Scrap Tunes launches musical embellishments

Scrap Tunes, Santa Clarita, Calif., introduces pre-recorded sound modules that are light activated, allowing the viewer to hear the melody by turning to the scrapbook page. The melody plays once, and there are no buttons to push and no pre-recording required. Scrap Tunes kits also include four theme-based stickers, eliminating the need to decorate and allowing scrapbookers to select a sticker and add Scrap Tunes to their page layout.

  Scrap Tunes has six themes and their respective melodies: Wedding (Wedding March), Birthday (Happy Birthday), Baby (Rock-A-Bye Baby), School Days (Alphabet Song), Christmas (Jingle Bells) and Hanukkah (Dreidel Song). Additional themes will be added in the future and custom orders will be entertained.

  All components are acid free and the design is thin enough to slide under a plastic sleeve.

ToNoodle.com launches contest

ToNoodle.com, American Fork, Utah, a membership website with 133 video tutorials on how to digital scrapbook using Adobe Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS3, is celebrating its one year anniversary by sponsoring a Create A Kit contest. Contestants can submit a new, original digital scrapbook kit to win a year membership subscription to toNoodle.com and have the kit as a featured download by toNoodle members.

  Designers can submit a preview of their digital scrapbook kit online through a form on the website and read official contest rules. The entry period ends March 15. Twenty finalists will be chosen and the kits anonymously published on the site, giving viewers a chance to vote for their favorite one. Winners will be announced April 15 on the website.

  Sponsors providing additional prizes include A Cherry on Top, Kreations by Kami, Willro&co Designs, Amy Teets Designs and CG Essentials.

Creative Memories parent company files for Chapter 11

The Antioch Co., St. Cloud, Minn., parent company of Creative Memories, and six of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 protection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The company elected to seek bankruptcy protection in order to restructure its debt while continuing to maintain normal business operations without interruption. Under the plan, which has the full support of the company's lenders, the process is expected to be completed by the end of this calendar year.

  "After completing a comprehensive strategic review of the business, The Antioch Company, with the guidance of industry experts and turnaround specialists, determined that a pre-packaged filing was in the best interest of the future of Creative Memories," said Asha Morgan Moran, global president of Creative Memories. "We are confident that the restructuring will provide strong opportunities for the company's consultants, employees, and customers.

  "This process demonstrates our commitment to the future of Creative Memories," Morgan Moran said. "We will ensure that product development remains a top priority so that the company and our 55,000-plus global sales consultants will continue to benefit from our respected position in the traditional scrapbooking industry. At the same time, new product development will assist us in expanding our role into the digital market."

  Creative Memories specializes in selling premium-quality, photo-safe albums, scrapbooking materials, digital photo books, and photo organization software.

  The company does not anticipate any reduction in employee headcount or changes in operating facility locations, anticipates continuing day-to-day operations. In addition, The Antioch Company announced that it has filed a motion for authority to enter into a credit agreement with its lending group, which will provide up to $4 million in additional liquidity for restructuring and future investments.

Craft Sassy introduces custom scrapbook papers

Craft Sassy, Tigard, Ore., has introduced custom scrapbook papers with low minimum orders for small retailers. A n easy-to-use interface allows retailers to upload a digital file or image that can be printed onto a variety of paper styles, says the company. Retailers can create a custom color-coordinated paper line, feature local schools or landmarks, create custom paper for kits or classes, or create store-themed paper for scrapbooking crop nights, classes, and other events. Retailers can order as few as 10 of each design.

  Each wholesale order is d igitally printed with full bleed with the store's logo and paper name on a tear away strip. Papers are vailable in the standard 12-by-12-inch size as well as smaller sizes, and are p rinted on acid-free and lignin-free paper with environmently-friendly inks.  Pricing varies by paper weight and quantity ordered, but individual sheets of custom designed scrapbook papers begin at $2 suggested retail. Specialty papers, double-sided printing, and rush fees increase the per page price. Volume discounts are available.

Iowa City women launch Sweet Tooth Scrapbooking

When summer floods in Iowa shut down Reminisce, a scrapbooking store in Coralville, store managers Cindy Noesen and Shelly Maxwell decided to launch an online scrapbooking company, Sweet Tooth Scrapbooking LLC.

