, feel free to leave links in as many different places as you like! Just make sure you leave a separate comment for each link so that it counts as a separate chance.

This contest will be open until Tuesday, February 3, 11:59 PM (CST) and I will announce and notify the random winner on Wednesday - just in time to get signed up for the crop! You'll want to show up a little early to catch the pre-crop information...

GOOD LUCK!!!!
:CROP: WeScrap Love Fest '09 & Membership GiveawaySocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Friday, January 30, 2009

:DAILY INSPIRATIONS: February 2009

Welcome to the first monthly edition of Daily Inspirations at AMOM!

Each month, there will be a new downloadable PDF document of 30 squares offering prompts to spark creativity in your scrapbooking (while they could easily be used by non-scrapbookers who are creative in other ways - writers, photographers, etc.).

The squares will be a mixture of photography, title, color, and quote prompts; questions to ponder (often related to events or holidays within that particular month); and a few 'free choice' squares for you to write in your own prompts.


There are several ways that you can use the Daily Inspirations.

  • Cut up into individual squares, put in a container and randomly choose your prompt each day,
  • Hang in your creative space and follow the prompts in order,
  • Hang in your creative space and choose whichever prompts tickles your fancy for the day, OR
  • Create your own system! :-)

FREE DOWNLOAD - FEBRUARY DAILY INSPIRATIONS

I would love your feedback on this first edition. Which type of prompt is your favorite? Least favorite? What other types of prompts would you like to see?

Also, I would love for you to share any creations that come from the prompts. Please feel free to leave a link in the comments so we can all admire your creativity!

:DAILY INSPIRATIONS: February 2009SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

:FIVE FAVES: No need to lust after the new Making Memories any longer...

With all the new products being released at CHA right now, it's easy to drool a little over all the pretty things.

Unfortunately, for most of the items being shown, a wait time is involved before we can actually get the little lovelies in our hands.

However, some of the new lines are already making an appearance and are ready for purchase such as Making Memories Flower Patch Collection.


1) 12 x 12 Die Cut Paper - Bird Brocade Flower Patch
Always a fan of the MM die-cut papers, this beautiful pink brocade would be the perfect touch for an endless number of layout themes.


2) Brad Combos
Every page needs a little texture and glitz!


3) Butterfly Clips
What can I say? How adorable are these little clips!


4) Spiral Journaling Book
These journaling books offer the perfect solution for adding bits of journaling about a page.

5) Layered Buttons
I know that I don't often have the patience (or time) to add the little stitches on my buttons for a finished look, so these layered buttons are the perfect, time-saving embellishment!

There are so many adorable items this new collection that it was certainly difficult to choose just five to feature here. Click on any of the links above to start exploring the full collection.
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Monday, January 26, 2009

:LIFE: She's Interplanet Janet...

Ever since Kaitlin's last performance of Beauty & the Beast last March, she's been anxiously awaiting another theatrical opportunity.

It finally arrived with auditions for another children's production - School House Rock Live! - earlier this month.

Thankfully, she was cast. Although I tried to prepare her for the possibility that she might not get a part with over 130 kids auditioning, I am quite sure she would have been inconsolable had that actually happened.

So, she is in Shulie's Group and practices have begun.

At this point, all that they've had a chance to begin working on is their performance of Interplanet Janet...and guess who Interplanet Janet is...that's right - Kaitlin - for the first weekend's performance anyway. (Another girl gets the role for the second weekend as Allison, the director, really tries to spread the opportunities around.)


Needless to say, she's pretty pumped about the whole thing.

Can't wait to find out what other acts her 'team' will have in store...

In other Kaitlin-related news, she's still keeping busy with dance class every Saturday. We just found out what her costume for the spring recital looks like and it's pretty darling. It will be quite the photo opportunity!

And, as if she doesn't have enough to do, I signed her up for softball on Sunday.

It was either that or soccer (photos here and here/funny video of kids chasing ball here) again and she decided she wanted to try something new so we'll see how that goes. Thankfully, it doesn't get underway until a few clinics in March and the season runs in early summer.

