Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Blog Prompt for Lisa at Sunshine Studios

Hi, I am posting this for a blog prompt challenge Lisa at Sunshine Studios is hosting this week. The prompt question is: When and Why Did You Get Into Digital Scrapping? (okay if you've already heard my great long saga, you might wanna skim this quick!)

I began digital scrapping in 2005. I worked for a company that bought me Photoshop CS (the 1st one, so no number yet) to make a map. 1 map. $800 for 1 map. SOOOO....I thought perhaps I ought to put it to more use, even if not for my company. I can't remember how I heard about digiscrapping, but I got into it right away with my Photoshop! There wasn't NEARLY as much on the internet then as there is now, so I mostly made my own stuff, and very boring pages. I did get excited about beveling and drop shadowing, but the cool clusters and glitters and stuff we have now - I don't think they existed anywhere! Sadly, I left that job - well, the sad part was leaving the Photoshop. I couldn't afford $800, and hadn't yet heard of PS Elements.

Fast Forward to fall 2008, I was in a job where I had Photoshop Elements and learned that it was really nearly as good as Photoshop CS for digiscrapping, especially considering all the free stuff online! This whole blog train thing BLEW MY MIND and before I knew it, I had collected about 25gb of free digiscrap stuff (hadn't made a page yet though!). Finally in March 2009, I had begun to recognize the higher quality digi products, designers, etc. And learned that without spending money, I just wasn't going to get such high quality stuff. So the digi-scrap budget was born (but I still watch out for awesome, high-quality freebies!) and I've spent about $500 (PLEASE don't tell my mom!!) on digi-scrap stuff since then. I finally began making pages because I bought a charity kit and wanted to use it. I also began making pages because I am making this great big huge book for my daughter's 10th birthday (coming up in November) and now I have to actually pare the book DOWN from over 400 pages I've made, to pick all the perfect ones for her. I'm having it printed by Blurb.

I'm learning about my family history and want to be able to provide something for my descendants to find out more easily the way that we lived, the things we did. The oral histories and available records for my family have brought me back to France in the 1600's. Interesting fact: the first person killed by the modern-day guillotine was my ancestor, Charles Pelletier! It's true! I'm sure he was innocent, though (actually, knowing French history, he really probably was). Anyway, I hope that generations who come after me will enjoy my scrapbooks and will continue to create similar things so that it will be less difficult to find out information in future times!

The exciting scrap thing that has happened to me today is - I won a free kit! It is called Me, Myself by Janice's Scraps at Sunshine Studio - see the preview below. Click on the preview to pick it up for yourself. But nyah, nyah, you can't have it free like me! BUT if you DO want a free kit, also see the post below this one and join in my Bingo game at Sunshine Studios - you can win a free kit by ME! I admit, I'm not as great a designer as Janice, but I'm okay, and it is free, so what're you waiting for?

3 comments:

Lisa said...

This is such a cute blog! I love the colors! You sound like you got into digi about the same time I did. There wasn't too much out there at all. It's amazing how the industry has grown so much in such a short time! Congrats on winning Janice's kit! I was lucky enough to do a one kit call with it and really liked it! Thanks for blogging on my prompt!

Kara said...

How nice to learn more about you! Thanks for sharing =)

Janarae said...

Love your story jen. I hope you like your Blurb book. I have seen 2, one my sister, and one my niece did. I am waiting for mine in the mail. Should be here on Sat. SOO EXCITED. Can't wait to see it. Good luck on paring down :) Thats no fun.
Hugs Jana