[Rachel--24]

I dont know if there are any other people here who love scrapbooking as much as I do but I'm really excited about some good fortune I had yesterday....maybe my luck is changing??

I went to the scrapbook store looking for a book on digital scrapbooking....I'm trying to teach myself to make some digital pages. They were all out of the book but the lady said to check "Michaels" down the street or "Borders" book store. She had a coupon for 50% off any one item at Michaels and it was about to expire so she gave it to me....said she wasnt gonna use it.

I decided I was gonna use the coupon to get the Memory Makers Tag Maker....its like $25 regular price. Of course when I got there they were out of it.

I started looking around for something else and all of a sudden I see they have all these accessories for the new Cricut machine....I've only seen it in the magazine and I really wanted it but knew it would be way too expensive. I was looking for the machine itself but didnt see it...only the accessories...so I continue looking for something to use the coupon on.

Then...there it was...I saw the Cricut machine in a special display case!
I swear it reminded me of that moment in the Xmas movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger was looking all over for that toy for his son and then THERE IT WAS!!

The Cricut was $300....definately not in my budget with all my medical bills but how could I pass up this once in a lifetime chance to get it for half price??!!

So I get in line and as I'm waiting I happen to read the coupon and it says "excludes all Cricut products". I knew it was too good to be true.

I got an EKSuccess Stapler/Fastener instead and got back in line. While I was paying I told the lady how I had really wanted the Cricut and was all excited until I read the coupon. She said I could still get it if I wanted. I told her it says "NO Cricut products" on the coupon and she said "Yeah....but we can make exceptions...do you still want it?" Ummm....YEAH!!

I still cant believe I had some good luck for a change! I got the machine for $150 and I'm still really excited about it...cant stop smiling. I cant wait to use it. I gotta say....thats one of the best things thats happened to me in awhile!

I feel like I dont get to spend my money on fun stuff anymore cuz of all the medical expenses I have going on right now...so this was a real treat.


Does anyone do any digital scrapbooking?? I'm learning on photoshop elements...I made one "practice" page and it wasnt too bad. I'm gonna try to make a calendar and my regular pages are always really bulky....thought digital pages would be perfect.

If there are any other scrapbookers I'd love to hear from ya.

Heres the Cricut machine. http://www.cricut.com/

[pinkpei77]

OMG!!! i love to scrapbook!!
i just did a whole album of my wedding and now im working on one of my dog.
my best friend is the manager of the michaels here so she gets me things with her discount and lets me use more than one coupon~!
ive never heard of digital scrapbooking but it sounds cool!!
i just got photoshop7 so maybe ill try.
is there a place to post them or anything?
you'll have to let me know more about it.

ps. thats awesome that you got to use your coupon on that!!!!!
i just got this big scrapbook organizer with my 50% coupon!!
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/display...&channelid=
check it out

[Rachel--24]

Coleen,

Organizers are the best! I would be lost without them. I have WAY too much stuff....I need to really stay out of the scrapbook stores.

I wanted to go back and get a cartridge for the Cricut...they're like $90 regular price. My mom had a coupon at home but I seriously doubt I'd get that lucky again. I dont wanna take advantage so I'll just be happy with what I got.

Thats so cool that you did your wedding album. I have so many pictures but I'm not the fastest page maker around.

Digital scrapbooking....I've been checking out these sites and learning what I can from the tutorials.

http://www.scrapbook-elements.com/sbe/
http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?invoca...%20scrapbooking
http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/

Check out the galleries they have on these sites and you can see all the pages people have submitted.


Also if you Google "Digital Scrapbooking" you'll find all kinds of sites. Nothing beats making "traditional" layouts but I figure it would be fun to learn...for projects like the calendar I wanna make.

pinkpei77, on Sep 19 2006, 04:04 PM, said:

i just got this big scrapbook organizer with my 50% coupon!!
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/display...&channelid=
check it out

Cool! I dont have anything like that with wheels....just the organizers for all my embellishments, stickers, etc. Last summer I built a scrapbook area in my house cuz I was getting tired of stiing on the floor with a big mess all around me. I have a link with pics of it floating around somewhere on another thread. I'll have to find it and post it here.

[Michi8]

Congrats on a great deal! I love getting new supplies for anything...even if it's a new pen...I'm addicted!

Rachel--24, on Sep 19 2006, 04:57 PM, said:

Does anyone do any digital scrapbooking?? I'm learning on photoshop elements...I made one "practice" page and it wasnt too bad. I'm gonna try to make a calendar and my regular pages are always really bulky....thought digital pages would be perfect.

