January 11, 2011

Designer Spotlight- Michelle Coleman

There are so many digital designs and styles out there- how can you keep up?

We are here to help SIMPLIFY your life for 2011!
Persnickety Prints is bringing in at least 2 new designers a month- and throwing them in the spotlight.
Not only will we get to know these great new people and their "style" of designing- they will have some digi-goodness to share with YOU! There will always be some sort of freebie and/or giveaway!
Make sure you have signed up for Persnickety News  so that you don't miss out!

FIRST UP:
MICHELLE COLEMAN owner and designer at Little Dreamer Designs!

ABOUT Michelle:
When did you start designing?
I created my very first digital layout after reading an article about it on December 24, 2003.  At the time I started scrapping
digitally, there was hardly any good digital product available.  When I couldn’t find what I wanted for a layout..
I  created it myself. I started designing and selling my creations  three months after I found Digital Scrapbooking, in March 2004.

Why Digital?
Digital makes more sense to me because I am a Photoshop Guru. I started scrapping traditionally in 2000 after my oldest daughter was born. I was a huge fan. But It was completely normal for me to first design the layout, journaling all entirely on my computer before I laid it out in paper and glue. It was also completely normal for me to spend upwards of $25 per page because I hated being limited in what I could or could not use. When I realized Digital could not only save me money because I was making everything myself but actually MAKE me money. I never looked back :) I still have lots of traditional paper and ribbon and stickers. And every now and then I actually use them to create something. I much prefer the freedom of digital scrapbooking. I truly feel that there are no limits to what I can create and I love NOT having to run out to the craft store late at night because I ran out of alpha or ribbon :)

Favorite Past Time:
Designing :) I am so very fortunate that designing is my livelihood and also my passion. It's how I relax, de-stress and express myself. I can (and do!) design every day for hours and hours at a time. When I'm not designing, I can be found reading, painting, biking, playing with my girls, or plucking out tunes on my guitar.

Favorite TV Show:
I'm a Glee Junkie. Probably because I am a fellow show choir alumni ;) My daughters and I adore it!

Goals for 2011:
My goals for 2011 are to keep producing scrapbooking product both traditionally (for Fancy Pants Designs) and digitally that represent my individual voice as a designer and as a scrapbooker. 2011 is going to bring some exciting changes for me and my family and I'm more than excited to take those on!


Here is the DEAL-
20 {TwEnTy} of you can have this ENTIRE KIT for FREE
HOW? Visit Michelles Store at Little Dreamer Designs HERE
  →VISIT her Persnickety Prints Page: www.persnicketyprints.com/michelle-coleman and tell us your FAVORITE Michelle Coleman Design- that's it!←
       
Contest Closes Monday. January 17th. 5 pm MST
For those of you that don't want to enter- or maybe don't make the final cut- here is a coupon for $2.00 off!   (this kit is already on sale for $4.80- with this savings, your total is $2.80- Nice!)

ALSO: get these THREE PAGES of BEAUTIFUL .png Quickpages -FREE♥
All you need to do is be a Little Dreamer Designs Fan on Facebook to "unlock" the link - HERE

Have Fun!

January 10, 2011

Creating a Digital Scrapbook Page with Google Picasa - Step 2


How much would the average scrap/memory book person spend on something like this 12x12 scrapbook page?


  • 11 separate pictures (11 4x6 prints x .29¢) = $3.19
  • 12x12 Cardstock= .50¢
  • Elements, Glue, Background paper=  $1.00
You are looking at spending an average of $4.69 on a simple 12x12 scrapbook page with 10 or more photo's.

Am I close?
Should we figure in the time it would take to order all of these prints, cut them, glue them, etc, etc?

The above digital layout took 1 minute and 22 seconds! 
all in Picasa

This is step 2 of our series on how you can create a layout in Google's Picasa.
It is Free- It is Fast- It is Easy-
Best of all, it is ONLY $1.99 for a 12x12 super duper archival-
even waterproof- Persnickety Print on fuji crystal silver halide photo paper!

Do you have those friends that may want to "try digital" but don't want a huge learning curve- You really need to tell them that there is a way out of digital darkness! :) This could change their lives!


Here is a Picasa Collage I have printed at Persnickety Prints- notice how thin my "grid" is. 
For printing, the thicker your grid the better.
We work very hard to keep your borders and make them even. Our lab techs watch every single image and layout that is ordered.

