Why do I love getting these so much? I guess I wouldn’t be selling the product if I didn’t love it. I’m assuming I’m not alone – our enthusiasm for our products sometimes gets us in trouble, making us Pushy Direct Sellers.

But then again, it may simply be the childish delight in opening a package

Do you love getting something new?

This year’s Queen of Completion goes to Sarah J.

Q: You were Queen of Attendance last year, this year you are Queen of Pages-Congratulations on your commitment to getting your family’s memories chronicled.

Q: What makes you keep going?
A: Well, I keep taking photos so I have to do something with them! I’m not one to let my photos sit in a box or on my computer.  I love to create albums; seeing the photos in an album helps me experience it again!  I usually have several albums going: I have a school days album for each boy (2 are finished); Christmas album which I add to each year; a yearly album with regular occasions (small trips, birthdays, sports, etc); and then special albums for longer trips.

Q: You are known for your quick and easy style – what tip(s) can you give someone who wants to get started?
A: I organize my photos first then pick out a color palette I like. It is much faster and easier to have one pallet for the whole album. Just add some stickers, journal boxes or borders for style.

Q: You mostly do traditional paper scrapbooking, but have dabbled in digital scrapbooking. Which do you prefer?
A: I prefer traditional scrapbooking, I had a hard time using the computer to layout the pages and paper to match. The one album I made by computer I kept changing it.   I can just do it so much faster by hand but I suppose if I committed to computer I might get faster at it.  I keep purchasing traditional materials so it is hard to switch over.

Q: You are a fixture at Weekend Scrapbooking Retreats – what do you like about them?
A: I don’t get to my scrapbooking at home (see below).  I love to be able to work on the albums all weekend and not have to clean up after just a few hours.  I love to be able to go to bed when I’m tired and then wake up and start fresh. Everything is laid out ready to go. I also love the camaraderie of Camp Hammer; I have made several dear friends at Camp whom I never (rarely) see anywhere else.  While we scrapbook we catch up on each others lives.

Q: You work as a busy Middle School Teacher, Mom of 3, how do you still find time to work on your photo albums?
A: Well, being a teacher we get definite breaks or vacations and I usually plan a trip for the breaks, I always bring my camera and take way too many photos of our trips!

How would you like to be rewarded for being a good customer?

Here’s a short video showcasing my excitement as well as the new album!

I cannot stress how gorgeous this album is – the leather is so luxurious and perfect for this special trip.

What event or life moments would you put in a leather photo album?

Lollipop

You might not realize that digital scrapbooking software isn’t only for scrapbooking. I use it for all kinds of creative endeavors including making fine stationery cards.

One of the things I do in the course of my business is donate products/services for raffle prizes. I recently donated a set of 5×7 cards and up to 2 hours of my time to create them. The winner at a recent DSWA meeting, Kristy Rogers of KristyRogersConnects was ecstatic to win – that’s her super cute doggie, Lollipop.

Since I was making this card anyway, I thought why not show you how in this Digital Scrapbooking Software Tutorial:

What image or images would you put on your cards?

For 2013, Maryanne P. holds the title of Queen of Attendance (don’t you just love her dimples!) She graciously answered the following questions for me…

Q: When did you start scrapbooking?
A: I started about 4 years ago.

Q: Why do you make albums?
A: I like to make albums because I want to be able to look at my pictures without searching through piles and boxes to find what I want. I also want to have a record of events, trips and important people for my kids.

Q: Is it easy for you?
A: It is relatively easy for me to create a scrapbook. Sometimes it is time consuming.

Q: What is your favorite part about scrapbooking?
A: My favorite part is going through an album from cover to cover when I am finished creating it.  I also like the creative process.

Q: You are known for your decorative style and good sense of color. Is this something that comes naturally to you or something you learned somewhere?
A: Thank you for the compliment. I think it comes naturally to me.  I have taken art classes and needlework classes over the years.  I was a design drafter for 10 years after college.  I have been a florist, as well.  I am currently taking watercolor classes.

Q: Were you surprised that you were Queen?
A: I was surprised.  I don’t attend events with the notion that I have to be the queen of anything.

Q: What do you like about going to scrapbooking events?
A: I go to events to learn and share new ideas.  I go to see people I don’t get to see very often.  I go to spend uninterrupted (accept the bell for meals) time getting my work done. (The bell she is referring to is at my Weekend Scrapbook Retreats in Boulder Creek.)

