Three Bugs in a Rug

Have you heard? We are so excited to be working with a new partner manufacturer, 3 Bugs in a Rug. You may have seen their great papers and coordinating die cuts, rub-ons and stamps in your local scrapbook or craft store. Now you can download their great designs for the My Memories Suite software.

Introducing four popular collections of designs. Create a fun layout for the boys in your life using the Superstar or Playtime collections. Scrapbook your favorite trip to the beach with Three Bugs in a Rug Island collection. And scrapbook the many photos of your girlfriends with the Groovy collection.

NOTE: To enter the Island Contest and win a $50 gift card to the Design Shop, visit http://www.thevillasatpoipukai.com and leave a comment after this post telling us your favorite thing about the resort.  Don’t forget, My Memories Suite users get free airfare for two when you book a five night stay at the resort!

Hybrid Scrapbooking Layout

What is it? Hybrid-Scrapbooking is the combination of traditional scrapbooking techniques with digital scrapbooking techniques to make your scrapbook layout. And if any of you traditional scrapbookers have ever used the computer to do your journaling or scanned a piece of memorabilia to include on your layout, you’re already doing hybrid scrapbooking.

We wanted to show you the beautiful layout above created with Miriam Lima’s Sounds of Spring Pack in My Memories Suite and how we added some actual embellishments to the layout to create this beautiful finished layout.

Here are some suggestions on how you can take your digital layouts to another level and use those great scrapbooking supplies you see in most craft stores.

1. My favorite part was adding the large paper flower from Bazzill and the aqua button and string to the layout. The colors were perfect and really make the layout pop.

2.  Next I added a touch of “bling” the layout and adhered two small rhinestones to the title and one right on the earring.

3. Last I had originally trimmed my layout down after printing to 11.5 x 11.5″. I then took a distressing tool and roughed up the edges of the layout, before adhering the layout to a 12×12″ piece of coordinating Bazzill cardstock. Give this technique a try with your own layout creations you design in My Memories Suite. We’d love it if you’d share those with us. You can post them on our Facebook page OR email jenn@mymemoriessuite.com.

Actual Book vs. Digital Samples

The My Memories Suite Design Shop offers ton of great designs for a wide variety of topics. But I have to admit, sometimes I overlook a design because the design might be monochromatic or look plain at first glance. However, it’s when I see these beautiful designs printed in a book that I’m taken back and instantly run to download that template and start building a photobook.

One such example is the Family Proclamation by Legacy Digital Designs (aka Jill Means). The designs seems rather plain when you first look at it, but once you drop in your photos (casual or formal), they seem to pop off the page. The wordart she includes is beautiful as well and if you don’t like or need a particular title on a page you can easily omit it or even create your own. But this template set knocked my socks off when I saw a completed photobook.

So when you browse through the online Design Shop, take a minute and try to imagine the pages with photographs placed on it…you’ll be surprised how a rather simple designed template set might be exactly what you’re looking for.

MMS Featured in Scrapbooks Etc.

I was so excited when I got my mail yesterday to find the latest copy of Scrapbooks Etc (May/June 2009). But what was even more exciting was to see their write up about the My Memories Suite software. They said, “software helps you go digi without studying a manual.”

In addition, this issue had some fun ideas about using page sketches when you scrapbook (which work great for our users too). I also loved the thoughtful ideas on how to celebrate MOM. I’ve always loved the quality of layouts and designs ideas this publication offers and hope you have a change to read it.

And we hope to start seeing more beautiful layouts and projects using My Memories Suite in your favorite magazines like Scrapbooks Etc. soon!

Be Our Guest

It’s that time of year when the birds start chirping and people are getting hitched. This darling new Be Our Guest Designer Template was recently added to our Design Shop under “Ettes & Company.” In fact, the darling photos are of the designer, Annette Ward’s son Landon.

We thought we should point out the great add-on to this template and that’s the Be Our Guest Full Pack. When you purchase the add-on Full Pack, you can change the colors of the template to COORDINATE with your wedding colors. It’s easy, here’s another layout we did of one of our employees in her wedding colors and photos.

From Template to Announcement

Have you ever wanted to create a fast, yet professional looking announcement for a special event? Consider taking one of the MMS popular templates and modifying it to work for you! A friend of mine needed a Baby Announcement and asked me to help. So we we looked through some of the artwork I had on My Memories Suite and she liked the colors and styles of the “My ABC Album” by the Ettes & Company. Remember, everything in a template set is in layers, so flowers (girl stuff), monograms and photo placement can all be removed or changed. If you can see past the original designs, you’ll be amazed at all the creative things you can do with a template set.

Instructions:

1. When opening your template set you probably don’t need all 30 pages, so select the “Create Template from Designer Template” option. But before clicking “Continue”, click on the “Custom Page Arrangement” button next to the template image. This will show you all the pages in that template set (one of my favorite features by the way). Since I only needed one of the pages, I selected the “H” page and dragged it into the box below and clicked “Continue”…that way only the page or pages I’ve selected will open in MMS.

