Debbe's Digital Fans

The Perfect Blend for a Wedding...

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:19:00 +0000

Looking for unique wedding favors that will make you wedding memorable? These will certainly do the trick! Have the happy couple select their favorite brands and flavors of tea, and then slip an individual bag into each of these perfectly decorated pouches! Place them on the guests' tables for them to enjoy!

Wedding Tears of Joy...

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:03:00 +0000

Who doesn't cry at weddings? With these adorably decorated tissue covers you simply adhere to the front of the pocket tissue packages and hand out to your guests as they walk in. They will help keep their eyes dry and be a keepsake for them and their scrapbook for years! These were created using the Tie the Knott Additions and StoryBook Creator Plus Software.

Wedding Favors!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Love blooms...

And your wedding guests will get to see that for years to come with these wedding favors! Simply buy your favorite packets of flowers, and adhere these label covers to the front. These beautiful personalized covers have the name, date, and wedding party information, and inside are the seeds for your guests to plant in their garden. Every time they see the beautiful flowers in their garden they will be reminded of your special day!

Wedding Save the Date and Advice to the Bride Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:24:00 +0000

More Wedding and Formal Party ideas!

Below are personalized save the date cards and advice for the bride. Why pay an invitation company when designing your own is simple, fast, and easy! Custom design your invitations, RSVP cards, and more! Using the Save the Date Additions and StoryBook Creator Plus Software! These are just a few examples; the possibilities are endless. Matching you party or wedding colors and theme will never be easier!

Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Looking for solutions for those digital and printed photos that are hanging around, making you feel guilty?
Check this out!

Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Looking for solutions for those digital and printed photos that are hanging around, making you feel guilty?
Check this out!

Wedding Champagne Bottle Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 22:08:00 +0000

You have everything for you wedding decorated in your colors; from the flowers to the place settings... why not the Champagne Bottles? By adding your colors, the name of the happy couple, and even a personal photo, you add that personal touch to everything at your wedding! Below are some examples of labels made using StoryBook Creator Plus Software. Simply print onto sticker paper, cut, and cover origional label!

Wedding Chocolate Bar Wrappers

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Love is sweet... and so are these Candy Bar Wrappers made with StoryBook Creator Plus! Create, design, personalize and print! The simply cut out and adhere around your favorite chocolate bar using a Tape Runner. Adding names, date, and photos of the happy couple will add an extra personalized touch. The examples below were based on a standard Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar.

Wedding Kisses

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:44:00 +0000

Chocolate Kiss candies are delicious and arealy come in a variety of pretty metalic wrapping. But can they be personalized... Of Course! Using StoryBook Creator Plus Software, the circles were designed and personalized below. And then using the medium Circle Maker Punch, and a Tape Runner, these circles are complete and ready to adhere to the bottom of your Kisses for a peronalization for your wedding or any occasion!

Wedding Votive Candle Labels

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:32:00 +0000

Below are some pretty ideas for wedding candle votives. SImply design using StoryBook Creator Plus Software, print on sticker paper, and place on votive candles at the reception. These can also be designed for anniversaries, birthdays, and parties!

Miniature Wedding Candy Wrappers

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:06:00 +0000

These Candy Bar wrappers were a Christmas Ideas from Creative memories; but I adapted it for wedding candy favors! I used the same template with StoryBook Creator Plus, and just changed all the elements to wedding designed! Simple, fast, and low cost idea for any wedding, anniversary, or party!

Wedding Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:58:00 +0000

These Pillow Gift Boxes below were made with StoryBook Creator Plus Software and Save the Date Wedding Additions. This and many more wonderful ideas are always located at Creative Memories

More Binder ideas!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Here are some more examples of great ideas for binders and a great Mother's Day gift idea... makeing a family cookbook! These pages were done uisng the Recipe Book Digital Kit and 8-1/2x11" pages. Also, an example of a title page that can be created for each section. Use these ideas to create wonderful gifts or to personalize your binders!

