Katie the Scrapbook Lady

Answering your questions & feel free to ask more

Between emails and blog comments, I end up receiving a lot of interesting questions about a wide variety of subjects. Here are a few that I thought would be fun to answer today:

 

SHOES

The other day when I posted some of my Instagram photos, Deb commented Love your shoes (the ones where you were on the ground). They look comfortable and like something I would wear.

Those shoes are my very favorite. They are Women's Merrell Encore Eclipse and I have them in both black and brown. They are so comfy! In fact, I wore them to CHA and all over Disneyland and my feet did not get sore. They are definitely my go-to shoes!

 

VINE

Another question from my Instagram post was about the new Twitter app called Vine. Sabrina asked “I loved seeing these photos of your family, thank you for sharing! Are you going to try out Vine? Its an app where you share 6 second videos with your followers!”

I always try to look at new apps and social media opportunities because I am always looking for new and exciting things to share on The Digi Show. As soon as I heard about Vine, I checked into it, but I’m not convinced yet. For some reason, sharing video feels more personal to me than sharing photos. Does anyone else feel this way? Plus, if I’m going to share video, it would probably be of something longer than 6 seconds.I’m also not a huge fan of having to watch everything in video these days. When I look up a news story, I would rather just read the details because I can easily skim and find what I want. I don’t like having to watch a video to find out all the details. My hubby loves videos though and is always watching different ones from news stations and social media. Finally, the biggest reason I’m leery still is the problem they have had with some p*rn. Here’s a link to a CNN article (and video of course!) about the problem.

I’m just not sure that Vine will be able to stay around. I certainly don’t see how they can compete with YouTube either. I have heard some of my Instagram buddies talk about how they are enjoying Vine for sharing fun little memories, but I’m just going to pass on this one.

 

FLEECE BLANKETS

Brenda had a question from my snuggly fleece blankets post. She asked “I'm assuming you sew before cutting and tying the fringe. Is that correct?” I realized that I didn’t make that very clear in the post so I’m glad she asked about it.

I lined up the front and back fabrics with each other and trimmed off excess with an olfa cutter. Then I sewed the stitching all the way around the blanket 4 inches in from the edge. Then I did the cutting and tying. It's an extra step, but I've been happier with the blankets that I've done this way. There are plenty of people who just don't sew them though.

 

HOW TO USE TEMPLATES

I get some occasional emails regarding how to use my templates. For someone who is brand new to digital or never used a layered template before, it all can be a bit intimidating. Here’s a question I received:

I received your email tis morning and love your template ideas.  The only problem is I don't know how to use it.  If I download it, what happens?  First, you need to know  that  I don't know how to digital scrapbook.  Do I have to trim all the picture "holes"?  Is it possible to get plastic templates?

My answer:

When you download the templates, you will need a program like Photoshop Elements to use them. They are layered files which basically means you slip your digital photos into the photo spaces and then you're done! You can also add some digital embellishments and papers if you want. I have a couple of great resources that I'm going to point you to that should really help:

• a whole section of tutorials at The Daily Digi on using templates
• Ali Edwards video of how to use layered templates
• Simple Scrapper video of how to use layered templates

 

 

 

I personally love to ask and answer questions – it’s how we all learn! If you have any other questions for me, feel free to leave them in the comments or send me an email. I still have a bunch of other reader questions that I plan to answer here soon, but they are ones that will take up an entire post so I haven’t gotten to them yet.

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a little Q&A today

It’s been awhile since I’ve answered questions here on my blog and since I’ve received some good ones lately, I thought it would be a good day for some Q&A!

 

About my December Daily/Project Life album -

amy said...

Katie, BEAUTIFUL!!!! I'm trying to do the same approach - a project life december daily, to see if i would really DO project life if I invested for 2012. How often are you printing your photos? I'm having a hard time because my home printer isn't ideal for printing photos (too expensive with the amount of ink that gets used), and I'm not making it to the store every day to print my photos. Because of this, I'm not getting very far. Your pages are inspiring me to keep trying! Thanks!

