Lately I've found some awesome apps, fonts, and other fun things that have been both making me more productive and helping me have more creative fun, and I thought I'd round up a few of them here tonight just in case they help someone else, too!

Favorite Fonts

Anything Typwriter

I really only use fonts in scrapbooking when I print my journaling, and ever since I started printing my Project Life journaling cards on my computer (I did a video on that for Two Peas earlier this year), typewriter fonts have been my go-to. I've been using a mix of (mostly) Traveling Typewriter and (a little) American Typewriter (it came with my Mac), but I've also been wishing for a script typewriter font, as well. After a little searching I came across Script 12 Pitch, but with a $25 price tag I just wasn't quite ready to pull the trigger on the purchase. Then I magically stumbled upon this site filled with vintage typewriter fonts, all free!



See that Olympia Script font? It's my new favorite! The others are all gorgeous, too, and all made by typing on actual vintage typewriters, then scanning the results in and creating a font.

Favorite Apps

VSCO Cam 



I thought that Pic Tap Go was my favorite photo editing app until I discovered VSCO Cam! If you're getting a bit bored with the filters in Instagram, then you'll definitely want to check out this little gem. It's free and comes with a basic set of filters and a full editing suite, and you can purchase more filter packs in-app. The best deal there is the $5.99 pack that gives you all of them in one shot- I think that offer is for a limited time, but I'm not sure how long.

Mint



Keshet Starr linked this one up on her blog several months ago, and every day I could just hug her for it! I was using an old and clunky version of Microsoft Money before this, but now I don't have to remember a million passwords for my accounts, and all of my bank, credit card, and retirement transactions are downloaded automatically. The app (and its web counterpart) also has budgeting features, bill reminders, and so many other great financial tools built right in. This one is also free, though it would be worth downloading even if it were a paid app!

30/30



Before this app I often used the timer on my iPhone to set a certain amount of time to work on a task. With 30/30, though, I can plan out a whole series of tasks, or even a few tasks that rotate on a continuous loop, and the app will alert me when the time is up for each and prompt me to start on the next one. My favorite right now is to set the timer for 45 minutes of housework and then 15 minutes of scrapbooking (or vice versa if I have a lot of assignments to finish) and let it run for the whole day when I'm home on the weekends. I'm always amazed at how much more I get done, and I love that it reminds me to take little breaks here and there from the big tasks.

Wunderlist



Hand in hand with a good productivity timer is an organized to-do list. Wunderlist (which also has a web component that syncs with the app) is both pretty and totally useful at the same time. You can have many different lists, assign due dates and sub-tasks easily, schedule repeating tasks, and the star the most important items on each list and filter just to see those items all in one spot. So much functionality- and this one is free, too!

Favorite Photo Editing Tool

VSCO Film for Lightroom



Lightroom is still my favorite photo editor ever, and the VSCO Film presets (from the same company that makes the VSCO Cam app) make it even better! They work in much the same way as the Replichrome presets that I fell in love with a couple of months ago, except that VSCO has a much broader range of films available, including some instant and slide films that I've fallen in love with. I love the ease of the digital camera, but I've always been partial to the color, contrast, and depth that film photos have. VSCO Film brings that loveliness to digital photography, and I adore it!

And now I want to know- what are some of your tech-y favorites lately?

Review : iPad Folio Case By Snugg

I don't post many reviews on my blog, especially of the non-scrappy variety, because I don't want to turn this place into something that's just advertisement all the time. I actually turn down a fair number of the giveaways and reviews I'm offered because they either just aren't relevant, or because I don't think that my readers would really be interested.

When the people at Snugg contacted me, though, to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their iPad cases, they just happened to catch me when I was actually shopping for a new one anyway, so I took them up on it. What sealed it for me was that I was looking specifically for a folio case that also included a stand of some sort so I could prop my iPad up on my desk and stream Netflix or watch videos while scrapbooking or editing photos, and their iPad Executive Case (also available at Amazon) looked like it would fit that need perfectly. If any of my readers considering a case for the same reason, hopefully this review will help you out!