Personalize your Binders!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:06:00 +0000

These creative ideas came from personalizing the cover of a craft album. Why should the front of your craft books be any less creative than the ideas inside? This cover and table of contents page were made using an 8-1/2x11" page and the Delight Shopper Diva Digital PP Additions. Personalize with the different chapters in your book to make finding your ideas more convienient!

StoryBook Creator Business Ideas!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:51:00 +0000

StoryBook Creator Plus software is not only for Digital scrapbooking and page prints. There are endless possibilities for everyone! This is a great idea of how SBC can help with your business needs! Thank you cards can be created using the 4x6 page print option and add your business information and the personal thanks you want to give to your customers. Then have them printed locally, or for extra savings and great print quality use CM Photo Center and have then shipped directly to your door!
Another great option in StoryBook Creator is creating wonderfully personalized fliers using the page prints in 8 1/2x11". Create a new page, add your business information, any specials you are having or services you offer, print and hand out to your customers. You can even change these flyers for the season or special occasions as you need! The possibilities for this wonderful software truely are endless!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Special thank to Dr. Mark Mizen at Creative Memories Blog for the following information!
In May, Creative Memories is introducing several new Photo Panel sizes, including 8x8, 11x8.5, and 12x12. These sizes, which align with traditional scrapbook page sizes, allow customers to display completed pages on their tables, desks, and walls. After all, the value of a single photograph is in the completed page, which includes journaling, embellishments and other memorabilia. Unlike a single photograph, the completed page tells a story.

Photo Panels use dye sublimation to transfer color from a printed sheet to a high-gloss receptor. These panels have a strong visual impact and call attention to the printed page. Photo panels resist abrasion, stains, and fade. Like traditional photographs, photo panels can be expected to last 10-20 years under typical home display conditions before noticeable color change.

With this change, we are introducing an improved color management system designed to better maintain color consistency. We have also reduced in-house processing time to 1-3 days and improved product packaging.

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:37:00 +0000

The newest issue of the Creative Memories Newsletter is available! To view all the wonderful new ideas and products and subscribe, please click: CM Newsletter

Check out these little peepers!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:09:00 +0000

If you collect our digital freebies... or even if you don't... these little guys are a MUST have. These adorable little baby chicks are perfect for Easter and spring projects. I love 'em and can't wait to use 'em! As one little 7-year-old said, "These are the cutest things I ever saw.". Well, they are the cutest things I ever saw too.

Go get em on the Digital Project Center - you'll find all kinds of free stuff there - something new every day. Have fun, and happy creating!

PEEP PEEP

Polaroid Film Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:33:00 +0000

Just when you though it was safe to write Polaroid film off to the annals of history, The Impossible Project has reintroduced film for Polaroid cameras. At this time, the Impossible Project only produces black and white film, which is far easier to make than color film. Film is $21.00 a pack.

So, dig through your closets and attics, find your old Polaroid camera, and renter the world of analog photography. Rediscover the joy of not knowing what your photo looks like until you see your final print.

Will this new film find a market? I don't know, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has used it.

Recovering Deleted Pages in SBCPlus3.0

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:16:00 +0000

Did you know that if you accidentally delete a page, all is not lost?!

On the Home Ribbon, in the Pages Section, there is a button labelled “Recover Page”. If you click on it, a dialogue box pops up. Thumbnail images of your deleted pages are visible. If you click on one of the thumbnails you will see a lager preview image of the page.

Simply click “Recover” and the page will be returned to the StoryBook. It will be located at the end of the book, just drag it to the desired location in the Pages panel.

Recover Deleted Pages with a Click
Speaking of rearranging pages – when you have lots of pages to arrange, try enlarging the pages panel viewing area – it makes it much easier. If you hover your cursor over the gap between the pages panel and the main editing screen, you will notice that the arrow turns into a bar with little arrows pointing to the left & right. If you click & drag to the left, your pages panel will enlarge so that you can see the whole book at once. (You can also see photos & content better this way too).

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:17:00 +0000

Keep it Simple!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Have you seen our newest product catalog yet? It just officially released yesterday. I’m very excited about it, in large part because the general theme is a subject very dear to me: keeping it simple.

