Facebook Timeline

Are you ready to move to the new Facebook timeline?  I believe everyone moves by the end of March so now is the time to customize your own timeline.  Let your friends see just how creative you are.  You will WOW them all.  It is very easy in StoryBook Creator Plus or sbcStudio.

Here are the steps in StoryBook Creator Plus:

1. Create a new custom project
2. Make the project size 11.35 inches wide and 4.2 inches high
3. Now create and embellish to your hearts content within this new size project
4. Once you have it just how you like it go to the File Tab
5. Choose Save As - Export Current Page
6. Choose where to save it (I suggest your desktop), give it a name, and be sure to use the dropdown arrow under where you give it a name and choose .jpg as the type of file
7. Choose Save
8. Make your resolution 72 DPI and say OK

You are now ready to upload the project to Facebook.

Here are the steps to follow in sbcStudio:

1. Create a new custom project
2. Make the project size 11.35 inches wide and 4.2 inches high
3. Now create and embellish to your hearts content within this new size project
4. Once you have it just how you like it go to the Page Command along the top
5. Choose Export Page
6. Choose where to save it, give it a name, make sure you file type is .jpg and your Pixels say 72 DPI
7. Choose Export

Youa re now ready to uplaod the project to Facebook.

I can't wait to see your creations.  Please friend me on Facebook if you haven't already.  I am on as Cheryl Weinschenk Freye.

This is so easy you can change your timeline with the seasons or with your moods.  Have fun!

A sweet Valentine that will last well beyond Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it.  Why not take the time now to share with that special someone why you love them and how special they are to you?  With just a few photos you can make a 7x5 StoryBook that includes special photos and stories.  You can use our new pre-designed Simply Said I Love Books (click to purchase) (click to view content); the new Nancy O'Dell Love pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); the Simply Said I hope pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); the Simply Said Wish pre-designed pages (purchase) (view content); or any pages you choose.  This is your book and your theme.  Remember you use the 11x8.5 pre-designed pages for a 7x5 softcover book. 

If you complete your book before January 26th you will enjoy a 20% savings.  That means a 20 page 7x5 softcover book will be just $14.36 - what a bargain for a gift that will be treasured forever.  Plus if you are a Rewards Club member you will get an additional 15% in Rewards Club Credits! 

You could even make your book very simple with just 11 photos and 10 reasons you love them.  Check out this Creative Memories blog for samples and directions on how to make this book. 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

25% off almost EVERYTHING SALE

Remember to take advantage of the 25 % of EVERYTHING except digital artwork downloads.  This means EVERYTHING on my website as well as EVERYTHING at the Creative Memories Digital Center.  Sale ends Sunday January 15th.  You can order through me or directly from my website, whichever is easier for you.  The album sale of 20% off albums and StoryBooks is still good through January 26th. 

Think ahead to any gift-giving occasions you have coming up - Graduations, Weddings, Birthdays, Anniversaries, New Babies, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day. 

The Everyday Displays - both weathered and sleek make a great gift for many occasions.  It is great for a teen bedroom, a college room, combined with the invitation as a wedding gift, a great addition to baby's nursery.  The Simply Said books are a quick way to make a heartfelt gift that will most likely bring a tear to the recipients eye. 

How about a quick PicFolio album for a graduate, new bride, or new Mom and Dad?  The smaller PicFolio albums are great for a desk at work or to carry around as a brag book. 

The Ashby Baby Boy/Baby Girl albums are a gorgeous baby book.  It is all done for the busy Mom and Dad.  All they need to do is add pictures and jot down notes about baby's development. 

The Recipe Quick Kit is also a great gift for a bride or for Mother's Day or for the child going off to college or graduating college and living on their own.

If you love to create things digitally how about a set of custom cards or a personalized white board?  These are both great for teachers as well as anyone on your list.  A Photo Panel -either traditional or metal is also a gift that will be treasured forever. 

Mugs, mouse pads, page prints, t-shirts, and wall posters are also on sale for 25% off.