I know nothing about softball, but I suppose we'll have to go shopping for glove now soon. Do they make them that little?
:LIFE: She's Interplanet Janet...SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Sunday, January 25, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: BasicGrey

BasicGrey is always just a little stingier when it comes to their sneak peaks, but it's finally all out today.

They are revealing four new collections at CHA today.

Lime Rickey:


Marrakech:



Porcelain:


Wisteria:


You can view the ENTIRE CATALOG, embellishments and all, here.

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: BasicGreySocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Saturday, January 24, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: Pink Paislee

Pink Paislee had been hinting for awhile that they were trying something a little different with their upcoming release and they weren't kidding!

Although the new collections still have the familiar 'flavor' of Pink Paislee, one thing is for sure - there is certainly a lot less pink.

The new collection is called Winsome. Within that collection, there are four mini-collections.

Fetching:


Fascinating:


Enchanting:


Captivating:


At this point, I think Fetching is my fav and I don't even have any boys!

Just yesterday, they made a post on their blog showcasing all the great new embellishments to go along with the new line.

READER RESPONSE:
So, what is your favorite new mini-collection from Pink Paislee's Winsome line??

REMINDER:
There are still some great items up for grabs in my eBay store. Auctions end on Sunday...don't miss out!
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Friday, January 23, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: Fancy Pants

Always a favorite of mine, Fancy Pants sure hasn't disappointed me with the new products to premiere at the upcoming CHA. They just finished 'sneak peak' week on the Fancy Pants blog, Miss Fancy Pants.

Kraft Kuts:


Summer Soiree:


On a Whimsy:


Delightful:


While Delightful and Kraft Kuts are my favorite, they are all wonderful.

And this isn't it! They also have some adorable notebook journals, signature frames, and 8x8 mini-books. Be sure to check out their blog to see samples of these as well as a bunch of great layouts and other projects featuring their new lines.

READER RESPONSE:
So, what is your favorite new Fancy Pants paper collection??

REMINDER:
There are still some great items up for grabs in my eBay store. Auctions end on Sunday...don't miss out!
:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: Fancy PantsSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Thursday, January 22, 2009

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch

Wow...that was quite the comment section for my latest review!

Not only did we get a glowing testimonial from a reader of the book, but also a visit from the author herself!

So, who's the lucky recipient of an autographed copy of Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent?

It is Brianna Liuzzo from Columbus, Ohio!!

Congratulations, Brianna! Watch your email inbox for further instructions on how to claim your prize.

Also, if you think you might like to learn more about Ginny and her book, you can look her up on Facebook also. She has a personal page (just search Ginny Felch) and also a group page for her book as well (just search Photographing Children) which are both quite active and she encourages anyone interested to join!

Stay tuned...I have more great reviews and giveaways coming soon!
:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Ginny FelchSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Ginny Felch

UPDATE: The giveaway contest is now closed. The winner of the free, autographed copy of Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent will be announced later today.

I'm always looking for books that offer instruction AND inspiration and when it comes to photographing children, Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent by Ginny Felch is certainly a winner in that category.

"I hope that in this book you find inspiration and encouragement to follow any urges you have had to make photographs that capture the spirit of a child."
Ginny Felch

It was clear early on that while Ginny was certainly going to offer some great insights as far as instruction goes, but she was also keenly aware that there are many reasons people wish to photograph children. She tailored her approach to be appropriate for everything from the adoring parent wishing to capture the life of their child (I fall into this category...) to the professional photographer wishing to make a living photographing children.

The book is divided into 10 chapters:

Chapter 1 - The Art of Photographing Children
I especially appreciated Felch took some time to mention that whatever one's reason for photographing children, they must have a passion for it to capture the light of a child. She offers ways to gain inspiration and finding the style of photography that best suits your vision.

Chapter 2 - The Look of a Photograph
In this chapter, Felch covers the basics of shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field in very understandable terms. To her credit, and again appealing to her parent audience, she doesn't leave out the program modes available on most point-and-shoot cameras. She recognizes that program modes also have value in the appropriate situations.