2. Since we wanted to print the announcements at our local store (Walmart or Sam’s Club are among my first choices), I had to change the “Square layout” in to a “Portrait layout” . You can do this clicking on the top “Edit” menu and then selecting “Change Album Shape”. You’ll notice some of the page components shift (or center) and you’ll need to adjust them until you get the desired look. (Tip: Sometimes I find it’s easier to “Group” multiple components of the layout, move them and then “Ungroup” them if needed. To do this, simple select the top “Arrange” menu and select the group/ungroup option.)

3. Once I moved everything where I needed it, I dropped in my perfectly precious photograph. As you can tell I removed the original monogram letter and replaced it with a “d” for Davis and added in the remaining text I needed. 

4. After you’ve finished your photograph then print them out at home or I uploaded them to Sam’s Club photo center and my friend had these printed out on 5″ x 7″ photographs. 

Bonus Idea: My friend wanted to include a quarter sheet, quick and easy invite to a baby blessing. So I opened a new album and created a landscape page from scratch. I then output it as a JPG file and dropped it into my Word document so I could print 4-up on a page. With the papers and embellishments from the ABC Album Template I threw this invite together in about 15 minutes.

Monster-ously Cute Onsies

Mary Ruth, CT Member over at Ettes & Company shared with us this darling idea using the new DUDE Template. She printed out the fun monsters onto to t-shirt transfer paper and ironed on the designs onto onsies. What a darling gift idea Mary Ruth!! Read more by visiting Ettes & Company Gallery.

The Dude Template and Dude Designer Packs are new in the design shop today. The “monsters” on this project can be found in the new Dude Template.

Designer Spotlight: The Ettes & Company

You may be wondering how or why we call ourselves “the Ettes”.  Well, here’s the story.  Several years ago we worked with a great sales rep.  He grew a bit weary of trying to keep our names straight, so he decided that he would simplify things for everyone and just call us the “Ettes”.  You know…AnnETTE and FayETTE…our names both end in “ETTE”.  It made sense to us…and well, it stuck.  We’ve been designing under our adopted name ever since.

We have been working together for a LONG time.  Before we were the “Ettes”, we designed for Provo Craft.  We both published tole painting books and clip art cd’s for several years.  We have been working together developing and designing products, traveling, making TV appearances and teaching for about eight years now.  It is still as fun as it was when this adventure began.  We believe that the reason we work so well together, is the fact that we really are the best of friends.  We go through regular fits of uncontrollable laughter, we can finish each other’s sentences, we know what kind of food the other “Ette” likes and we are both work-a-holics by nature!

This month you may have noticed our designs in the Design Shop and we hope you like them. We’ve packed them with tons of great embellishments, papers, monograms, word art and more!! We hope to continue this great working relationship with MMS andtheir great staff and you’ll see our designs added periodically since we never really stop designing. Stop by and visit our Ettes & Company Website, Ask The Ettes Blog or our new Facebook page when you have a minute.

12 Ways to Use Your Camera as a Tool

I love surfing around looking at different sites our fans point me to on Facebook or Twitter and this one definitely caught my eye. We found this idea on a great site called Photojojo.

Never leave the house without two things:

1. a Swiss Army knife, and

2. your camera

Why the knife? Because it’s a multitasking tool that you can use a kajillion different ways.

Why a camera? For exactly the same reason.

They’ve rounded up so many alternate uses for your camera that you’ll start bringing it everywhere. Use it as a flashlight, a memory aid, or a mirror, and you’ll never let it leave your side again. Ideas include: 

1. Mark Your Parking Spot
2. Use your Camera instead of a Printer
3. Remember Details
4. Mark Your Property
5. Remember Shopping List/Recipes
6. Retrace Your Step
7.  Collect Evidence
8. Use as a Mirror
9. Make a Wishlist
10. Remember Places you Want to Go
11. Use as Flashlight
12. Record Phone Numbers

Some of these ideas seem so obvious. So many times I’ve wanted to remember a phone number off the back of a car or sign, but never thought to pull out the camera in my purse or even used my cell phone’s camera. How about those times you’re at a friends house and want a copy of a yummy recipe, why not snap a quick picture. Really this has opened up my eyes!! 

Read more about the 12 Ways to use Your Camera as a Tool

Easter Traditions

I cannot believe it’s already that time of year when we color eggs, hunt for candy and spend time together celebrating some of our favorite Easter traditions. But nothing reminds me of spring and Easter more then a new little baby!  So my good friend let me show off her little Easter surprise in this darling layout using the new Easter Traditions Template by Ettes & Company available TODAY in the Design Shop!!

Description: Easter Traditions Template and Lettering Delights font: LD Enchanting