If you don't have time to create your digital gifts or albums before Sunday January 15 you can always order a product credit at the 25% off price. The product credit is good for 180 days from the date of purchase so you can take advantage of the sale price and still have time to get the gift finished. Note: if you order a StoryBook before Sunday Jan 15 ALL of the pages will be 25% off, if ordered before Jan 26 ALL of the pages will be 20% off. If you purchase a product credit you will only get 25% or 20% off the base price (20 pages) of the book.

Please call me with any questions.

Here are some samples of cards and white boards to help inspire you. They are all from the Creative Memories Go Digital page on Facebook.  These are card samples - sometimes of front and back and sometimes just one portion of the card. You can make both 5x7 flat cards (front and back) or 5x7 folded cards (all 4 sides).

These are photo panels made to be used as dry erase boards.  You just order a traditional photo panel and use dry erase markers.  It's very easy.

Sharing Your Family Stories

Happy New Year!  As you make your resolutions for next year how about considering getting some of your family stories written down?  Make it a goal to write one story a week or one a month or one everytime you see a special relative.  Life is short and stories written down are treasured for generations.  You will create a legacy that your family will be forever greatful to you for. 

I would love to help you combine your photos and your stories into a book for your family.  Start now and you will have the most loved gift next year for the holidays.  Or how about creating it for Mother's Day or Father's Day.  Just take the time to begin.  You do not need to have photos that go with the stories you tell.

The best way I have found is to get a special journal or notebook and everytime you think of something jot it down.  You can go back later to add more details but at least get the idea written down.  Or you can write down questions you want to ask a loved one when you next talk. 

Ms. Kalkow wrote a wonderful editorial recently in the Kennebec Journal.  With her permission I am sharing it here with you.  I hope this inspires you to write some of your own family stories.  Let me know how I can help you.

Sharing Family stories the best present you can give your relatives

by Theodora J. Kalikow

    One of the traditional foods for our family celebration of Hanukkah was potato latkes, or pancakes.
     It was my brother Dan's job to grate the potatoes. He hated it. Every single year, he would manage to grate his own knuckles, then bleed and howl dramatically, in hopes that my mother would sympathize and take the grater away from him.
    She never did. She would just pass the Band-Aids and hand over more peeled potatoes.
    One year, my dad the engineer invented a kitchen appliance that had various attachments, something like the food processors of today. When he brought home the prototype, he swore it would make grating potatoes a quick and easy job.
    Dan grabbed it, and they rushed to do a test run. The potatoes went in -- unwashed and unpeeled. Brown goo came out! Horror and amazement! Cook that stuff? Over my mother's dead body! Who let those engineers into her kitchen? Grating went on as usual that year.
    And here's another Hanukkah story. My dad liked to make home movies of us kids. One year, he filmed us lighting the Hanukkah candles. You start with one candle the first night of the holiday, and the second night you light two, and so on until you reach the eighth and final night when, of course, you have eight. You light them with another candle.
    On this particular year, I'm maybe 7 or 8 years old. It's the last night of the holiday. All the candles are ready in the menorah. The camera is rolling. I'm holding the burning candle to light the others with, and we're singing the blessing.
    Dad is fussing with the exposure and the focus, and I'm not supposed to finish lighting them all yet. I'm holding the candle, I'm holding the candle, and that candle is burning down, down, down. Dad is urging me to smile, my brother is fidgeting, and then my fingers get burned. I drop the candle and my singing turns to crying. Talk about howling dramatically! Somewhere in film heaven this scene is preserved, even unto this day.
    So why am I telling you this? Here's why: I am the only person left in my family who knows these stories. After me, nobody might know them. And you, dear reader, are in the same situation, or you will be soon. So at this season for giving presents, give the gift of your stories.
    It doesn't matter how you do it. You can start a routine of writing down a little memory every day. It does not have to be pretty, or spelled right.
    You can write it in a notebook or type it on a computer or a typewriter. You can put it on little scraps of paper. You can write letters to a relative.
    You can make a scrapbook or take a pile of pictures in a shoebox (I know you have them) and write short descriptions and memories that the pictures and things make you think of. You can record your memories by telling them to someone if you don't want to write.
    You can put them on YouTube or in a blog.
    I can promise you, if you start, more memories will surface and you will have plenty to keep you busy. Your childhood? Your family? Your jobs? Your school? Your hobbies? Your pets? Just start someplace.
    A few years before my dad died, my brother and I badgered him into doing just this. At 88 or so, Dad looked upon it as his new job. Every morning, he would sit down at his computer-hooked-up-to-the-TV and write maybe 500 words about his parents and siblings, his education, his jobs or our life as a family. Then he would email them to family members.
    After he had done it for a few days, he looked forward to these sessions. We all loved to read the results and cheered him on.
    My brother put them all into a little book for each of us to have.
    Your stories will be the best present you could ever give your family members. And these days, it's easy to share your memories around the world and into the future.
    Books, stories, poems, pictures and letters have always carried on this human conversation. It is one of the glories of humanity. Now we have more ways for many more of us to join in.
    My wish for the holidays is that you all resolve to do it.

