The world is made of glass

I had to take a photo - it’s so beautiful. Everything is covered in ice.

Update from Virginia

We’ve been here for a bout a week and a half. I’ve been busy running around looking at houses and learning about the different communities. I found a house I want to build, we just need to negotiate the price to where we want it. Chuck wants me to keep looking at existing homes, but I’m tired of looking!

Photo Book Memories is still for sale, I’ve had a couple of nibbles, so if you are interested, let me know.

The kids started school yesterday. It’s a lot different out here, but they both make friends quickly. We have an ice storm going on - the world looks like it’s made of glass… never had anything like it in Colorado.

Photo Book Memories is For Sale - Final Sale

With a big move pending, Photo Book Memories is for sale. The price is $10K. You get a very cool logo, professionally designed website and domain names, great SEO rankings, over 5K unique visitors per month and all of my customers. Please send serious inquiries to melissa@photobookmemories.com.

Check out the whole package - PhotoBookMemories.com

Photoshop Elements on Sale

I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements to all people considering digital scrapbooking and I also highly recommend Linda Sattgast at Scrappersguide.com and her awesome training DVDs. Now you can get them both, together on sale!

Go to www.Costco.com and type “Photoshop Elements 7″ in the Search box at the top of the page. Remember, the sale price of $49.99 will only last until December 7, 2008!

Non-Costco members can also order but will have to pay $2.50 more (5 percent additional).

Moving to northern Virginia

A lot has been happening over here. I was looking for a corporate job - wanted to make some money. All was well until the bailout - then it all went down the crapper. DH wants to be close to his family out in northern VA, so we are moving out there. That means Photo Book Memories will probably be no more - I won’t be able to print or make books out there, since my sources are here in CO. I can still do custom work, but I think I want a “real” job.

We are packing everything up here in CO, going to leave it all in the house and go stay with the in-laws for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks we will have found a new house and will move out there permanently, renting the house in CO or we will decided there is too much traffic, we don’t like the weather, etc. and come back to CO - most likely buying a new house. I want an upgrade either way.

Wish me luck! I’ll keep you all posted.

Disney Photo Book Designs

I have uploaded my new Disney pages! I’ll be picking up my books from the bindery today. I made one for myself and one for my in-laws from our trip in Jan. Check out the new image gallery with the previews and let me know if you like them! These pages are available for custom books - if you have Disney photos laying around, send them to me and I’ll make you a book!

Custom Designed Digital Scrapbook Pages

Choose the More Disney Gallery

12″ x 12″ Digital Scrapbook Prints Sale

Early Bird Holiday Sale!

How cool would it be to have your Christmas shopping finished by October? Give a gift that they will cherish - a digital scrapbook!

I made my in-laws a book of our Disney trip we all took together in January of this year. Then, I got inspired to do pages of all of the times we have been together. I’ve been working on my own personal pages from 2006 forward (I’m caught up before that). So, I gathered the pages from our visits that were finished and created pages from visits that hadn’t been done, yet. Now, my personal pages are more complete and I have over 50 pages for my inlaws to start their own scrapbook.

I’m running this sale to give you an opportunity to make multiple copies of your pages to give as gifts. But, you have to act fast! I must receive your order, paid in full, by September 30, 2008.

Drum Roll please…

75 12″ x 12″ Digital Scrapbook Prints for $100

That’s $1.33 per page. Additional pages are $1.50 per page. Min. order of $100, no matter how many pages (even if you have less than 75, it’s still a bargain). Shipping is based on weight, see our normal pricing for shipping charges.

This Offer Expires September 30, 2008.

Tricky Selections Video

Tricky Selections

It’s not always easy to make complex selections in your Photoshop images, but in this tutorial, trainer Geoff Riggs will show you one very effective way to use the highlights in an image to make a selection in order to alter an image.

Notes on an Unhurried Journey

This moves me so much, I have to share it.

When we adults think of children there is a simple truth, which we ignore: childhood is not preparation for life, childhood is life. A child isn’t getting ready to live, a child is living. The child is constastantly confronted with the nagging question, “What are you going to be”? Courageous would be the youngster who, looking the adult squarely in the face, would say, “I’m not going to be anything; I already am.” We adults would be shocked by such an insolent remark for we have forgotten, if indeed we ever knew, that a child is an active participating and contributing member of society from the time he is born. Childhood isn’t a time when he is molded into a human who will then live life; his is a human who is living life. No child will miss the zest and joy of living unless these are denied him by adults who have convinced themselves that childhood is a period of preparation.

How much heartache we would save ourselves if we would recognize the child as a partner with adults in the process of living, rather than always viewing him as an apprentice. How much we would teach each other… adults with the experience and children with the freshness. How full both our lives could be. A little child may not lead us, but at least we ought to discuss the trip with him, for after all, life is his and her journey, too.

– Professor T. Ripaldi

Collaborating on Family Scrapbooks

Summer is a time when family members get together and want to make heritage and anniversary books together. It can be a daunting task to figure out how to do that, especially with miles and miles between each other. I use a great tool called Basecamp with my customers. It has all the features I need to post images and allow my customers to provide comments and feedback. They can also upload any files they want to add.

Basecamp is flexible and will fit your needs. There is a free plan, the personal plan is $12 per month, basic is $24 per month, and they have more plans for larger companies. The Free plan should work for most people seeking a solution to create together. There is no contract, so if you need to upgrade, you can for just one month or several months.

If you have any questions about working on a project like these, please post it in the comments and I’ll share what I know. I’ve worked on many of these projects and helped many families create beautiful heirloom books.