Get FREE Digital Scrapbook Software!

I LOVE Digital Scrapbook Artist by Serif. They sent me a copy to try and I totally fell in love with it. Every time I try it, I learn something new! It's got some FANTASTIC features and I love it because, unlike other programs, this one is designed for the digital scrapper. The new version is AWESOME because I can arrange the products I already have into digi-kits using the program. That is a really cool feature to help me organize my stash!

The software would make some GREAT classes at a traditional scrapbook store. You could do a series with it with the aim of doing hybrid projects or using it to help customers make pages they could then upload to your PhotoBook site and print books. You would make money on the class, the software, and the photo books. It's a great trio of ideas to profit from digital scrapbooking in a traditional scrapbook store setting. A Walk Down Memory Lane in Iowa is gearing up to do just that! Stores that figure out how to add digital scrapbooking profitably are smart!

I'm thrilled that Serif introduced a totally FREE compact or light version of the full Digital Scrapbook Artist software! You can see a video about it and download it HERE. Of course, using the compact version will leave you wanting the full version! But, it's a good way to try it before you buy it!

Serif is also having a world-wide contest for digi scrappers who use their software. You can see the contest page HERE at their Daisy Trail site.

Check out the free compact version of their software if you are wanting to try digital scrapbooking or if you are a traditional store owner wondering what it's all about!

Are You Using Socialnomics?

You can't deny these stats. If you aren't using social media to communicate your business message, you are missing the boat! Scrapbookers are using social media - are you there to join in the conversation?

Everything Old Can Be New Again

It seems like 10 years ago, we couldn't find the new techniques and fun products to put on our layouts fast enough. We were using slide mounts, bottle caps, magic mesh, fiber, eyelets, brads, staples, rings, buttons, etc. Have you noticed, though, that the "new" techniques and embellishment announcements have slowed to a snail's pace? It's like we have come up with every small, lightweight thing we could to stick on our pages and we're out of ideas. I think we all "jumped the shark" when one company tried to put out a line of colored bobby pins to use on our pages. I actually never saw those in my LSS. It was odd.

I remember ScrapBiz members buying bottle caps from a home-brewer place in massive quantities and dividing them up among members. Bottle caps were THE thing for a while. I still have a bunch of stickers in my stash made to fit in the middle of the flattened bottle caps. Every time you went to a crop, you could hear the pounding of mallets flattening the edges of those little gems.

Is it time to re-introduce some of those embellishments again? One kit company I know of is including slide mounts, bread tabs, bottle caps, etc. in their kits and scrappers (many of whom were NOT scrapping when these crazes were going on) think she's a genius! Maybe it's time to recycle and re-introduce fun projects using these simple embellishments! Another retailer is ruling the paper piecing universe. Scrappers are discovering techniques and embellishments that old-timers have forgotten.

I went through my files recently and found an article I had pulled from a scrapbook magazine all about making your own cute 3-D embellishments using bottle caps, tags, mesh, beads, etc. There were some very cute ideas! Maybe it's time to resurrect them. If you've been around a long time in the scrapbook industry, you should have no problem pulling out your old ideas.

I think we have forgotten at times that everyone in the scrapbook industry didn't arrive on the scene in 1997. Many only started scrapping in this decade and they missed a lot of these things. Can we update and reintroduce them and start the craze all over again? I bet we could!

I'm So Confused By the Confusion

I have been surfing around for some commercial use digital scrapbook kits to use. I have been carefully reading the commercial use licenses and I've come to the conclusion that we really need a standard in the digital scrapbook industry regarding what IS and what ISN'T "Commercial use".

Some CU licenses are nearly indistinguishable from the S4H license. They have two different licenses but you can't really tell what the difference is.

Some CU licenses are SO restrictive that you feel like "why bother"? They have a million conditions that almost include, "I don't permit you to use this on a Tuesday". If you really don't want to allow commercial use of your products, then don't have any commercial use products.

Some swing the other way (the ones I like) and say, "I'm so over the drama of what constitutes commercial use - just go ahead and use it in your business. Just don't sell or give away the individual pieces."

It seems to me that there needs to be some organization in the digital world. They need to agree on a standard licensing contract that isn't so confusing that you're never sure if what you're going to use the CU products for is legal.

The Custom Photo Book Solution for your Scrapbook Store!

My newsletter for people interested in the PhotoBookBiz part of ScrapBiz went out today. I thought I'd share it here, too. There are five ways you can turn our PhotoBookBiz program into a custom digital scrapbook business for your site or store. It's really one of the best programs out there!

Click HERE to see the newsletter