Remodeling Sale!

We are remodeling - the entire store is 20% off now through the end of February, 2008!

We ship within the US for $5 per order unless your order is $50 or more - then you get FREE SHIPPING!

Come stock up and be prepared to Scrap yourself silly this winter!

Acrylic Albums - so clear - so fun!

What can you do with Acrylic Albums or embellishments? I think the question should probably be what can't you do! Acrylic is clear so it tends to scare people, but you really shouldn't be afraid. You can alter it in so many ways that it is hard to list them all....but I will try:

Top Ten Ways to Alter Acrylic:

1. Alcohol Ink - Pick one, two, three or however many colors you like and dab the alcohol ink directly onto the acrylic. It dries pretty quickly so you can go over it again to darken or color to your liking.
   
2. Acrylic Paint - Use a paint brush or a stamp to apply the acrylic paint. Make sure you let it thoroughly dry before you do anything else.
   
3. Paper - Cover it with cardstock or patterned paper.
   
4. Fiber & Ribbon- Attach ribbon or fiber by either punching a hole in the acrylic with the Crop-A-Dile or adhere the ribbon with Terrifically Tacky Tape, but make sure you hide the tape!
   
5. Rub-ons - Use rub-ons to add words or accents.
   
6. Stamp It - Stamp it with acrylic paint or Staz On ink.
   
7. Buttons - Adhere buttons with glue dots - make sure to camouflage the backside of the glue dot!
   
8. Glitter - Make it sparkle with Stickles or other types of glitter.
   
9. Sand It - Scuff it up with sand paper.
   
10. Let it be! - Leave it clear - au natural!
    

Here is an example of an acrylic album that I created with the Scrapaholic USA Acrylic Album Kit:
















Check out this quick video on clear layouts!

Long Term Photo Care: Image Backup & Protection

Part 2: Image Backup & Protection


Let's face it....we don't think about long-term protection of our photos and/or digital files as often as we should. The fact of the matter is that "stuff" happens and we should be thinking about protecting our photos, slides, movies, and digital files. There are several methods of completing this task depending on what format your photos are currently in.

Protection for printed photos: To protect printed photos you could print doubles and put them in a safe place, which ideally should not be your house or wherever you have your original set. You may consider putting them in the bank safe deposit box or give them to a sibling or friend to hold at their house. Please remember that photos must be kept in a cool, dry location away from sunlight so basements, garages and attics are NOT the best location. Another option would be getting the photos as digital files. Most photo developers offer the option of getting the photos also put onto a CD or you could have them scanned in at a later date. These options would also work well for slides and old movies too. There are companies that specialize in converting slides and old movies into digital formats.

Protection for Digital Files: Protecting digital files involve backing up your files in some format. Repeat after me..."backing up your files"! If you only have your digital photos on your camera card - transfer them to your hard drive. You can set up file folders to store the photos in whatever way makes the most sense to you, whether it is by date, event or some other method of filing. Camera cards are NOT considered safe for long-term storage. Once the files are on your computer there are several options to backup your hard drive - copy to CD or DVD, copy to an external hard drive or use a third-party off-site online data management company.

• CD or DVD - Vary from about 5 to 17 mega bytes (MB) of storage depending on whether they are single or double-layered. They also come in a format that allows you to re-write on them. HINT: always handle the CD or DVD by the hole in the middle and the edges because you don't want to get greasy fingerprints on the media. ALSO - do NOT use permanent marker such as a Sharpie because the solvents in the ink will eat through the label! CDs and DVDs are best stored upright.

• External Hard drives - These are super easy to use. Typically they plug right into your USB port and you can copy files right to it. External drives typically range from 120 to 750 GB of storage with pricing ranging from under $70 to over $200.

• Online Data Storage - There are several companies that will store your data on their servers for a monthly or yearly fee. Your files get uploaded on a regular basis and stored on secure servers. You typically want to look for a company that uses an encryption code and has at least 128-bit SSL encryption during transmission. Services like this offer the benefit of convenient off-site storage. Prices vary from as low as $50 a year to over $200 a year for 10GB of storage.

So, start your new year off right and plan to BACKUP your data!!!!

New Year's Wishes!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and safe 2008! Make sure you take the time to scrap those memories and spend time with your family and friends!