My Snugg iPad case is their "Baby Blue" color, which is a sort of Robin's Egg blue that looks very aqua in some lights- and you know I love my aqua! There's a small loop at the top of the case that is a perfect fit for my Bamboo stylus, and small embedded magnets in the cover will turn the iPad screen on and off just like the Smart Cover from Apple. The Snugg is definitely more stylish than Apple's Smart Cover, and though it does add some weight and thickness to the iPad I didn't find either to be an issue for me. The iPad still fits in the same slot on my purse that it always has, and I haven't been bothered by the extra weight of the case in the three weeks that I've been using it.

I have the "Executive" version of the case, which simply means that there are some slots to hold credit cards on the inside of the cover along with a hand strap that is supposed to make it easier to hold the iPad while giving presentations.

The first thing I did after slipping my iPad into the case was to take it straight back out again and remove the screen protector that I've been using on it since day 1. The material inside the case is soft, and when the cover is closed provides more than enough protection for the screen without a second protector involved. Love that I can finally use my iPad without another layer between my eyes and the screen!

Without a screen protector, though, I doubt that I'll actually use the credit card slots. While I'm comfortable having the fabric of those slots against the screen, I'm not nearly so keen on having sharp-edged credit cards there. The slots would probably be more useful if Snugg had included a small flap of fabric completely covering them.

The hand strap was kind of useless for me- the case feels a bit floppy at the hinge (the iPad side keeps trying to pull down) when I'm using it, and I think it was designed for someone with larger hands than I have. Since I don't use my iPad for presenting, though, the hand strap wasn't a big deal for me.

Installation of the Snugg case couldn't be easier- simply slip the iPad into the holder on the right side of the case, then secure the velcro flap. It took less than 10 seconds to get everything in place, and the iPad feels completely secure. I've been using my case for about three weeks, and not once did I feel that the velcro wasn't adequate for holding the iPad in place. And, unlike other cases I've used, the openings for the charger, headphone jack, and buttons are perfectly placed and large enough to allow easy usage. Definitely no complaints there!

Update: Thanks so much to commenter Katherine, who kindly clued me in to something I'd missed about the kickstand- you can flip the entire case over to get a much taller viewing angle! I've updated this section of the review with new photos and text to reflect that, and I'm more than a bit embarrassed that I missed it myself- for some reason it never registered in my brain that the iPad will actually rotate the screen 180 degrees to accommodate the new position!

The Snugg easily converts into an iPad stand by flipping the front cover back and slipping the side of it into a tab on the back cover. There are three available angles- two for typing and one for viewing- and you can change between them by simply adjusting the way the hinge folds under the side of the iPad when it's propped up or by flipping the iPad around.

Here's a look at the lowest typing setting:

And here's what it looks like on the highest typing setting, taken from the side so you can see what I mean about adjusting the hinge.

The hinge adjustment actually annoys me a bit, especially since on the highest setting it's really easy to accidentally bump it back down to the lower one while typing since there's nothing solid holding the hinge in position.

For video viewing with the kickstand, you can turn the entire case upside down and rest it on the credit card slots to get a perfect viewing angle.

In this position if you have any cards in the card slots they'll essentially become part of the base of the stand. This might cause a problem if you have several cards causing uneven bumps along the bottom, but since I'm not planning on actually using the cards slots it won't be a problem for me. The iPad seems very stable in this position, and I don't have any worries about it accidentally falling over from here.

One small concern I have about this case is durability. I carry my iPad in my purse constantly, and it's in its own compartment- not thrown in with my keys or anything that could damage it. I'm not rough with my electronics at all. I have no idea how it happened, but after just a few weeks of use, I already have a small gouge in the PU leather of this case.

The soft material inside the case also seems prone to attracting dirt, and I already have a few smudges from everyday use. I'm not in the habit of using my iPad with dirty hands (eeew!), and this seems to be buildup at the points where you naturally hold the iPad while reading. I'm wondering how much worse these spots will get over time. One thing to note here is that the color of the inside fabric does match the case's exterior, so on darker colored cases this won't be an issue.