Theodora J. Kalikow is president of the University of Maine at Farmington. She can be reached at kalikow@maine.edu

Reprinted in full with permission from Theodora J. Kalikow

From the Kennebec Journal December 4, 2011

365 Project

Have you ever thought about starting a 365 project?  It is a project where you take one photo a day for an entire year.  I would encourage you to give this a try.  I have done this for the last two years and it really changes your perspective on your life.  You start to look at things differently and take photos of things you never thought of before.  It is a quick representation of a year in your life.  The photos can be as simple as what you had for breakfast to photos of momentous events in your life.  You can do as little or as much journaling as you want.  You don't have to worry if you miss a day or two.  You can always make up for it with two pictures on another day.  Since my life was a bit extra crazy this year I have also filled in some days with comics that I could relate to. 

Wouldn't you love to have a book showing what life was like when your mother or grandmother were your age?  You are creating this legacy for your children.  Think about what grocery stores used to look like 50 years ago, the price of gas, car types, shoes - you get the idea things change and this is your opportunity to document what 2012 was like in your life.

Once you commit to taking the pictures the question becomes what to do with them.  You have several options.

1. Create a Digital StoryBook.  Some people like to do one page per week.  But my preference was to mix and match.  Some days I would do one full page photo and other pages are a mix of several photos.  It depended on how much I liked the photo and how much I wanted to journal about.
2. Use our Expandable PicFolio album.  With one album and 3 sets of refills you get 450 slots - enough for 365 photos and 85 journal boxes (not quite two journal boxes per week).  If you use Memory Manager you can lay out your photos so you have the correct orientation for your photos and decide where you want to add journal boxes.
3. Use our traditional albums.  You can fit 6 or 7 photos on a page if you want it to all be in one album.  Or you can choose to split it into two albums if you want to add more journaling and embellishments. 

With all of these options you can choose to keep it simple with plain backgrounds or you can embellish to your hearts content. 

You can read some testimonials from others who have been working on this project for the last year here.  You can also see many examples of pages on the Pixels2Pages Page on Facebook.  Just click on the Day2Day project on the left.  They also have a list of different ideas for photos for each month under the Day2Day project.

Please let me know if you are going to take up this challenge in 2012.  I would love to help you brainstorm ideas. 

Another wonderful site for inspiration for a 365 project is Michelle Perry Photography.  She has some amazing journaling to along with her photos.  She is also starting a 52 project - one photo a week.  She is inviting anyone else to participate along with her on her Facebook Page.

If you have done this project before please share in the comments section your own testimonial and why you would encourage someone else to give this a try.

StroyBook Creator 4.0 Performance Optimization Tips

Creative Memories just released these tips to help you optimize the performance of StoryBook Creator 4.0. Some people are having issues with the program running slower than expected. If you are experiencing these issues try some of these suggestions. If you are not experiencing these issues then you don't need to do anything. As always please let me know if I can help you.

If you are experiencing slowness with StoryBook Creator 4.0, or are seeing errors about memory issues, here are some tips to help improve performance:

·         Restart your computer daily. This deletes temporary files that may be taking up unnecessary space and memory on your computer.

·         Close other unnecessary applications and services when running StoryBook Creator 4.0.

·         If editing a project created in StoryBook Creator 3.0, use File > Save As to save the project in 4.0 format.   Pages will load considerably faster when saved in 4.0 format.

