Four Year Blogiversary & A Giveaway!

Four years ago, I began writing this blog.  My concept of time must be diminishing because to me, it just doesn’t seem like it’s been four years.  September 27 (my blogiversary) came and went with absolutely no fanfare from yours truly.

Several bloggers host giveaways on their first blogiversary.  Me?  I host my first giveaway on two weeks after my fourth blogiversary.  Always the element of surprise…

I was recently contacted by MyMemories & asked if I would review their product, My Memories Suite v2.0 DigitalScrapbooking Software.  For an entire week I debated whether or not I would accept this request.  I don’t scrapbook, however I wanted to see if I could incorporate design elements with my blog (like the new look?), create photo books for Christmas gifts, and design a Christmas card.  I was not disappointed.

Once you download My Memories, getting started is pretty simple.  There are three choices:  create from a ready-made designer template, design your own template, or browse additional content online.  I’ll share how I used each option.

I started with a ready-made template.  There are several to choose from and each template design offers 5 to 14 pages.  Photo only templates offer more pages (this option is similar to design your own template).  The theme choice is quite varied.  I could choose from categories such as vintage, funky, contemporary, or seasons.  It’s quite easy to use.  I uploaded my photos and then was able to drag & drop them into the template. If I wanted too, I could add text.  Here’s what I created:

Last night as I was playing around with a layout, I discovered that I could eliminate any embellishment on a ready-made template.  Score!  There’s a lovely chevron design with fall colors as one of the options.  However, it has a misplaced (in my opinion anyway) branch with green leaves.  I didn’t care for it, but I soon discovered that I could highlight & delete the embellishment.

I made the following two pages utilizing the design your own template feature.  This option was just as easy to use as the first.  You can start with a blank page or choose one of their numerous photo layouts.  Adding the pictures works the same as the first option.  Once the pictures are uploaded, you can add background papers, text, word art (I didn’t experiment with this option), embellishments, shapes, and multimedia.  I loved this tool and after making the pages below, I’ve decided to make a book for each of my trips to Africa.  If I could pin point a con with this option, it would be that some of the photo layouts were too rectangular to work with my photos. However, once I figured out what layouts what worked best with my photos & I felt like I had plenty to chose from.  A minor con, really. 

Hope 2.2.1. photos by Tina Wilson Photography

My blog facelift uses elements of the design your own template as well.  I uploaded my pictures, and then added a shadow and clip embellishment to each photo.  So easy!  I think it maybe took 5 minutes (if that) to create.  There’s a feature that allows the user to convert all pages into jpegs.

My experience with additional online content is limited, but I’d like to share what thoughts I do have.  The company offers several free designs within the software.  By clicking on the link, you are directed to their website, where you can download the page(s).  In addition to freebies, additional pages, word art, and paper packs are available for purchase.  The prices range from $.99 to $5.99+.  I have my eye on a few of the packs & plan to add to my wishlist. J

Other advantages worth mentioning are the excellent tutorials provided.  As I was creating new pages, I could access an online tutorial.  My Memories offered detailed instructions for using every element of the download.  If you are a visual learner like me, you can take advantage of the YouTube tutorials found at My Memories blog.  Other helps include forums, inspiration pages, and additional support/help should you need it.

The only con worth mentioning is the time to download.  The download time came at no surprise to me, but is something to consider (especially if you have a slow/older computer!).  Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to download the software & plenty of time to create & experiment before you actually need to print.  In addition, I would not recommend this product to users with dial-up or limited internet access.  In my opinion, I would not purchase if I had limited internet capabilities.

Years ago, I didn’t get into the scrap booking trend because I simply didn’t have the space.  If you have a similar ircumstance, digital scrapbooking is a perfect solution.  Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend My Memories Suite v2.0 Digital Software.  I’m still not a scrapbooker but I’m looking forward to creating many Christmas gifts such as calendars, books, and embellished photos for mugs, and our Christmas card photo.

Time for my very first giveaway!!!

I have one My Memories Suite v2.0Digital Scrapbooking Software download that I would like to give to one of my readers!  You can enter up to three times.  Here’s how:

1.     Visit www.MyMemories.com and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then comment on my blog telling me which one you like best.  My favorite?  The Queen of Teen template.  I plan on using this template to help my teen with her very own blog design!

2.    Like My Memorieson Facebook and/or follow on Twitter and let me know in my comments section.  This is ONE entry.  It would look like this:  I liked My Memories on Facebook and/or followed them on Twitter. 

3.    Follow my blog with Google Connect.  Shameless plug! Make sure you let me know in the comments section.

The contest will end at 10:00 pm EST on Thursday, October 20, 2011.  I’ll randomly select one winner to receive a free download of My Memories Suite v2.0 Digital Scrapbooking Software (value of $40).  I will announce the winner Friday morning, October 21^st. 

I must have a valid email address to contact the winner.  If you win, you have 48 hours to respond to my email.  If I don’t receive your response within 48 hours, I will randomly select a new winner.

As a special for my readers, I would like to give you your very own Share the Memories code that provides a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - $20 value! Just copy and paste this code, STMMMS73553, when you check out.

Disclosure:  At no cost to me, I received a digital download of My Memories Suite v2.0 Digital Scrapbooking Software in exchange for my honest review of the product. The opinions expressed here are my own.