My response:

That's the hardest part about this project, picking up the photos. I really don't like crowds (or Costco for that matter) and I'm still trying to figure out how often I want to do that. I will go at least once a week for the next few weeks. I might also try their mail delivery option and see how long it takes.

 

 

Kate said...

Oooh, what a great combination of Project Life and December Daily! I shall look forward to seeing how this all comes together for you Katie! Are you printing the journaling cards yourself at home?

My response:

I am printing the journaling cards at home and some of them have photos on them (lowered opacity) so my printer is getting a workout. I normally don't like to do a lot of printing at home because ink is so expensive, but it's my best option for this project. I really don't like the look of home printed photos so I'm having those done at Costco. That's one of the reasons why I've lowered the opacity on the photos I am printing on the journaling cards, I like the way they look when they aren't trying to be vivid photographs.

 

In reference to my Memory Monday scan a note post

Sherrie M. said:

Wow Katie, never really thought to scan my memorabilia. How do you organize it all though once you scan them? Do you have a blog post that explains that? Thanks so much!

My response:

I generally file them by year along with my photos but you have helped me see that I should do a blog post about that! Thanks for the idea :)

 

In reference to my roundups (left on my September roundup post)

Stephanie F. said:

Katie, Where do you write down your round-up list? Do you make a scrapbook page out of it or do you just journal it in a notebook. I love the idea of the round-up I'm just not sure how/where to keep the information. Thanks.

My response:

I post them to my blog and tag them all with the word Roundup so I can easily find them. I've also used them for scrapbook pages in full format and also using bits and pieces here and there for journaling.

I also am teaching a 2 week workshop in January at Big Picture where I will go into A LOT of detail about how and why I do roundups. I’ll be sharing 10 new ways to use roundups. There will be 2 online chats where I can answer questions, a forum, and a gallery. There are also some free bonus templates included. The class is only $15 so if you want a really EASY way to keep track of your memories, I know you’ll love it!

 

In reference to upgrading to Photoshop Elements 10 part 1 and part 2

Sarah said:

I am totally excited about PSE 10...I'm working on PSE6!!! Text on a path! Yea!!! Rule of 3rds cropping!! YEAAA! Video effects!!! yipee! I see that you used Pioneer Woman styles...Did you have to re-install all your styles when you upgraded? Was it easy?

My response:

I did just re-install all the styles and actions I have been using and they work great in 10. Yay! I just used the same installation instructions I used for 8 and 9. Not hard at all, you just have to know where to copy the files to. Wendy has great instructions that she wrote up in pdf form for The Daily Digi. As far as styles go, I also just followed the same instructions I used for 8 and 9. I wrote a post about styles for The Daily Digi that you might want to refer to. It was all very easy, and it really didn’t take long at all!

Also, a side note – I reported in my review that I was a bit disappointed in the text on a path feature in PSE 10, but Steph reported on The Digi Show that she was able to do some cool things with it so I need to try it again. I’m putting that on my list of things to learn next year!

 

Thanks for all the nice comments and questions you all send me. It’s so much fun to interact with you through this blog!

 

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Teaching my Mom (and others) to digiscrap

My Mom was here last week for a visit and one of the things she put on her “want to do while in Utah” list was learn how to use a layered digital scrapbook template. She has done some digital scrapbook pages in the past, but she has always used the old Microsoft Digital Image program. It’s a great program, but it’s no longer available. It also does not allow you to use layered psd files. I’m always raving about how much I love templates, and I’ve been telling her for quite some time that she NEEDS to learn how to use them.

So, we had a little lesson and she found out that is is SUPER EASY to use templates. Want to see the cute page she made?

Template by Katie Pertiet.. Summer Reading kit by Jennifer Barrette. Picture of my Mom and my daughter. Page by Mother of a Scrapbook Lady. :)

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Now here’s the back story…

My Mom inherited my old laptop computer that I purchased back in 2006. It’s not the fastest machine anymore. For some reason there was a glitch in how PSE 7 was running on it. When I tried to use any of the supplies on the template, they only opened up as tiny images. There were some tense moments. I’m sure my Mom wondered how I could teach hundreds (actually thousands) of people how to digiscrap on the internet, yet I couldn’t teach her. It was very frustrating! So finally I let her use my laptop and it worked like a charm! She totally got it, and now she can’t wait to do more. Hooray!

