Archive for January, 2008
Tears of Joy Filled Our Eyes With This Story
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Warining…Â Computer Scrapbook Friend,
We both were in tears before we even got to the end. So, before you start the story, here’s the one bit of scrapbook news we have for you this week.
Kathy just added Nature 574 thru 587 to the FREE stationery site at: www.1-Computer-Stationery.com
Now, prepare to have your heart warmed…
This true story first appeared in “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, and was later verified by Snopes.com Billy, whose real name was Frank Salazar, was the first “wish child” helped by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.Â
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In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at her 6-year-old son, who was dying of terminal leukemia.Â
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Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all of his dreams. Now that was no longer possible. The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true.
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She took her son’s hand and asked, “Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grew up? Did you ever dream and wish what you would do with your life?”
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“Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up.”
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Mom smiled back and said, “Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.”
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Later that day she went to her local fire department in Phoenix, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine.
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Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better than that. If you’ll have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fie station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you’ll give us his size, we’ll get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat – not a toy – one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear, and rubber boots. They’re all manufactured right here in town, so we can get them fast.”
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 Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook-and-ladder truck. Billy Got to sin on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station.
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He was in heaven.
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There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three of them. He rode in different fire engines, the Paramedic’ s van, and even the Fire Chief’s car.Â
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 He was also videotaped for the local new program.Â
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Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible.Â
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 One night, all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically, and the head nurse (who believed in the hospice concept: that no one should die alone) began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, and so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman, in uniform, to be with Billy as he made his transition.
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 The Chief replied, “We can do better than that! We’ll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is NOT a fire? Say that it’s the fire department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. Oh, and will you open the window to his room?”
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About five minutes later a hook-and-ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’ s third floor open window – and 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’ s room.
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With his mother’s permission, they hugged him and held him and told him how much they loved him. With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I really a fireman now?”
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“Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand.”Â
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With those words, Billy smiled and said, “I know. He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing too.”
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He closed his eyes.
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Happy Scrappin’
Kathy and Wes
www.MyPrincessCrafts.com
www.EZScrapbookGuide.com
www.ComputerScrapbookTraining.com
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FREE Photo Greeting Cards and Stationery Downloads
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008Hi Digital Scrapbook Friend,Scrapbook Journaling – Critical Step Most ForgottenThat’s the latest article we placed on the Computer Scrapbooking 101 BLOG just below this post:
But, before you head off to get the great scrapbook tips that are included, here’s what else is new on the sites:
Kathy just posted a great new set of 6_FREE_valentines cards on the www.FreeScrapbookTraining.com website. Check them out now and be ready for the Valentines Day Holiday that is coming up fast.
Kathy also just added some New sets in the PrincessCrafts Platinum Members areas on both the 8.5×11 and 12×12 sections:
- Celebrate 22 thru 24
- Critters 58 thru 62
- Fantasy 19 thru 21
- Travel 37 thru 38.
You can get them fast on your recently added page inside your Members Home page.
Kathy just let me know that she will be removing Backgrounds 47 thru 60 by the end of January on areas as well. So, get them now while you still can.
Were you wondering about the Stationery site?
Well, good news there too as we just added new Winter 421 thru 429 on the no cost www.1-Computer-Stationery.com site. If you haven’t been there yet, you’ll also find stationery (or digital scrapbook background papers) for valentines day and most major holidays as well as birthdays and all kinds of special occasions.
One last note: Along with the Scrapbook Journaling article, we also just posted a great Scrapbook Inspiration Ideas article last week. Hope you had a chance to read both.That’s all for now. Happy Scrappin’
Kathy and Wes
PrincessCrafts
www.EZScrapbookGuide.com
www.MyPrincessCrafts.com
PS: Have you seen our www.HolidayScrapbooks.com site? -
Scrapbook Journaling – A Critical Step Most Often Forgotten
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008Scrapbook Journaling – A Critical Step Most Often Forgotten
By: Wes Waddell
Scrap booking is a great way to pass the time. It’s also the #1 BEST WAY to preserve your life’s most treasured memories. You need to be conscious of time though… You don’t want to lose the sight of your main goal. Be sure to make the best use the time you spend on your scrapbook to produce a book of memories that tells the whole story. Try to capture not only the technical details, but also record the emotions that were felt when the memory was created. This way, you can not only show your friends and family all the memories that they missed or couldn’t share with you, but let them really FEEL what it was like to be there.
Most people forget to journalize (add journaling text to) their scrapbook and it is one of the most commonly missed attributes to later generations that are trying to make sense of what was taking place in the scrapbook photos.
They say that a picture paints 1000 words… and, while that is true, it’s not always the right one thousand words if the stage isn’t set properly to begin with. That’s the reason why journalizing is so important. It sets both the technical and emotional stage so that you can fully remember what was really going on in the photo images… and you can really feel the emotions of the event years and years later.
Step one in scrapbook journaling is to begin by creating a title for each page. Keep it simple and to the point. Your journaling titles for each page is the easy way to begin setting up the pages story. Just tell what the event was for or you can be funny or even say something heartfelt. If you just think of your page as a story, it then becomes easy to title or name it.
Always use big bold letters for the title to draw attention to it, but make sure it does not overwhelm the most important elements of the page—the pictures and captured memories and dreams come true.