So, in review:

Pros:

• Looks professional and stylish.
• Is a perfect fit for the iPad and all associated cameras, ports, and buttons are easily accessible.
• Easy installation.
• Great screen protection and secure hold for the iPad.
• Good viewing angle when using the kickstand to watch videos.

Cons:

• Credit cards placed in the slots will be directly against the iPad screen when the case is closed.
• Hinge adjustment for highest typing angle is loose and easy to bump out of place.
• Hand strap is uncomfortable to use/not designed for small hands
• Leather seems to be easy to damage.
• Interior material of the case prone to collecting dirt.

Overall, I like the look of this case and, now that I've been corrected on the video part, I love it for every use for my iPad from gaming to reading to watching videos. My overall grade? B+

so long, google reader!

After today Google Reader will be no more, and I've heard rumors that Google Friend Connect (all those followers in the right-hand sidebar of my blog) will be riding off into the sunset, as well. I'm not sure if that last part is accurate, but I do know that if you follow my blog or any others in Google Reader, you'll lose those subscriptions starting tomorrow unless you port them to another reader.

I'm personally going with Feedly, though I've also heard great things about Bloglovin', and they even gave me a handy dandy link to use in case you'd like to add my blog to your reading list there.

I'm sad to see Google Reader go, but so happy that some alternatives popped up and made it easy to read all of my favorite blogs in one spot!

scrapbook update | etsy app review

In the rush of all the year-end cleaning, organizing, Christmas tree de-constructing, and scrap room photographing, I failed to post about one of my newer articles at Scrapbook Update!

Etsy recently released and iPhone app, and I took it for a spin to see how well it performed. I'm pleased to report that it makes shopping for handmade and vintage goods from your iPhone a breeze! For the complete rundown, head on over to Scrapbook Update.

how my tech toys help me scrapbook

Today I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart- technology. Specifically, all those fun tech toys like my iPhone and iPad that I use not only in my everyday life, but in my crafty life as well.

Before I get started, I need to warn you about something- I totally drink Apple's Kool-Aid. I've already mentioned the iPhone and iPad, but I also have an iMac in my office, and I'm currently sitting in my living room typing this post up on a MacBook Air.

Yup, I'm a total Apple fangirl, and the examples I'm going to show you today are all on Apple products. Droid, WebOS, Windows Mobile, and other portable platforms, though, are just as robust and can most likely do anything that I'm going to show you here, so if you're anti-Apple, or just don't happen to have their stuff, you should be able to poke, prod, and Google search around to figure out how your device implements these features.

There, disclaimer out of the way. Ready to get to the good stuff? Good! Because I'm ready to show you all the ways that these techy gadgets help me in my scrapbooking.


1. Reading

This use is where my iPad really shines (and is, in fact, the entire reason I bought it). I live in a small house without a lot of shelf space for books and magazines, but like most scrapbookers I like to be fed a steady diet of inspiration and crafty content. My iPad serves the dual purpose of keeping these items from cluttering up my casa while at the same time keeping them easily (oh, so easily) accessible.

There are a few scrapbooking magazines that are available in an iPad-friendly format right off the virtual newsstands. Several months ago I wrote an article about the current state of digital publishing in the scrapbook industry for Scrapbook Update, and this field moves so quickly that things have even changed since then! Scrapbooks, Etc., is available from Zinio (who provides their own free app for reading publications purchased through them), and Scrapbook And Cards Today magazine is a free PDF download straight from the publisher's web site!