She has a few friends who want to learn as well. She asked me to email her a list of links that she could share with them to get them started. I thought all of my blog friends would love to see the list also so here goes:

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Software -

• Download a free trial for 30 days for any Adobe program (great way to try before you buy)
• Learn how to use various software programs at The Daily Digi

 

 

Sources for free templates:

• Free templates with challenges on the Shabby Shoppe blog
• Some free templates in the freebies section at Designer Digitals (you must be registered as a user)
• Free templates on the Paislee Press blog
• Some free templates given away on The Daily Digi blog

 

Sources for free kits:

• The Shabby Princess – no one is as generous as she is with free kits and her designs are very high quality
• Some free kits in the freebies section at Designer Digitals (you must be registered as a user)
• Free digital scrapbook mini kits, templates, and other small items by signing up for The Daily Digi newsletter (Free)

 

Tutorials to help you with digital scrapbooking:

• Using layered templates from The Daily Digi 
• Finding  and using freebies from The Daily Digi 
• Adding drop shadows from The Daily Digi 
• Other great tutorials at from The Daily Digi
• Adobe has tutorials for each software program they offer

There are also tutorials and online classes that you can buy at some sites like:

• Jessica Sprague
• Debbie Hodge
• Big Picture Classes
• Renee Pearson

 Have fun digital scrapbooking!

Answering your questions and comments about photography

 A few questions about my photography:

What SLR are you using and lenses? I am trying hard to learn photography but don't have a lot of money for lenses...I want to take better pictures. – Jen

Photography can be a very expensive hobby! I use a Nikon D40 DSLR which is pretty much entry level in the DSLR market. I love it though, and I think it is a great camera.

I have 2 additional lenses:

• Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens – a great lens to have!
• Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR [Vibration Reduction] Zoom Nikkor Lens – I just bought this one in April and I haven’t done much with it yet because of my hand recovery issues. A photographer friend recommended this type of lens to me so I’m hoping it’s a good one.

I also use some inexpensive macro filters that I just LOVE! These little things are like magic. :) See my post on macro mania for some examples.

Next question:

May I ask what camera body and lens you usually use when out and about? I do carry my Canon SLR with me 365 days a year and take some pictures when we are at stores but I am still working on becoming more comfortable with it. Also how do you carry your camera? I got a small camera bag that doubles as my purse:) - April

 

I really haven’t gotten comfortable hauling around my Nikon yet. I need to find a better camera bag I guess so I will have to answer that portion of the question later on. For my out-and-about photography,  I love Sony Cyber-shot cameras. In fact, I just love my Cyber-shot all the time! I just slip my little Sony in my purse and take it everywhere I go.

Every single one of my Week in the Life photos were taken with my Sony point and shoot. I really believe it is not about the camera!

All of my Arizona pictures were taken with my little Sony as well.

I’d much rather take pictures with a camera that is easy to tote around when I’m out having fun on vacation.

One more question for today:

Can you teach me the best way(s) to go to black and white? What's the big secret behind it? Thank you, ViVre

I like the black and white filters in Microsoft Digital Image, but that’s a program that isn’t available anymore. I’m still playing around with how to get the best black and whites in lightroom so I will keep you posted when I figure that out. For now, the very best information I have seen about great black and white photos is on this post by Janet in The Daily Digi archives. 

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Thanks for the great questions so far! You might enjoy reading some of my photography related posts and tips for more information. Next week I’m going to be tackling the homeschool and point-systems (for kids) questions and comments. I think they will be really fun! :)

Answering your questions and comments about digital scrapbooking

I love reading your questions and comments! I try to reply to each of them in the comments section, but sometimes it takes me a while. I thought it would be fun to cover some of them here in blog posts since I bet most of you don’t go back and read each comment that is left here.

