Maximizing the Minimalist

For those of you who do not know me, I am a minimalist at heart.  It took me years to become that way, and if you looked in my closet, my office, or my art nook, you would think differently.   I believe that I became a minimalist shortly after my house burned down in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  It took an act of G-d to make me realize that my attachment to stuff was just that...stuff.  I didn't lose my memories, my knowledge, my beliefs, or any of my core values.  Everything else is replaceable.   Now, I am not going to tell you to read a book by Marie Kondo or start selling all of your earthly possessions on ThredUp.  I will ask you to evaluate what is important to you enough to spend your time, energy, and emotional investment.

I really did not see myself as a minimalist until I started keeping a Bullet Journal.  While there are many fabulous spreads on Pinterest and Instagram that will make you drool, I stick to a simple template without extraneous detail.  So, for my new BuJo journey, I decided to maximize my minimalism.  Just because you do not NEED to have a full detailed agenda, doesn't mean that you don't WANT one.  One way for me to maximize my time, paper, and sanity is to have all of my information that I need for the week in one place. 

After asking myself what I would like to know each week, what are my goals, what MUST I accomplish, and what I would like to track, I created a fabulously busy minimalistic weekly template for next year (or any year for that matter).  It includes Daily Appointments, a Habit Tracker, a Meal list, a To Do list, Notes, Weather Tracker, Random Act of Kindness, a Gratitude Log, a Grocery List, an Expense tracker, and Image of the Week, a Quote of the Week, and a Work Log.  The great thing about it is that everything fits on 2 pages of an A5 journal.  I have left the log black and white to suit the needs of everyone.  I have not yet decided if I will use color this year to code my appointments, so this leaves me the option to decide later.

For a free copy of my Maximized Minimalist Weekly Bullet Journal Template please click here

After developing my weekly template, I looked at past journals and agendae to see which portions of my monthly spread I actually used.  Where my week is packed with goodies, my monthly spread was merely a glance at the month ahead.  Adapting a monthly BuJo template was quite easy compared to the weekly.  

For a free copy of my monthly Bullet Journal spread, please click here.

I think that Minimalism is a state of being.  Once you know what you have to have to get along, then you can add extras here or there...whether it be a new scarf, a new pack of Mildliners, or an extra column in your Bullet Journal.  There is no rule stating that a Minimalist cannot maximize her time, effort, creativity, or even stuff.  I encourage each of you to employ a practice of minimalistic thinking to one area of your creative life.  Does your ATC need 3 different stickers?  Do you have to have a new set of Gelly Roll pens to start the year?  Will your world collapse if your office doesn't have the right pattern of wallpaper?

This can be a hard concept to grasp for some people.  However, when you let go of the need to have stuff, you make more room to maximize the things you love.

~Melissa

MyMemories Software Review

For all of you who love to capture memories of your kids, grand children, or even pets, then MyMemories Suite Volume 3 is for you!  The MyMemories Software is a wonderful program that allow you to prepare digital scrapbooks without the mess of scissors, scrap paper, and glue.  All you need is a computer and an ounce of creativity in order to create dynamically themed pages based on your photos and your memories.

The MyMemories Suite Volume 3 allows you to customize scrapbook pages in a variety of methods.  You can resize, reshape, and recolor photos, turn them into shapes, and embellish to your heart's content on papers of your choosing.  The software itself is extremely user-friendly allowing even the most novice of techies to create beautiful pages that will last forever on already designed templates or pages which you design from scratch.  Best of all, MyMemories has added customized gifts to their plethora of digital scrapbooking materials from mousepads to t-shirts, keychains to phone covers and stationery that you may decorate with your own images and digital scrapbook pages.  But you do not have to limit yourself to scrapbooking: you may use the software to create all kinds of hybrid projects from cards and calendars to memory books and CD covers!

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the MyMemories Suite Volume 3, please visit www.mymemories.com and add the coupon code STMMMS4712 at checkout to receive $10 off the price of the software and $10 to spend in the MyMemories Store.  In order to receive the full discount, all items must be purchased at the same time.

If you have any questions regarding the software, please leave your email address and a comment.  I will do my best to give you all the information you need before delving into the extremely addictive world of digital scrapbooking.  Check out the Scrapbooking tab to the right of the page for a sampling of exactly what you can do with this wonderful software.

Remember to make a memory today, and keep a camera on hand to capture it!

Takin' What Their Givin' Cause I'm Tutorin' for a Livin'

Recently I have had two jobs, tutoring Latin and writing tutorials for a digital scrapbooking site www.scrappingartistry.com.  It is said that you never learn anything until you have to teach it.  Well, I have had quite a bit of help from Lisa J. at www.mymemories.com.  So far, we have learned to organize outside content, import outside content into the MyMemories Suite, and have learned the text-wrap tango.  What will we learn next?  Tune into www.scrappingartistry.com every Thursday for the next several months to learn a new technique to use when applying our art form.  Enjoy, make a memory, and take lots of pictures!

