Creative Memories - Information Update

Today I want to answer a few questions that I have received lately from several of you.  These questions involve Creative Memories  - in particular, the exclusive Cricut cartridges and the digital photo organizing and scrapbooking programs.

If you follow the news in the business side of the world of crafting, you have probably heard about two recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filings.  Creative Memories (direct sales) filed about a month ago and Archiver's (retail store) filed a few weeks ago.  Chapter 11 is the form of bankruptcy that allows for reorganization of a company under the supervision of the court with the intention of continuing in business.  This is the second time in five years that Creative Memories has filed for Chapter 11 protection.

What does this mean to the people who buy Creative Memories products?  If you go to the home page of my website HERE and look near the bottom there is a link for "Restructuring News" (just below the blue line on the left side).  Creative Memories has told consultants that it is business as usual - orders are being placed and filled just like before the filing.  However, a number of products are in limited availability or "while supplies last" and many products will not be returning to the line.  As I understand it, the plan is to greatly simplify the company and to offer a much smaller range of products.  Albums, pages and protectors - the core items from the early days of the company should continue to be available along with a limited range of additional necessary supplies for album making.

I have been listening to the consultant webinars and it is my understanding that items like the Cricut cartridges will no longer be sold.  At the time I am writing this, there are five cartridges listed on my CM personal website - Be Young, Divine Wedding, Reminisce Accents, Stork's Delivery and Cheerful Seasons.  All of them could be added to the shopping bag but when Cheerful Seasons is added it shows up with the shipping date "not available" and a $0 charge in the cart - so it may be gone.

some of the images on the Total Sports cartridge

A new cartridge, Total Sports, was just released this month.  For some reason it is not listed on the same page with the other cartridges but you can find it HERE.  There a "look book" available HERE and you can also see all of the images in the Cricut Craftroom, but I can't find a link to the full handbook.  I do not know how many of these cartridges are available but the last new cartridge, Tiny Treasures, sold out very quickly.

I do not know if these cartridges will ever become available again, through Cricut.com or other sites.  I imagine it depends on the terms of the exclusivity agreement for the cartridges and could be affected by what happens with the bankruptcy proceedings.  If there were any of the cartridges that you were planning to buy, it would probably be best to get them now, while you can.  Some of the cartridges that aren't available on the website may be in the inventory of individual consultants so you could try checking locally.  If you don't have a local consultant and want to order through my website I'd be happy to help you with any additional questions.

Since I have been sharing my Layout a Day pages I have also been getting questions about the software that I use for my digital scrapping.  I use the Creative Memories Memory Manager program to edit and organize my photos and the StoryBook Creator program to make pages and do all sorts of other creative projects. 

screen shot of my embellishments created from photos

The pink and yellow rose page above was created from two photographs that I took of full blooming flowers.  I can save my images in the Storybook program and use them to create new designs and patterns (the flowers above are saved as embellishments in my content files).

The information I have seen from Creative Memories has stated that digital offerings will be part of the reorganized company but this could change.  I certainly hope that these programs will continue to be available and will be updated and supported - I use them nearly every day and rely on them.  I'll keep you informed with any news that I hear.

At this time, there is no way of knowing for sure what the outcome of the bankruptcy proceeding will be and how the "new" Creative Memories will look.  There is a possibility that the Chapter 11 reorganization will become a liquidation if things don't work out.  I would not like to see this happen but it is a possibility.

In order to "be prepared" (remember, I am a Scout Mom!) I am checking on all of my albums and pages to be sure that everything matches up so that I can complete any albums that I have on hand.  I am also using my product credits as quickly as possible even if the expiration dates are later this year.  If you have album coversets without pages, you might want to consider ordering what you need to complete the albums.  Once again if you don't have a local consultant and need help, you can order from my CM personal website and let me know if you need any help.


I know that some of you took advantage of the free class offering at Craftsy - so what are you learning about?  Leave a comment and let me know!


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A Page of Random Reds

 

Happy Sunday!