  The duo previously taught classes at Reminisce. They had mulled over the idea, checked out online scrapbooking companies and found someone to build their website. The floods gave them a final push to follow their dream, which currently is a part-time venture.

  Sweet Tooth Scrapbooking will host its first "crop" -- a 26-hour scrapbooking marathon -- Oct. 24 and 25 and plans to host a similar event next spring.

Almost Heaven Scrapbooking offers unusual fund-raiser

 Beverly Ford, owner of Almost Heaven Scrapbooking in Kanawha City, WV, asked customers and friends to decorate bras as a way to raise awareness of breast health and to raise money for the local Susan G. Komen Foundation, reports the Charleston Daily Mail.

  Participants  used e verything from feathers, shells and sequins to pompoms, beads and paper to embellish bras that now are displayed in the store.

  The most surprising entry came from a doctor's office -- its entry, pushing for a "Shore Cure" for breast cancer, includes small fish bowls glued into the cups of a blue bra decorated with shells. Another crafter used a 44 DD bra cups to make two jack-o-lanterns.

  Through October, people are encouraged to vote for their favorite bra. A donation of a penny a vote is requested, though Ford is hoping people will donate more. All the money goes to the local Komen affiliate, which was so impressed with the effort that it has asked Ford permission to display the bras at other sites.

Glitz Design donates to Phoenix elementary schools

Glitz Design, a scrapbook supply company in Phoenix, Ariz., recently donated supplies to 10 Phoenix metro area elementary school schools for art classes.

  The three Glitz Design owners -- Laura Funk, Ginger John and Erin DeSpain -- delivered supplies with a retail value of approximately $5,000,  including over 2,500 sheets of full color, double sided heavy stock scrapbook paper, over 2,000 full color, pop out chipboard stickers and over 1,000 Glitz Icing strips   -- flexible, self adhesive strips of rhinestones.

  "The elementary schools just seem to continuously struggle to keep up with the demand for supplies. With a shortage of the basics there's definitely not a lot of extra 'fun' supplies. And we thought, we can definitely do something about that," Funk said.

Pioneer offers new series of scrapbooks and photo albums

Pioneer Photo Albums Inc., Chatsworth, Calif., announces a new series of embroidered scrapbooks and photo albums, titled "Live, Laugh, Love."  The new series includes a 12-by-12-inch scrapbook, 4-by-6-inch photo album, and the LLL-46 scrapbook.

  The 12-by-12-inch scrapbook contains 20 top loading pages, 10 sheet protectors, and 10 heavy white paper inserts.  It is shipped with an embroidered leatherette frame cover in black.  The 4-by-6-inch photo album holds 200 photos with optically clear pockets and shaded paper background. The pages have a memo section next to each photo.  The photo album also is shipped with an embroidered leatherette frame cover in black. The smallest of the series, the LLL-46, holds 36 4-by-6-inch pictures.

  The scrapbook and 4-by-6-inch photo album are available now. The LLL-46 scrapbook will be available in stores at the beginning of October.

  Pioneer Photo Albums offers photo albums and memory scrapbooks for most size photos and enlargements in various cover designs. Pioneer also carries Advanced Photo System products, wedding and baby albums, photo/video boxes, photo corners, sticker mounts, and other photo and scrapbook accessories.

ScrapBiz announces new PhotoBookBiz Program

For the past six years, ScrapBiz.com, based in Everett, Wash., has helped entrepreneurial scrapbook enthusiasts set up their own businesses selling paper, embellishments, and kits for the "hands-on" approach to scrapbooking.  Now ScrapBiz offers members the ability to profit from photo books in addition to traditional offerings through a PhotoBookBiz Program.

  "The scrapbook industry has changed rapidly in the last five years," said Kim Guymon, industry consultant and founder of ScrapBiz. "Digital scrapbooking and photo books have become very popular ways to preserve your memories.  The majority of scrapbookers have digital cameras and for some of them, it makes more sense to print a photo book rather than individual photos.  Retailers in the traditional scrapbook industry have struggled to figure out how to capitalize on this trend. The PhotoBookBiz Program is that answer to that question."

