Wordless Wednesday--Full Circle...

My baby, her baby.

Full circle...

My Memories Review and Giveaway!

Yesterday I mentioned a special post featuring My Memories Suite and here it is!  I hope y'all are as excited as I am!

I have always wanted to create elaborate scrapbooks with my TONS of family photos. (I live with a professional photographer who started out with a wicked photography hobby.)  However, where I have a knack for creativity, I have an even greater lack of patience (and space).

I have some friends who love digital scrapbooking.  I have admired their layouts and abilities, but have never attempted my own....until now.

My Memories offered their complete digital software suite to get me started and I must say....it is simply amazing!  And LOADED.  I have been playing with it all week and I have barely scratched the surface.

First, I chose background paper, colors, and textures.  I had a choice of several different layout templates, but I chose to go it alone with the blank page.  Once I get the hang of it, I bet the templates make for quick creations.

Then, I added my photos.  You can resize, darken, lighten, blur.  You can mat them in your choice of color, flip them, reshape them, and cast all sorts of shadows.  Fun!

Next, I added the text.  Same thing---colors, gradient, curve, shadow, etc.

Finally...embellishments!  This is where you add an extra dose of personality.  Ribbons, buttons, stitching...too many to even try to mention here.  I suggest using the search box.

I am a true beginner (so keep that in mind) and this is what I have created with my digital scrapbooking software from My Memories:

(*Background note--these pages are part of an album I am creating from photos taken at my niece's recent funeral.  Sad, but very beautiful.)

My color scheme is pink and gray.  Some of my pages are pink and some are charcoal. Notice my photos are matted and also have heavy shadows.  I like that look.  The letters are also heavily shadowed.  The bow, button, and butterflies are from the embellishments.  I have quite a few pages left to create, but I am very happy with how it is coming together.  I can't wait to dig deeper and learn more about this software.

Once my album is complete, I will be able to save it as jpeg files on my computer, print it out, or put it on a DVD.  I can even add music.  I think I will add music from the funeral....

Now.  I bet you are just chomping at the bit to give My Memories a try!  And I haven't even mentioned their large selection of scrapping kits available for separate purchase.  They have some very beautifully coordinated packages at very reasonable prices.  (If you 'like' their Facebook page, you can participate in Freebie Fridays!)

My Memories was nice enough to offer this special code to my readers! 

Click the banner below and enter this promo code (STMMMS30050) at checkout to receive 

$10.00 off on My Memories Suite V3 digital scrapbooking software 

AND

 a $10.00 coupon to use in the My Memories store!

That's stretching your money!

OR.....

You can try to win it!  

My Memories has provided an additional copy of their My Memories Suite V3 

for one of my luck readers.

My Memories giveaway

Each counts as one entry:

1. **Mandatory!! Please visit  www.MyMemories.com  and choose your favorite digital paper pack or layout, then leave a comment here, telling which ones you chose.
2. Follow this blog on Networked Blogs (see right sidebar).
3. Follow the Feed on this blog.
4. Subscribe to this blog by email.
5. Follow the My Memories  Blog- http://blog.mymemories.com/.
6. "Like" My Memories on Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593.
7. Follow My Memories on Twitter- http://twitter.com/#!/mymemoriessuite.
8. Tweet this giveaway (include @LisalynSchaffer and @Mymemoriessuite). *Once daily
9. Share this post on Facebook.

The nitty gritty:

-Giveaway begins now (March 22, 2012) and ends at 11:59 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012.

-Prize will be awarded as a promo code to be used at checkout on the My Memories website.  

-Value of prize is $39.97.

-Winner will be chosen via random drawing and will be announced here Friday, March 30, 2012.

Many chances to win...  


Spread the word!





*For disclosure, I received a full, downloadable copy of My Memories Suite V3 in exchange for an honest review.  In addition, I received a second copy to be used in a promotional giveaway.  This exchange did not affect the integrity of this review.

March Update--Rambling Bullets

What have I been up to, you ask?  Well, let me catch you up with a bullet list....

• Mildest.winter.ever.  No snow at all.  :o(   (Everyone needs one good snow...)
• Earliest.spring.ever.  My lilies are coming up and the azaleas are budding out.  The tree I planted last Mother's Day surprised the heck out of all of us when it popped out a bunch of tiny white flowers a couple of weeks ago.  It has looked like a stick since last summer.  We thought it was dead, but thanks to my procrastination/lack of motivation, not to mention my dislike of getting my hands dirty....it's ahhh-livvveeeeee.  That's the way I garden.  I pretty much let the plants have their own way....do their own thing.  That's how I get down.
• Everything is covered in pollen; however, my allergies are mild (so far).  Could it be the local honey??  Experts say no....
• I spent the entire month of February and first week of March counting down to Spring Break.  I thought it was this week.  It's next week.  The let-down was tremendous.
• I've been reading the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.  Fun!  I decided to read "One for the Money" after the movie came out.  I'm glad I did.  I'm on book five.  I think it's called "High Five".  (For the record, I haven't seen the movie.)
• It's March and I still haven't posted about my 2012 Word of the Year.  Who chooses a word and waits until March to mention it??  Me....  Oh, by the way....that's my word.  ME.  I decided to work on ME in 2012. It's not an easy word, that's for sure.  It's a struggle.  I hope it's worth it in the end...
• On a happy note, my grandson (Yikes!!  GRANDson?!?!)  will be here any day now.  Of course, I've been saying that for weeks...   It will happen eventually.  Patience.  Must.have.patience.
• Soon I will be wrapping that bambino in this beautiful hand made blankie.  Isn't it gorgeous??  My friend, Sheri made it especially for the baby. (She's a sweetie.)

• On another happy note, my son went on a one day field trip to St. Louis with his school last week.  He actually had fun!  He has Asperger's Syndrome, so just the fact that he made it onto that bus and out of his norm is HUGE.  Having fun is icing on the cake.  SO happy for him....
• On a very sad note, my niece was born still earlier this month.  Her funeral was last week.  So very horrible.  She was much wanted and will be missed terribly.  That's really all I have to say about that.  :o(
• This week I will be registering my middle child for high school.  (Does that make me sound as old as I think it does??  Probably not as old as the GRANDson on the way, right??)  *sigh*
• I will soon be registering my youngest child for Kindergarten.  *double sigh*  Where has the time gone?????
• Have you ever heard of My Memories?  My Memories sells digital scrapbooking software and scrapbooking kits.  Their digital scrapbooking software is A-W-E-S-O-M-E!  I am using it to make my brother a scrapbook of his baby girl's funeral.  If you come back tomorrow, you can see my review of the software and get a sneak peek of the pages I've created.  Don't miss it---I will be giving away a copy of the software to one of y'all!  And for those who can't wait, I will also have a special code that will get you $10.00 off!

http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software

 So, come back, okay?