Here’s a sweet comment:

I loved your blog post on Ali's blog about using templates. I'd love to see more of your blog posts about different aspects of digi scrapping. I can't think of any specific questions, just that I remember your post on templates being one of the best posts I've read. – Adriana P.

Thanks so much Adriana! That was one of my favorite posts I have ever done and I’m very proud of it. :) These days I’m doing most of my posting about the digital scrapbooking process over at The Daily Digi. You can see a list of my TDD articles here.

You might also enjoy my Introduction to digital scrapbooking and several articles in my Scrapbooking Secrets category.

I’m working on several other digital scrapbooking related tutorials for The Daily Digi at this time, and I have a few other fun surprises coming your way so be sure to keep following this blog.

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A great question:

You digi scrap all the time - and you always have cool products on your pages. What's your digi budget each month that you can spend? I love buying digi supplies because you can reuse everything and I get instant gratification (as opposed to paper and ordering and waiting for that box). It makes it easier to justify to the hubby when I can reuse my stuff. Just wondering how much new stuff you buy each month - dollar wise and number/type of items that you buy. – Cathy

see  page credits here

Great question! I have a few little addictions in my life and digi-shopping is definitely one of them! I do get some of my digital scrapbook goodies for free because of my team assignments with The Daily Digi and Shabby Princess. I also do a small amount of work for Polka Dot Plum and sometimes receive a few free goodies from their store as well.  I do still spend a fair amount of money each month (I’ll show you in a minute) to buy digi stuff. I’m sure I buy way more than I need to, but I also feel like being a “Scrapbook Lady” who blogs about scrapbooking means that I need to have a good supply of materials to use. At least that’s how I justify it. LOL!

I’m very open about what I spend each month and I post all of my purchases to my twitter and facebook feeds. Those are all the things I buy. Sometimes I tweet and post about how new goodies from Shabby Princess are out, or the new Digi Files at The Daily Digi. Those are the things I get for free.

So I decided to look back through my pay pal records and see what I’ve spent so far on digital scrapbooking supplies in 2010. I averaged it out and came up with this number:

Average spending per month for digi supplies = $57.16

I have to admit that is higher than what I thought it would be. Considering that I’m getting quite a bit of free stuff on top of that, I’m a little embarrassed. LOL! However, I am using (and reusing) these supplies. I’m also spending way less than I used to as a paper scrapper. Maybe not too much different after I print out my pages though. I try to wait for sales at scrapbookpictures.com so I only pay about $1.50 layout. However - when I looked up the link to scrapbook pictures just now (I’m not an affiliate or anything) I just noticed they have 8x8s on sale for .89 each. Time to order!

It really is hard to know if digital scrapbooking is cheaper than paper or not.  It is way more convenient for me and when you factor in being able to reprint pages and use the same page in multiple albums, then digi surely wins.

Bottom line is – I spend at least $50.00 a month on digi supplies. I could cut back if needed. (Really, I can stop at anytime! ha ha!) It would be easy to get by on spending $5 a month to buy The Digi Files at The Daily Digi because then you get $30 worth of supplies each month. The funny thing is that is what I’m mostly using anyway each month. Silly Scrapbook Lady! On the other hand, digi shopping and scrapping are my passion and there are far worse (and more expensive) things to spend money on.

Be sure to see my article on The Daily Digi about Power Shopping and check out my list of digital scrapbooking stores.

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One more question for today:

I love your blog and subscribe to it so I can read it daily. After April 26, it didn't come through my google reader anymore. I thought you were taking a break but then after a couple of weeks decided I better check on you. And your life was going on without me! I tried unsubscribing then subscribing again but I just get an error screen. Do you have any idea what's going on? I hate to miss your daily posts! – Vickie

Sure enough, when I checked on this I could see that the feed was not working. This makes me so sad because I wonder how many of my readers think I gave up posting! I think I finally got it fixed so if you want to subscribe to the rss feed again, be sure to click here. Thanks so much for letting me know!