  The wholesale Photobook Biz program is offered by ScrapBiz and supported by Visan Industries, creators of Rocket Life.  Visan provides the creative software plug-in, product printing, and fulfillment while ScrapBiz provides the business support and marketing materials. Scrapbook r etailers can offer customers photo products such as mugs, calendars, cards and collages in addition to the photo books. Currently, the program is only available to ScrapBiz members but will launch this October to all retailers in the scrapbook industry .

Semper Fi! How can U.S. Marines help your business?

How can leadership methods employed by the United States Marine Corps help build your business? Here's a hint: No yelling. Today's AIE Imaging Executive Podcast presents an interview with former U.S. Marine Officer Wally Adamchik, founder and president of FireStarter Speaking and Consulting, a business leadership and development firm based in Raleigh, N.C. He is author of the book "No Yelling: The 9 Secrets of Marine Corps Leadership You Must Know to Win in Business."

Teens and tweens enjoy "Glogs"

What is the next big trend in scrapbooking? Try Glogster, writes Linda Fantin in the Salt Lake Tribune.

  Launched in January, this online gallery of "glitter blogs" allows users to drop and drag photos, music, text, videos and other images to create a colorful medley of self expression. Each page or poster is called a Glog and users are encouraged to share them, rate them and embed them elsewhere, the article says.

  Glogster, combining the principles of scrapbooking and social networking, targets the teen and tween markets. "Reach for the sky of expression" is the site's motto.

PMA launches PMA TV website for video resources

PMA launches PMA TV today at www.pmai.tv  so all video resources are in one convenient site. PMA TV posts free videos from PMA events, ideas to promote digital services, training videos for staff, and practical how-to clips.

Scrapblog to offer photo-books

Scrapblog.com, Coral Gables, Fla ., a leading service for creating and sharing multimedia scrapbooks online, will launch a new service in August. Users will be able to print and transform Scrapblogs into real-life keepsakes and gifts such as high-quality photo-books, greeting cards and postcards.

  Scrapblog celebrated its one year anniversary in April with more than 2.4 million Scrapblog pages created, the company says. Users mix photos, videos, audio, text and various expressive elements. Once created, Scrapblogs can be shared with direct publishing to Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook and other popular social networking platforms.

  Along with its new printing features, Scrapblog also features premium digital content -- themes, stickers, backgrounds and frames from content partners such as Anna Griffin, Cosmo Cricket, Rhonna Farrer, and other popular paper and digital scrapbooking brands.

Lucidiom teams with Pebbles Inc. for scrapbook designs

Lucidiom Inc., Vienna, Va., unveils photo wrapping paper, stickers and gift tags, along with 11 new photo book themes for weddings, travel, summer, and pets. In addition, Lucidiom is partnering with Pebbles Inc., Orem, Utah, to offer exclusive designs from the Pebbles Inc. Share & Tell binder program for creating scrapbooks. Pebbles is a charter member of the Lucidiom EQ Designers Alliance -- a group organized earlier this year to increase the number and variety of templates available on the Lucidiom EQ platform.

  Pebbles Inc. Share & Tell binder program is designed around time. Consumers can simply print 4-by-6 prints on Lucidiom APMs to insert in Share & Tell 12-by-12 protectors. Those with more time can create personalized 4-by-6 journaling cards to insert along with their prints. Digital scrapbooking pages also are available for consumers looking to invest the most time in their Share & Tell binder creation.

An AIE Imaging Executive Podcast from PMA discusses how business leaders can stay on top of the big picture, rather than getting bogged down in day-to-day minutiae. PMA Senior Editor Jennifer Kruger interviews Amie Devero, author of the book "Powered by Principle" and founder of The Devero Group, a Tampa, Fla.-based consulting firm specializing in management strategy.

  There are several past podcasts available for download at the AIE Imaging Executive site. You can listen to the current week's show directly on the site; or, subscribe with a single click on the "Subscribe in iTunes" button, and each new show will automatically download to your computer. Just open iTunes each Monday, and the new program will be waiting for you in your "podcasts" folder. If you don't have iTunes, you can download it for free. To use another program, you can subscribe by clicking on the small orange and gray button on the site that says "Syndication RSS 2.0." If you still need help subscribing, watch the brief, online tutorial. The AIE Imaging Executive Podcast is free and available to anyone. No iPod required; the podcasts will play on any computer with speakers.