Chapter 3 - Seeing the Light
Light is to any successful photo - whether it be the presence or lack thereof. Felch discusses how to see light in new ways and how to discover and use natural light to one's advantage.

Chapter 4 - Manipulating the Light
As every professional photographer will tell you, one rarely happens upon 'perfect' lighting situations, so in this chapter Felch offers instruction on how to manipulate available light to enhance one's photos.

Chapter 5 - Composing Photographs
The difference between a snapshot and a portrait is often an issue of composition. This chapter focuses on principles such as keeping it simple, framing, the rule of thirds, leading lines, using parents as props and, of course, breaking the 'rules'.

Chapter 6 - What's Your Style?
Classic and romantic, contemporary, or photojournalistic? Which do you prefer? Do you know? Read this chapter to find out. While Felch recognizes that it is not necessary to box yourself into one single style, it is helpful to know what style you gravitate towards and why.

Chapter 7 - Evoking Expression & Emotion
What expression are you looking for? Joy? Thoughtful repose? Frustration? Felch offers tips and tricks on how to evoke the expression you're looking for - or capture the unexpected ones that can give you the wondrous result you didn't even know you wanted.

Chapter 8 - Ages, Stages & Groups
This chapter covers tips for working with subjects everywhere from newborn to the teen years, including how to deal with boys versus girls as they age. Felch also offers tips for photographing friend and family groupings.

Chapter 9 - Equipment for the Child Photographer
Throughout this book, Felch emphasizes that equipment really is secondary. However, she offers questions to consider concerning your current gear to determine if it suits your needs or if upgrades may be in order to satisfy your creative pursuits. These choices will depend on individual needs, experience and, of course, budget.

Chapter 10 - Post-Production & Presentation
The final chapter covers everything from developing a workflow, uploading and editing, and ways to share your photos such as storyboards, web galleries, canvas prints and more.

Felch also has a blog at which you can view more of her stunning work and get even more tips and tricks. She welcomes you to visit!

WANT TO READ MORE OR PURCHASE?
Visit the Photographing Children Photo Workshop page at Amazon.com. You can also read more of my reviews for other recommendations.

GIVEAWAY:
Ginny has been gracious enough to offer an AUTOGRAPHED copy to one lucky reader!!

To enter, submit your vote in the poll below and then be sure to leave the following in a comment to this post so that I am able to contact you if you win!!


FIRST & LAST NAME:
EMAIL:
CITY, STATE:

Leave your comment by Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, 11:59 PM (CST) in order to be considered to win. I will announce and contact the random winner via email on Thursday.



:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Photographing Children Photo Workshop by Ginny FelchSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Monday, January 19, 2009

:FOR SALE: Scrapbook mags & more in my eBay Store...

I've posted numerous items for sale in my eBay store at some amazing prices. Here's a quick overview of some of the items available:

**Multiple issue lots of recent scrapbooking magazines (including some that will soon be considered collector's items considering the recent closing of two different scrapbooking magazines.
**A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid (a scrap-related novel)
**Real Women Scrap by Tasra Dawson
**BRAND NEW American Crafts 12x12 post-bound album
**LIKE-NEW Paper Studio Album 12x12 D-ring album
**Fastenator plus an assortment of staple bars
**Multiple issue lots of recent photography magazines
**Multiple issue lots of home & garden magazines

ALL ITEMS HAVE FREE SHIPPING!

They are all 7-day auctions, so they'll be wrapping up next Sunday evening between 7-8:15 PM (CST). Be sure to let me know if you have questions about any of the items.
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Sunday, January 18, 2009

:QUOTES: Wisdom from Winnie the Pooh

Today is the birthday of the author of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne. So, in honor, here's a few of my favorite quotes from Winnie the Pooh.

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

"My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places."

"If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart...I’ll always be with you."

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear."
:QUOTES: Wisdom from Winnie the PoohSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Saturday, January 17, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAK: New Fiskars border punches...

