Congratulations to Shannon who is the winner of the Madison Photobook!  Thanks to all that entered and Shannon, a representative from Picaboo will be contacting you about how to get your prize!

Congrats!

This is the time of year that people love to make photo gifts. Even if you don’t get one done for a gift, it is fun to make an annual yearbook with all the fun memories of the year that has just ended.  No matter what reason you create the book, wouldn’t it be great if you could get it professionally printed on high quality paper. Now, I am not talking about just any photo book, but the Madison Photo Book from Picaboo. This book is just a step above the rest.

Here are a few details about the Madison Photo Book:

The Madison is a truly special book for capturing precious memories. Heavyweight, archival quality lay-flat pages are ideal for highlighting panoramic shots, and the paper’s pearl finish sheen coating adds a luminous glow to your photos. The elegant custom cover features a photo of your choice under a protective laminate, and a full-grain glove leather wrap around the spine and back cover is available in five colors: black, brown, coffee, red and pink. The book’s dimensions are 8.5×11”. It comes with 20 pages, but can include a maximum of 90.

Isn’t that a great looking book? One lucky reader will win this 20 page book – which is a $99.99 value I might add! What I want you to do is post a comment on this post about why you should win this book. Make sure you include your email address so I can contact the winner.  The contest will run until December 11 -  so you only have a few days to leave your comment!

If you don’t win the book, you can still get great deals from Picaboo. They are a great place to get your holiday cards and gift books printed. In fact, you can save 30% on any Classic photo book or Calendar order until December 30th. Use code HOLIDAY30.

Great deal right?

So leave your comment and get your photos ready to put into this fabulous book! Just a note, the winner will be sent a coupon for the book. This coupon is good for one 20 page Madison photo book in any style. It does not cover additional pages over 20 or applicable shipping costs. The coupon will expire on 1/31/11.

Wow – can you believe that the holiday season is upon us again! Where did the year go? It is time to start thinking about what you want to give as gifts to your family and friends this year. Homemade gifts are great, but so are gift baskets full of scrapbooking supplies, memory cards for cameras, darling scrapbooks for them to fill with their favorite pictures during the coming year. The point is, you don’t have to make an elaborate photo book or calendar to give the gift of memory making. If the person you are giving a gift to loves to scrapbook – indulge their habit with a gift certificate to their favorite online store or give them an album to complete during the year.

Here are a few ideas for giving the gift of memories – whether it is a completed project or the supplies to make their own!

This is a gift that I gave to my in-laws last Christmas. It was my daughter’s idea to make a photo family tree for them. So, she took care of collecting all the family pictures and I created the digital background. The end result turned out great! We printed it 16×20 so they could really see the faces in the pictures well.  I had a lot of people really like the idea, so I decided to sell the background. You can buy it at www.ndisb.com and it is only $2. For $2 you get the complete background that you can just add your photos to and print. If you want to choose your own background, or want more creative freedom – the png format of just the tree is included as well.

Of course a family tree isn’t the only thing you can create for holiday gift giving. Now is the perfect time to get busy creating photo books and calendars! We covered the basics of digital photo books in this post so you can go back and check it out. Grandparents love to look at pictures of their grandkids all year long so a photo calendar is a perfect gift. You can go to sites such as Tiny Prints or Shutterfly and use their templates to create a calendar, or use a fun calendar kit from your favorite digital scrapbook store and create your own.

Do you have a scrapbooker in the family? Whether they scrapbook digitally or traditionally, all scrapbookers love a scrapbook gift! Here are some fun gifts for the scrapper in your family:

Traditional Scrapbookers:

• Scrapbook Albums – What scrapbooker doesn’t love albums? There are so many cute albums to choose from – and of course you can never have too many!
• Embellishments! -Embellishements make the page! We have all created a page just to use the cute embellishments we have on hand. Come on, you know you have!
• Scrabook Storage – If your going to have all the gear, you need a place to store it right? Well, scrapbook storage can get a bit expensive, that is why scrappers love to get this kind of stuff as a gift. There is no guilt involved!

Gifts for traditional scrapbookers can be put in a cute basket or bag and presented in a fun way. But what about digital scrapbookers? How to you wrap up a virtual gift? Well, first of all, there are many gifts you can give a digi scrapper that they can hold in their hand! Here are a few:

• Scrapbook Software – How can someone digi scrap without software? There are many different scrapbook programs on the market, but everyone has their preference so make sure you check with the person (or their husband) before you buy a program they might not like!
• Flash Drive – These mini storage devices have dropped so much in price the last few years it makes it far easier to give them as a gift. Digi scrappers love the convenience of a small storage device, they can take them along to crops or just carry them in their purse ‘just in case’.
• External Hard Drive – While we are talking storage, and external hard drive is a must have for anyone who uses a computer. But a vital must for digi scrappers. The rule is – back up, back up, and back up again! With an external hard drive you can have an extra copy of all your photos and scrapbook pages just in case.