If at First You Don't Succeed ...

After my last rant about telling my Muse to be quiet, she bravely spoke up and offered me a chance to rectify the situation.  Mind you, that seldom ever happens.  If it does, you better buckle up and be ready for a ride on the horse of a different color.  Several of the digital scrapbooking designers offered yet another creative team call.  I am not sure if it is hubris at this point or just another attempt at deflating my ego, but I needed a change and a challenge.  So, once again I submitted my information, several layouts, and my blogsite for review by perfect strangers, patiently waiting for the response that my designs were "bland" and "didn't pop."  But, as Old Blue Eyes once said, Luck can be a Lady.  Finally, several people enjoyed my writing well enough to invite me to join a Blog Team for digital scrapbooking.  So now, I can add that I work for www.creativeartistry.com writing about creations from Missy's Bits Designs and Sugar Moon Designs.  I look forward to blogging each week, trying a hand at designing, and using my words to entice others to do the same.  I am considering this a learning experience given to me by the heart of my Muse, and hopefully she will lead all of us on an exciting journey.

Now... I am ready to go make a memory or two and write about them!!!

Choo! Choo! January's Blog Train has rolled into town!

For all of you who love digital scrapbooking as much as I do, I wanted to inform you that the January Blog Train on The Blog Train Blog has rolled into town.  So what exactly is a blog train, you ask?  A blog train is formed when groups of designers all offer FREEBIES on their blogs which coordinate in some way.  The Blog Train Blog hosts one every other month, and January's train is called "Refresh."  This month, 71 designers (yes, 71!) have created mini-kits, alphabets, papers, and embellishments that all follow the same beautiful color palate.

However, all of these downloads are considered as "Outside Content" for the MyMemories Software Suite.  This does not make them any less easy to use: just make sure you follow my instructions from this blog on using outside content.  Prepare to be amazed and surprised, find new designers that you love, and gain fresh inspiration of creating scrapbooks for the New Year.  It takes a while to make it through all 71 blogs, so start early with the downloads and remember that these freebies will only be good through the month of January 2012.  Remember to make a memory today and everyday!

Free Quick Kit Challenge!!

Are you interested in digital scrapbooking but just don't know how to get started?  Do you want to build your collection of scrapbooking freebies?  Then look no further.  For one week only, I am offering a small kit for free on Missa's Muse to all of those spunky women out there!  Are you a spunky woman?  Is your wife, sister, daughter, or best friend?  Then this kit is perfect to capture her in all of her spunky splendor!

Spunky Splendor Freebie

Finding Freebies

When delving into the world of digital scrapbooking, it is always important to know where to get good scrapbooking content for free.  In the past several months, I have downloaded tons of freebies, won contests for more freebies, and followed blogs just searching for more freebies.  I must admit that I have become addicted to the plethora of goodies out there for all to have.

The first place to look (besides the sites listed on the right hand side of the page) is Facebook.  Almost all designers and companies have a Facebook page where they offer exclusive materials that can be downloaded as "outside content."  MyMemories even offers a Friday Freebie that can often be downloaded directly into your Software Suite Volume 3!  I found that the best way to find new designers is to go to a page (like MyMemories) and simply "like" all of the companies and designers that they "like."  NOTE: You MUST like a page before downloading exclusive content.  Very quickly you will see how much content is to be had for free with only the click of the mouse.

Occasionally, design companies will host a blog/page hop.  This is a communal project among all of the designers the company uses and almost always coordinates in colors.  For Black Friday (available this week until Sunday), Scrapbook-Bytes is hosting a Facebook page hop which has absolutely nothing to do with shopping!!!  The colors are vibrant and varied, but they look gorgeous together.  I downloaded approximately 10 zipped freebies which even includes several alphabets!  This is the perfect opportunity for developing your outside content folders.  The only limits are the boundaries of your imagination.  This is one I created using an old photo of my pet, Cleo, and the Black Friday Facebook Hop downloads.  I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving with tons of memories to scrap!

And just for a very special Thanksgiving, I have included two links to FREE design kits from the MyMemories Store.

https://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=3SDS-CP-1111-8426

https://www.mymemories.com/store/display_product_page?id=MHMH-CP-1111-8584

Suite dreams!

Saving the Day

For the longest time, I have been the crazy cousin at all family reunions, the park, playdates, and social events.  I love to take photographs, but until recently I had no place to display my art.  Now thanks to the art of digital scrapbooking, I am now able to capture the moment and save the memory of the day for posterity's sake (or just for my own personal delights).  Here is just an example of the what you can develop using the MyMemories Software along with outside content.  Now I have a beautiful memory that will last as long as I do!