Paper Pile Kitten

RIP Google Reader - I Have Already Found My New Love

 

Yesterday, the terrible news spread like a forest fire over the internet: Google Reader is closing down on July 1! You could almost hear the desperate cries from millions of blog readers all over the planet. What now? How could we keep up with our favorite blogs without Google Reader?

Being me, I instantly took up extensive (re)search for a replacement. Took several services out for a test spin. None of them pleased me.

Bloglovin' seemed to be a strong candidate at first, and I know that many have this service as their first choice. But I wasn't lovin' it (teeheeh). Bloglovin' is not flexible enough for me and the iPhone app is far too simple without many options for presentation and categorizing.

Reeder for Apple devices looked good but turned out to be nothing but a fancy viewer of your Google Reader feed. I guess those guys will have plenty to work on during the next couple of months. lol! I found an interesting and simple service called The Old Reader but it didn't have any mobile apps. NewsBlur quickly suspended the free service and is currently only a paid service.

Finally, today, I found my new RSS reader service: Feedly! This is why I love it:

1) I love how the migration already is done as soon as I log in with my Google account! I don't have to do anything. They have this 'Normandy' system at their back-end that is migrating my Google Reader feed seamlessly so on July 1 when GR closes, my blog list including the groups/categories will be safely kept by Feedly.

2) I love the look and feel. The user interface is very similar to Google Reader, so it's easy to understand and use, but with a lot of extra bells and whistles like 'magazine view' just like Flipboard. There are 5 different views to choose from! I love that!

3) I can easily share the blog posts I love to my friends on Twitter, Facebook etc.

4) I can access Feedly on my iPhone and iPad (they also have an Android app) and the app looks fabulous! Love the design! And that my different blog categories/groups are presented and accessible in the colorful menu. Wonderful!

5) I am super impressed by how they handled the enormous flood of 'immigrants':

• While other services have quickly changed to paid premium accounts and suspended the free options to avoid too many new members slowing down their service, Feedly immediately increased their server capacity and bandwidth tenfold.
• They are actively listening and talking to their new users at the forum and will release new features weekly.
• They have a clear and honest communication on their blog, keeping everyone up to speed on what's happening.
• They are keeping the service as free.
• I feel very welcomed there.

In short, it was love at first sight! <3

You can find Feedly here!

New SMASH in Store Now!

I didn't expect the new yummy Smash products from K & Company to be in stores until later this spring, but Two Peas have them in stock today! Oh, swoon! There are tons of absolutely gorgeous stuff that I just have to have! And most of them are only a couple of dollars each! Who can resist to grab a box of that? Not me! :)

Click here to take a peek on all the goodness!

 

Scrapinars! One Day Sale! Buy One, Get One Free! Coupon Code Inside!

Lain Ehmann is giving us a one day sale on her scrapinar videos. Use coupon code: ROBBED at check out to get half off any purchase of two scrapinars. The code can be used multiple times, if you'd like to buy more than two scrapinars - but you have to go through checkout between those times.

These scrapinar videos cover everthing between taking gorgeous project photos and how to use washi tape, to stitching on your pages and copic coloring. Click here to get a full list. Offer is good for today only (Feb. 25), so don't delay.

 

Get $20 Off True Stamp!

Haven't signed up for True Stamp yet? The early bird price is gone by now, but don't be sad. Here's a coupon code that will take $20 off the price: STAMPY (good through 13/2/20).

And remember the free online scrapinar on paper craft stitching on Wednesday!

 

The Cheapest Kit Club On Earth! Sign Up Now!

This is a fun little thing I've been working on in December: Scrap Stash Kit Club. It doesn't get any cheaper than this! Shop your stash and make your old supplies trendy and fresh again. Monthly video, projects, photos... We are making pages, cards, Project Life... Read more and sign up here! 

Here's a tiny peek of the first kit. Full reveal with video in a couple of days.

Free Scrapinar in January! Planning For a Successful 2013!

Lain Ehmann is continuing her free online scrapinars in 2013! Yay! The first one is on January 7 at 1 PM EST, and the guest is designer Crystal Wilkerson, creator of “The Life Planner”. The subject is 'Live Your Life On Purpose'.

We get tips and advice on how to best plan 2013 to achieve our goals and dreams. Sounds very exciting, and definitely something I need this year! Maybe I'll see you there?

If you can't be there at the live event, a link to the video and other contents will be sent to you after the event.  Sign up here - it's free!

 

Get Organized in 2013!

My scrap area is a huge mess! I need to clean it up, so I have set up an e-mail list for organization prompts sent out on weekdays through 2013.  Read more and sign up here. Invest 15 minutes Mon-Fri to organize your stash and your photos! You are welcome to join at anytime!