If there are any other scrapbookers I'd love to hear from ya.

The only type of scrapbooking I can bring myself to do is digital. While I love new supplies, I hate committing to cutting paper or photos until I know exactly what design I'm going to do. I'm a graphic designer by trade, so I'm really comfortable with using computer programs for design...Photoshop is a great program to work with.

I've more recently coordinated the design and printing of two kindergarten scrapbooks (will do a third when my daughter goes to Kindy next year) and had a lot of fun pulling together the handmade and digital designs (I did my pages digitally) to create a really unique book of memories for the kids.

Michelle

[Rachel--24]

Michi8, on Sep 19 2006, 04:37 PM, said:

I've more recently coordinated the design and printing of two kindergarten scrapbooks (will do a third when my daughter goes to Kindy next year) and had a lot of fun pulling together the handmade and digital designs (I did my pages digitally) to create a really unique book of memories for the kids.

Michelle,

How do the pages turn out once they're printed? I have a 12x12 printer but never actually printed a whole layout. I'm hoping the quality is good for the calander I want to make.

I have a few programs but I think the Photoshop Elements has been the easiest for me to work with. Corel has me totally lost.
I have no experience with these programs so its taking some figuring out. I get all excited when I do something and it works.

I think once I get the hang of it I'll probably be able to make pages much faster than I would with all the supplies....plus the biggest bonus is....no mess!!

[StrongerToday]

Sounds like we need to plan a gluten-free Scrapbooking Retreat!!!

[Michi8]

Rachel--24, on Sep 19 2006, 05:53 PM, said:

Michelle,

How do the pages turn out once they're printed? I have a 12x12 printer but never actually printed a whole layout. I'm hoping the quality is good for the calander I want to make.

I have a few programs but I think the Photoshop Elements has been the easiest for me to work with. Corel has me totally lost.
I have no experience with these programs so its taking some figuring out. I get all excited when I do something and it works.

I think once I get the hang of it I'll probably be able to make pages much faster than I would with all the supplies....plus the biggest bonus is....no mess!!

They turn out quite well when they are printed, however I haven't printed them at home...the work I've done has been printed on a professional quality colour laser printer at commercial printer...so it's on glossy paper, double-sided and trimmed. The colour printer I have at home wouldn't do it justice. If you've got a 12x12 printer, I'll bet you get some nice pages for your calendar.

I don't know anything about Corel. I work on a Mac, and have a full version of Photoshop along with other layout programs. In terms of saving time, I find that I can get lost in the work I do and go over board on time trying all sorts of layouts and designs. I particularly like to scan embelishments for placement on the layout, and include shadows for a realistic page...as if it's been handmade and photographed. Maybe I'll try post an example to show...it'll take me a little while to prep for web viewing.

Michelle

[skoki_mom]

No experience with digital scrapbooking, can't help you there.

I'll be interested to see how the Cricut works. I was gonna go get one with a coupon too, but I saw the Cricut disclaimer <sigh>. I kinda doubt they would cut me any slack, they have become kinda hard ass about coupons at Michael's here. You used to just be able to ask for 40% off one item and get it, but not anymore. Anyhow, post after you've used it cuz I'm interested in it! I'm also eyeing the Xyron Wish Blade, but it is even more $$ than the Cricut.

[Rachel--24]

StrongerToday, on Sep 19 2006, 05:58 PM, said:

Sounds like we need to plan a gluten-free Scrapbooking Retreat!!!

OMG...that would be soooo much fun!
I always see ads for scrapbooking getaways or retreats and they sound like a great way to meet new people and to learn some new techniques...they even have cruises! Yeah...I know...I'm dreaming now.

Michi8, on Sep 19 2006, 06:05 PM, said:

I particularly like to scan embelishments for placement on the layout, and include shadows for a realistic page...as if it's been handmade and photographed. Maybe I'll try post an example to show...it'll take me a little while to prep for web viewing.

I learned how to use shadows while I was playing around with the program the other day. I didnt want to download any embelishments or backgrounds until I was sure I'd be able to figure out how to use the tools and everything else. I ended up downloading a couple paper paks but havent had time to do anything since. I have so many supplies and a ton of patterned paper....I was wondering if I could just scan my own embelishments and paper instead of buying them and downloading?? It sounds like thats what you do? I just want whatever I use to look realistic. I found a good book with alot of tips...just bought it tonight...the layouts look so real its impossible for me to tell they're digital. I think I'm gonna be busy with this project for awhile.

skoki_mom, on Sep 19 2006, 07:18 PM, said:

Anyhow, post after you've used it cuz I'm interested in it! I'm also eyeing the Xyron Wish Blade, but it is even more $$ than the Cricut.