Many of you know I have a shared passion for both storytelling and keeping album-making simple. To me, keeping it simple is one of the most important messages we have to share and one of the most impactful ways we can help you.

But why is keeping it simple so important? Because storytelling is even more important.

In my experience, most of us just don’t have the luxury of spending hours and hours with our photos. We need to move quickly. At the same time though, being creative -– producing something beautiful -– is important to many people. So it’s my hope that every precious minute we can save you in the design and page layout processes is a minute that might go toward more thoughtfully telling the stories that lie behind your photos.

That’s why we offer solutions like our Quick Kits for really fast traditional albums. It’s why our Power® Palette System groups all the papers and enhancements you need into one color-coordinated group.

For me, creating digital photo books helps to keep it simple. I can drag and drop my pictures into Predesigned Pages, type my stories and I’m done! So many paralyzing decisions have been eliminated so I can concentrate on the stories I want to tell.

You can even find ways to keep your journaling simple, if that’s what’s holding you back. Maybe “keeping it simple” for you means bullet journaling instead of paragraphs. Or maybe for you it means typing your stories rather than hand writing them.

Many people have found our Ten Questions idea book a helpful way of keeping their storytelling simple. Lots of times, deciding what to write is the hardest step. So having 10 simple questions to answer can be just the solution you need.

Get in touch with your Creative Memories Consultant today and get a look at this new product catalog and all the great solutions it contains. Then get started using some of them to celebrate some stories. That’s why we make them!

Lots of Copies keep Stuff safe!!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:21:00 +0000

[This posting is based on a presentation given at the Canadian Showcase in Calgary on August 22, 2008; the information is still relevent today.]

I am glad to be here in Canada. You ask such interesting questions and are always interested in my boys, Ed and Noah.

The album page on the screen is from a test album I recently completed. I took the first two pages of ten different templates and randomly dropped in pictures of Ed and Noah. My goal was to test the printing of the templates. The most amazing thing was that my wife actually liked the resulting album when she saw it. It proved to her how easy it could be to create a StoryBook.
Digital. Is it going away? I think we all know the answer to that question is no. Digital no longer functions as a sideline to Creative Memories traditional albums. To start with, we developed StoryBook Creator to make life easy for you and your customers.
StoryBook Creator lets you build the book that you want, as simple as you want or as elaborate as you want. We are continually adding new products and new features.
We have improved our color management and modified the default colors in StoryBook Creator to ensure that your customers receive high quality books. We continue to monitor and adjust the production process to improve our StoryBooks.
On June 6, 2008 we sold 4,267 StoryBooks. Now, if only we could sell that many StoryBooks each day. Oh, I forgot, we can. It’s simply a matter of getting the word out that Creative Memories has the best digital products available.
Let’s look at our Hard Cover StoryBooks. The hard cover StoryBook with a personalized cover is the highest quality book available.
We have had StoryBooks in our accelerated aging chambers for over a year and the best estimate we have is that these books will last for 100 years or longer and even then, the StoryBook will show some yellowing but the memories will be intact.
Preservation remains important to many consumers, and Creative Memories is the expert on preservation. Quality is, in fact, more important now that digital photography is no longer a novelty.
Quality is not a given. We are seeing a greater number of low-quality books as the production of these books expands into low volume retail outlets. The corner camera store may be the expert on digital cameras or on photographic prints but it is clearly not the expert on producing photo books.
A high-quality StoryBook has a stitched binding and resists fade and abrasion. Books must use acid-free, buffered, and lignin-free paper. Creative Memories also test all books in high and low humidity to ensure that they will not warp under adverse conditions.
To highlight the difference in photo books, I am working with the International Organization for Standardization or ISO project to develop a photo book standard for long-term preservation. My goal is to develop a specification, much like ISO 18902, that we can use to differentiate our products from those of other manufacturers. Look for more details in the future.
By the way, one of the best ways to ensure that something will last is to produce multiple copies. This is the LOCKSS concept. Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe. LOCKSS was developed for libraries and institutions but the concept applies to everyone. With StoryBooks, it is as easy to create multiple copies as it is to create one.
Soft Cover Storybooks give us the ability to offer digital products at all price ranges. The printers used to produce the soft cover StoryBooks are the same printers we use for the hard cover books. By eliminating the binding we are able to lower the price, which makes it easy to give as a gift. The low price makes them absolutely affordable.
Creative Memories digital products consist of more than just StoryBooks – much more. Creative Memories also offers you and your customers the ability to put your files on CDs through the Creative Memories Digital Center. With this system, we are able to monitor the quality of the CD from the blank disc to the final preservation copy. Without quality control, you really don’t know how long your discs will last.
For My Memory Archive, we are offering silver and gold discs. Here is a clear summary of the differences. Both CDs are high quality and will last 100 years or more. It’s just that with the gold CDs you have a greater likelihood of being able to read your files at any given time. Think of the difference between sterling silver, which readily tarnishes, and gold jewelry, which remains brilliant. I have already told you which disc like.
Multiple CDs protect against catastrophic loss or damage. Floods and fires do not always happen to someone else. I recommend storing one copy of your photos at another location – at a friend or relative’s house or in a safety deposit box.
In the Technology Center, we also evaluate photo gifts. We test all photo gifts to ensure that they are safe and do not contain toxic metals, such as lead. This testing is particularly important since many of these products originate overseas, where safety regulations may be less stringent.
Because photo gifts are meant to be used, we also evaluate fade resistance. Even something as simple as a coffee cup represents your memories.
As you may be aware, Wall Prints are available in StoryBook Creator Plus. You have the same flexibility when designing your Wall Prints as you have with StoryBooks. You can also use the templates available on the Digital Center.
Wall Prints and Page Prints are produced on fade-resistant photographic paper. These prints will last 10-20 years before noticeable change. Think about the possibilities – one for the family room, one for the kids’ room, two for the grandparents, and one for the garage. Well maybe not the garage; but I think you get the point. The more copies you have of your photos, the more likely they are to be preserved.