Above is a quick and dirty video of my scrap area right now. I promise, it will make your own scrapbooking room look perfectly wonderful in comparison. lol!

 

True Scrap 4 Individual Class Sale Starts Today!

It's time! Finally, the classes from True Scrap 4 are sold individually! This time around, the quality of these classes is amazing! I've never seen such a line up of well known instructors, and the topics are so in line with the trendy techniques right now.

Each class cost $12.95 but through Christmas Day you get $3 off each class! (No coupon needed.)

Here are all the classes sorted into different categories. Follow class links to go to that page and read more.

For Christmas (and other seasons):

Tag You're It! with Nic Howard. Making some Christmas tags this week? I know that I am! Nic Howard is showing us some tips, tricks & techniques regarding tags. Useful all year round. Nic is one of the most wonderful scrapbooking instructors! I have never signed up for a class with her that I didn't love love love!

For Art Journaling fans:

Art Journaling 101 with Erin Bassett. A great introduction to art journaling! I started my own art journal this summer and it is a wonderful way to express your spirit and personality in a creative way. A couple of months ago, I wrote a post on the difference between art journaling and scrapbooking.

Dirty Fingers, Clean Design with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Techniques to use mixed media and still get a clean look. Splash without making a mess! Julie is one of my favorite mixed media instructors!

On design:

The Art of Layering: Tips & Tricks for Creating Dimensional Scrapbook Layouts with Nichol Magouirk. Another favorite instructor! Layering can be intimidating, but Nichol makes it so easy! And she's showing us how to add dimension without the pages being big and bulky. Love this class!

Stretch Your Sketch: Take Creative Control of Your Scrapbook Sketches with Gretchen Schmidt. Great class on adapting sketches! Gretchen is always such a great teacher!

Men? Men!

The Boys Are Back in Town: Making Manly & Masculine Layouts with Jennifer Gallacher. Why is it always so much harder to scrap the men in the family? Not anymore! Jennifer Gallacher, one of my favorite scrapbooking gurus, is helping us channel that masculine energy into our layouts.

Hybrid/digital scrapbooking:

Try Hybrid: Go-To Digital Techniques for Paper Scrapbookers with Jennifer Wilson. I do quite a bit of hybrid scrapbooking, and sometimes a digital layout or two. Jennifer Wilson's class couldn't have come at a greater time, when we have so many well-known brands launching digital and downloadable versions of their beloved paper collections! I'm already addicted to American Crafts new digital shop with Crate Paper, Amy Tangerine and other gorgeous designer collections to print and play with, over and over again. Please note that Jennifer's class is mainly focused on how to work with photos and text, but it's an inspiration in general when it comes to hybrid and digital scrapping.

On journaling and storytelling:

Journaling class with Monica Bradford. Monica is the sweetest and funniest instructor. I always love her classes on any topic.

The Storytelling Process with Noell Hyman. Noell is teaching her own storytelling process called Story Core Design with a built-in inspiration system.

On inspiration:

Get Your Butt Out of That Rut. Finding scrapbooking inspiration with Kelli Crowe. A fun and light-hearted adventure on how to get your creative juices flowing.

Being productive:

Make a Mini Album in an Hour! with Laura Denison. Usually it takes me at least a day to make a mini album. One hour?! What's Laura's secret? Find out in this class! 

On photography and post-processing photos:

Everyday Portraits. Katrina Kennedy is teaching us how to capture personality in those everyday photos. Katrina is one of my favorite photographers. Her photos are stunning, and I'm taking every opportunity to learn from her!

Natural Kid Photography with Katrina Simeck. How to take natural photos of your kids. I wonder if it works for cats, as well? ;)

Photoshop Actions for Beginners with Jessica Sprague. I've never been sure of how to use 'actions' in Photoshop, but Jessica Sprague is showing me how to do it. Great class if you're a Photoshop newbie. I love Jessica's Photoshop classes. She gives a short class every Friday on her own web site.

Last, but certainly not least:

Your Memory File: A New Approach to Scrapbooking with Heidi Swapp. Heidi is showing us wonderful ways to work her memory files! I love those!

Enjoy your a la carte menu of True Scrap 4! :D

Pantone Color of the Year 2013: Emerald!

Today, Pantone announced the color of the year for 2013. Emerald! What do you think? Do you like it? I think it's gorgeous. Especially together with other green and blueish tones, like in the images below. It's also looks great with yellows.

You can compare it to the year colors between 2007 and 2012 right below. Which one is your favorite? I'm still very much into Mimosa and Tangerine Tango. :)

Allison Kreft designing for Webster's Pages

Webster's Pages is one of my favorite scrapbooking brands and today they announced that Allison Kreft is going to design for them! I'm truly looking forward to see more of her new collection that's going to be released at CHA Winter show in January. How exciting! :)