Looking Back to Go Forward

I’ve been in a bit of a creative slump the last few months.  A lot has to do with having started working at a regular “9 to 5” (or, in my case, 7:00 to 3:30) job, five days a week.  A pretty demanding job, that requires a lot of energy and, more importantly, a lot of my creativity, and where I sit in front of a computer nearly the entire day. By the time I get home I’m beat, and not up to sitting in front of my own computer for yet more screen-time.

I’m finally feeling settled in there, though, and ready to get back to some of my OWN projects, including creating digital designs for Webajeb, especially (my favorite): templates.. 

I create templates for my own use, and then I put them out there for YOUR use. Sometimes they are for sale, for a small price; often, they are free.  I have missed this part of my life, and am looking forward to sharing new templates very soon!

Meanwhile, to get back into the habit of posting to my blog, here are some of my favorite digital scrapbook pages from past years:

If you’d like a template of any of these pages, just say the word!

Or, have you seen a scrapbook page online that you love, and would like a template made of it for your use?  I can do that, too.

And for the rest of you – I will post new Layered Digital Scrapbooking Templates by Webajeb very soon!

Digital Scrapbooking Freebies - Graduation and Father’s Day!

It’s Graduation time!!!!  Here’s a scrapbook page I did last year for my sister’s graduation from Brooklyn Law School in 2004.  I made the photo mask and loved it so much that I made 6 more!  They were very popular last year so I updated them (with the year 2010) and have re-issued the set.  Here is a preview of what’s included in the set:

{Click on the image to go to my online store!}

Seven digital photo masks AND, as a BONUS – with your purchase of this set I will PERSONALIZE one of the masks (your choice) with the name of your graduate AND the year (if it doesn’t happen to be 2010).  Instructions and my email address are included in the set.  I usually have a very quick turnaround so within about 24  hours you will have your personalized photo mask via email.

Plus, there’s a there’s a tutorial included on how to use photo masks!

And the entire set is only $1.99!

Not a bad deal, eh???

And, don’t miss my Father’s Day FREEBIES as posted yesterday!

‘Cuz June is all about Dads ‘n Grads!

Freebies - Father’s Day Digital Photo Masks Revisited

I love my Dad!  I made this digital scrapbook page last year around Father’s Day for my Book of Me.  I also modified the page dimensions to make a Father’s Day card for my dad – and he loved it!  I was his first daughter.  He was my first hero.  There’s an unbreakable connection there.

This year has been very different.  Father’s Day has sneaked up on me!  It makes me sad because I really wanted to do something very, very special for my Dad, and now that it’s only 3 days until Father’s Day, I’m running out of time!

So I’m recycling and re-issuing my Father’s Day photo masks from 2009!  (Feel free to skip ahead to the end of this post, where you’ll find links to get my Father’s Day photos masks – FREE!  Or, keep reading for news about what’s next for Webajeb.)

‘Cuz I just want to say that I’m also sad about how long it’s been since I updated this blog.  I miss it terribly!

But, as many of you know, due to the high cost of individual health care premiums, and the slow economy, I made the tough decision to go back into the corporate world.

My husband, wisely, renewed my business license anyway.  So Webajeb Digital Photo Albums & Portfolios is still in business, if minimally.

Having said that, now that I’m settling into my new job and my new schedule, I’m slowly but surely working my way back toward carving out some time to do what I love most: create fun digital products to share and sell within the digital (and paper!) scrapbooking community.

Not to mention create digital scrapbook pages for my own albums!  (Laptop crop, anyone???  SUSAN?  APRIL??)

So it looks like my lil’ business will go through yet MORE changes.  But what is life without surprises?  The true test of our resilience just might be our ability to roll with the punches and I intend to do just that!

I do thank you all for continuing to visit my website, read my blog, and purchase my products.  You provide the motivation for me to carry on.

So please, enjoy these FREE Father’s Day photo masks.  It’s last-minute, I know; however, if your Dad is online, you can send you creation to him via email.  If not, and you want to print out your photo and / or create a handmade card for him, call him on Sunday, and let him know it’s coming.