I was never much of a gal for border punches...until Fiskars came out with the Threading Water border punch a while back. I knew I had to have it and yet I wondered if I would really USE it...or would it be one of those tools that just gathers dust (like my Fastenator).

It took me a while to find it (I ended up getting it at Michael's), but I can honestly that no dust has settled on that little wonder!

Now, Fiskars is adding more great edge options to its border punch line. I have shown them in the order of my most to least favorite.

Upper Crest:
This one is most certainly my favorite...I can't wait to get my hands on this one!



Scallop Sentiment:
Ever since I got the Threading Water punch, I've said "How nice would it be to have one exactly like this except without the holes?" Well, I guess Fiskars heard me talking to myself and thought it would be cool also.


I did just get this new Fiskars trimmer that came with this WONDERFUL scalloped blade for Christmas, but I think I'm still going to want this punch because these scallops (I'm guessing) are larger than those created by the blade.

Everyone knows that different projects require different sizes of scallops, right?

Apron Lace:
I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this one. It reminds me a little of some of the decorative edged Creative Cafe papers I've seen although it's not quite the same. I think I'd need to see the result in person to decide if I want this one for sure.


Boundary Waters:
Although cute, I tend to like tools that are more general and can be used for a variety of topics. Since we don't live near an ocean and don't frequent our lake much, I just don't think I'd get as much use as I would want for the price I'd pay for it.

READER RESPONSE:

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Friday, January 16, 2009

:SCRAP INDUSTRY NEWS: A sad farewell to Simple Scrapbooks...

The official announcement was made yesterday that Simple Scrapbooks will cease publication after its May/June 2009 issue.

The announcement sites lack of advertising income to fund multiple magazines (SS is published under the Creating Keepsakes umbrella). Clearly, no one is escaping the effects of our current economy.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this.

Obviously, I am sad to see SS go because their content and style has been consistently unique over the years when compared to the other scrapbooking magazines on the market. I have been a long time fan of the magazine and many of its main contributors - Cathy Zielske, Rebecca Cooper, and Elizabeth Dillow just to name a few.

However, according to the announcement, the style of SS will not disappear entirely, but instead be incorporated into the remaining Creating Keepsakes publication and many of the faces of SS will stay on in that endeavour.

As my husband will tell you, I get A LOT of magazines, so in some ways, I think that I may actually like receiving a 'new and improved' combined version of CK each month.

The announcement also stated that 75% of the magazines subscribers subscribe to both magazines, so in that regard, this change makes a lot of sense. Not only will it hopefully help CK to continue to bring us the content we know and love, but also save it's subscribers a little dough by having to subscribe to only one magazine versus two.

So, my take is that although I am certainly sad to see SS go, there may be a silver lining for both the publisher and the subscribers.

My only concern is how CK will incorporate SS's unique style into thier magazine. I hope that they remain true to the promise of maintaining the spirit of SS and don't allow it to fall through the cracks of their existing format.

Only time will tell.

Until then, I'm going to enjoy the final few issues of SS and hope for the best!

READER RESPONSE:
How do you feel about the loss of Simple Scrapbooks? What is your take on the official announcement made by SS?
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Thursday, January 15, 2009

:FIVE FAVES: Valentine's Day is looking sweet...

Valentine's Day is now less than a month away and scrapbooking products specific to the love-filled holiday abound!

So many adorable items, in fact, that I had an extremely difficult time narrowing it down to five favorites, but here they are.

1) Teresa Collins - Crush Collection - Valentines - Rubber Stamp - Heart
I'll be honest, I not much of a stamper, but this sweet heart stamp by Teresa Collins might just turn that around.


2) Making Memories - Love Notes Collection - Title Alphabet Stickers
The new Love Notes collection by Making Memories is full of lovely vintage patterns, soft pinks and worn reds. The loopy font is also quite adorable.


3) Little Yellow Bicycle - Love Letters Collection - 12 x 12 Die Cut Paper - Decorative Edge Ledger

Although I have to say that I am quite disappointed with the sneak peaks of their upcoming products that I have seen recently, I am totally ga-ga over their Love Letters collection. The patterned papers and every imaginable embellishment to go along with them are beyond stunning. I just hope that the new winter 2009 releases aren't a sign of a downhill slide for LYB. I have been such a fan...


