My Memories Suite Review and Giveaway

Recently the good folks over at My Memories Suite contacted me and offered the opportunity to review their newest version of My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbook Software.  Oh and by the way, they wanted to know if I would I like to offer one of my lucky readers the chance to win the digital software {valued at $39.99}in a giveaway too?!?

Well, heck yeah!  Hand it over!

Family is very important to me and there is no better way to capture those special moments than with a special photograph, but the task of preserving those precious photos and memories through scrapbooking has always seemed like a daunting task.  Papers, cutters, borders, stickers, fancy embellishments, pens, markers spread out all over the place... making a huge mess, which by the way is much easier to make than to clean back up.  Let's not mention the expense of it all!  I would sit for hours upon hours stressing myself out about the layouts of the pages and not really get anywhere.  If you're anything like me you too have boxes and boxes of unscrapped photos which do not deserve to be just packed away!  This past year many of the albums I had taken the time to create were ruined by the great basement flood from Irene.  My Memories Suite digital software has managed to take the  Blah phoohey out of scrapbooking!

To be completely honest, although I was excited to get started and give this digital scrapbooking software a go, I was a bit leery.  Most of the time my computer skills and my creative mind do not mesh.  BUT,  I am happy to report the experience so far has been pleasant... I still have fingernails and my hair hasn't been pulled out!  The software was downloaded and fully functional on my computer within a few minutes. Yeah! 

I was able to complete my first digital scrapbook page within no time.  I'm not very patient so the ease of completing it so quickly was impressive!  Simply by choosing a background, adding a photo, some simple shapes and text, my All Star has a pretty Awesome scrapbook page!

This product has taken the guesswork and frustration out of scrapbooking for me!  The digital software comes complete with lots of background papers, embellishments, shapes, fonts, and even calenders already included.  When you're ready to branch out, MyMemories.com also has tons more digital scrapbooking papers, templates and goodies available for download at extremely good prices {many of which are even offered free!}

This next page was created from a ready made template.  Boom's pictures from last year were added with ease.  A few extra embellishments were added and placed over and under the pics with just a few clicks of the mouse.  So easy!  This would have taken me hours to create with traditional scrapping methods!  I can't wait to start scanning some old photos of the kids into the computer!  You even have the ability to add music and narration to your albums, video and multimedia options are available as well as the ability to print your albums into hardcover books.

Just in case you were wondering, YES you can do more than just create album pages!  By choosing some basic shapes filled with some background paper of my choice, and adding some embellishments to a blank album page then printing them from my home printer... I was able to create a quick, easy and cute Valentine plaque! 

I cut the shapes from the printed paper then painted a simple wood plaque in black and all easy peasy like glued on my printed background... cheetah {luv me some cheetah} 4 hearts and a belt trim {all from the digital software program}.  I did add a few stickers from my stash to add the word "LOVE".  BUT had I thought before I printed, I could have added the text right to the belt trim from the software program.

OOOOH, I cut 2 diamond studded flowers, carefully cut down into the petals of one of them, folded them up around the diamond stud then curled the flower petals with a small skewer to produce a 3D flower!  I did pat myself on the back a bit for that little addition!

So, Wow! Can you tell how excited I am with this My Memories Suite package? 

I hope you can because I am beyond thrilled to be able to offer one lucky Tiaras and Bowties readers a chance to WIN their very own software package from MyMemories.com worth $39.99 !

So without further delay... enter to win your free software:

Mandatory:

{1 entry} Visit MyMemories.com.  Browse the extensive line of scrapbook papers, return here and leave a comment telling me your fav!

For EXTRA entries in this giveaway feel free to:

{each of the following are worth 1 extra entry, don't forget to leave a separate comment!}

{1} Follow Tiaras and Bowties via GFC or Networked Blogs and leave a comment below telling me so!

{1} Follow My Memories the Blog, let them know I sent ya too!  Remember to come back here and comment!

{1} Follow My Memories on FB. Let them know T&B sent you!

{1} Follow My Memories on Twitter.