·         Check for system and software updates, and make sure everything on your computer (including but not limited to StoryBook Creator 4.0) is currently up to date.

·         Schedule your anti-virus scans and system/software updates to run at times you are not commonly using StoryBook Creator.

·         For computers running 32-bit versions of Windows with 2 GB of RAM or less, we recommend turning on the aggressive memory management feature. The checkbox for aggressive memory management can be found under Help > Options > Page Editing. Enabling this feature may also help users with more RAM.  Some memory issues you experience may display a message suggesting you turn on this feature.  Aggressive memory management allows StoryBook Creator 4.0 to do some of the memory management  itself, eliminating issues that may result from fragmented memory. Turning on aggressive memory  management may or may not make the software noticeably slower, depending on what you are doing.  The impact on performance would normally occur when the software needs to compact memory to allocate more, so it won’t happen for everything you do.

·         After you have completed the primary design of a page – especially finalizing the size of your elements and photos – opt to reduce memory usage on elements on the page. To do this, right-click on an element on the page and choose Properties > Memory usage. Then choose Reduce memory usage for all elements on this page. Please note that if you enlarge an element by more than 120% after enabling this feature, the resolution of the element may be compromised. That’s why this feature should only be used after you have determined the final size of the element. However, on a page with many elements, using this feature can make a huge difference in the memory requirements.

Need a quick gift idea?

"Do you remember the last really great gift you got? You remember, don't you? You made that little happy, squeally noise and then tried to blame it on the dog? At Creative Memories we have the gumption to envision a world filled with happy, squeally noises. And you can be a major distributor." ~ Creative Memories

There is still time to create a really unique gift idea for anyone on your gift list - a photo panel.  A photo panel is a picture ready to display with no frame needed.  It is simple and classic and will take your breath away.  It is a gift that will bring a smile to the recipents face all year long. 

You can choose between the traditional type or the new metal type.  The metal ones are actually printed on metal and are gorgeous.  The whites and lighter colors of your photos will have an irridescent look.  These are beautiful for both modern photos and heritage photos.  The traditional type is a bit thicker and has a shiny acrylic type finish.  You can use the traditional photo panel as a white board.  This is great for to-do lists, menu boards, inspiration boards, etc.  The panels come in 4 sizes - 5x7 (both horizontal and vertical), 8x8, 11x8.5 (both horizontal and veritcal) and 12x12.  The 12x12 is designed to hang on a wall but can also be used on a tabletop if you have an easel stand.  The other sizes come with an easel built it. 

You can use one picture, add a quote, use your favorite album page, or design something completely unique.  If you don't have StoryBook Creator or sbcStudio you can use one of the pre-desinged templates at the Creative Memories Digtial Center.  Or if you would like to create a custom panel just give me a call and I would love to work with you to create the design of your dreams. 

These also make great teacher gifts, gifts for your boss, grandparent gifts, babysitter gifts, for your own office, for just about anyone. 

Here are a few examples of photo panels created to be used as a White Board.

The ordering deadline to ensure delivery by Christmas is December 13, 2011. Please let me know if I can help you complete your special gifts.

More ideas......

Here is a link to more photo panel ideas at the Project Center.

Calendar Options

There is still plenty of time to create a calendar for yourself or for a gift.  The ordering deadline for 2011 is December 13 to insure delivery by Christmas.

You can choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or create your own pages from scratch.  If you prefer the simple style there is a new FREE pre-designed block style collage calendar available here for download.   This template is for the PC only.  But you can find other FREE templates for both PC and Mac here for download.

If you need help creating your calendar you can watch a video that walks you through the process using StoryBook Creator Plus here and using sbcStudio here.  I am also always available to answer your questions.  

The new desk calendar at just $14.99 makes a great gift for hostesses, co-workers, teachers, grab-bags, or anyone on your gift list.  You can watch a You Tube Video on creating this new calendar with StoryBook Creator Plus  here and with sbcStudio here.

Do you have a family with an extra busy schedule and need more room than is available in the traditional calendar format to write down appointments, practices, etc.?  You can choose to reverse the calendar so the date portion is on the top 12x12 section and your photos are on the bottom 8x12 section.  It's very easy and I will show you the steps to follow here.

