A Couple of Things I Love...

I really don't get into too many blogs that are all about promoting stuff. I'd rather read about people than read a bunch of ads. But by the same token, there are a few blogs whose writers I really trust when it comes to product/site referrals.

And I've had some different people ask me lately to tell them more about some sites I've used. So today I thought I'd pass on to you my three most favorite new finds.

1. Picaboo. As you know, I'm hard core about the scrapping. I've scrapped for over a decade and have been a rubber stamp scrapper for all those years. And then I learned about Picaboo. It is an online, digital scrapping company. You download their software (which is free) to your computer and then you can upload your pictures into the software. You can create albums of all different caliber (softcover with pages that are about the weight of a magazine cover) to really fancy thick cardboard pages (like for a wedding album). You can also make calendars on the site...it's where I made the David calendar.

I could talk about the merits of Picaboo for hours, so here are some bullet points of my favorite things about the site:

* I can still get the feel of scrapping (backgrounds, borders around the pictures) with the convenience of the digital route.
* I can scrap anywhere without carting a carload of stuff. Last fall I scrapped at Ronda's during a football game - completely on a whim. I had my computer in my bag and that's all I needed.
* I can put a bunch of tiny pictures on a page or devote one entire page to one picture. So versatile!
* I can journal a ton (even make a whole page of just journaling if I want) or not at all (if I want the picture to speak for itself). They have lots of fonts and colors for the journaling.
* If I need multiple copies of the same project, I can just order multiples without redoing all the work.
* It takes up much less space than my traditional albums.
* They run specials often, so I can wait for a deal and place the order when I have money.
* Each page takes about half the time of manual scrapping.

If you have been thinking about making the switch to digital scrapping - or if scrapping has always overwhelmed you, just go here to get started. You just might love it!!

2. Nations Photo Lab. I've mentioned this site a couple of times...it's my most recent find. Normally if I need prints of pictures, I just send them over to Meijer and pick them up when I'm out and about. But ordering enlargements always gets on my nerves because it's so expensive!

Then Rachel told me about this site. You can order regular prints - but also enlargements, canvas prints, and other fun stuff. In February they ran a special where the bigger enlargements were 50% off. And orders over $50 qualified for free shipping. I ordered twice and absolutely loved the quality of the work. My pictures were crisp, they were delivered quickly and they were not rolled up in a tube.

It works a lot like Picaboo. You download the free software, and then upload and order your pictures.

I'll probably continue to use Meijer for little prints I need quickly, but all my other picture orders will go through this site now. I've been very impressed!

3. Shindigz. I read about this site while reading The Mom Creative blog. She blogged about it because they were running a special where you could order a certain size banner for one penny plus shipping. I have an event coming up that I thought would be banner-worthy, so I took a stab at it.

I was THRILLED with the way the banner turned out. It's great quality vinyl material, and it looks very very classy. (Can't show you yet...it's a surprise for later.) They make banners of all sizes and I would say they're worth the price (ranging from $15.00 to $150.00 depending on size) for what you get.

The site sells all sorts of other party stuff too, but I can only speak for the banner.

So that's that! Some stuff I love!