Scrapbook Update | Picture Keeper Review

My latest review at Scrapbook Update turned out to be on a very timely topic- backups. For those who aren't aware, Scrapbook Update's hosting service experienced a catastrophic failure in the server that houses the site a little over a week ago, and almost all of Scrapbook Update's content for the year was lost. Full details are here, but in a nutshell the hosting service was supposed to be providing a backup service for the site and wasn't, and the staff has been scrambling to restore content from the partial backup pulled by owner and editor Nancy Nally a week before the crash (and also thanking Google for the large amount of caching that Google Reader does). Most of the images for the site's articles weren't present in that backup and we've all been raiding Flickr photo streams, hard drive directories, and Lightroom catalogs to try to get those restored.

In an ironic twist, one of the articles that was permanently lost with no hope of recovery (I couldn't even pull a draft out of my own web browser's cache) was the review of the Picture Keeper photo backup device that I'd written and submitted for review just days before the crash. Since the post was only a draft and had been written after the last backup, all my work was completely lost. Luckily I had saved the images to a directory on my own hard drive, but I still had to re-write the nearly 2,000 word review from scratch.

So, after all that work, how did the Picture Keeper stack up as a backup solution? You'll have to hop on over to Scrapbook Update to read my (ahem) honest and unbiased review to get the answer to that question. :)

And the moral of this entire tale? Back up, back up, back up!!!

scrapbook update | michaels iphone app

It's definitely been hopping on the scrapbooking news front lately, and I managed to squeeze in one more Scrapbook Update article before all the CHA Summer show fun begins!

Michaels has released an iPhone app, and customers will rejoice in the ability to clip redeem electronic coupons- just one of the app's many features. Head on over and check it all out!

summer card camp | loading the videos to your ipad

So, that color combo badge from Summer Card Camp? I was just itching for an excuse to post it. Work has been so horrifically busy (and really just horrific) this week that I haven't had time to make my card, but it's on today's agenda (as is a Friday Favorites post, coming up later today).

What I have thoroughly enjoyed about the class so far is that the content is totally downloadable! Students receive emails with PDFs of the day's content, and then twice a week there are videos that they are downloadable, too!! As a bonus, they're also totally compatible with the iPad (and iPhone and iPod Touch). I happened to mention this fact while out and about on the interwebs and received a question back as to how to load the videos. I started to type out a reply, but then realized that this was best shown rather than strictly told, so here's a little tutorial for you. :) You can click on any of the screen shots to bring up a larger, more readable photo.

First off, I downloaded my videos. I'm going to assume that you already know how to do this. I just stuck mine in a folder, but you can put them on your desktop or anywhere it's easy to access them (note that I'm showing this on a Mac, but the same steps should work for Windows).

I'm going to show two ways to load the videos. One is through iTunes, which is not as easy but doesn't require that you have any extra apps loaded. The second is my favorite and uses Goodreader. I recommend that you read this entire post before deciding which method you want to use.

So, the iTunes method...

Open iTunes. Open the folder (or wherever you stored your downloaded videos) and select the ones you want to sync to your iPad. Drag them over your "Library" section in the left sidebar of iTunes, then drop them there. They'll import into iTunes.

Side note: Yes, that is the score from the fifth season of Doctor Who in my library. :) I may or may not have been playing "Onwards!" and "I Am The Doctor" on a loop while writing this. Also? Excellent running music. :)

If you click your "Recently Added" smart playlist after the import is complete, you'll see your videos there.

Hook your iPad up to your computer. When iTunes recognizes it, click on the iPad's listing in the left sidebar to bring up its settings.

Click "Movies" along the top of the iPad setting page to bring up the "Sync Movies" settings.

Check the box that says "Sync Movies."

From here, you can leave the setting to automatically sync all movies in place to import all movies from your iTunes library (which may be more than your iPad can hold, depending on how many you have), or you can do what I prefer to do and uncheck the box next to the automatic setting and instead select individual videos. (Once you uncheck the box, a listing of available videos will appear for you to choose from.)

Check the boxes next to the videos you want to sync to your iPad, then click the "Apply" button. PLEASE NOTE: If you do this on a computer that you don't normally sync your iPad with iTunes on, it will wipe out all content on your iPad and replace it with only the content on this computer. I hate this feature of iTunes, and it's really why I prefer to use the second method that works easily no matter what computer you're on.