ScrapSMART offers 20,000 downloadable images

ScrapSMART, Rochester, NY, offers over 20,000 downloadable images for scrapbook projects, cards and other craft projects.

  The "Smart & Easy" downloadable collections include: Animals, Pets, Nature, Holidays, Historic: Civil War & American Revolution, Red Hat, Fashions: Children, Girls, Boys, Ladies & Victorian, Sewing & Quilting, Project Labels, Sports, Food, Awards & Certificates, Patriotic, Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dinosaur-Robots.

  The website has collections and individual design pages to download. Each collection, with 25-500 images, can be downloaded for about $14.99 each. The 20,000+ individual designs download for $1.99 to $3.99 each.

3M teams with Stampin' Up!

3M, St. Paul, Minn., a manufacturer of adhesives and computer accessories, has formed a joint marketing agreement with Stampin' Up!, Salt Lake City, Utah, a manufacturer of decorative rubber stamps and crafting supplies. The companies anticipate the agreement will produce increased reach to crafters, and it signals a first between a direct-sales craft company and a craft materials retailer, the companies say. Select Stampin' Up! craft projects and the website URL will be printed on the front of 3M crafting products' packaging. 3M customers may access Stampin' Up!'s website to view custom craft project concepts.

Bond Art Science, a New York-based information architecture and user experience firm, has partnered with CK Media, Golden, Colo., to develop a destination website for the scrapbooking market. Creatingkeepsakes.com was released into private beta last week, and will be available publicly this summer.

  CK Media, publisher of craft titles "Creating Keepsakes," "Simple Scrapbooks," "Paper Crafts," and "Digital Scrapbooking," sought to develop a new publishing system to manage the digital presence for all their titles. They also wanted to create an experience that would be engaging to readers who want to contribute and participate online, and appealing to advertisers and promotional partners who want to reach their audience.

  "Scrapbookers are incredibly passionate about their hobby," said Karen McGrane, senior partner at Bond Art Science. "We wanted to build a site that would empower them to share, contribute and connect online, in a way that was true to the spirit of the avid scrapbooking community."

Viovio Inc. offers 12-by-12 loose pages for scrapbooking in addition to photobooks

Viovio Inc., Raleigh, NC, an online community and photobook publishing service, introduces an unbound book option, in conjunction with a new 12-by-12 photo book. Customers have indicated they want the option to print loose pages in a 12-by-12 size for a variety of reasons, including for use in hybrid scrapping, according to Connie Fowler, co-founder of Viovio.

  The same digital silk quality pages available in the 12-by-12 bound books are now available loose for $.75 per page. The double-sided minimum page count is 24. For single-sided printing, the fee is an additional 15 percent, and the minimum page count is 12.

  Founded in 2004, Viovio offers a photo publishing service that allows users to upload photos, completed pages or PDF books, create travel blogs, create photobooks, and exchange information about favorite places and adventures. Viovio is an online community for professional and novice photographers, travel enthusiasts, and those who want to combine the two. The company offers 300 MB of free photo storage, a capacity that can be upgraded.

CraftyGear.com, San Diego, Calif., specializing in t-shirts and gifts for crafters, added new scrapbooking-themed designs in time for National Scrapbooking Month in May. The designs, available on shirts and other apparel in a variety of sizes, are available www.craftygear.com/scrap.

Creative Memories donates product for TV show

Creative Memories, St. Cloud, Minn., had a hand in making the new home featured in a recent airing of ABC-TV's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" a dream come true for Ju-Juanna Latif, a single mother of four living in Wilmington, Del.

  Creative Memories donated $10,000 worth of its scrapbooking and memory-celebration products so that Latif could keep a visual record of the family's transition from its old house to its new home. Products included photo-safe albums and accessories, tools for creating traditional and digital memory books, photo organizers and home decor items such as wall displays and frames.

  Company co-founder Rhonda Anderson said Creative Memories and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" share a passion for storytelling.

  Creative Memories markets its products at in-home get-togethers through more than 60,000 independent sales consultants in nine countries around the world.

New Mothers Day and graduation content available for APM kiosks

Lucidiom Inc., Vienna, Va., announces new content for APM kiosks. Photo retailers can help their customers create Mother's Day cards while promoting graduation cards, announcements, and thank-you notes with new folded card designs.