4) Fancy Pants Designs - Splendid Collection - 12 x 12 Double Sided Paper
My darling daughter is certain to NOT have the same Valentine's to hand out on the 14th as every other little girl in her class. She has personality and so should her Valentine's - these by FP will do just the trick!

There is nothing bitter and everything sweet about BasicGrey's new Bittersweet collection. I can't wait to dot some layouts with these delightful epoxy brads!

If you'd like to see even more Valentine's Day options and choose your own favorites, click here or take a look at a few other favorites listed 'Valentine's Picks' in my right sidebar.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

:PUBBED: Exciting news from Scrapbooks etc...

I finally got the email I've been waiting for!!

I've had layouts published in 4 of what I consider to be the 5 major US scrapbooking magazines (Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers, Scrapbook Trends and Simple Scrapbooks), but there was one that I just couldn't seem to break into...

Scrapbooks, etc.

Well, I got an email the other day requesting one of my layouts for their July issue!

I'm super excited about that and I can't wait to share the layout with you once it has been published.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: Cosmo Cricket

In addition to their adorable spinner cards, Cosmo Cricket has released some pictures of their new paper collections.

Girl Friday:

Lil' Man:

Everafter:

Snorkel:

Visit the Cosmo Cricket blog for more pictures and a few project samples.
:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: Cosmo CricketSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Monday, January 12, 2009

:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: American Crafts

American Crafts always comes out with some great stuff...no surprise there. Here's several new lines...

CHARACTER:


Click here to see a larger pic and a bunch of adorable projects using the new line.

CRAFT FAIR:


Click here to see a larger pic and a bunch of adorable projects using the new line.

TEEN:


Click here to see a larger pic and a bunch of adorable projects using the new line.

BACKYARD:


Click here to see a larger pic and a bunch of adorable projects using the new line.

BABY:


Click here to see a larger pic and a bunch of adorable projects using the new line.
:WINTER 2009 CHA SNEAK PEAKS: American CraftsSocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Sunday, January 11, 2009

:ARTICLE: 8 Steps to Organizing Your Digital Photos

Obviously our photos are important to us or we wouldn’t be scrapbookers. If you have an organized and established routine, the more likely you are to transform your photos into precious layouts and other projects.

In this article, I’d like to share my personal system for digital photo organization.

You'll notice that I reference Picasa and Shutterfly, which happen to be the programs/services that I prefer to use. I do also sometimes use Photoshop Elements when I want to do more advanced editing. There are many others to choose from, but these basic steps are generally very similar regardless of which programs/services you use.

1) Create Folders
Before you upload any more pictures, creating a folder system is key.

Personally, I tend to think in chronological order, so I have a folder for each year in my photos folder on my computer. Within that folder, I have subfolders for each group of photos that I take. For example, the folder containing the pictures from my daughter’s birthday party this year would be titled ‘2008_06_09 – Kaitlin’s Birthday Party’.

ALWAYS put your dates first and use the year_month_day format. That way your computer will always be able to automatically put them in chronological order for you.

This step will probably take some time, but you will thank yourself later. Trust me. Once you have your folder system set up, simply be sure to upload your pictures to the correct folder, name appropriately and you’ll never have a jumbled mess of pictures to sort out again!



2) Purge
This is a tough one for a lot of people, but it is necessary. Why keep 124 photos from an event if you know that only 20 of them are necessary to preserve your memories. I often take my daughter out for a shoot and only keep a dozen or less out of 50 or more shots.

The first ones to go aren’t so hard…the blurry, the cut-off head, the finger in the viewfinder…but it does get a little harder. You have to look at your photos objectively and use a critical eye to chose the best.

However, I do have to put a bit of a disclaimer here. There may be some situations where none of your photos are particularly good. This happens to me sometimes when there are lighting issues beyond my control. There are times when ‘bad’ photos are better than no photos, so while you need to purge, don’t purge so quickly that you delete every photo that you have of an event you wish to have a record of.

