9 Things to Check Before Flattening Your Layout
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had that “uh oh” moment when you realize that your title is misspelled only seconds after flattening your layout. If you are lucky, you catch it that quick, and you can use the handy dandy History menu to revert back and fix the mistake. What happens if you’re not that lucky though? I’ve not noticed errors until months after, when browsing my photos in a gallery. I’ve found things I left off only after I have saved and shut down Photoshop. It’s a sinking feeling in your stomach….that thought that you want to fix it, but there’s absolutely NO WAY for you to do so. If you’ve ever been there, you know the panic that I am talking about.
After having that happen to me a number of times, I started putting together a list of things that I would personally check before flattening my layout for saving. The list has saved me on a number of occasions. If you’ve had this problem before, you are probably wondering what I have on this checklist, what things do I check for before I flatten my layout. Wonder no more, after using this list for months on my own, I decided to create a handy printable checklist that you to can check before you flatten your layout. It’s available for you to download for FREE!
9 Things to Check Before You Flatten Your Layout
This list is made up of the 9 most common mistakes I have made in the past when flattening a layout. Yours may be different, but these 9 things I check before I flatten my layouts will be a good starting point to make sure you never find yourself in that “uh oh” position again.
What would you add to the list? What would be your #10 Thing to Check? Let’s share in the comments below!
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Spring Cleaning Your Folders and Files
Your supplies folder isn’t the only folder that can use a little cleaning up during Spring Cleaning. Taking a few minutes to look through the other folders on your computer and getting them cleaned up and organized can save you room on your hard drive, and help keep everything in working order. I commonly look in folders that I access often: Documents and Pictures on my computer, and from my hard drive I check out my Work in Progress folder, my To Be Unzipped folder, my Layouts folder, and my School folders. Here are some of the things I look for and try to take care of when I am cleaning out those folders.
- Any files I don’t need any longer go to the recycle bin. This goes along with the ideas from yesterday’s post, but if I don’t need it any longer, adios! Last time I did a clean up, I found lesson plans from three years ago, when I was teaching a whole different grade.
- Move files to where they belong. I am famous for leaving files in my To Be Unzipped folder because I am too lazy to figure out where they really should go. This is the time to do that. Once you have cleaned out what you don’t need, put what you do need in it’s right place.
- Consolidate folders where you can. I do this in my Pictures folder. Each time I upload it creates a folder with the date. At the end of the year, I put them all together in one folder for the year. It helps me keep everything together, and easy to navigate if I need to find something.
- Make sure files are named so you’ll know what they are. I can’t tell you how many “Untitled” files I have. They are absolutely useless when I am trying to find something I need. When I am going through cleaning up my files and folders, I take the time to rename anything that needs to be renamed.
- Make a list of any larger tasks you come along while you are working. Often times, when I am cleaning up my files and folders, I find something that I had been meaning to work on. When that happens, I add the task right to my Google Tasks list so that I won’t forget it again. I can’t tell you how many tasks I have “remembered” like this.
- Remember, it’s all about making it work for you. Whatever organizational system you find to be the most productive is the best for you, whatever rules you have for keeping files is best, as long as it works for you. I always try to remember how good it feels when everything is all clean and organized, that usually prompts me to do these types of tasks again.
Do you go through and clean up your folders and files? What strategies do you use to keep your folders and files clean and organized? Let us know in the comments below.
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Spring Cleaning Your Digital Scrapbooking Supplies
To get started with our Spring Cleaning Week, I thought we’d take a minute and talk about Spring Cleaning our digital scrapbooking supplies. The idea of purging your supplies can be a scary one, especially when it’s something you spent money on. If you’re like me, you have a hard time just deleting something that you know you paid for. Another hurdle I often face when I am trying to purge my supplies is the “I’ll use it someday” excuse. You know: that kit is so cute, and I know I haven’t used it, but I’m sure it will come in handy someday, hence saving it from another round of deleting. In the spirit of Spring Cleaning Week, here are some ideas for getting over those hurdles and purging your supplies.
- You can’t get a refund. Sure, you may find yourself feeling guilty that you want to get rid of something that you purchased (especially if you never used it…oh the horror!). The thing is, keeping it isn’t going to make the money reappear. When I purge, I usually start deleting things that I haven’t used in a year or so (much like my closet). If I keep the supplies just because I bought them, and I’m not using them, there is really no reason to keep them. You have to let go of the guilt, and that will give you the freedom to let go of your supplies (even ones you never used).
- Stop kidding yourself. Realistically, if you haven’t used the product in over a year, you probably aren’t going to use it again. The last time I purged, prior to my most recent purging, I had left products that I hadn’t used in a year, but I was sure I was going to use soon. Guess what happened….when I went back and did my most recent purging, those products were still there, unused. The digital scrapbooking industry is one that is constantly putting out new goods. There will always be something you want to use more, something newer, something that better fits your style. I’ve learned that the hard way. Now, the steadfast rule is: if it hasn’t been used in a year, it gets deleted.