ACD Systems invites scrapbookers to test ACDSee Photo Editor

ACD Systems International Inc., announced the second round of public testing for ACDSee Photo Editor 2008, an easy-to-use digital design and layout software for photographers and scrapbookers. Since testing began earlier this year, more than 2,000 ACDSee users have signed up to evaluate the program. N ew features include faster processing time, preservation of image quality during editing to ensure no data is lost while resizing, and simpler options for creating custom text on a path.

  Scrapbookers interested in serving as testers can visit www.acdsee.com/photoeditor  to download Photo Editor 2008 beta version 2. Testers provide feedback at http://forums.acdsystems.com . There is no cost to participate.

  Photo Editor 2008 integrates seamlessly with ACDSee 10 Photo Manager for viewing, organizing, and managing photo and digital design collections. The software has built-in how-tos and downloadable, online tutorials at www.acdsee.com  and the community site www.digiscrapinfo.com .

Scrapbook retailers everywhere are gearing up to help customers enjoy National Scrapbooking Day celebrations on Saturday, May 3!

  The day was first created by the National Scrapbooking Association as a way to celebrate and promote the art and craft of scrapbooking.  Thousands of people celebrate and participate in National Scrapbooking Day events all around the world.

I Remember When, direct-sales scrapbooking company with offices in Oregon, Georgia and Arizona, has joined the Scrapping 4 Inclusion program as a National Partner to benefit The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (TBAF).

  Scrapping 4 Inclusion is an awareness and fundraising initiative where communities across the United States join to give all children the opportunity to learn, live, and play together. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation was co-founded by Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel in 2003 to serve children with special needs and the goal of inclusion for all.

  Interested IRW instructors will work with Scrapping 4 Inclusion to promote the program and offer fundraising crops in their own communities.

  IRW began as a local scrapbook store in 1997 and grew to be one of the largest stores in Oregon. In 1999 IRW launched an instructor division in its local community and after several years of holding workshops in the local area, expanded its instructor program nationwide.

PSRO members in Canada can participate in a newly offered liability insurance plan - and can now receive discounts on commercial property/comprehensive general liability insurance. Canadian members can select a policy designed specifically for PMA members or receive discounts when custom designing a policy through All-Risks Insurance Brokers Limited.

  The All-Risks Insurance Brokers Limited commercial property/comprehensive general liability policy includes: contents of every description, retailers product impairment, exterior signs, building glass, loss of business income, extra expense, valuable papers, professional fees, sewer back-up, earthquake and flood, and comprehensive general liability.

  For more information, visit www.all-risks.com/pma.

  U.S. members have property, liabilty and workers comp insurance offered by Meadowbrook Insurance Group.

Jeannet Leendertse, a freelance book designer, thought book-producing software from Blurb would end her career, reports an article in The New York Times. The software helps users turn text and photos into a bound book in a few minutes.

  But Leendertse soon saw an opportunity. She thought individuals may want someone to design a book for them, so she put herself on the Blurb website. Now Leendertse helps individuals create books. She is participating in an offshoot of the scrapbooking phenomena, the hobby of collecting and preserving photos and mementos, says the article.

  What was once a pastime for mothers recording family memories for their children has grown into a profitable market. People are creating personalized books filled with pictures, blog entries, and business proposals. The digital tools -- a camera, scanner, and word processor -- have opened the field of book creation to the amateur, says the article.

  Book creators use Adobe Photoshop (about $650), but others find the simpler and less expensive Photoshop Elements (about $100) adequate. Some amateur bookmakers prefer focused scrapbooking software like Nova Development Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory selling for about $40. The package comes with thousands of fonts, illustrations, templates, and photorealistic embellishments like pictures of buttons, ribbons or charms, says the article.

  Companies that print bound books also offer free programs. Blurb and Picaboo distribute free software with all the tools needed to start a book. They expect to make money when users upload the final versions to their websites and order printed versions. A 7-by-7-inch soft-cover book from Blurb starts at $13 for 20 to 40 pages, with extra pages at an additional cost. Bigger books like a 150-page 13-by-11-inch hardcover cost $85.

  According to the article, even with all the do-it-yourself tools available, some consumers want the services of a professional. These professional services and can be found on sites like www.blurb.com/blurb_nation or www.lulu.com/budgetbookdesign.