Q: How does it feel to be the Queen?
A: It doesn’t feel any different than usual, except I get a cool t-shirt. (Cool T-shirt is something I design with digital scrapbooking software and award to the Queen.)

What is an example of good customer service that your have received or given?

Rats in the Wall?

I never tire of saying it: “Life Belongs in a Photo Album.” Of course, you will find this chronicled in my family scrapbook.

It all started with some water damage…isn’t home ownership fun?! We purchased this house new about 14 years ago and didn’t pay for many upgrades at that time. All the bathrooms are/were pretty “vanilla.” Truthfully, I expected that we would jazz it up at some point (I’m not sure my husband had that expectation…)

So, leaky shower pan wreaking havoc in two different spots meant we could spend money repairing or re-do it in a much more pleasing fashion  (+ the finish on cabinets was coming off, they were not made well, there was tile damage here and there…yeah, I’m trying to sell you on the idea) – it needed to be re-done.

My husband decided to use the damage as a chance to “mess with me” due to my fear of rats entering our home (come to think of it, that is more his than mine…)

I chose to digital scrapbook pages of the remodel in a very clean, simple format, so that the pictures would be the focus. It is the same formula I use when creating Professional Success Portfolios for businesses.

What happened in your life last year that should find its way into a photo album?

Every once in a while that question still comes up. The answer is simply, “No.” A legitimate direct sales business allows for making income on the sales of products AND possibly on people that you sponsor, or recruit. This is where some confusion might come about.

The fact is that if it were a pyramid, then no one could make more money than the person at the top, whereas, it is possible to recruit someone who moves higher in the career plan AND makes more money than me. It is against the law to operate an “Illegal Pyramid.”

To prevent falling prey to an illegal operation, I’d investigate the Company’s compensation plan and I prefer being part of a company that is a member of the Direct Selling Association.

What is your impression of Direct Sales Businesses?

Here is a glimpse at the photo organizing software I used to help me lay out this album:

If you already have a bunch of 4×6 prints, here is a tip to help you lay out photos. Use an assembly line technique: group photos that you would like to put together on a page, don’t worry if you have too many or not enough at this point. Just stack them on the page(s) you want them to go until you have gone through them all and/or get to the end of the album. Then go back through and adjust: remove some if there are too many (often we have more than enough to tell the story,) if you don’t have enough you can fill the blank spaces with colorful paper AND don’t forget to leave some blank slots so that you can journal.

Can you see yourself using a pocket-style photo album? Would you give one as a gift?

Are you published?

In a past post I shared the concept of using digital scrapbook software for Publishing Literature or Artwork in a Photobook. Since my daughter just finished a second collection of her lyrics/poetry, I thought I’d take a moment to share how you might do that…

The first method – works for written work or perhaps, computer graphic art – is to create the work within the software you are using to format the photobook.

The second method might be faster if you or the artist in your life has already created the physical work and/or the art is dimensional. You photograph or scan the original work, then use the resulting digital files to create the photobook. You can see how this method is necessary for hand drawing, painting, sculpting, jewelry-making, etc…

For the writer, who originally scribbles, jots or neatly prints her creations on paper (or a napkin or back of a receipt), this method gives you more than just a published book – it provides some history, some reality – part of the “Life Belongs in a Photo Album” that I frequently talk about. Including photos, illustrations and/or embellishments can enrich the book.

My daughter prefers her words “naked” on the page, only “embellishing” with the font in the titles. Heck, I could barely get her to put her picture in an “author” page…sigh…

Anyway, just to make this more visual, here is a video that might help:

What would you publish?

Turn Lemons into Lemonade?

I got a million of ‘em…old phrases, I mean. “Turning Lemons into Lemonade” is one of them I love, kind of like “Play the Hand your Dealt.” When you are in Direct Sales or own a Small Business you can get side-tracked easily and let little mishaps derail you. What if you turn it around and let the so-called problems inspire action instead of reaction? Watch as I share my recent experience of How I Turned Lemons into Lemonade:

It’s not like I don’t get upset or derailed from time-to-time, but one thing I’ve learned with experience is that things happen and you can get upset and waste time whining and lamenting, but that accomplishes nothing, might as well see how you can re-group and move on – you might even find that something better develops.

How do you deal with “Bumps in the Road?” (Yeah, I did it…threw another one in there.)