My Memories Review and Giveaway

The nice people at My Memories gave me a review copy of their software and a free copy to give away! How cool is that? I have been pecking away at using the software in-between learning Rhino and it's powerful simplicity is refreshing. Contest details are below the image.

One category that has frequently fallen flat is card making and scrapbooking software, so I was delighted to give My Memories Suite a go. I have been there and done that so many times, with a pile of CDs from the past 15 years, which have all disappointed in some way. Either it's too complicated to get something done quickly, or too simple to be creative enough. Or they come with bargain bin clip art and a mix of different features and I end up fixing things in CorelDraw later. MS Publisher and Avery's DesignPro software are pretty much only good for label making :D Why can't there be one program that does it all?

My Memories Suite seems to do that and more. I was able to quickly make some 12x12" pages and get my photos in there fast with the pre-designed templates. Of course, you can create your own designs or go with a "digital kit" that contains all the co-ordinating materials to create a cohesive theme. One thing that really gets me hung up with real scrapbooking is not having colours that co-ordinate or missing some little element. Or I get too hung up on the layout and never get anything done. This way I can quickly change things up without getting precious about using the good materials. I like the digital work area that lets me see everything at a glance, as you can see below (click for a larger image). Trim guides are pretty handy and warnings pop up when it looks like the pages may be trimmed when bound in a book. There are options for multimedia scrapbooks as well, and you can add music and video. Whew! I could really go on all day about all the features they packed into this program. If you can use Microsoft Word, you can definitely use this program right away without reading the manual (although it helps :-))



Give away time!

I like to keep give aways simple, so everyone who leaves a comment will have a chance to win. I'll write everyone's name on a piece of paper and Muffin will randomly pick one :-) Contest will close at 9pm MTN on February 25. One entry per individual person.

The ACEO Challenge

This is my first time entering the ACEO Challenge! Usually I always miss these deadlines, but I squeaked in with a wintry caribou. Voting starts December 10th; please check out all the lovely ACEOs and vote for your favourite! The caribou is snipped from semi-gloss heavyweight paper and glued to a card that has been painted with watercolours and acrylic.

September/October Blog Contest

Hi guys! I miss blogging. I actually miss having free time as well. Even though I'm taking two classes this semester, they proved to be the most time consuming. I have been spending just about every weekend at the college.

But I have also been taking the time out to have fun - I went to a fabulous mystery destination. Guess where I went in the comments and I will pick a winner from the correct entries on October 31 at 6pm MTN. The prize? A fun piece of miniature art from an Art O Mat. Here are some clues:

1. It's very warm
2. The only American Droog store is there
3. I saw the giant Claes Oldenberg sculpture pictured below
4. I also saw a very famous glass ceiling in a hotel pictured below

August Contest!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe it's almost time to go back to school! For me that happens September 1st.

August's contest is really quick and easy! The prize will be a copy of my 2012 printable mini calendar, which is for sale on Artfire as a PDF. All you need is a Marvy Uchida square punch or an X-acto knife and a steady hand, and you'll have mini calendars to stick on anything and everything.

All you have to do is leave a comment below and answer these question:

How likely are you to purchase digital downloads in the future? How much would you pay for one on average?

That's all!

Winnahs!

Morning peeps! Sorry this is late. It is so hard for me to get bakc into the work routine. Suddenly I have to get up earlier, get dressed (in nice clothes), wrangle lunch and make the 50 yard dash for the bus again. It's amazing how out of practice one gets :-D

Say congrats to Angelself and Kathy!

Now off to catch the bus!

July's Contest

This post is perfect for a Friday! I was not keen to do another outdoor festival this year, but the Inglewood Sunfest seemed too good to pass up! The price was reasonable and 30,000 people attended last year.

It's hard to decide what to make and how much. Usually by now I have plenty of new pictures, but the flowers were behind and well, it's just not happening.