Today’s quiz will be a closed book quiz, so please put away your handouts. You don’t really have to do that.

1. StoryBooks will last…
A. For one year.
B. Twenty years.
C. At least one hundred years but who’s counting.
D. Until the Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup.
The answer is C. Creative Memories 8 x 8, custom cover 8½ x 11, and 12 x 12 StoryBooks are designed for long-term preservation.

2. The soft cover StoryBook is…
A. Printed on inexpensive newsprint that will yellow over time.
B. Designed to be discarded after looking at it
C. An ideal, inexpensive gift.
D. Creative Memories answer to the New York Times bestseller list
The answer is C. The soft cover StoryBook is an ideal, inexpensive gift. These books are printed on the same system as the more expensive hard cover StoryBooks.

3. My Memory Archive Gold CDs will…
A. Tarnish and discolor over time.
B. Survive catastrophic loss or damage
C. Preserve digital photos for generations
D. Turn into silver when the clock strikes midnight.
The answer again is C. What a coincidence. Gold CDs represent one way to preserve digital photos for generations. We also recommend printed StoryBooks and traditional albums.

4. To preserve photos, Creative Memories recommends…
A. Multiple StoryBooks
B. Multiple CDs
C. Multiple Wall Prints
D. All of the above.
And the answer of course is D. All of the above.

Thank you.

Plan today... Safe for tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:18:00 +0000

The tip itself is very simple: Back up your data! Your photos don’t really exist until they exist in at least two places. Hard Drives fail. Optical Discs rot. Floppy Discs are tiny. So what do you do? You make sure that you have multiple copies of every single one of your important files. And you really should have one backup copy of all your important data that is quickly and easily accessible, and another copy that is stored at an off-site location that can’t be affected by the same flood, fire, or theft that could get the other two copies.

Hard Drives are cheap. If you just consider your backup drives as part of your photographic kit (just like the camera, lenses, and these days the computer too) then you will be in a much better place mentally when it comes to buying them. You need all of these things in order to successfully create, manipulate, and preserve your images. It’s just that simple.

