Angie Pedersen's The Blog of ME

BlogHer: Where the ScrapBloggers AREN'T

Have you heard about BlogHer?  It's a "guide to women bloggers", with a mission "to create opportunities for women bloggers to pursue exposure, education, and community."  It "evangelizes blogging by, for and to women".  They put on the BlogHer conferences that I would about die to attend.

BlogHer offers 20+ categories in which women can list their blogs, such as Art & Design, Health and Wellness, Religion & Spirituality, and yes, Hobbies, Crafts and DIY Blogs.

But for a site whose tagline is "Where the women bloggers are"... they might be able to add the tagline, "Where the SCRAPBLOGGERS aren't"!  Geez!  Out of over 550 hobbies/crafts blogs listed, I found a paltry handful of scrapbooking blogs (like 5).  Mostly knitting/fiber arts and sewing blogs are listed, with probably more gardening blogs than scrapbooking. 

We all know scrapbookers are definitely blogging - go add yourselves to the list and stand up and be counted!  :)

Online Class with Shimelle: When I Grow Up...

A heads up on what promises to be another amazing online class with Shimelle: When I Grow Up....

Ever thought back to what you said you would be when you grew up? Ever think it’s funny that you grew up to be something entirely different? Or exactly the same?

When I Grow Up is an online workshop designed to take you through an exploration of how your perspective has changed: is grown up life really what you thought it would be when you were a child? How have your dreams and priorities changed? How have you gained independence and made choices that give you a life you can now celebrate?

We’ll make a journal in a format of your choice—you’ll see the work of a new team of guest artists who have worked in formats varying from scrapbooks to written journals to altered board books to collage projects. Some are big. Some are small. All are personal. You’ll be telling your story like no one else can tell it.

She's posted some sneak peeks: Growing Wings,  The Places in Her Mind, Saving Torn Snapshots, and Past Present Future Tense.

The class begins April 2nd (Monday), so better get yourself registered! :)

Making Newspaper Flowers

I found a cool embellishment idea/tutorial at ScrapGalaxy.com: Making Newspaper Flowers.  Christy's samples look really neat!

Christy mentioned that "If you are concerned about the newspaper yellowing and/or damaging your photos, you may use an acid neutralizer on the finished flowers."  You could also scan some newsprint (for personal use only, of course), and print onto acid-free cardstock.  It wouldn't have quite the same feel, but it is another option.

Using actual newsprint would be fine for making cards, though, since they aren't usually kept for generations.  ;)

My 24/7 Life - National Day Diary Project

My 24/7 Life is an online community where modern women can connect with others.

Open up your day diary and join a community of 24/7 women. Share 24-hours of your life with women who live every minute to the fullest. Let us see your activities, thoughts and feelings during your working day.

Read more about the National Day Diary Project.

You can also enter for a chance to win one of ten $500 gift certificates from Spafinder.com!  Sweet!

Where to Find Book of Me Ideas

I recently got a good question via email:

I used to belong to your Yahoo group and wanted to start back up on the book of me project but cannot find it anywhere. I saw that you have been revamping this that and the other and was wondering if you have any groups out there or if you are just working off your blog.

Here's my response:

The MeTeachers list is still available - for people who teach Book of Me classes.  The BoM general discussion list has been closed.  There is still a BoM message board at OneScrappySite.com, but it's very inactive.

I do post BoM ideas fairly regularly on my blog (aptly named The Blog of ME!).

A number of scrapbooking web communities do Book of Me/All About Me Challenges on their message boards, if you're looking for on-going inspiration:

• http://snipurl.com/lifetimemoments
• http://www.stickersnfun.com/bom.asp
• http://snipurl.com/scrapbookcom
• http://beyond-appearances.blogspot.com/
• http://snipurl.com/oscraps
• http://www.3scrapateers.com
• http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com
• http://www.digitalscrapbookpages.com
• http://scrapgirls.com
• http://www.scrappershaven.ca

That should get you started!  :)

technorati tags: book+of+me, Angie+Pedersen, all+about+me

Book of Me Idea: Scrap Your Inner Goddess

Very cool Book of Me idea from All Things Scrapbooking:

Sometimes I find that it is not that I don’t want to scrap about me, it’s often just that I am stuck on ideas. So this morning whilst catching up on one of my favourite blogs, The Modern Goddess Online, I had an idea!! A layout all about my Goddess - ok so from time to time my goddess changes and at times I can describe myself by looking at a few different goddesses -- but all the same it would make a wonderful addition to my Book Of Me album.

How cool would it be to create a theme album of the various strengths you draw from/embody/personify from different goddesses? 

• You could draw on tales from different cultures and eras to create a more complete illustration of your 'Inner Goddess'. 
• You could mix and match goddess images from books and the Internet with photos of yourself - leading you to more easily see what a strong and capable person you are. 
• You could journal anecdotes from your life when you embodied different characteristics - when did you personify Beauty?  When did you personify Love?  When did you personify Well-Being and Prosperity?
• Journal about how you would like to develop those characteristics - which ones would you like to grow and attract to your life?

Here are some resources:

• Goddess Affirmations
• Goddess art by Susan Seddon Boulet
• What Goddess Are You? quiz

Any other fun goddess resources out there?