Each picture on your page, almost always, should have a few words as a caption or story intro. This is to make sure the photo story starts out in the right direction. You will want to name the people in the pictures so future generations that read your scrapbook, know who the participants are without needing to guess. If it’s not a well known location, you’ll also want to let them know about the places and landmarks that can be seen in the background.
Always remember… while you may know these people and places well, your future generations and even your current family and friends may not be able to decipher where the pictures came from or who certain people are years down the road. As you get older and your mind starts to fill up… You just may find that you too will benefit from these labels.
Scrapbook journaling or text elements should be planned for and include in your (digital, computer or traditional) scrapbook page designs. Personally, I like to keep this journaling text around the same size as the smallest photograph, but of course, this depends on the final scrapbook page layout and design. Many pre-made layouts, especially in the new digital scrapbook templates, will already include a space for your journaling text. Use this element of the design to record the introduction to the “story†behind the pictures.
Think about it in a way as if you were looking back with a close friend of family member. Just consider what you would say to them, how you would describe the emotions of the event or what questions that they may ask of you? All of this information is readily forgotten and totally unknown to future generations, so it is important to jot down a few words even if you place it on a piece of notebook paper and save it with your photographs. I do that when I go through my photos when I first get them back or save them to my computers hard drive. That way I always have my journaling notes handy as I create the scrapbook pages. Inevitably, time just seems to blend the years together. Very few people can remember everything they did by date, so if you include a date or time in your notes you will be able to preserve the memories and emotions much easier.
Just as a note, sometimes you may want to tell a lot of the story in words. Occasionally you may forget your camera at an important event, lose your pictures, or not be allowed to use a camera at all. Even if you went somewhere and you didn’t take pictures, you can still document that part of your life by using the scrapbook journal to preserve the memories.
Digital scrapbookers have been using digital stationery and backgrounds as journaling pages for years now. The old-fashioned traditional hand scrappers have used pre-printed papers and hand written pages from the beginning. You simply use descriptive words to take the place of the photographs and to describe the emotions and events.
For those who have a fear of using their handwriting to journal or have a physical disability that makes it difficult to read, you don’t have to worry because you can use your computer and decorative fonts, letter stickers and cutouts to help you to create your scrapbook journaling. However, when you use your own handwriting or a special font made from your hand writing, even if it is bad, this personal touch lends itself to give your scrapbook pages some personal character. What ever you choose, you will want to choose some way of journalizing that will allow you to scrapbook in a dramatic descriptive way and help to create a wonderful memory album filled with all the emotions you felt when the memory first took place.
Happy Scrappin’
Kathy -n- Wes
www.PrincessCrafts.com
www.MyPrincessCrafts.com
www.ComputerScrapbookTraining.com
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Finding Inspiration
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008Finding Inspiration
By Wes Waddell
With every scrapbook you will be able to create a lot of really great pages. You may, however, at times find that it gets harder as you try to create a number of pages that go together. Sometimes, you may not be able to place the pictures on the page in a graceful and symmetric way… you feel that you are just in a rut.
When this happens, where do you go for inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere and all around the world. Turn on the television to check out the travel new or your favorite celebrity’s latest fashion. This may lead you to a new color scheme for one of your pages. You will certainly want to check out the current issue of your favorite scrapbook magazine and try to mimic a great idea or photo along with the written title words. Billboards, advertisements, movie posters, and simply the scenes of your neighborhood can all become sources of inspiration if you look at the world with a scrapbooking eye.
Your favorite digital scrapbooking membership site it a wonderful source for ideas and scrapbook layout templates.
However, pictures are not just the only thing that will inspire you for a new page idea. You will have plenty of words and feelings to help you along the way. A funny or moving quote can be used on a page as an embellishment, or perhaps a catchy phrase can become the theme and title of your new scrapbook page layout. You may just need to break out from the visual arts completely and try to find inspiration in quieter places. Some of my best page ideas come to me when I’m doing something totally unrelated to digital scrapbook layout design, such as reading. Take a break and walk away from your scrapbooking space when this happens. If you were to just change your scenery, you will be able to learn to motivate yourself and create true memorable scrapbook pages.
Friends can be a perfect source of inspiration as well. You will also want to ask for advice on any layouts and see examples of their hardbound scrapbooks to help you to find your muse of inspiration. Ask for advice on your latest digital scrapbook layout or, if they hand scrapbook as well, browse through some of their home made scrapbook albums. You don’t necessarily want to copy their ideas exactly, although you can, you will generally want to take some of the elements of their old fashioned scrapbook and use it to generate new ideas that you can mix together and make a whole different design of your own. You can also achieve this by browsing through scrap booking and memory maker publications such as magazines, books and online scrapbook memberships. Again, you don’t have to create exactly what you see, but the mark of a good designer is the ability to make a style or technique his or her own.
As for the best source of inspiration, you should think about the pictures all by themselves. You may want to pull designs and colors from the picture scenery and backgrounds. You may also want to use the pictures themselves as the digital scrapbook background or to help you to determine the layout and what your options are pertaining to the layouts.
Most of all… You will want to learn how to use your subjects to inspire you to do better. You will want to stop, look around and “feel the memory†because the best inspiration of all comes not from what you see in the world, but what you felt when the memory was originally created.
Happy Scrappin’
Kathy and Wes
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