Digital Scrapbooking With Studio J

I do love my paper. But every once in a while I need to make some pages quickly. I take a lot of pictures. I have a lot of albums. It is really impossible for me to get all my pictures into albums unless I do some pages digitally.

Using Studio J is quick and easy. You can easily get plenty of pages done in no time. Plus this month, Studio J is on sale! Just $5 for a two page layout. Check it out and try out a page today.

During the month of March, order your Studio J™ layouts—including ones using our new
Photo Express Collection—for only $5 each! Quickly create gorgeous, personalized studio
layouts using our wide selection of papers, collections, patterns, and embellishments.
And don’t forget to check out the templates in our new Photo Express Collection, which
allow you to design layouts entirely comprised of photos in minutes.**

*Offer valid March 1–31, 2014. Studio J layouts ship in a protected box that can hold from 4 to 50 two-page layouts. Minimum order of 4 layouts. Free JPEG of every printed layout.

**It is recommended that the matting feature not be used with the photo-only templates, the Photo Express Collection, as matting may cause photos to appear misaligned. Close To My Heart does not assume any liability for photos and Photo Express Collection layouts that have been created using the matting option and will give no reprints or refunds in such cases.

Click on Studio J to log in.

Digital Scrapbooking

Close To My Heart's Studio J is having a sale! Just $5 for a two page layout.

So, I decided to take advantage of the sale and get caught up on some pictures.

I take a lot of pictures. I document every event it seems. So I am always behind on my scrapbooks-- which is just fine. I don't let myself get upset over it, and I don't feel like a failure because of it.

Even though I love to play with paper and I love ink all over my fingers, sometimes I need to get a few pages done quickly. That's when I turn to digital scrapbooking. Working with Studio J, I can finish 3 layouts in less than an hour. And I am able to get a lot of pictures on one layout. I do have the digital layouts in the same album as my regular paper layouts. My scrapbooking friends notice. After all, scrapbooking friends are looking at what I am doing and seeing how to copy- the same way I look at their albums. However, most people don't notice there is a difference.

Studio J is perfect to get pages done quickly without the guilt. It is also great for those who really don't want to play with paper (I never understand those people). Some people just need to get the pictures out of their computer and have it done. We all need  a little quick projects at times.

Check out Studio J. Play with the program a little. With the sale going on until March 15, it is a great time to give Studio J a try.

Crafting One Handed With Studio J

Earlier this month, I had surgery on my right hand. As a crafter, it has been very tough not being able to work on anything. During the first week after my surgery, I wasn't able to use my right hand at all. I sat with my computer on my lap, playing with it one handed, and watched movies on the TV. It was tough. I spent a lot of time on Pintrest which really made matters worse because I came up with more projects I wanted to work on but couldn't. I finally decided to play with Studio J, Close To My Heart's digital scrapbooking site.

I have done an entire album with Studio J. Even though I love to play with my paper- I love the feel of the paper and the ink on my fingers-- sometimes we all need to get a project done quickly. I think that is where digital scrapbooking is for me-- when I don't have time to play. Or in this case, when I don't have access to my crafting supplies. I just couldn't make my paper cutter work with my left hand.

The Studio J site is so easy. Upload your photos. Choose your paper (so many paper packets to pick from). Pick a layout style based on the number of photos you have. Click your pictures into place. Add title and journaling. Decorate. At every step, you can make changes in colors, placement.

On the above layout, I will add more journaling as a pull out behind the page to explain each of the little pictures, just as I would on a traditional scrapbook layout.

The above will actually be two different pages in my 2012 Project 365 Album. The program doesn't allow for a single page which is tough for me since I generally work in singles- not two page layouts.  However, I was able to find photos for two different parts of the album that would work with similar papers.

I'm pretty happy. I actually spent very little time on the pages. Most of my time was spent playing in my Picasa program sorting photos and deciding what I wanted to work on. I have a bit more of our life documented. I was able to get crafty and feel useful despite doctor's orders to sit and do nothing. Like I noted before, I'm pretty happy.

Give Studio J a try. Check out my Studio J site and see how it feels to do a digital layout. If you are feeling very behind on your scrapbooks or you want to get that one album done, this might be the right spot for you.