- Just because you have the room, doesn’t mean you need to use it. I’ve talked to so many people who say, “I don’t purge, I’ve got a 1TB EHD, so I have plenty of room. There isn’t a need for me to get rid of stuff.” I used to think like that too, but recently, I’ve been exploring this idea of living with less – if you don’t need it, get rid of it. Our lives get filled with clutter so easily, it becomes necessary to start surveying what’s around you, and getting rid of what you don’t need. The same goes for digital scrapbooking supplies – if it’s not necessary, why keep it around? Freeing yourself of that clutter will help you feel more organized and pulled together.
How do you go about purging your supplies? What hurdles do you face, and how do you overcome them? Let us know in the comments below!
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5 Tips for Cost Effective Digital Scrapbooking
When I started digi scrapping, I was sure that I was going to save boatloads of money not buying ridiculously expensive scrapbooking papers, and all the tools I needed to put together a decent scrapbook page. Funny thing is, shopping for digi is a lot easier than running to Michaels to pick up a few things. I can shop whenever I want. It’s not a big deal to pick up one thing that I need right away. I can shop multiple times in one day. It’s so easy, in fact, that I usually find myself painfully unaware of how much money I am actually spending on digi supplies.
I won’t scare you and offer you numbers, but I can tell you, I scared myself. Digi was costing me WAY more than paper scrapbooking ever did! Changes needed to happen, and they needed to happen quick (mainly before the wife found out HOW MUCH money was being spent!). These are five tips for cost effective digital scrapbooking that I try to abide by. Try.
- Buy basics – I often shop for stuff that I know I can use over and over again without it looking the same each time. I feel that if you have a good set of basic materials, you are able to flesh it out with some more fancy stuff as you go.
- Shop sales and New Release days – It sounds simple, but it was hard for me to stick to. I often would be in the middle of a layout and find myself shopping for the “perfect” alpha to go with what I was using. Now, I try to stick to the days that the products are on sale, unless it’s a digimergency.
- Subscribe to newsletters and “Like” Facebook Pages – These two forms of communication are the best way to stay on top of deals from your favorite designers. Some designers even offer exclusive discounts to newsletter subscribers or Facebook Fans. You can sign up for my newsletter HERE or “Like” my Facebook Page HERE.
- Buy kits you can stretch – when I am shopping for kits, I often look at the papers and elements to see if I can use the kit beyond it’s intended theme. For example, when I picked up Kristin Cronin-Barrow’s Hippity Hop, I knew that I would be able to use the kit beyond Easter layouts. In fact, here’s a non-Easter layout I did with the kit:
- Set a budget….and stick to it – This is where I most often fall down, but it’s one of the most important tips I can give you. You have to set a budget from the beginning and stick to it. Maybe it’s monthly, or weekly, or yearly – it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you are staying within your pre-determined limits.
What are your tricks for saving money when digital scrapbooking? What cost effective digital scrapbooking tips can you share with me? I need all the help I can get!
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Persnickety Prints Giveaway!!!
I am excited to be the Designer of the Week over at Persnickety Prints this week. Many of you know, I use Persnickety exclusively to print my layouts, cards, and other printing needs. Their prints are impeccable, their shipping is speedy, and they may be some of the nicest people I’ve met here in “digi world.” I first reviewed their printing services in THIS blog post, and I loved them then too.
That’s why I am excited to be part of their DOTW series. You can check out my interview with them HERE, and even have a chance to win a $10 coupon to my store. While you’re there, take a minute and explore all the neat things Persnickety has to offer. There’s so much to explore…make sure to check out their Hybrid section, where you can create and order awesome cupcake holders like these!
So I bet you’re wondering what the giveaway is. The awesome people at Persnickety have given me a $25 gift certificate to give away!!!
Persnickety Prints Giveaway!
- All you have to do is check out the Persnickety Prints site HERE.
- Decide what you would get printed if you had $25 to spend.
- Come back HERE, leave a comment & tell me what you’d print!
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To The Cloud…
Have you seen this commercial? I think it’s absolutely hysterical, especially the part when the wife gives the camera the puzzled look. Isn’t this how we all feel about “the cloud”? What is “the cloud” and how on earth is it going to help me? According to Wikipedia, “the cloud” is really just another way to refer to the internet in what is called cloud computing. If I understand it correctly, it means that you rely on using internet applications such as Google Docs to do most of your computing. Again, this is really only what I think it’s about…I’ll admit, I’m still a little unclear.
One thing that I know I am using “the cloud” for right now is backing up. I have been backing up my files to offsite for some time now. I had been using Mozy, but since their enormous price increase, I have switched to Backblaze. Backblaze takes all of my files from the computer and backs them up to “the cloud.” That way if anything insane happens here, my files are backed up “in the cloud.” I also started backing up my blog using a WordPress Plug In, and sending it to my Dropbox account. Again, I am taking my files and backing them up to “the cloud.” Recently, I’ve been looking for ways to back up my email to “the cloud” as well.
So, I guess while I don’t know exactly WHAT “the cloud” is, I am using it to my advantage.
Are you using “the cloud”? How are you using it?
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