Getting Started with Studio J Part 2

I finished the second half of the tutorial tonight!  I think I did a much better job with avoiding the "um"s, but there is one really long pause as my mind was searching for a word.  I really wanted to say "rotation thingy!"  I eventually settled on "rotation symbol"--still not the right word, but at least I didn't say thingy.  :-)

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Getting Started with Studio J Video Tutorial

My login video is a little long winded with an annoying clicking sound.  I think I figured out what that was and fixed it, but now I'm "um"ing all over the place!  I will get better at this with more practice!  This tutorial walks you through uploading photos, choosing a paper kit & pattern, coloring embellishments, and converting a photo well into a journaling box.  Now I'm going to record finishing up the layout!

Again, please let me know when you start playing around with Studio J.  I currently have one friend who is a member, but I would like to hear from more of you.  Send me your questions/needs and I'll work them in to future video tutorials.

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Sign Up for Studio J Online Scrapbooking...it's FREE!

Here is my first Studio J tutorial using Camtasia Studio.  There is an annoying clicking sound periodically; I promise to figure out what I was doing and will make it stop.  This tutorial simply shows you how to log in.  I'll start posting the good stuff tomorrow!  Please let me know when you create an account.  These tutorials will be so much easier to create if I feel like I'm talking to real people.  :-)

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Amazing Giveaway on Teresa Collins' Blog

Check out the amazing giveaway on Teresa Collins' blog!  You can enter as many times as you want.  The drawing takes place at midnight MST on Monday.  Good luck, everyone!

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Mockingjay and Scrapbooking

I finished Mockingjay, the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy, tonight and was reminded of the power of scrapbooking.  Here is a passage from the final chapter:

"I got the idea from our family’s plant book.  The place where we recorded those things you cannot trust to memory.  The page begins with the person’s picture.  A photo if we can find it.  If not, a sketch or painting...Then, in my most careful handwriting, come all the details it would be a crime to forget."

It’s all there!

I scrapbook to remember.  I scrapbook because I don’t want time to fade my memory.  If I don’t have a photo, I can draw an image or use memorabilia.  Heck, I can simply use words if that’s all I have.  I use my handwriting because it is a part of who I am, and that’s an important piece of my story.  It would be a crime to forget the people and little moments that make life worth living.  I scrapbook to remember.

The Hunger Games is a great series; I highly recommend it!

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My Favorite CTMH Product?

Close To My Heart is running a contest on Facebook asking us to blog about our favorite product.  Are they kidding me?  How can I choose a favorite?!  I love the My Acrylix stamps and have several favorites, but I couldn't choose only one.  I love the How-To books, but would have a tough time choosing the one that I like best.  CTMH has so many paper packs, embellishments, and My Creations products that make me giddy...they can't ask me to choose only one!  Don't even get me started on the 60 Exclusive Colors...oh, okay, Twilight is my favorite, but there are about 20 other colors that run a close second!

Okay, if I have to choose, I'm going to select the Workshops on the Go kits...talk about a perfect product!  Each kit includes a level 2 paper kit, an exclusive stamp set, embellishments, and a how-to guide.  It's everything I love in one coordinating packet...how awesome is that?!

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LOAD #7

The 2nd page to the layout I posted a couple days ago.  Pressed for time, so I'm glad I had this one started.

These photos were taken in Charlottesville, VA in July.  I was in DC for a CTMH event and had a week to kill back East before the Folger Shakespeare Library reunion the following weekend.  I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to visit the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA.  Well, it just so happened that Jan and Eric were at a conference in Charlottesville that same week!  Seriously, what are the odds!  They let me stay with them for a couple days, and we had a great time exploring the University and town.  I love spending time with them and am so glad we shared this experience.

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LOAD #6

The challenge was to create a filmstrip on the page.  I ran with prompt and created a layout that explains why I love photography.

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LOAD #5

Thank goodness for Studio J!  I would never be able to finish a layout a day without it.  Well, I guess I can't say never since I did complete LOAD 2008.  My point is that I wouldn't be able to finish it THIS month without Studio J.  The most time consuming part of this 1/2 of the layout was choosing the photos.  I'll add my journaling and the rest of the photos tomorrow.

Now I need to get to bed since I need to get up early to figure out a plan B for my Web Design class until we can get our web server set up.  We were eating up too much space on the school hard drive!

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LOAD #4

This layout has given me fits since the day I started it!  It was a WOTG that a club member selected, and I wasn't fond of the paper used in the sample.  I switched patterns and actually really liked the layout.  We were planning on spending Christmas 2008 with my mom in Boise, so I made this layout with specific photos in mind.  I was going to take a photo of the tree for the large focal point on the first page.  I was then going to take photos of the three couples and one of Katie and Kyle.  I had it all planned out and then our flight was canceled.  We were snowed in.  So, I went to plan B after building a snowman.  I had Neal take pictures of me playing in the snow; I even took a self-portrait with my snowman.  I uploaded my photos for printing, but they didn't print.  I tried printing them again but couldn't find them when I wanted to finish the layout.  After printing for a third time, I gave up...that was two years ago!  I ran across the photos last night and decided that it was time to finish this layout!  I almost had a fit when my journaling came out with uneven margins.  Yet, I'm so ready to be done with this that I pulled out a stamp set, stamped Merry and Bright a few times and am calling it good.  I will say that, even though this layout has been a bit of a curse, I absolutely LOVE this photo of Neal!

The journaling reads, "This wasn’t the Christmas we had planned.  Nature thwarted our trip to Boise to spend the holiday with my family.  Neal and I were at the airport when my mom called to say our flight had been cancelled.  I was so disappointed.  During our trek home, we debated driving but didn’t want to risk it.  In the end, we spent Christmas with Kit and Tanis.  Neal tried to salvage his plants, and I spent an afternoon building a snowman!  The snowman lasted for over a week.  He eventually melted and we had to go back to work, but we will always remember the winter we were snowed in!"

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