And So I Don't Forget...

Friday Faves

Source: Persnickety Prints - a freebie

Today I thought I'd share a few sites I've enjoyed recently. Some are old favourites and some I've just discovered. 

• Stacy Julian has influenced my philosophy and thinking on scrapbooking, probably more than any other person. (Well, maybe tied with Ali Edwards.) I have started watching her Photo Freedom videos on The Craft Channel and her guilt-free attitude and personality are so much fun. Among the videos is Scrapbooking by Color, explaining her system for organising by colour, and Scrapbooking Us, looking at personality pages and documenting relationships. 
• I love the Paperclipping Roundtable podcasts. They are funny and casual and make me feel a part of the scrapbooking 'in crowd'. :) As an added bonus, I learn new things and consider topics such as Scrapbook Procrastination. 
• One site I have been finding inspiring recently is One Story Down. They post great collections of images and layouts, like this confetti theme, as well as showcasing new-to-me scrapbooker and offering freebies for download.
• I have used Persnickety Prints for printing photos in the past but I have just discovered their blog. It is quite an eclectic mix of posts about photography, printing, creative ideas and more. And I can't forget, freebies like the journaling cards above. 

Friday Faves: Blog Posts

With the reflection, resolutions and planning that the New Year tends to bring, there are some great blog posts being written at the moment. Here are a few favourites.

• Hello, 2012 by Peppermint Granberg talks about reconnecting with stories as opposed to completing projects.
• Lynette of Nettio Designs similarly reflects with 2012 Scrapbooking Resolutions: Busy vs Meaningful & 5 Wants for the New Year.
• Where Are You Going To Be? by Karen Russell is a very real account of her finishing the Portland Triathalon.
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is in the middle of a creative spaces Organisation Week. Full of ideas, examples from guests as well as her own room and homework to complete, this is about real working, practical creative spaces. 
• Ali Edwards has started a new year-long newsletter series called 52 Creative Lifts, beginning with Week One: Creative Practice. (Here to subscribe.) 

Do you have a favourite post that has got you thinking recently? 

Hope you enjoy.

Friday Faves: Lightroom

About a month ago I started using Lightroom. Despite being an absolute beginner, I'm already really liking the program. The photos in this collage were altered with one click of the button - gotta love that!

I thought I'd share a couple of the Lightroom links I've found helpful.

1. It was this Desktop Yoda on Organisation post by Peppermint of One Little Bird that made me consider upgrading to Lightroom for my photo organisation. Previously I'd organised in folders by date and event but more and more that's not how I was searching for photos. 

2. Kayla Lamoreaux of Digiscrap101 has a great series of free video classes on Lightroom. They're very easy to understand and start with the basics like uploading and tagging.   

3. Presets are a way of applying many changes to a photo with just one click of a button. (Like Actions in Photoshop but better!) You can create them yourself or there are many free ones about. I've found some good ones in this list.

4. There are even more good presets here at Lightroom Killer Tips.

5. Matt also has a video on installing and organising presets as well many Q&A posts.

6. And finally, here is a great resource listing 100 fantastic features of Lightroom. I certainly don't know all that the program can do but already I'm amazed. They are so many personal preferences you can save and automate. Definitely makes life easier.

In case you can't tell, I'm a Lightroom fan. :) 

Friday Faves: Project Life

With all the recent buzz about Project Life, I couldn't resist joining in - kind of. :)

I have no intention of completing a year-long Project Life album but I think it will be fun to do the occassional week, or month, to a spread. I might even use the page protectors for some topics like 'Around my House' and 'What I Wore'. 

1. Along with a set of Design A Photo Pocket Pages, I bought these Grid Journaling Cards. They are a good price for 100 and I can see myself using them on a variety of projects.

2. Lisa Truesdell has a great Project Life How I Make it Work for Me post, looking at her process and workflow. Very informative and lots of hints. I also love her Project Life pages. :) 

3. A nice and easy how-to post by Paislee Press about printing on journaling cards. 

4. Marcy Penner is another of my Project Life faves. This week she is posting a series about her Project Life process, beginning with photos.  

5. The Project Life album by Liz of Paislee Press is quite simple and digital based. I love this one too! :) 

6. And I couldn't resist purchasing these journaling cards by Paislee Press. Woodgrain! They come with words and without, including a PDF file for easy printing.

Hope you enjoy.

Friday Faves

I enjoy reading Friday Faves on other blogs so I decided to join in too. Really, who can resist some good  alliteration? :)

With December Daily time right around the corner, I bring you:

Friday Faves: Ali Edwards edition.

1. I adore this Week in the Life photobook from Nettio. Design, structure, summary pages - all inspiring. Adore!

2. Elise Blaha's posts about her one little word, magic. A reminder to not forget the present and find magic in life.

3. Like the look of this new class from Ali, Storyology. Just waiting until I have a tad more time. :)

4. I'll be using the Studio Calico December Daily kit this year. Although I'm not overly fussed about the papers and embellishments, I couldn't resist that album. 3 inches thick!

5. I am loving these new December Daily templates from Ali. They will definitely be making an appearance in my DD album.

6. And if the Cameo I've ordered (yippee!) arrives, so will these backgrounds by Kerri Bradford. I'm considering using the 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' as the title on the cover. Cut small, add some stickers for the year - could be cute.    

What is your Ali Edwards fave?