Book introduces concept of a "Living Family Tree"

A-Z Media Inc., Carlsbad, Calif., parent company of Scrapbooking.com Magazine, has promoted Jami Petersen to the position of Editor in Chief. Peterson previously was in charge of all newsletter services.

  Petersen started her career as a managing editor for several print magazines from the Stampington & Company line. Since then she has gained exposure through Scrapbooking.com Magazine's newsletters and also as a host on the Internet show, Scrapbook Lounge.

  A division of A-Z Media Group Inc., Scrapbooking.com Magazine is the world's largest online scrapbooking publication, the company says. Its readership spreads to over 100 countries, with over three million readers per year and subscribers who receive a weekly newsletter.

Scrapping 4 Inclusion, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, an awareness and fund-raising campaign where volunteers organize a scrapbooking crop in their community, announced its new Let's ALL Scrapbook program, an inclusive arts and crafts program where children with and without disabilities get together and create a small scrapbooking or other paper craft project. Let's ALL Scrapbook is a program run in partnership with the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, Raleigh, N.C., Let's ALL Play program. The Foundation was co-founded by Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel in 2003 to serve children with special needs and the goal of inclusion for all. The Let's ALL Scrapbook instruction manual is available for download on the Scrapping 4 Inclusion website. Organizer Laurie Weishar said scrapbook retailers can organize fund-raising crops at their stores.

Ultra*PRO Corp. acquires Chatterbox International

Ultra*PRO Corp., City of Commerce, Calif., parent company of 7gypsies and other consumer products, has acquired the assets of Idaho-based Chatterbox International, a provider of scrapbooking products, including albums, paper and embellishments.

  Chatterbox co-founder Melody Ross will continue to serve as head of Design for Chatterbox, and the Chatterbox design department will remain in Idaho. The shipping department moved to City of Commerce.

Scrap within Reach releases digital scrapbook paper kits

Scrap within Reach, Phoenix, Ariz., released a digital scrapbook line of distressed stylish digital paper kits. The first CD, "Collection One - Chalk Full of Possibilities," offers coordinated paper kits to customize with movable elements that can be layered for options in layout creations. Layouts can be stored on the computer or printed to add to existing traditional scrapbooking or hybrid projects.

  Collection One, retailing for $24.95, has 8 paper kits, 10 alpha sets, 3 pre-made layouts ready for pictures, 67 patterned papers, 30 textured papers and coordinating embellishments. The CDs are designed to work with photo-editing software that supports JPEG and PNG files.

 Scrap within Reach Collection One is available at www.scrapwithinreach.com.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, GTCR Golder Rauner co-invest in craft companies

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.  invested $10 million cash in an entity that acquired Wilton Industries Inc. and Dimensions Holdings LLC. The deal broadens the company's footprint in the crafts market, paving the way for additional licensed Martha Stewart branded crafts products.

  MSLO co-invested with GTCR Golder Rauner LLC, a private equity firm, in Wilton Products Inc., an entity that already owns EK Success and acquired two crafts companies, Wilton Industries Inc. and Dimensions Holdings LLC. The newly combined business wasrenamed Wilton Products Inc., and is headquartered in Woodridge, Ill.

  EK Success manufactures, markets and sells the new Martha Stewart Crafts line of paper-based crafting and storage products. The line launched in May 2007 exclusively in more than 900 Michaels arts and crafts stores in the United States and Canada and at www.marthastewartcrafts.com/crafts.

The SMART Group membership purchased by PMA

The Scrapbooking Manufacturer And Retailer Trade Group ( The SMART Group) , Carlsbad, Calif., sold its membership and education to PMA, Jackson, Mich., for an undisclosed amount.

  Ted Fox, executive director of PMA, said "the core values and programs of The SMART Group are in line with our own business values and beliefs."

  "We believe that the scrapbooking industry will be best served within the PMA organization," said Fox. "We have the talent and resources to add value to every business within the scrapbooking community. Our goal is clearly to grow every business that is tied to the photo community. We know that with scrapbooking, it starts with the photo, moves to the story and ends up as a creative expression of events, times and/or places that are important to the lives of scrapbooking and photo consumers."