Lori,

I havent seen the Wish Blade...they're coming out with stuff faster than I can keep up. What does the Wish Blade do? The only Xyron product I have is a small sticker maker.
I'll post about the cricut as soon as I get a chance to try it out. The only thing I dont like about these new products is the price of the kits. I got the Quikcutz a couple years ago and then I could never afford any alphabets.
Luckily my friend has a few alphabets and just about every shape they came out with...shes nice enough to let me borrow what I need.

[Michi8]

Rachel--24, on Sep 19 2006, 09:08 PM, said:

I learned how to use shadows while I was playing around with the program the other day. I didnt want to download any embelishments or backgrounds until I was sure I'd be able to figure out how to use the tools and everything else. I ended up downloading a couple paper paks but havent had time to do anything since. I have so many supplies and a ton of patterned paper....I was wondering if I could just scan my own embelishments and paper instead of buying them and downloading?? It sounds like thats what you do? I just want whatever I use to look realistic. I found a good book with alot of tips...just bought it tonight...the layouts look so real its impossible for me to tell they're digital. I think I'm gonna be busy with this project for awhile.

Yes, I scan everything...and I'll use the paper patterns for creating original cutouts on the computer as well (cutout letter for example.)

You can scan anything you'd like! If you've got all sorts of papers already, it would make sense to scan them. Just make sure that you scan at a high enough resolution so that they print well. I recommended nothing lower than 300 dpi.

Have fun!

Michelle

[Rachel--24]

Michi8, on Sep 20 2006, 07:35 AM, said:

You can scan anything you'd like! If you've got all sorts of papers already, it would make sense to scan them. Just make sure that you scan at a high enough resolution so that they print well. I recommended nothing lower than 300 dpi.

Have fun!

Michelle

Thanks Michelle!
Thats gonna save me alot of time and money...I pretty much already have everything I would need. Now I cant wait for the weekend!

[KarenCM]

I havent scrapbooked in so long it seems. My Creative Memories stuff is staring at me waiting to be used. Hopefully this thread will help me to make the time to do it. I tend to go in spurts when I will do it for awhile and then take a really long break. I only scrapbook my vacation photos though and am starting on my second album when I get back to it.

Karen

[Rachel--24]

Karen,

You're not alone there....I havent scrapbooked in a long time myself...I'm going through withdrawl. Last year I was on disability but was too sick to scrapbook. When I started feeling better I built my dream scrapbook area but havent had the time to use it much since I returned to work last Sept. I'm also sensitive to chemicals since I got sick so sometimes even the glues and other supplies bother me...another reason why I'm wanting to try out digital scrapbooking.

All it takes is a trip to the scrapbook store to get me motivated.

[skoki_mom]

Rachel--24, on Sep 19 2006, 09:08 PM, said:

Lori,

I havent seen the Wish Blade...they're coming out with stuff faster than I can keep up. What does the Wish Blade do? The only Xyron product I have is a small sticker maker.
I'll post about the cricut as soon as I get a chance to try it out. The only thing I dont like about these new products is the price of the kits. I got the Quikcutz a couple years ago and then I could never afford any alphabets.
Luckily my friend has a few alphabets and just about every shape they came out with...shes nice enough to let me borrow what I need.

It's similar to a Cricut, but you can actually attach it to your PC somehow and use your own fonts and clipart and stuff. I don't know a lot about it, but the PC compatibility is the big difference from Cricut. OF course, it's also an extra $200...........

[Rachel--24]

skoki_mom, on Sep 21 2006, 11:00 AM, said:

It's similar to a Cricut, but you can actually attach it to your PC somehow and use your own fonts and clipart and stuff. I don't know a lot about it, but the PC compatibility is the big difference from Cricut. OF course, it's also an extra $200...........

Wow...that sounds really cool. Of course $500 is WAY out of my budget!
When I first started scrapbooking I thought it was gonna be the cheapest hobby ever. Boy was I wrong about THAT!
My first pages probably cost me less than $5 though...I was just buying the pre-made stuff...even frames and just slapping them on the page. Everything I bought was under $1.
I still love those first pages....they're so cute and cheesy.