Once syncing is complete, you can disconnect your iPad and find your videos in the iPod App.

Now, on to the GoodReader method! GoodReader is a $4.99 app for the iPad that is advertised as a PDF reader (and it's an excellent one), but its hidden talent is that it's also an awesome file system for the iPad! If you choose to go this route, you'll need to go to the App Store on your iPad and purchase GoodReader before continuing.

After you've done that, connect your iPad to your computer, select it in the left sidebar to bring up its settings, then click on the "Apps" tab. You may need to scroll down to the bottom of this screen (depending on your monitor size and resolution) to see the "File Sharing" section. GoodReader should be listed, and you'll need to click on it to bring up its document listing.

Once you've done that, select the videos from the folder (or wherever) you downloaded them to and drag them into the box labeled "GoodReader Documents." You can see that I've got a bunch of stuff in mine already. :)

As soon as you drag and drop, the file transfer will begin. Once it's done, you can disconnect your iPad from the computer, turn it on and bring up GoodReader, and your videos will be in the My Documents section. All you have to do from there is tap on one to start playing it!!

Please note that your videos have to be in an iPad compatible format for this to work. I know that the ones from Card Camp are, as are the videos from Ali Edwards' Scrapbook on the Road class. If your video refuses to import into iTunes or won't play when you select it in GoodReader, chances are it is not compatible.

The JoAnn iPhone App

Have you seen the iPhone app from JoAnn yet? If not (and you're an iPhone user), you really should download this freebie post-haste!!

It's really well done- the opening screen has a nice layout and makes it easy to find all of the app's functionality.

My favorite feature is the ability to "clip" coupons to your iPhone and then use them at the store- no printing required!! I did run into a small hiccup when trying to use one of my discounts at my local store (they couldn't figure out how to enter it), but seeing as they've only been open for two weeks now (and I'm so excited to have them there), I'll chalk it up to inexperience.

Other app features include finding JoAnn stores nearby (ummm, yeah, I've been known to do this on travel...a lot!!)...

...and browsing for products, including access to customer reviews.

That's quite a lot of functionality for a little app! Here's hoping that Michaels and Hobby Lobby follow suit soon.

Current iPhone App Faves

I've been rather attached to my iPhone lately (who am I kidding, I've been attached to it since I bought it a year ago), and thought I'd share some of the apps I'm finding most useful lately. Just like me, they're all over the map. :)

First up is Hipstamatic. If you've not seen Hipsta photos running rampant about Blogland, then you must have been living under the proverbial rock for the last several months. They are everywhere. And, why not? The iPhone already take bad photos- why not be all artsy and take bad photos on purpose?

The app is $1.99 for the basic kit, and then you can buy extra lens/film combinations for $0.99 each.

Cartolina released this gorgeous app a couple of weeks ago to pretty up your MMS messages and emails. Just choose an image, type in a short note, and send your lovely message along. At $2.99, it's less than the cost of a single greeting card!

I've gotten half my Taekwondo class hooked on iTaekwondo. I'm currently studying for my second degree black belt test (less than a month to go- eeeek!), and this app has all the forms that I need to brush up on, complete with videos and step-by-step diagrams. At $2.99, it's a bargain. And it's really funny to see all of us in class doing forms while holding our phones...

I'm finally getting the hang of the Twitter thing (I'd tried it once before and just never got into it), and I love Echofon's interface. I tried the official Twitter app, but it didn't have an option to include a photo with the tweet. Echofon does, and it's oh, so easy (and free!!).

Round 2 It rounds out my list (ooooh, bad pun on so many levels!) today. It's my favorite list-making app because it's simple and it allows me to make sub-lists, or lists of lists- perfect for breaking down big tasks into small chunks. I also love that the search screen puts my overdue and currently scheduled items right at the top. This $2.99 gem saves my sanity on a daily basis.

Now that you know what's gracing my iPhone screen as of late, do you have any recommendations of your own to add to the mix?