Scrapbook.com acquires Keeping Memories Alive

Scrapbook.com, an online destination for scrapbookers, acquired substantially all of the web-retail and catalog assets of Keeping Memories Alive (KMA), including the Scrapbooks.com domain name and website, for an undisclosed sum.

  AJ and Marielen Christensen, owners of Keeping Memories Alive are retiring, while Liz Rosenbaum, co-owner of Keeping Memories Alive, will continue with Scrapbooks.com as part of the creative team. The acquisition will allow Scrapbook.com to build upon its more-than 650,000 monthly visitors, while providing expanded services to users of KMA Scrapbooks.com. Scrapbook.com owns and operates Scrapjazz.com, ComputerScrapbook.com, ScrapTutor.com, and ScrapbookAdvertising.com.

  Keeping Memories Alive launched a brick-and-mortar scrapbooking store 26 years ago. In subsequent years they launched a scrapbooking catalog, scrapbooking-related web-store, wrote scrapbooking idea books, and manufactured scrapbooking products.

Survey shows small businesses not prepared for disaster

Office Depot Inc., Delray Beach, Fla., commissioned a survey focusing on small business attitudes concerning disaster preparation. The survey shows the majority of small business owners are not worried about the impact a disaster can have. The survey also showed 71 percent of employees work somewhere that does not have a disaster preparedness plan, and 64 percent of companies feel they don't need any disaster plan.

  Approximately 63 percent of businesses surveyed are convinced that they could resume business within 72 hours if impacted by a natural disaster, says the company. The Association of Small Business Development Centers reports that more than one in four businesses will experience a significant crisis in a given year and of those businesses that experience a disaster and have no emergency plan, 43 percent never reopen. For those that do recover, only 29 percent are still operating two years later.

  Office Depot created a free downloadable brochure, "Expecting the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness Strategies for Small Business."

For more than 100 years, the  Nestle Carnation Milk brand has been claiming its milk is superior because it comes from contented cows. Richard Hadden and Bill Catlette, founders of Contented Cow Partners, are firm believers that like Carnation's cows, contented employees willingly give more on the job. In this AIE Imaging Executive Podcast, Hadden, who along with Catlette is co-author of two books, "Contented Cows Give Better Milk," and their newest, "Contented Cows Moove Faster," explains how business owners can get their staff members to put more "oomph" into their work.

  PSRO members can download the report at no cost from www.pmai.org/psro and non-members can purchase a copy of the report.

New PSRO Retailers Operations Guide a tool for success

  The PSRO Retailers Operations Guide will help you create a unique policies and procedures manual, giving each employee answers to questions they might have as they learn their jobs and provide customers the best possible service.  The guide is fast and easy to customize. Employees will know how to handle situations before they arise, retaining consistency in your business.

 The guide is available in CD or binder for $39.95, by calling (800) 762-9287 or visiting the PMA Online Business Resources and Bookstore at www.pmai.org/store.

Chronos launches iScrapbook digital scrapbooking kit

Chronos introduced iScrapbook, a digital scrapbooking kit for the Apple Mac OS X. It costs $49.99. Users can design and print scrapbook projects using digital photos and techniques like image cropping, photo effects, transparency and gradients. iScrapbook includes more than 100 "smart masks" for use on shapes and images.

   The software includes the SOHO Art Pack with more than 40,000 pieces of clip art and photos. Users can add traditional photo corners, photo frames, background papers and more. The software integrates with iPhoto, so users can import albums and photos using a built-in browser.

Would you run into a burning house to rescue photos?

  In her book "Digital Photography for Busy Women," Laura Oles says you're more likely to lose photos in a hard drive crash. And do you know if pictures you printed on your inkjet printer will stand the test of time? Oles provides a concise reference guide showing you how to make the most of your digital photos now and to safeguard them for the future.  Oles also gives tips on how to photograph treasured scrapbooks and burn the images to a CD to preserve them for posterity.

  "Digital Photography for Busy Women" is online at www.pmai.org/store.

PSRO teams with Meadowbrook Insurance Group

Meadowbrook Insurance Group has teamed with PMA and PSRO to provide worker's comp and property-casualty business insurance for members.Founded in 1955, Meadowbrook owns and operates 4 domestic insurance carriers. Meadowbrook is one of the 25 largest insurance brokers in the nation, underwriting and managing more than $550 million in annual premiums.