Wow – that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fun gifts for Christmas. Just remember – grandparents LOVE photos – so make a photo book or calendar for them. For your scrapping friends and family, give them a fun scrapbook gift that they will use and love!

One of my favorite scrapbook sites is closing their digital art store. Polka Dot Potato has long been one of the premier digital scrapbook stores. But now they are shifting gears and focusing on their great print service – they print the BEST 12×12 prints ever, and they are priced right! In addition, they have some business to business ventures, plus graphic and web design. Boy! They are going to be busy!

So, even though we are so sad to see Polka Dot Potato close their digital scrapbook store, there are great savings to be had by all! Now through August 25, you can save 60% on your order, with a minimum purchase of $10. Plus, if you spend over $100 you will save an ADDITIONAL 15%! Incredible savings on incredible art! Click on the graphic below to enter the store and fill your cart!

Have you ever met a kid who doesn’t like to watch their favorite movie? It might be Toy Story or The Little Mermaid, but when they are watching it they are so absorbed by the story. It is fun to watch kids enjoy their favorite movies – and it is even more fun to watch movies that have them as the star! Put in a video of when they were babies or the latest trip to Disneyland and they get so excited! It is better than Toy Story – and that is pretty good!

DVD’s are a great way to share and view memories. One great way to enjoy those memories is to get a Picture Memory DVD made of the big (or small) events in your life. You may have seen videos like this at a wedding reception – you know where they show photos of the bride and groom from birth on up to the wedding day? These videos are not only fun and entertaining for those who are waiting in line, but they are a treasured keepsake for the happy couple and their parents.

However, keepsake DVD’s are not limited to big events like weddings. Why not have a special DVD made for your child’s first birthday or your father’s 80th? What about a collection of pictures and videos from the latest soccer season and then hand them out to the team? You could have a fun ‘end of the year’ DVD made for your child’s school teacher or a cousins DVD for grandparents.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless! If you are looking for someone to create a DVD for you, look no further than Kylee’s Picture Memory DVD’s. Her prices are excellent and the quality is excellent. She will help you create the perfect memory for your favorite people! Head on over to her blog for contact information, and start thinking of the next memory you are going to create!

It is time once again for the fabulous Potato Bar at Polka Dot Potato! For those of you who have not experienced the bar, you can get fabulous scrapbook kits, templates, and more for only .99 cents! There are some great products available and you can’t beat the price. The bar only comes around a few times a year and it is one of the best times to stock up on quality digital scrapbook products.

The Potato Bar is operating a little differently this time. All the designers were given color swatches to work with and as a result you have coordinating products. The products are grouped under certain categories and the products you buy in the same category will go together. This way you can mix and match and come up with a great variety of papers and elements! The categories are: Bunny Hop, Rainy Days, Spring Fever, & Tulip Garden.  There is also the ‘Buy the Bar’ option. This is where you can buy all of a designers Potato Bar products for a 25% discount.  I tell you, there are great deals all around during the Potato Bar!

Here is the official Potato Bar ad:

Once the bar is closed these products will go away forever – well, maybe not forever but they won’t be this price ever again! By the way, if you are new to digi scrapping this is a perfect opportunity to build up your supply of digi products and get a feel for the different designers.  If you are a veteran scrapper, here is your chance to try out some of the new designers at Polka Dot Potato – one of the best digital scrapbook stores around!

I have a friend who is really on top of picture taking and scrapbooking. Every year she takes pictures of family parties, events and general everyday living then she puts it all together in a book at the end of the year. Okay, so this just sounds like the scrapbooking we all do right? Well, she takes it a step further and makes it more like family history keeping! She creates a spiral bound, 8.5 x 11 book for every member of her family. In this book there are several pages for each family member and their pursuits throughout the year. She also includes family vacations, get togethers and just fun stuff. I have to tell you that this friend is the party queen and she hosts fabulous event parties for Easter, Mother’s Day, etc. She includes the invitations and pictures of these events. Is there any better way to remember the year and create a wonderful history for posterity at the same time?

Here are some tips to create your own yearbook. First of all – take lots of pictures! You can’t have a quality yearbook unless you have great photos to put in it. Don’t just take pictures of the stuff you think is important. Take pictures of everyday events – Mom cooking dinner, Dad mowing the lawn, the family playing the Wii. It is the everyday events that make memories and these things will endear you to your future posterity. Think about it, isn’t it the stories of everyday life that you enjoy most about your ancestors? Make sure you take notes and record the who, what, why, where, etc. No one likes to look though a scrapbook and play guess who!

Next, to avoid an overwhelming task at the end of the year scrap the pages throughout the year. If you stay on top of it, you will remember the details of the events and you will have less stress at the end of the year. You will just need to print, bind and wrap! A ready made gift that you have created with love all year long.