I hope you were able to sign up for one of the free classes at Craftsy yesterday.  I haven't seen an announcement yet about whether they made their goal of giving away 10,000 free classes.  I hope they made it so the donation of $5000 to Donors' Choice will be made to help fund arts education in public schools across the US.

I just have a quick post today to share another Layout a Day page. The theme of the month is "Get a Clue and all of the prompts are based on the board game Clue and related mystery terms. One of the categories of prompts are terms used in mystery writing.  The prompt on the day I did this page was "red herring."  I couldn't think of a good red herring story so I simply focused on the color red and chose some photos that represent certain meaningful places and events.

I spent more time selecting the photos than I did putting the page together since I used a digital template and made only a couple of changes to the template.  The random layering of the photos and the large fancy background shape would be easy to reproduce on a paper layout.  I did change the color values, making my background dark and the shadow of the large shape white.

I added the location where each photos was taken and titled the page "Random Reds."  The font used for both the title and the photo captions is "Adolphus."

I have noticed while doing LOAD (Layout a Day) this month that I definitely have a tendency to want to use a lot of photos on a page.  There are many beautiful pages that only have one or two photos but I always feel that they need more photos and less decoration.

Do you like to have many photos on the page when you make scrapbooks?   Do you do a lot of pages with only one photo?  I think a balance between types of pages is the best.

I hope your weekend is going well.  We have been doing house and garden projects and visiting with family. The weather is nice and if I could just shake these allergies (which have evolved into a sinus infection) I'd be much more energetic!
  
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Free Classes at Craftsy Sign Up Today!

Today is Free Class Day at Craftsy! 

Craftsy is a site that offers a great variety of high quality online classes in Cake Decorating, Knitting, Quilting, Sewing, Crocheting, Embroidery, Food & Cooking, Home & Garden, Jewelry, Spinning, Weaving and even a couple of Paper Craft classes!  I know that most crafters do more than one type of craft so I thought this special offer would be of interest to many of you.

one of the free classes

This offer is available only to people who haven't already taken a Craftsy class.  If you sign up today to try a class for the first time you can choose from a wide selection of classes, up to a $39.99 value - for free!

If they meet their goal of giving away 10,000 classes, Craftsy will donate $5,000 to DonorsChoose to fund arts education in public schools across the US.

another free class option

Craftsy classes are online and you take them at your convenience from home or wherever you like.  Access to your classes never expires so you can  watch them over and over.  You can access them from any device with a high speed internet connection - even your phone.

included in the free class offer

I hope that you will take advantage of this great offer and enroll in a free class.  This is a one day event so help them reach their goal of giving away 10,000 classes by signing up HERE today before midnight Mountain Daylight Time.  (Do it right now if you can - before you forget!).

I am curious to know which of these other crafts you do.  If you sign up for a free class today please leave a comment and let me know what class you chose.  Is it to learn a new skill or expand your knowledge of a craft you already enjoy?  

Here are a couple of photos of some quilt tops that I have made - I got busy with paper crafting before I quilted them...maybe someday!

Have a great weekend!

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When I Was A Kid - Cricut Layout Cartridge

image from Cricut.com

Another new Cricut cartridge filled with 50 more layouts was just announced.  Last month I told you about The First Few Years cartridge (see the post HERE) which includes 50 full page layouts for typical scrapbook pages for babies and toddlers.  The next cartridge, When I Was A Kid, has 50 more layouts that cover the next stages of a child's development.

If you are curious about this new type of cartridge - here is some good news.  Until May 22, 2013, you can access both of these full cartridges through the Cricut Craft Room for free. 