If your dad is like mine, he’ll totally treasure that conversation and the card, when it arrives, will be the cherry on top of his Father’s Day Sundae.

Don’t you just love how easily pleased Dads are?

Here are the links to my FREE Father’s Day digital photo masks at 4shared:

Set One – Nine Father’s Day photo masks (click on the image to download)!

Set Two – Three MORE Father’s Day photo masks (click on the image to download)!

I hope you enjoy these freebies – I’d love to see what you create with them!

And remember, all my products are copyright-free!  So if you’d like to share them with your digital scrapbooking friends, or use them to create a digital scrapbook page to enter in a contest, or whatever, FEEL FREE!

Saturday Scrapbooking

Wow, finally a chance to do some of my own scrapbooking!  On Saturday I went to an all-day crafter’s fundraiser.  Everyone brings whatever craft they like to do (most people bring scrapbooking projects although I’m the only one that does it digitally) and we work on our projects, snack, eat lunch and then dinner, and socialize.  It was a very fun day.  Here are a few of the pages that I did: 

For those of you wondering what’s going on with my business, Webajeb Digital Photo Albums & Portfolios, there have been some huge changes in my life; hence, the long silence in this blog, and no newsletter.

Bottom line is: I’ve gone back to work full-time.  The reasons are many but foremost was health & dental insurance.  My little business was barely bringing in enough to pay my taxes, let alone pay my bills AND handle the ever-rising cost of individual health insurance premiums, so the tough decision was made to go back into the corporate world.  I know many, many small businesses are struggling in today’s economy so I will say that I’m extremely grateful to have landed a great job.

Tomorrow will begin my third week at the new job and I’m finally beginning to settle in to the new routine.  It’s been quite an adjustment!  I am not shutting down my business completely, but I will not be taking on any client projects; I will only be creating some digital products and putting them on my website for sale or on my blog as freebies.  I will try to do this at least once a month, but no promises!

I also plan to post many of my own digital pages that I create because, well, I just like to share!  And it’s a good place for my friends and family to see them.  I’ll still send out the email notification whenever I update this blog.  (If you’d like to opt out of those notifications simply use the “Opt In/Out” link on the left-hand side of my blog.)

Keep on scrappin’!

Digital Photo Books – I’ll Make ‘em for you!

 

Photo Book-Making Service by Webajeb

I’m creating a photo book today for a client.  It’s the third in a series, one for each summer, that she and her family spend at her dad’s lakefront home in Canada.

{I can create one for you, too, for a low flat rate for the first 20 pages.  Click here for more info.}

You’ve heard the website names, perhaps visited one or more:

Snapfish, Shutterfly, Smilebooks, KodakGallery, MyPublisher, Lulu, Picasa, Blurb, Photobook Memories, and more every day.

You can go to any one of these websites, upload your digital photos and, using their premade backgrounds and page layouts, make beautiful photo books in a variety of styles and sizes.

Easy and fast, right?

Yes and, well,  no.  It IS pretty easy, once you’ve been through the process a few times, have learned the tricks at the various websites to make the process go faster, are familiar with the photo book tools for editing, adding and spellchecking text, creating the covers and spine designs, etc.  Oh, and resolving any issues that may pop up such as text that’s too large to fit the space allotted, a photo that gets cropped incorrectly or turned on its side, or pages that are out of order.

And the process IS pretty fast, once you’ve been through it a few times.  I will warn you right up front, though, to be prepared for it to seem tedious and tiresome and for it to take far longer than you expect your first time through.  Each time after that will get easier.

I know.  I’ve been ‘round the block with most of them at least once or twice by now!

My current favorite is Shutterfly; I like all the services they offer to digital scrapbookers, and they are the best for when you want to upload your own custom-designed scrapbook pages instead of using their premade stuff.  I like their galleries, too, and how you can set up one of your own and make it invite-only if you want.

I have a gallery there myself which contains some of the photobooks I have made.  Here is the link, but you’ll have to become a member before you can access it.  When you go to the link you’ll be able to choose the option to request being added as a member.  I’ll respond to all requests as quickly as possible.

Take a look at the books I’ve already created.  Perhaps you’d like one, too?