May: Mark your calendars!

I am getting pretty excited about all that's going on in May:

iNSD: 

The fun really started today over at The (dash) Lilypad. You can head over to their official iNSD forum to join in. There will be lots of releases, including the Build Your Own Collab (aka the BYOC) and a 30% off store wide sale on older releases.

Saturday, May 3rd, Get It Scrapped is having a live crop from 8am to 11pm. It's free, it's fun, and you can register for it HERE.

And because I love iNSD, I have a post up on My Scrapbook Art today to get you in the mood to celebrate what we do.


I'll be giving away some goodies Saturday and Sunday as well, so check in here!


The Challenge:

We're doing a page a day in May over at Get It Scrapped. There's no prize except the satisfaction of getting pages done with a supportive group of scrappers. We always have a great time, so feel free to jump on in. We welcome everyone! Failing the challenge is also perfectly acceptable. :)

I'm using the challenge to finish my 2013 Month in Review album and work on the series of photos I took earlier this month driving home from dinner. I created this page to get an early start:




Masterful Scrapbook Design Process Play:

I'm completely excited to be a guest teacher for this issue of MSD, which goes live May 7th. The assignments really made me pay attention to how I approach pages, what order I put a page together, and what tools and techniques I use over and over again for each page. You can sign up HERE for a membership, which includes:

• Immediate 6 month access to 48 classes:  36 Masterful Scrapbook Design classes  and 12 Scrapbook Coach classes (smart device friendly) 
• A new class each month  
• Weekly live webinar events (that are recorded and available to stream or download)
• Sketch and template library – search by # and type, link to class content and to full downloads
• Everything is downloadable for you to keep

You can try the free classes to get a sampling of Debbie's teaching style, which is both fun, easy to understand and comprehensive. The membership is such a great value for any level of scrapbooker, paper or digi. 

The Products:

This weekend there will a new Storyteller. I say it every month, but I LOVE this new one. I think I've created one of my favorite pages ever with it. Lots of goodies for hybrid scrappers as well and great layer styles. Plus the handy dandy magazine! 

Jenni Bowlin is releasing some great new digital product and reminding us of some tried and true must haves.

Did I get everything? Let me know if you have anything fun going on this month. I'll add it to my list. :)

Backin' up because my daddy taught me good...

One of the great lessons of adulthood is that your realize all the cliches are true. For the digital world, I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let's talk about prevention. If your using your computer in your scrap process, you probably need to make these seriously boring habits a part of your routine. I know I do.

I'm gonna share what I do each month to keep myself from drowning in digital chaos and making sure our family doesn't have a serious interruption to our digital life. It seems like a lot, but I've figured a little trick to keep it quick and easy-peasy. I'm going to share what I do and when I do it in a handy-dandy list:

Downloads Folder
the folder(s) everything you download ends up
I do the tasks in this group before I download new product in a new month. That means before I do any downloading on May 1st, I do all these things. Makes it a lot easier to get scrapping after shopping!

• Unzip Files
• It's easy to unzip in batches with free programs like Unzip Them All
• Delete or store zip files
• I keep my zip files awhile after I unzip, but keep them in a folder named "unzipped" so the files are out of the way
• Organize and delete all other files
• The stuff you accidentally download, only needed temporarily or are no longer useful... AKA the stuff in your digital junk drawer

Supplies
If you're like me, you have a lot. I don't do much organizing, but if I do, it's done with the things in the Download Folder group. 

• Organizing
• Put your files where they go. Even my basic organizing system means I have to do this. If you want more ideas for organizing, click HERE. 
• Tagging
• I admit, I never do this, but if I did, I do it after organizing. 
• Deleting  
• This could fall under Organizing, but because of the fear it elicits. If you want to delete supplies, but can't quite hit the actual delete button, try creating a "maybe delete" folder. Put the supplies you thought to delete in the folder, then wait six months to re-evaluate your feelings about the product. Chances are you'll either see the product and want to use it or you'll toss it. 
• Backing Up
• I use Backblaze. After the initial back up, I turned of the automatic back ups. I'm not wired into router, so the constant backing up bogs down my interwebz experience. Instead, I switch the back on at bed time the same day I do my planning for the upcoming month. 
• I'm also creating a second back up for my printable layouts and favorite photos by taking advantage of free Flickr storage. 

Photos

• Organizing
• My system is loose like my supply system. I organize by date the photo is taken. 
• Tagging 
• I PSE to import my photos, so I use the auto tagging feature when my photos are loaded. I always make sure to write the meta data when I'm done, so the tags stick to the file. 

• Processing
• I do this as needed. 

For great tips, tutorials and classes on organizing supplies and photos, check out Digital Scrapbooking HQ. 

Computer:
Unless otherwise specified, I do these things when my computer starts feeling slow or every Sunday before my shower. 

• Organizing Files
• I do this at the beginning of each month
• Deleting Unnecessary Files
• I do this before I back up my files
• Clearing software clipboard and cache and/or optimizing performance
• Did you know your scrapping and photo software had these things? They do. When my programs hang, I always clean things up. Here's how:
• Photoshop
• Elements
• Paint Shop Pro
• Cleaning out temporary files 
• I do this twice a month or if my computer starts to lag a little. Norton has button to push to accomplish in the tasks menu and I imagine other security programs have a similar button. You can also do this manually (make sure you can view hidden folders):  
• Start Menu>Computer>OS(C:)>Users>Your Computer Indentitfier (may have a little lock by it)>App Data>Local>Temp the delete all those files. Some will stay, so if your computer insists, skip those. Done! 
• Deleting Browser Data
• You can do this in the Control Panel under Internet Options. If you aren't using IE, open your browser and delete your data with the browser's native tools. 
• Checking for Malware, Spyware, Registry Errors, Viruses and Tracking Cookies
• I use Norton and Malwarebytes programs. 
• Running Disk Clean Up
• In your Accessories Folder you have this really cool tool that cleans stuff up. Run it. Check all the dialog boxes, hit OK. 
• System Reboot
• Because it's good to get a fresh start after doing all this stuff. 

Hardware:
We do this with all our electronics whenever we clean under desks. My hubby is incredibly anal about these tasks! We have more canned air than anyone ever should.

• Vents ensure they are clear of debris and nothing is blocking air flow
• You'd be amazed at keeping vents and ports free of dust improves performance and keep the fan healthy (a computer will not run without a fan). Don't kill your computer this way.  
• Check Wires 
• Are they in a safe place? Completely connected? Is any metal exposed? Are prongs damaged? 
• Clean & Dust
• This includes things like your mouse, mouse pads, headsets. Use a lens cloth on your monitors or products formulated for cleaning. Turn your keyboard upside down over a trash can and shake gently. You can use a slightly damp cloth to wipe down your hardware. 

Did I mention BACK UP!! That's what I'm currently doing and writing this post while I wait for things to finish up. The trick is to incorporate these tasks into your routine. It will quickly become habit and you'll avoid mega-digital-disasters, too!




P.S. The video at the top of this post is the song I listen to whenever I back up my files.