When you log in to the Cricut Craft Room you should see both of these cartridges listed under "My Cartridges" in the Images/Cartridges tab.  I noticed a few other free layouts in my account when I took this screen shot - I am not sure how long they will be there.

image from Cricut.com

Even though these layouts are set up for typical childhood topics, the basic sketch could also be used for other types of pages by simply changing the title and swapping out some shapes as needed.

image from Cricut.com

The handbook pages are labelled with the sizes you need to cut each shape for a 12 inch layout.  You will definitely want to download the handbook to use while working with the digital cartridge in the Craft Room.  You can find the download link for the handbook on the cartridge information page HERE (click on the tab that says "Details").

image from Cricut.com

While some of the shapes are child specific, there are quite a few that would be generally useful for all ages.

image from Cricut.com

These shapes are even more multipurpose than the first group.

image from Cricut.com

I particularly like some of the journal/title blocks.

image from Cricut.com

Some of these frames and corners would be great for cards.  The titles and the font are definitely aimed at child pages but you might be able to use them in other situations.

I've been doing the Layout A Day challenge this month.  For a variety of reasons, I am doing my pages digitally.  Sometimes I start with a blank page, but I also use page templates to help speed things up.  Usually I change a few things, or many things, but it is good to have a place to start.

These cartridges are appealing if you want to make pages quickly because they take things a step beyond using a sketch.  You can simply cut all of the pieces for the page and assemble it as shown in the book.  I did notice that most of the pages have only one photo spot but it is usually large so you could do a collage of photos in that space (I usually like to put lots of photos on a page).  You can also treat the page as a starting point and rearrange things a bit to add the photos you want to use.

One more reminder - if you are a Gypsy owner who received the $20 credit when Gypsy linking with the Craft Room became available last month, TODAY is the last day to use that credit.  The credit is for digital images and cartridges only.  You will find the code number under "My Account" - "Gift Card/Store Credit."  When you are checking out, you will apply the gift card/credit on the second page (it is not a promo code to enter on the first page of the checkout).  I did notice that there are a few digital cartridges for only $14.99 on the Today's Deals page HERE.

image from Cricut.com

If I can get my computer and the Craft Room to play nicely together, I may be trying out a few of these pages this weekend.

I have been suffering with some combination of allergies and/or a Spring cold this week.  The LOAD pages are getting done but I haven't had the energy to post every day on the blog.  I am starting to feel a bit better so things should be back to normal soon. 

What do you think about these cartridges?  Are you going to give them a try? 


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The Usual Suspects - Another LOAD page

The prompt for Layout a Day (LOAD) on Mother's Day was "The Usual Suspects."  I remembered these "mug shots" I took a couple of years ago of our triplet nephews and I made a page explaining why they are the usual suspects in the case of the disappearing jelly beans at our house.

The page was based on a template with quite a few changes made to reach the final result.  I like starting with a template but sometimes the pages end up looking completely different.

 This screen shot shows the original template.  The photo positions and sizes are the same but the colors and papers were all changed, the overlays were removed and a title was added along the left side.  I wanted the page to look very plain with just the basic colors pulled from their clothing.  I added textures to the plain colors to give more depth to the page.

Here is a closer view of the journaling.  I tried to play along with the theme with the "just the facts" section at the top and then added the rest of the story.  They are already older than they were in these photos and it's nice to have this story recorded.

I hope you had a good weekend.  I have been suffering from allergies and/or a spring cold and it has been difficult to get a lot done with all of the symptoms.  There are a few things I want to let you know about.

1.  The Silhouette Online Store subscription sale ends today, May 14, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Daylight time.  You can save 20% on a subscription by using the code SURPRISE when you check out.  Click HERE to go to the subscription page in the Online Store.  Remember, the subscription is an annual commitment and you will need to make either 12 monthly payments or one yearly payment (the annual payment is a little cheaper).

2.  If you are a Cricut Gypsy owner and received the $20 credit last month when Gypsy linking to the Craftroom was announced remember the credit will expire on May 17th (Friday).  The credit is good for digital cartridges and designs only on the Cricut website HERE.

3.  Lettering Delights has a new bundle of 40 Cut It sets and they are offering a huge savings of 75% when you buy the bundle.  The set includes cards, pennants, boxes, envelopes, birdcages, baskets, and much more.  You can see everything that is included HERE.

Here are a few of the sets included in the bundle - I particularly like the ready to cut step card files (they can be fiddly to do by hand).  The pennants are also lovely and there is so much more in this bundle.