Studio J- Digital Scrapbooking

I really like my paper and ink. I love the feeling of the paper and embellishments. I love ink on my fingers as a reminder of how much fun I had. I guess I am really a kindergartner at heart-- I like my arts and crafts.

But I have found recently that sometimes doing digital scrapbooking is a lot of fun too. My daughter earned her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. For her celebration, I wanted to have an album of her Girl Scout years-- all 12 of them. I started pulling out pages of Girl Scout days from my scrapbooks and realized just how many pages I have. Plus I have so many pictures that I haven't put into scrapbooks yet.  With everything I needed to do for her ceremony, there was no way to break the pages down into one album and complete more pages for the missed years. I decided to try Studio J, Close To My Heart's digital scrapbooking site. What a life saver! Within a half an hour I had four layouts completed.

I decided to do the whole album digitally. I had a two page layout for each level, plus a layout for her camp, her trip to the UK, and a couple layouts on her big awards. All in all, the book ended up 26 pages. Many of the early photos I needed to scan since they were taken while I was still working in film. I think I spent four hours total on the album, including the scanning time! It turned out beautiful! My daughter didn't see the book until the ceremony so I was so excited to see her face when she looked at it. Wow! Was she happy!

If you haven't worked with digital scrapbooking, give it a try. Click here to go to Studio J or just click on the Studio J box on the right hand side of this site. During the month of October, if you purchase nine layouts, the tenth one is free. It's a great time to try out Studio J.

I really don't think everyone should give up their paper and adhesive. There is no way I ever will. But I do think that sometimes the pages need to be done. That's when we need digital scrapbooking. We can be creative on the computer and get it done quick.
Give it a try and tell me what you think.

Digital Scrapbooking

My daughter has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award and we are preparing for her ceremony. I want to have an album highlighting her years and achievements as a Girl Scout. I have tons and tons of pages in our family albums with trips, cookie sales, awards, ceremonies, and friends. Too many for one album. So I thought I'd gather up my favorite pictures from her Girl Scout years and put together one album. I don't have a lot of time to get this done so I thought I'd try a little digital scrapbooking. I clicked on Studio J ( http://cathryn.ctmh.com/CTMH/Content.aspx?id=%2fen%2fsitecore%2fcontent%2fOBA%2fProducts%2fStudio_J.aspx).

Within an hour, I had eight pages done! Here is a two page layout on her trip to England.

So quick and easy. I don't know if I'll the whole album this way, but I am thinking about a few more pages. Studio J is helping me not be so stressed about the upcoming ceremony.

Studio J Changes

Close To My Heart will be phasing out Studio J® memberships, making Close To My Heart's fabulous online design software more accessible and affordable for everyone! Whether you currently have a Studio J membership or have yet to try out this innovative product, here are some details that you’ll want to know:
 
Starting July 12 all Studio J kits and patterns will be available to all users, regardless of membership status. Those “Members Only” flags will come down for good, opening up previously exclusive content to anyone who checks out Studio J. Even better, the non-member price for layouts is being slashed from $13.00 to $6.95! On top of that, non-members will now be able to download JPEGs with every print order, as well as having the option of placing separate orders for JPEGs for only $2.95.
 
Those who currently have a Studio J membership are eligible for our transitional Member Bonus Program, as follows:
 
Existing Benefits Period: All existing member benefits will continue as is through September 30, 2012, or until your membership expires, whichever comes first. This includes free shipping for one order per month of up to 20 layouts, current pricing, and free Memory Protectors®.
Free Layouts: As a token of our appreciation, on October 1, 2012, your Studio J account will be credited with 1 free layout for each month remaining on your membership as of July 1, 2012, including partial months. For example, if your membership is scheduled to expire November 4, 2012, you'll receive 5 free layouts: one each for July, August, September, October, and November. If your membership expires at any time during July 2012, you will receive 1 free layout credited to your account on October 1, 2012.
 
  
In addition to all this great news about Studio J’s increased accessibility, you’ll be delighted to know that even more new content is coming, particularly our Express Collections Beta: 6 gorgeous collections of 10 professional-looking, coordinating layouts for quick and easy album creation!

Start digitally scrapbooking today. Go to http://cathryn.ctmh.com/CTMH/Content.aspx?id=%2fen%2fsitecore%2fcontent%2fOBA%2fProducts%2fStudio_J.aspx.