{1} Follow Tiaras and Bowties on FB here.

{1} Follow T&B on Pintrest

{1} Follow T&B with Google +

{1} Connect with T&B on Twitter @SminkeyDinks

Whew!  That's 9 ways to enter to win this incredible software from My Memories Suite.  Contest will run until 11:59 pm Sunday 1/29/12.  Winner will be chosen by random and announced here on Tiaras and Bowties!

P.S don't worry if you don't win because because my friends over at MyMemories.com love me...they have offered me my very own coupon code to share with you!  

STMMMS2158

{go ahead, share it with your family & friends too!}

By using this code at MyMemories.com, you can get $10 off My Memories Suite (you get it for $29.95 instead of $39.95) AND you also get a $10 gift certificate to use in their online store! I am not kidding! This is the bomb!

**This is an affiliated sponsored post. all opinions expressed are solely mine and have not been swayed due to compensation.  I have been compensated for my time and opinion about the product. See Disclaimer page.

What a Week! {advocate}

What a week it's been,  wondering where I've been?  Maybe not but I'll tell you anyway.

Chances are if you are my age {dipping your toes into the 4 Ohhs or older},  you have an aging parent or parents like I do.  Perhaps you have a child or know of a child or a parent of a child with some special need as I do.  I'm here today to tell you a little story about advocacy.

It's okay to fight for them! 

If you don't defend them, chances are no one else will!

If you've been around here for a while you already know my MIL suffers from early to mid Alzheimer's.  What you do not know is that my own Father has some memory issues as well.  Has had them for quite a while, but he was 'functional', or so we thought.  Dad was still driving himself around town and doing his 'thing'.  Denial can be a blessing and a curse.  I can attest to that!

Last week, Dad's mental status took a BIG change and he was hospitalized.  After meeting with several specialists we were informed he had mid to severe Vascular Dementia and was in a Delusional State.  I won't go on and on, the dementia I can handle {I pray},  the delusions and frantic agitated behavior basically scared the crapola outta me and my family and is proving a bit harder to cope with.

Keeping it short and sweet,  I will tell you that the treatment he received from some of the nurses while there was, for lack of better words, DISGUSTING & VILE!  Enough to have me {usually sweet tempered and mild} barge into the lushly decorated {and rarely barged into} Administration Offices to file an official grievance.  {yes, apparently you can walk in there}

This is where I stress again to you...

Fight for the rights and care of  your loved ones and those around you who are unable to fight for themselves!

Stand up for your loved ones.  Your child, your parent, someone else's child, someone else's parent, anyone who is being treated unfairly or cruelly... I beg you to not turn a blind eye.  Step up.  I'm not saying go all Donkey Kong and go ballistic on 'em, but to calmly assess the situation and take action.  Ask questions.  Don't like the response you get?  Climb the chain of command and keep climbing until you get to the top.  Still do not feel like you've accomplished anything?  Find the agency that governs them... there are rules and regs for every school, every public or private facility, every business in every state.

No one loves them like you do.  No one knows them like you do.  Make your voice and opinion known.  If it feels wrong, chances are it is.  I remember when my daughter was a few weeks old and I was sent home repeatedly from a certain pediatricians office for being a 'paranoid new mother'.  I started to question my own sanity at that point, but I knew something was wrong... I just knew it.  If the battle between Doctor and Mother did not continue, if I had just given up because they thought I was nuts  {it would have been easier for me}, my precious Boom Boom would not be here today!

I'm getting off of my soap box now... not trying to lecture, just wanted to offer some unsolicited advice to whom ever may need it.  I'd love to hear from you if you are going through any similar life phases such as a handicapped or special needs child, aging parents... or just issues you'd like to get off your chest.  Not for a blog post or anything, just for the support.   I'd like to pray for you also... without all of the prayers from fantastic friends this past week I'm not sure how I would have made it through!

Also don't worry, {ha ha} T&B is not going all words and no craft on ya!  I will be back again this week with something creative and Oh yeah... a fantastic giveaway too!