Cut It sets come in the following formats - .AI (v.8), .DXF, .EPS (v.8), .GSD, .PDF (v.1.5), and .SVG so you need software and a machine that accepts these formats.  The bundle is only available for the month of May - and it will keep you busy for another month or so cutting everything out!  Click HERE to see the Gift Giving Bundle.

Remember, if you "purchase" the monthly freebie first (click HERE to see this month's freebies) you will received a code for 25% off your next purchase in your confirmation email - making this deal even more tempting.

4.  This month's free scrapinar offered by Lain Ehmann is on Friday, May 17th.  Monica Bradford will be doing a new presentation about washi tape with all new tips and ideas for using this versatile and trendy tape.  You must register ahead of time HERE.  If you can't attend live a replay will be available for a short time but you will only get the link for that replay if you register.  I can't wait to see what Monica has come up with this time!


It looks like another busy week - May is always hectic with end of the school year events, proms, recitals and graduation just around the corner.  I hope you are finding some time for yourself to do some crafting.  I have managed to finish a page everyday - 13 down and and 18 to go!  I'll share them all eventually but I also have some other projects in the works that I'll be posting this month.

What have you been working on lately?  I'd love to see what you have been up to!  Leave a link in the comments if you'd like to share.

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Happy Mother's Day

I hope you are having a lovely weekend.  Here are some virtual flowers for you in celebration of Mother's Day.  I am looking forward to a nice day spent with family and I wish all of you a wonderful day too!

I am still keeping up on the Layout a Day (LOAD) challenge - amazing myself!  Today is Day 12 so we are more than 1/3 of the way through.  This flower page is adapted from a page layout I did for the challenge.  Once again, thanks to my husband for the gardening talents - I just take the photos!

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Create your Own Background Papers

If you want to make your digital pages unique you can create background paper and elements from your photographs.  This page was for the fourth Layout a Day prompt - "greed" (as in the motive for a crime).  Since I am in ythe process of reorganizing my craft area and most of the cluttered spots in our house, I am keenly aware that I have a lot of "stuff."  So, my title and journaling should sound familiar to other crafters - how much do you "need" and at what point does it become "greed" to continue to acquire more?

I used these gems for a project last fall.  I was trying to find certain colors and sizes so I dumped them out on a white tray and looked through them in our sun room where I could see the colors clearly.

 The gems were for the birthday crown I made with my sister for her grandson (our great nephew).  You can read about that project HERE.

The gems looked so pretty in the sunlight.  I grabbed my camera and took a bunch of quick snapshots.  Then I edited the images and cropped them as squares.  This photo can now be used as a full page background for a digital layout or printed and used as the base layer for a paper layout.

Once I had my full 12 x 12 image, I could resize and rotate it to form some interesting variations.

A different pattern is created when the four images are rotated in the opposite direction.  I saved all of these variations as digital paper in a file within my StoryBook Creator 4.0 program.

Once I save the image as background paper, I can choose it to fill any shape that I am working with in the software.  I set up this grid of hearts based on the template i had saved after I created the Pie page that I posted yesterday.

I even tried filling some other shapes and giving them 3D edges - here are my experimental butterflies.

I used the original photo as the background on my LOAD challenge page.  The journaling says, "I am just like many of the crafters I know.  We "need" to have a space stocked with as many tools and supplies as we can fit.  You can easily turn into a collector instead of a crafter.  I have been trying to acquire less and craft more.  I don't know if I can ever "use it up!"

The page shows photos of some of my ribbons, punches, glitter and the background "bling."  I added some white shapes to go behind the photos and text and reduced the opacity to 75%.  This created a glow around the edges of the photos and made the journaling legible.

Does this topic strike a chord with you?  Do you have more than you need and find that it makes it harder to create since you have to pass by all of the unwanted items to find the "good stuff?" 

Are you finishing up any last minute Mother's Day projects?  I have a little more to do before Sunday.  I am determined to get my laundry room reorganized today - right now it is at the "it has to get worse before it can get better" stage.  Have a wonderful day!

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