LSS Offers Book of Me Classes

I was very pleased to find this newspaper writeup about a local scrapbooking store: The Elizabethton Star: Scrap Happy offers wide variety of scrapbooking supplies.

  "We also offer classes, crops, yard sales (scrapbook items that our customers on longer need -- at bargain prices), monthly make and takes, and All About Me Club (an opportunity for scrapbookers to focus on an album about themselves)."

..."An album about 'you' the scrapbooker is considered an unusual item. But the All About Me (AAM) or Book of Me (BOM) albums are an insight into your life for your children, your family, or just for you!"

And get this -- the store owner's name is Angie!

Just to give them a little plug -- Scrap Happy is located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and their next All About Me Club meeting is April 15th.  "You will be able to create a layout during each meeting and there will be at least one "homework" layout to be done between the meetings...This club is open to anyone who is interested in starting an AAM (All About Me) or BOM (Book Of Me) album and would like to have some support and fun while keeping up with it."

As far as I know, these classes aren't based on my "textbook" Book of Me, but I'm still happy to see the classes being taught.

NSBR: If you have a dog or cat...

Not scrapbooking-related -- Did you hear about the recent recall of many brands of "wet" cat and dog foods?

P&G Pet Care Announces Nationwide Pet Food Recall.

Dayton, OH (March 16, 2007) – In response to the recent Menu Foods, Inc. nationwide recall of wet pet foods, P&G Pet Care has announced a voluntary recall in the United States and Canada on specific 3 oz., 5.5 oz., 6 oz. and 13.2 oz. canned and 3 oz. and 5.3 oz. foil pouch “wet” cat and dog food products manufactured by Menu Foods Inc. Emporia, Kansas plant with the code dates of 6339 through 7073 followed by the plant code 4197. 

This voluntary recall is part of a larger product recall by Menu Foods Inc., a contract manufacturer that makes a small portion of canned and foil pouch ‘wet’ cat foods for Iams and Eukanuba as well as other non-P&G brands.  There have been a small number of reported cases of cats from the US (none in Canada) becoming sick and developing signs of kidney failure.  The signs of kidney failure include loss of appetite, vomiting, and lethargy.  P&G Pet Care has received no case reports involving dogs.

This voluntary product recall involves discontinuation of all retail sales and product retrieval from consumers.  Consumers should stop using the affected products immediately, and consult with a veterinarian if any symptoms are present in their pet.  All Iams and Eukanuba products carry a 100 percent guarantee, and consumers can receive a refund for recalled products. For more information, consumers can contact the company at 1-800-882-1591 or visit www.Iams.com and www.Eukanuba.com for details. Review the list of involved products here.

From the Menu Foods release:

Menu Foods Income Fund today announced the precautionary recall of a portion of the dog and cat food it manufactured between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall is limited to "cuts and gravy" style pet food in cans and pouches manufactured at two of the Fund's United States facilities. These products are both manufactured and sold under private-label and are contract-manufactured for some national brands.

We have a two-year-old black lab who eats Iams - fortunately it's only the dry stuff, so I think she's safe.  But I wanted to post this in case any of you use the wet pet food.

technorati tags: pet food recall

Vacation Scrapbooking Tips

Some great vacation-scrapbooking tips in the most recent issue of the LifetimeMoments.com newsletter: LM Style.

Design Team Member Sonya Shaw has compiled some memorabilia organizing and scrapbooking project tips.

One tip I have for saving memorabilia is to use big manila envelopes or big zip baggies (like the ones LM puts our orders in). If you are visiting more than one place or city, you might find it’s better to use more than one envelope. I have done this for years, and not only are they easy to just throw stuff into to keep it all together, but they fit perfectly inside your suitcase’s lid pocket.

In an ideal, organized world, we all might bring with us small note cards or a notepad to jot things down while still on vacation. If you can, stick a few note cards into the manila envelope in advance to jot events and moments each evening, that way you won’t have to spend so much time when you get home remembering all those moments.

She also offers an example of a mini album she did - an alterable board book, with extra accordion folds to hold more photos.  Sounds really cute!  Check it out!

technorati tags: scrapbooking, vacation+scrapbooking

E-Commerce in the 21st Century

I've spent the last couple of weeks stepping into the 21st century. 

I know, I know - I come off as all technically savvy, with my three blogs and a (fading) podcast, and two online storefronts (one for retail and one wholesale).  In those storefronts, I offer several different digital products - my class kit CDs based on my books, and an ebook on How to Host a Virtual Book Tour.

But I must admit...I'm still learning too.  I knew there were ways to set the files up so they are automatically downloadable after the purchase is processed.  But me, with my HUGE staff of...me, I hadn't taken the time to research it and put it all into place.  So I've been sending the files out manually as orders come in.  Not fun. 

I also wanted a way to offer affiliate commissions on these products.  But I couldn't find a program or service that offered both auto-delivery and affiliate tracking.

So I finally sucked it up, glued myself to Firefox, and found a solution.  I now have most of my files set up with Payloadz.com - which offers both auto-delivery and affiliate tracking.  Whoo-hoo!

If you would like information on earning a little "thank-you" commission for referring people to my e-products,  just email me and I'll get you the links.