Carol's random babble

Today's layout uses Pumpkin Flair, a free embellishment pack from My Memories. I got an email with a link to download. If you sign up to get email updates, you can get these free packs, too. The link I got is here , but I'm not sure it allows more than one person to get the free download. Usually the part that takes the longest time for me is checking out each kind of paper and embellishment, because there are a lot to choose from. It's easy to use a predesigned kit and just plug in your photos, though. This layout is based on a photo layout without any embellishments. I added the Pumpkin Flair (the little pumpkin faces), "Happy Halloween" from the Halloween card kit I downloaded, and pumpkin stripe background paper. I also used Word Art for "Trunk or Treat 2008." The whole thing only took a few minutes. The giveaway is still going on. You can win your own copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software. Giveaway ends at 12:01 a.m....

I think this scrapbook layout came with the My Memories Suite. I downloaded a lot of free templates and papers, but it's not on my list. (Forgetful me, sorry) I didn't add anything to these except some text in the last page shown: There is plenty of room for text here. I would recommend putting a shape with a color that matches or complements the colors of the background paper, then putting your text box on top of that. You can group those two elements and move them around together. Cayla has no idea I've been using pictures of her for these layouts. Shhh! Don't tell her! You can enter my giveaway for a copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software here . There are two mandatory entries - you must "like" My Memories on Facebook, and you must leave a comment at this blog post with a My Memories product that you like. You don't have to like my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter, but you can get extra entries if ...

I thought I would try a different template - this one is a free download at MyMemories.com. As  you can see, all you do is double-click on the picture box (or circle) and browse to a photo. You can also add the names by using text boxes, but I like handwritten names better (unless your handwriting is really, really bad). :-) Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of My Memories Suite v2 digital scrapbooking software. And if you don't win, but buy it on your own, you can save $10 by using this code when you check out: STMMMS22597.

Today's layout uses a template to create an album with different page layouts and photo positions. I modified these pages a bit, changing the size of the photo boxes in one and removing a couple of photo boxes and adding a journaling box to the other. Other modifications are noted in the captions. This layout uses a burlap texture for the background and word art for the name. The background for this one is turquoise large stripe paper. For a complete album, I would probably use different background but a similar color scheme, as much as possible.  But with My Memories digital scrapbooking software , each page could have a completely different background or you could them all the same. Go to my giveaway and enter to win your very own copy of My Memories Suite v2 and you can create your own digital scrapbook. You can also visit My Memories on Facebook , "like" the page and click on VIP exclusive. You can download exclusive content beginning every Friday.

During the giveaway week , I'm going to post a layout each day using My Memories digital scrapbooking software. Today's layout is barely today, because I actually work outside the home and was in town for about 12 hours today, so I didn't have time to tweak my layout and get it uploaded until very, very late. But here it is: Halloween times 2. Simple background, one of the Halloween background papers offered. "Halloween" is done with the Word Art feature. Same photos, text and word art. I put a black background behind the words "Cayla's hand" to help it show up better against the busy background. This paper comes in different colors, and there are more "batty" papers to go with it. You can download free papers and embellishments at MyMemories.com , and you can also purchase paper packs or layout sets. Also? My configuration: (refurbished) eMachine with Intel Celeron 2 GHz processor, 1 gigabytes of RAM and  53.3 gigabytes o...

I was recently asked to do a review of the My Memories Suite scrapbooking software and the good news is that one lucky ready will get a copy of the software for their very own! From My Memories website: My Memories Suite Version 2.0 digital scrapbooking software is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The software's design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch. Available worldwide. Intended for English-language computers. Technical support is English-only. You can do a lot with My Memories suite . You can lay out a full scrapbook of several pages following a template and just plugging in your photos and embellishments from the digital scrapbooking software . You can just create a couple of pages - or only one at a time - and follow their layouts or create one completely from scratch. You can make cards and calendars, as ...

Did you ever play that word game as a child? It goes like this: Savvy first person: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road. I one it." (You explain to the other person they say "I two it.") Unsuspecting second person: "I two it." Savvy first person: "I three it." Unsuspecting second person: "I four it." Savvy first person: "I five it." Unsuspecting second person: "I six it." Savvy first person: "I seven it." Unsuspecting second person: "I eight it." Savvy first person pointing and laughing: "You ate it! You ate the dead skunk! Hey, look at who just said they ate a skunk!" Unhappy second person: "I want to do it again but I want to be first this time." Savvy first person: "Okay." Unsuspecting second person: "There's a dead skunk in the middle of the road. I one it." Savvy first person: "I two it." Unsuspe...

I suck at writing book reviews. Really. But I do want to tell you about "Pigs Must Fly" by Edna Flannigan. Iris Haugsdahl has suffered all her life. No one would ever call her attractive, and when she left high school to marry Urbb, a much older man, people didn't care, except to speculate that her parents paid him off with farm land. Urbb wasn't abusive, but neglectful. His passion was his dairy farm, and his favorite cow was Enola - "she had Swiss written all over her," Urbb had said. When Urbb is invited to a VFW convention in Las Vegas, Iris urges him to go. And when Urbb dies a few weeks before the convention, Iris goes, on her own for the first time in her life. There she meets Kitty Velour, a transgender lounge singer who inadvertently reopens old wounds. Kitty tries to make it up to Iris, with unexpected results. Added to the mix are the neighbors from back home, Forky and Netta Stimple, and things get a little crazy. "Pigs Must Fl...

Every weekday that school is held (and not delayed because of weather or whatever), I have to get up at 4:30 a.m. and usually spend the next 1 1/2 hours getting Cayla awake, out of bed, into the shower and out the door for early morning Seminary (a scripture study class at church for high school students). She is always late, except on the days when she completely misses it - like yesterday, because I didn't want to drive in dense fog. Most of the time, I just stay in my pajamas - sweat pants or old exercise pants, and an old, raggedy T-shirt (I have several to choose from). When I get home I usually go on the computer for a bit and then roll back into bed. Today, Cayla was pretty wide awake - due to the fact that when she got home yesterday she went to bed for a one-hour nap and didn't wake up til this morning. I dozed off after my alarm went off at 4:30 and woke up again at 5:35. She was ready to leave. As we left, she mentioned that she needs a calculator for a math test...