I will bet $ that if you had an image with a thin border printed somewhere else, it would look just like this one on the bottom.


Step 2 Video Tutorial


Here is the video tutorial for creating a digital scrapbook page with Picasa- Step #2.
Forgive my voice.  You may also watch it on our You Tube Channel here: http://www.youtube.com/persnicketyprints

For those of you that would prefer a "written" tutorial, I am working with Sarah from Clover Lane to bring those to you!
 by Sarah at Clover Lane
Visit our You Tube Channel for all Persnickety tutorials.

> Move onto Step 3

January 9, 2011

So many ways to order prints

 As we all know, photos are not just on our memory cards and computers these days. We keep photos everywhere: our cell phones, various software applications, social networking sites, and much more. So, what if you want to order prints of the photos you have in those various apps and sites? Well, now you can! Read on for a few brand new popular ways to order your photos from Persnickety Prints.


FACEBOOK
Facebook photos have always been fun to look at, but virtually impossible to print through your local photofinisher...until now. To order prints of any of your Facebook photos, simply install the Facebook photo ordering app from your Facebook account. The app is still a Beta release, meaning your feedback is welcome to help make it perfect via the feedback link in the app. Once it is installed, you can order any photos from your Facebook photo albums, or any Facebook photos you are tagged in. Select the photos you wish to order, press "Add to Cart" to put them in your shopping cart, and when you are ready to order, press "Go to Cart" to open the shopping cart and complete the order. The order is sent to your trusted local photofinisher, just as any other order you place using your online photo account.





Ordering Facebook photos is a great way to preserve your memories so you can enjoy your Facebook photos anytime, even when you are not in front of a computer. We recommend ordering 4x6 or 5x7 prints from Facebook, since the resolution on Facebook photos is usually too low to get a good quality print in any larger size.

Facebook Ordering Video Tutorial:




iPHONE
Imagine this: you are walking down the street and bump into your favorite celebrity. You pull out your iPhone for a quick photo, and it comes out great. But, how do you make a print? Well, thankfully, we have the answer. Download LifePics for iPhone. The free iPhone app lets you order any photos from your iPhone to your local photofinisher, or any photofinisher near you if you are traveling. Order 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, or 11x14 prints (print size availability is based on which sizes the photofinisher offers). You can also access your photos that are stored in your online photo account and order those through the app as well. The app is a great way to print and preserve your memories captured on your iPhone. A similar version will soon be released for Android phones; you can download the current Android phone app now (search "LifePics" in the Android market on your phone), but the printing capability is not included yet.




Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is a software application many people use to edit and share photos. Up until recently, there was no way to order those photos directly from the software. Thankfully, you can now install the Lightroom plug-in, which allows you to order all of your Lightroom photos through your local photofinisher. This plug-in is free and is a great tool for Lightroom users. People who use Lightroom often spend hours editing and manipulating a photo until it looks just right, but what's the point if you cannot print the photo and hang somewhere? Well, now you can. Install the plug-in and give it a shot!




Fotobounce
Fotobounce is a free photo sharing and organizing tool. It uses facial recognition to organize your photos based on who is in them, or by date, name, or a variety of other methods. And now, you can order any of your Fotobounce photos through Persnickety. Simply install the latest version of Fotobounce, select photos to order, and select "File," "Print" from the top menu bar, or right-click on the photos and select "print." The orders will be sent to us, just as any regular order from your online photo account. 



This also is the same for Picasa. Install Picasa, upload photos to your online Picasa account and simply order!





Choose the Lifepics provider to order from us at Persnickety Prints.com



As always- contact us with any questions! We are here to help!
Can't wait to see what you send us.

January 8, 2011

January Blues Free Digi Kit

We are located in Utah. The prettiest state there is.
It is cold.
I know that there is a statistic somewhere with the percentage of people that get the "Winter Blues". It is higher than you would think, and now I am going to have to spend 47 minutes searching for that statistic.
 ___ % of us have the Winter Blues.
So, on a lighter note, we are all in the same boat.
Here is a little somethin' somethin' to put a smile on your face- even just a little one.



9 Papers- .jpg format

Elements- .psd and .png

You can grab this entire kit-n-kaboodle right HERE via box.net
and cheer up- it's almost February! The second bluest month of the year :)

*statistics also show that opening up a box of Persnickety Prints can put a smile on ones face*