When printing your book you can rely on professional printers to create a beautifully bound book. Or you can print it yourself using a high quality printer (I like HP Photosmart printers, but everyone has their favorites!). Make sure you use good quality paper like the Epson Double Sided Photo Paper. This paper is high quality, shows the colors brilliantly, and since it is matte you won’t have a glare.

NOTE – Anything you print with an inkjet printer is not waterproof so if it gets wet you will get smears. To prevent this, put your pages in sheet protectors or treat it with Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant. This is a spray that will create a water and fade proof barrier on your inkjet printed photos. Just to test, I printed scrapbook page on the Epson paper and then sprayed them with Preserve-It. I then ran the page under a faucet and it didn’t run or smear. Of course you would never put a photo under running water, but I was a skeptic so I had to test it!

Start now to create a wonderful keepsake for your family and friends. Not only will you be giving them a wonderful gift of memories, you will be creating an invaluable history of your family.

Here it is, a brand new year. Have you made your resolutions yet? It seems we like to start the year resolving to eat better, exercise more, and be budget wise. But what are your scrapbook goals? Now, don’t laugh – I am serious! Do you have any scrapbook goals for 2010?

If you haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions that have the word ‘scrapbook’ in them, let me help you. The number one thing you should resolve to do this year is take more pictures!. Keep a small camera with you all the time, because you never know when the perfect shot will happen. There are wonderful compact cameras on the market that take excellent photos. So even though you might prefer to take pictures with your ‘nice’ camera, you will find that having a purse camera is very handy!

Next, get the pictures off the camera! So now that you have taken all these great photos, where are they? If you are like a lot of people they are still sitting on your memory card – in the camera. Upload the photos to your computer and then back them up. It is a good idea to have at least to back up copies of your photos and scrapbook pages. You never know when you might have hard drive failure.

Make a scrapbook plan. Set a goal for scrapbooking so many times per month, or finishing so many pages. Make it a realistic goal that you will be able to attain – we want success, not failure! One idea for the new year is to create a ‘year in review’ book. Start now and take photos and create a layout each month. At the end of the year you have a fun book that has all the highlights of the previous month. This type of book makes a great gift for grandparents too!

Make a photo book. Another fun gift for almost anyone is a professionally bound photo book. These books become treasured keepsakes and look wonderful – just like something you would pick up at a bookstore, but it is all about your family!  Learn how to make a photo book today!

Print your pages. As you finish your layouts – print them! Everyone loves to flip through a scrapbook and relive memories. Sure, you can look at the layouts on your computers, but having them in a book you can hold is wonderful. Polka Dot Potato does wonderful scrapbook printing, any size including 12×12. Their prices are great and the quality is fabulous!

Sit down and write your scrapbook goals for the coming year. When you get to next December you will be glad you did!

It is that time of year again, the sights, the smells, and the shopping! It is so exciting when you find the perfect gift for someone – you know when you have it. You can’t wait until they open it because you just know they are going to love it! But what do you get that person who has everything?  How about a digital photo book? These are great to give grandparents because they LOVE to show off their grandkids!

Here are some ideas to create the best photo book gift.  If you want to drop photos into a pre-made template and have it bound into a book, you can visit one of the many different online printing services like Tiny Prints. If you order a book through them by December 10 you get free shipping. Online photo printing services offer lots of options for your book – different sizes, page styles, etc. You can create a personal photo book very easily. Many online sites also allow you to upload scrapbook pages you have created and print them into a book.

Another idea is to create a fun book of the years events by using quick pages. Quick pages allow you to put your photos into pre-made scrapbook pages. These pages are darling and so easy to use. This is one of my favorites:
This quick page is created using the Adorable Leonardo – Quick Pages by Nandinha Menezes. This quick page set includes 10 8×8 quick pages and is available at Polka Dot Potato.

You can also use scrapbook pages you have created throughout the year and print them as 8×8 pages instead of 12×12. You can print your own with great results! I print my 8×8 pages on my HP Photosmart Printer with fabulous results! you will want to print on a good quality matte paper. I use Epson Matte Photo Paper (I buy it in bulk!). You will get a velvety smooth print with vibrant color. I like using matte paper when I am putting the pages in sheet protectors, I guess I don’t want a double does of gloss! Plus, I really like the way photos look after being printed on the Epson Matte paper – gorgeous!

If you want to make sure the ink doesn’t run, spray your print with Krylon Preserve-It Digital Photo & Paper Protectant when the print is dry. I gave this spray the test – after spraying a page and letting the spray dry, I ran it under water just to see if the ink would run. It passed! The page stayed perfectly printed – of course I wouldn’t recommend running your scrapbook pages under a faucet, but at least you know your prints will be safe from water drops! The Krylon Preserve-It spray comes in a matte finish or a gloss finish. This spray is good for protecting all your inkjet printed photos!

There are many different options for creating digital photo books for gifts. What is most important is you are giving a gift you created yourself – that is far better than anything you can buy at the store!

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