How to Backup

This is the long part. I’m not going to tell you how to backup your photos and other important documents. That’s up to you. But I will tell you what I do, and why I do it. Unfortunately, because my system is so robust it is also quite complicated. And that takes a long time to describe…

I recognize that most people won’t even come close to doing what I do. But I hope you will do some of it, because (say it with me) “All Hard Drives Fail“. Even if you only do some of this it will be much more likely that your data is safe.

•First of all I keep the original copies of all of my important documents, data, and recent photos on my laptop. I would prefer to keep absolutely everything on my laptop, but laptop hard drives simply aren’t available that are big enough to do so; therefore, I can only keep my recent work on my laptop and older stuff must be stored elsewhere.
•My laptop and my desktop are connected via a network and I do automatic backups of all my important documents so that they are readily available on either machine. The frequency of these backups varies depending on the type of data.
The automatic backup is done using AJC Directory Synchronizer. This is a very powerful program that allows you to choose exactly what you want to backup and where you want it to go. It is easily scheduled via the Windows task manager so you can create multiple jobs with appropriate frequencies for each job. I have used many similar pieces of software over the years and I’m much happier with this one than I was with any of the others…

•I have 2 D-Link DNS-323 Network Attached Storage (NAS) cases that each contain 2 Hard Drives. One of the drives in each NAS contains my entire photography library (including the recent work from my laptop), which I can access directly over the network from either computer using Adobe Lightroom or Windows Explorer. The other drive in each NAS contains all of my other data and documents. I do an automatic backup every week to copy everything from the primary NAS to the secondary NAS. This backup syncs any additions, deletions, or changes to any files on the primary. I do this weekly because that provides a nice buffer in case I make a mistake on either of the computers and it gets propagated to the primary NAS before I catch it. I then have a few days to recover any necessary files from the secondary NAS.
•This next part may sound crazy to some of you, but it is actually the most important part of my backup strategy… I use a portable USB drive that contains another copy of absolutely everything, and I store this drive off-site. This protects me in case of fire, flood, or any other major disaster that would impact my house, and which could potentially destroy all of the other backup copies at the same time. I only update this drive every few weeks, so there is always some exposure to losing my most recent files, but I have years worth of work stored on this drive that will always be safe.
This drive can be stored at your workplace, at a friends house, in a safety deposit box, or even in your vehicle (as long as you don’t park it in the garage attached to your house!). The important part is that it must be an off-site backup, and therefore you have to get it out of your house. With this drive stored somewhere else, my absolute worst case is that I lose a few weeks worth of data.

Note that I even go to the extreme of taking my secondary NAS off-site prior to bringing in my external drive!

Note that if you have a relatively small amount of data, a system like this could easily be created by using 2 inexpensive USB Hard Drives. These are readily available for under $100 if you need 1TB or less. You could use one drive as your primary backup and the other as the off-site backup. In fact this is exactly what I did for a long time before my storage needs outpaced the USB drives that I had. One benefit of using the NAS cases is that they are directly connected to my gigabit ethernet network, and I really like the performance and speed that the NAS is capable of.

The beauty of this system is that it can be easily upgraded by replacing the portable hard drives as your storage needs get bigger. These drives get bigger, faster, and cheaper all the time. Depending on how much storage space you need, you may never have to do this. Or you might need to start off with a multi-bay NAS right off the bat if you already have lots of data and you don’t have a good backup system.

So even if you only get one backup drive, and even if you only backup your data every once in awhile, I hope you are doing something. Do whatever works for you! Feel free to drop me a line if you need some help setting up your backup system!

How to create a glittered embellishment in StoryBook Creator

noreply@blogger.com (Debbe Haley) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:44:00 +0000

A Special thanks to Debra Benbow for this great idea!

Add the item to be "glitterized" to your project. While clicked on the item, click on the "Format" tab. Next, click on "Surfaces". Choose the very first surface option, "Block". Slide the "Amplification" selector all the way to the right, to number 10. Leave the "Scale" selector at number 1. Click "Accept".

Repeat the above process again. In most cases, this will yield you a bling-ish enough glitter finish. If you would like more, do it again.

This flower is from the Delight Embellishment kit and the jewel if from Diva Bling Embellishments.