Nonetheless I had Mom over on Wednesday for a little work bee. We packaged a couple hundred cards ans magnets. Magnets have proved to be my bread and butter item over the years and it was a pleasant surprise to figure this out. They are a gift that lasts all year and are easy to send with a card. I have tried different ideas over the years, but people are really attracted to magnets (no pun intended!).

Here's this years new images on magnets. Hopefully I will have a few new flower photos by the end of the summer! Just leave a comment and I will pick 2 winners on July 30th at 6pm MTN from all the comments. Easy peasy! The winners will have their choice of one magnet from the above. Good luck!

June Contest - Where Was I?

I feel so bad that I couldn't get a contest going for May, but the upside is that there will be two winners for June! That's some pretty good odds.

As a photographer and artist, travel is essential to me. Not only do I enjoy travelling and photographing what I find, but I love indulging in the local arts and history. It's hard to believe that two weeks ago I was in Prince Edward Island for a conference. When I was laid off, it was all too easy to give up the trip, but, I figured, I have my whole life to pay off the debt.

Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province, but one that is packed with history. Many of the buildings in Charlottetown, one of two cities on the island, are heritage buildings faced in brick or wood-sided houses painted in heritage colours. Charlottetown is also the provincial capital, and this city of 14,000 people is also the home of Confederation - the birth of Canada!

Pottery seems to be overwhelming popular on the island and it was enjoyable to visit art galleries and pottery studios. If I come back, I hope it will be for an artist residency. Travel lets me replenish my catalog of photos and bring back new stories for friends and customers alike. And speaking of stories...

It was unfortunately overcast when I visited this home to a famous fictional Canadian heroine. To win two greeting cards featuring Prince Edward Island's famous red cliffs, what is the name of this house? Comment with your answer by 6pm on June 30 and I'll randomly draw two winners from the correct answers. Prizes will be sent when the postal strike is over :-P

And the winner is...

I numbered everyone last night and hopped over to Random.org and it spit it out "4" at me. Who was 4? None other than Sunshine Shelle! Congrats Shelle and we'll be in touch!

I forgot in my last post to link to Craftymoose's Ukrainian Easter Eggs that she kindly reposted. Go over and check them out! They are pretty intricate.

Win This ACEO for April!

Here’s the prize for my monthly contest in celebration of five years of business. It’s an Ukrainian Easter egg ACEO/ATC. Another schnipster project, this one took a few hours to design. Schnipstering can be a little hit or miss at times :-)

All you have to do is leave a comment and I will pick a winner on April 30 at 6pm MTN.

When I was thinking of this month’s prize, I wanted to share a special Easter tradition that others might not know much about. The eggs are more than just a decoration; it is a symbol of renewal and resurrection of course.

I learned how to make Ukrainian Easter eggs as a young person in Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton has a huge Ukrainian population which is very proud of its culture. My first egg was made in Grade 4, but it wasn’t until Grade 7 that I really made one that was really good. Designing each egg takes a lot of thought. A tool called a kiska is used to scoop wax and draw with it. Anything covered in wax will have the colour preserved as the egg is dipped in different dyes. So the first layer would be white, and then yellow and so forth.

Good, even wax coverage is necessary for a good strong line. The final dye coat is usually black or red. At the end of the process, the wax is melted off with heat from a candle and wiped with a tissue. The real name for the eggs is psyanky and you can learn more about them at this website .

Vegreville, Alberta, by the way, is home to the world’s largest psyanka! Vegreville is also home to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, which is a wonderful historic park to visit, especially if you like Eastern European churches.

Whew, this post is getting long! Other Eastern European cultures also decorate eggs, and they have different styles and names. Wikipedia has a good round-up of Easter egg traditions if you want to learn more.

Huzzah!

I'm going to say that my appearances here are going to be sparse for a while. One of my classes, PPRL200, has a pitch and proposal for the final project. It's a group project and quite a lot of work. I can't wait for the end of school because of all the projects I have on hold. It's hard not to procrastinate, especially on a day like today when it's snowing! What!! Maybe we'll have spring by Easter :-)

So on that note, here's the winner of the March contest - Ms. Lazyhawk - Marlene! Congratulations Marlene. I will email you shortly.

