But digital scrapbooking...that I might be able to handle. Plus, I have thousands of digital pictures on my hard drive that I never look at or print that probably should be organized and shared with friends and family.
So when I was approached by My Memories to try its scrapbook software suite for free, I thought sure, why not. And I have to say, I found the program easy to figure out and use. There are lots of nice touches - easy ways to add a variety of backgrounds; options for adding realistic-looking ribbons, brads, and other little details on the page; background music if you so desire (not my thing, but maybe yours?); and more.
One thing I noted is that this program reminds me a bit of the kiosks at CVS or the websites out there that I've used to create photo books, but this has many, many more options from which to choose. Plus, saving a project locally, having all of my photos at hand without having to upload them or bring them somewhere, and being able to choose where to have the final product printed is great. Also it's not a giant pain in the butt like those kiosks can be. Ahem.
(I should note that on my four-year-old MacBook, the software sometimes ran slowly or gave me the pinwheel of doom for a few minutes, but when I closed out all other programs it ran more smoothly.)
Also, you could totally use this to make invitations or holiday cards or calendars or all sorts of other crafty things, and you can print them yourself or export them to have them printed wherever you want. You can also make DVDs (that's where the music comes in) and even export iPod-friendly files. Seriously, this is a pretty impressive program and I look forward to exploring it further. I may even make Hanukkah presents for the fam with it this year.
And look below - this was my first attempt without even reading the directions. (Yeah, that's what I do. Dive right in.) I had pictures from our vacation last week right at my fingertips, so it was easy. And yes, the text is placed deliberately to obscure and watermark my daughter's face because I don't usually share pictures of her here (but she's just so cute...):
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| Created with the My Memories Scrapbooking Software Suite |
A discount is nice, of course, but free is even better, right?
I was given two copies of the software. One was mine to keep (thank you, My Memories!), and the other is to give to a lucky blog reader. Woohoo, I love contests!
To enter the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software giveaway:
Mandatory entry: Go look around MyMemories.com and then come back and leave a comment telling me about your favorite digital kit or album template.
Optional entry: Tweet about the contest (once a day) and come back and comment with a link to your tweet. Here, look, I wrote it for you! "I just entered to win the @mymemoriessuite #scrapbook software from @marlatiara at http://aplacetowritethings.blogspot.com!"
Optional entry: Blog about the contest (once) and come back and comment three separate times with a link to your post.
Optional entry: Become a Facebook fan of My Memories and come back and let me know you did it. (once)
Optional entry: Follow My Memories on Twitter and come back and let me know you did it. (once)
The contest will end on September 30, 2011, and I'll use random.org to pick a winner. If you don't have a profile or something, MAKE SURE you put your email address in your comment so I have a way to find you!
And if you've come to my blog for the first time, I'd love it if you'd stick around. You don't have to - I don't want to make you stay, and you should know that I only do occasional giveaways and contests (when I really like the product!) and that this is more of a personal blog - but take a minute, if you would, to read my intro post and see if we'd click. I write about everything from thrifting and crafts to raising a daughter with cerebral palsy to reading to...well, a lot of brain dumping. If you like what you see, add me with Google or Networked Blogs or just come back and peek in once in a while. Thanks!
And does it need to be said that all opinions are mine mine mine mine and mine? If I hated it, I'd tell you. Trufax.