• First download the 2012 Calendar 12x18 Digital Blank Pages here.
• Create a new project and choose the the 2012 Calendar 12x18 Digital Blank Pages
• From the Insert Tab Choose Calendar and size the calendar to your desired size on the top portion of the calendar.  Be sure to work in the Trimmed View so your dates are not too close to the edges.

• You can then right click on the new calendar you added under the elements list and choose Calendar Style to change the style of the calendar. There are several to choose from.

• Once you have selected your calendar style you can then customize the design by right clicking on the calendar in the elements pane again and this time choosing Format Calendar.  You can then go through all of the choices on the left and totally customize your calendar.

• Once you have the calendar set how you like you right click on the calendar in the elements pane again and choose Calendar Style and Make Default Calendar Style.  Now when you add a calendar to the top portion of the remainder of your pages it will automatically be formatted in your design of choice.  You will just need to go to Format Calendar and change the month for each page.
• After you have the calendar set up you just go to the Elements Pane on the left and click on the eyeball to the left of the original calendar (Bottom of list).  This will hide that calendar and you can then add photos to the lower section. 

• Voila!  You now have a calendar that is truly your own with plenty of space to write all your important dates.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way with your precious photos.

Memories are the most precious gift of all.

Viewing Pre-designed Pages in StoryBook Creator 4.0

StoryBook Creator 4.0 has a great new feature that enables you to better see what each pre-designed page looks like before you select it.  However you will need to "create an abstract" of any pre-designed page packages that were designed for the 3.0 version.  This is very easy to do.  It just takes a bit of time.  You can choose to do it each time you look up a pre-designed page kit or you might choose to do all of them some night when you are watching TV. 

Here are the steps you take.
1. When you are in your StoryBook Creator 4.0 project choose Change Template from the Home Ribbon.

2. You will receive a message that states that you cannot undo a template page change.  Choose OK.  This means that you can't use the undo button to get back the page you had.  But you can always go back and find that page again.  You don't want to change a page template if you have already added photos and text because you may lose the photos and text that were added.

3.  The Window on the lower right will appear and you use the drop down arrow in the blue circle.  This will open the window on the left.  (Yours will have a different pre-designed page showing) You can scroll through and choose the pre-designed pages you want to view from the list on the left (red circle).  This will give you a mini-preview of the pages in that particular kit.  When you have found the one you want you then choose Select Kit (black circle). 

4. This will open the window shown.  You will then see the message circled in blue that says "Create an Abstract for the selected kit"  Click on this and the abstract will be created.  It takes a few minutes to create.

5. Once the abstract is created you can then choose the number of photos you want on a page in area 2 (blue circle) and then click on the page you want to see large in area 3 and it will appear to the right as a large image.  Once you decide which page you want to add to your project choose change template (red circle).  Don't panic if you think the text looks like it is in a foreign language.  This is called Geeking.  It is made to resemble what text typed on the page will look like.  When you actually choose the template it will just have an "Enter Text Here" box where the Geeking is on the preview image.

Note: this may not work on some of the very old pre-designed pages. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I love this new feature of StoryBook Creator 4.0.

 

Holiday Album Inspiration

Have you ever thought of making an album that included all of your annual Christmas Photos and cards/letters?  Imagine how much fun your family will have getting out the album each year and reminiscing about the highlights from past years.  Plus it will be fun to watch the hairstyles and clothing change over the years!  Getting the album out as you decorate your home for the holidays each year could become an annual tradition.

Some people like to make an album with all of the photos they receive from their family and friends each year.  It is fun to turn the pages and watch the children grow. 

But what about a special album just for your family?  This type of ablum works best with our traditional album but is very fast and easy.  You really don't need any embellishments - just do a 2 page spread each year with your family photo and card and maybe a few favorite photos and some notes about things you want to remember.  You could even make it a New Year's Day tradition to put the album together as a family before you put it away for another year.

Here is what Rhonda Anderson, co-founder of Creative Memories, has to say about her own family Christmas album. 

If you need help getting started with this new tradition let me know. 

Do you already keep an album like this?  Please share your favorite stories about your album.