3) Tag/Keywords
Tagging (or adding keywords) is an important step. It is especially helpful if you want to find a collection of photos that would come from multiple folders to create a theme albums or layout spanning a period of time.

Tags don’t have to be complicated. I commonly tag my photos with the name of each person in them. Other common tags include events, holidays, seasons, activities, locations, etc., but you can obviously use whatever tags you think will be useful to you.

Then, if I want to create a mini-album of my daughter’s Halloween costumes over the years, I simply do a search for Kaitlin and Halloween and I come up with a group of photos with those two tags. This is MUCH easier than trying to sort through years of folders.


4) Edit
My editing workflow is an article in itself (stay tuned...), but as you all know, even the best out-of-camera shots can be improved with a little editing such as increasing the contrast, cropping for better composition, warming up skin tones, converting to black and white, etc.

There are two processes which I include in my editing workflow that also help me with my digital photo organization. Once I have my photos edited as desired, I do two things using:

a) I select all the edited pics in the folder and then export FULL-SIZE versions into a subfolder of the original folder called ‘Edits’. To achieve this, I choose 'Use Original Size' under 'Image Size Options' and 'Automatic' under 'Image Quality'.

b) I select all the edited pics in the folder and then export WEB-SIZED versions into a subfolder of the original folder called ‘Web’. To achieve this, I choose 'Resize To:' (I do 480 pixels) under 'Image Size Options' and 'Normal' under 'Image Quality'. I also like to add the watermark option for photos which may end up on the web.

By exporting the photos, I preserve the original photos and have a set ready for upload to my favorite photo printing site and another ready for web use, either on my blog or in online galleries.


5) Rate

Rating is another important step. In Picasa, a system is used where you can ‘star’ favorites. So, even if I take 50 photos in a shoot and keep 10, there are probably still only 1-3 that are what I like to call my stand-outs – the ones that really speak to me or capture the spirit of my subject or event. Once I have my Edits folder, I then star those 1-3 photos.

What good is this, you might ask. Well, at the end of each year I often create photo books and other gifts for family members highlighting my daughter’s or my family’s year. All I do is then is select my starred photos folder and all the BEST pictures from the year are all in one place and ready to be made into compilation CD’s and other gifts!

6) Upload & Order
Now it’s time to upload to your favorite online photo printing service. Personally, I prefer Shutterfly and I can upload the photos from my Edits folder directly from their software. Simple! I do sometimes wait until I have a large batch of photos before ordering (or until I get a free shipping email from Shutterfly).

7) Share
Isn’t one of the best parts of taking all these photos is sharing them. These days, you can easily do so even before you have the prints in hand. You can upload your now exported web-sized versions to your blog or favorite online gallery.

You can also create your own photo sharing website through many online photo printing service without further uploading. Shutterfly offers new share sites that have some amazing capabilities!

8) Backup
No digital photo organization article would be complete without a reminder to backup. We’ve all heard the horror stories of months or years of lost photos and the devastation that affords for their owners. Don’t let it happen to you!

If you upload to an online photo printing site like Shutterfly, your photos are already somewhat protected, but retrieval of your full-sized images can sometimes be somewhat limited or expensive if you lose your copies. So, developing your own CD or DVD backup plan is still important.

In Picasa, it actually tracks for you which photos have been backed up and which have not, so there’s no guessing (and no chance of missing an important folder). It’s a good idea to make two copies – one to keep in your home and one in another location (your parent’s house, safe deposit box, etc.)

So that’s digital photo organization in 8 steps! Although I personally use Picasa (a free software offered by Google) for the processes above, most photo software out there has similar capabilities.

I hope that you’ll take this information to gain a whole new level of photo organization in 2009!

5 Resources to Help You Get Your Photos Organized:
1) Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 7
2)
The Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
3)
ACDSee Photo Manager 2009
4)
Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
5)
Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 for Photographers


____________________________________________________________

Come put all your pictures into our photo books now. Undecided? Then come take a look at these photo book samples here. Making custom photo books with us is very easy.

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