Watch for the April contest - I plan on doing either an Easter ACEO or 4x6" picture.

Feelin' Lucky?

Whew, this post is coming in under the wire! I have totally lost track of time lately. It was only when I saw fellow ACEtsy buddy Joann's post about it that I went looking for a green t-shirt. But I slopped yogurt on myself and ended up wearing a black t-shirt to school. One of my classmates pinched me hard and it hurt!

Anyway, it seems like an appropriate day for the next anniversary contest, which is totally based on luck! Just comment or leave your email address and I (or Muffin) will pick a winner on March 31st at 6pm MTN time. What's the prize? How does a 20% coupon to either my Etsy or Artfire shop sound?

It does take a certain amount of luck to be in business - either knowing the right people or which opportunities to chase...or pass up :-) Sometimes it's just the sort of luck that makes a picture great...or bad luck that makes a photograph one of those "shoulda coulda woulda" stories! I always feel lucky to have gotten some good bird pictures over the years.

Then there are things that don't seem lucky at the time...but turn out to be pretty lucky! I guess luck is one of those philosophical topics that one can write a lot about. I found an excerpt from a really good book I read a couple of years ago called Quirkology by a British scientist named Richard Wiseman. He set out to scientifically study luck and found out some surprising things about luck!

Congratulations!

The winner of the red scherenschnitte bird ACEO is...art2cee2! Crystal's name was chosen by the most impartial judge I know, Muffin! Here he is pecking at the winning entry:





Thank you to all who entered and look for the next contest soon!

How Do I Love Thee...

Here's another way :-) I feel silly this morning! February has been crazy and now it's officially mid-month. Here's my February contest for this ACEO. You don't have to guess anything this time, just leave a comment to enter and I'll draw a name at 6pm MTN on February 28 :-)

The ACEO was cut from red paper in the tradition of scherenschnitte. When I was at the farmer's market last time, I found a pair of brand new schnipstering scissors and this is my first time cutting with them. They are sure sharp and a pleasure to use!

We Have A Winner!

I'm posting this later than I thought I would be, but my computer was acting up tonight! The winner of a 5x7" print is...drumroll...Magic Love Crow! I'll be in touch :-)

The correct answer was the maple leaf. When I tallied up my inventory after Christmas sales and discovered that the maple leaf was my big seller, I was stunned! Usually it has been the purple pansies in the lead, but this past year, not even half of all the purple pansy stuff sold.

It sounds crazy, but every image or product has a lifecycle. Trying to predict that lifecycle is a real art form. And what's popular one year can change for the next. Then there are some images, like the water lilies, that I thought would be popular and they weren't. Tis a mystery!

Thank you so much to all who entered and check back in a few days for the February contest :-)

Year Five Contest!

I didn't realize until I was filing some old paperwork that Purple Pony Art is five years old this year. August, to be specific. Such an anniversary calls for a contest, no? How about a contest every month? Yes? If that sounds good, read on!

Over the years I have had a hard time controlling inventory, so I went super nerdy and barcoded everything. With a few clicks, I could figure out what sold and what hadn't, and it told me some surprising things about popularity.

Can you guess which of the three images below was my best selling image of 2010? Please leave your answer in the comments. On January 31st at 6pm MTN, I'll pick a winner from all the correct entries.

Was the most popular image...


the maple leaf, taken in 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta?



these purple pansies, taken in 2006 in Radium, British Columbia?



or this pair of water lilies, taken in 2010 in Niagara Falls, Ontario?




Rules

1. One entry per person; one guess per entry
2. If the winner cannot be contacted, another winner will be chosen
3. Print will be sent postage paid anywhere in the world
4. Entries must be made on this blog post only

Remember to leave your answer in the comments section and good luck!

If you have any questions, please email me at calzephyr@gmail.com And please tell your friends as well!