Collages in Picasa

Last week someone commented on my March wrap-up post that they would like to know how I make my photo collages. I'd been planning on writing up a tutorial for some time anyway, so I thought I go ahead and do it this week.

The collages are super, super easy to make. I use a program called Picasa, which is a fantastic free photo organization and editing program (for either Mac or Windows) by Google.

I'm going to assume in this tutorial that you have downloaded and installed Picasa, have loaded your photos into it, and are fairly comfortable clicking around on stuff.

For my example, I'll use some photos I took at a UAH hockey game in February. I've got nine here to play with, but to start off I'm just going to take four of them. You can select photos by clicking on their thumbnails. To select multiple photos, hold down on the Command (Control on Windows) key while you click each image.

Once you've selected all your photos (you can release the Command/Control key now), locate the Collage button along the bottom of the application screen and click it.

Clicking the collage button will bring you to a screen that looks something like this.

If your screen doesn't look exactly like mine (you have a different aspect ratio selected) don't worry. Look at the controls on the left hand side of the screen and locate "Page Format." Click the down arrow next to the box to display all your options. Here I've selected a 4x6 format.

An interesting tidbit about this setup- if you choose four photos and the 4x6 format and have your layout option (the control for that is at the top of the left-hand side of the screen) set to Grid, you'll get four wallet-sized ready to print on a single 4x6 sheet. Such an easy way to get wallets (2x3) with just a few button clicks!

But what if you don't like the way that Picasa has cropped a certain photo, or you want to do some editing on that photo before printing? That's really easy, too. You can choose just one photo in a collage and then click the "View and Edit" button right below the collage display area. That will take you to an editor where you can adjust your crop, change white balance, etc, and when you're finished you'll be taken right back to the collage menu with your new edits in place.

Now that I've shown you the wonders of easy wallet-size formatting, let's try something a little different. For this example I've selected six photos, and I'm going to change the photo layout to Mosaic.

That gives us a really nice collage with different sizes of photos. I also changed the Page Format to 8x10, which is a really great way to easily fit lots of photos into a single 8x10 print. You get an awesome looking collage without having to resize and move everything around in Photoshop- just a few clicks and Picasa does it for you.

If you want some white space between and around your photos, Picasa has a control for that, too. Locate the "Grid Spacing" control on the left-hand side of the screen and simply drag the slider to the right until you're happy with the spacing. At this point you could also change the background color to something other than white or even add drop shadows.

Adding some Grid Spacing gives a nice bit of separation between photos so they don't all run together.

If you don't like the order or arrangement of the photos in the collage, you can change that, too. Just click on the "Shuffle Pictures" button below the collage preview. The effects of this button can be pretty random- you don't really get any control over the sizing and placement of your photos in a Mosaic layout, so you may have to click it several (dozen) times to get an arrangement that you like.

But it's really pretty good for moving your photos around. I find that I eventually settle on an arrangement that I'm happy with.

When you've finished tinkering with layout, page size, grid spacing, and any other options, you can create a JPEG file of your collage by clicking the "Create Collage" button. This will create a new file in the Collages album in Picasa (and also on your hard drive). It should be all sized and ready for you to print or upload.

And, for those who were wondering how I do my monthly wrap-up collages, there's only one trick to it. You have to have a square number of photos (as in 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, etc). If you don't have a square number it will still work, your individual images in the collage just won't be square.

As an example, for most Friday Favorites posts I have 9 items to share. I choose those 9 photos to create a collage with. I set the layout to Grid, the Page Format to Square (CD Cover), and the add some Grid Spacing. Monthly wrap-ups usually have 25 or 36 photos, but they use the same settings- grid, square, and grid spacing.

And that's all there is to the basics of creating a collage in Picasa. Note that my post only scratched the surface of the options available. There are other layouts to choose from besides Grid and Mosaic, and if you have your individual photos cropped to sizes other than a 4x6, you can help the Mosaic layout determine the best sizes for your photos, giving you even more options.

Have fun creating Collages!