  Insurance is available in the United States only. For a free no-obligation quote, call (800) 726-9006 today.

Scrapblog unveils new cropping and photo-editing tools

Scrapblog Inc., Miami, Fla., a free service for creating and sharing multimedia scrapbooks online, has launched new photo cropping and photo editing tools.

  The new cropping tool makes it easy to customize any image for use in a Scrapblog, with the following features:

    -- Shapes: Choose from customizable shapes like circles, rectangles, and stars to instantly crop a photo;

    -- Freehand: As with scissors, cut, crop and transform photos into any shape or design;

    -- Eraser: wipe out any part of the image or delete unnecessary people and objects.

    The new photo editing tools include both a Basic and Advanced feature set, making it easy to drag and edit any photo online locations, without using any other photo editing applications.

Scrapbloggers can choose from:

    -- Basic: 12 new one-click effects including antique, black and white, blur, matte, red-eye removal, sepia, vignette and more.

    -- Advanced: five new sliders to adjust images according to brightness, contrast, saturation, temperature and tint.

  Scrapblog requires no downloads or additional applications. Scrapbloggers can aggregate content from their computer or their favorite social media sites including Photobucket, Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug, YouTube and Webshots. Scrapblogs can be shared with direct publishing to Facebook, Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Flickr, MySpace and other popular blogging and social networking platforms.

PMA releases attendance audit for PMA 08

PMA, Jackson, Mich., announces that PMA 08 recorded an audited registration total of 19,756. The convention featured more than 200 educational sessions and 400 speakers. There were 604 exhibitors showing their latest products, services and promotions. Representatives from all 50 U.S. states were joined by attendees from numerous countries.

  PMA 09 will be held March 3-5, 2009 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

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Fourth book in Scrapbooking Mysteries series released

Laura Childs has released "Motif for Murder: A Scrapbooking Mystery," a 288-page novel published by Berkley Hardcover. This is the fourth in a series that includes "Death By Design," "Bound for Murder," and "Keepsake Crimes."

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Tilano Fresco offers Photo-Art 8-by-10 Canvas Transfer Kit

Tilano Fresco Decorative Products Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, introduces its new Photo-Art 8-by-10 Canvas Transfer Kit, making it easy to transfer any image onto the specially designed stretched canvas, using digital or conventional images.

  The company has distribution in North America, Western Europe and Australia.

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Company wins award for children's scrapbook kits

Action Products International Inc., Orlando, Fla., announced the Curiosity Kits Scrapbook received the Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award. The Curiosity Kits Scrapbook is a way to show off pictures and mementos in a personally designed scrapbook. This kit includes stickers, vellum sheets, acid free paper sheets, punch-out frame shapes, rub-down letters, ribbons, charms, photo safe glue, and even includes a "Made by Me" sticker for personalization. Visit www.curiositykits.com.  

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Christian retail market is growing trend

T he Christian retail market is a growing trend, reports the Los Angeles Times.    After years of steady growth, the Christian retail market notched $4.3 billion in sales in 2004, the latest year figures are available, the article says. There are Christian alternatives for scrapbook supplies, among other items.

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Mini chip could provide audiovisual supplements to photos

Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif., developed a miniature wireless data chip that could be stuck on or embedded in almost any object, and make available information and content found mostly on electronic devices or the Internet, reports The Associated Press. The tiny chip can provide audiovisual supplements to postcards and photos. The Memory Spot chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is a memory device with a built-in antenna. It can be embedded on a sheet of paper or stuck to any surface, the company said.

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Lasting Impressions announces MemoryMixer Lite

Lasting Impressions for Paper Inc., a manufacturer of embossing templates and digital scrapbooking software, introduces MemoryMixer Lite that allows users to combine digital video, sound, photos, computer graphics and typewritten text into a multimedia experience. It also incorporates narration capabilities. Users can digitally scan memorabilia such as report cards, ticket stubs, or a child's drawing. MemoryMixer has multiple output options that include DVD, CD, hardbound photobooks and traditional print (professional printing or at-home printing). MemoryMixer Lite is the result of Lasting Impressions' partnership with StoryRock, a provider of digital yearbook technology for schools.

  MemoryMixer Lite, priced at $29.95, is compatible with PC or Mac systems. For more information visit www.memorymixer.com.

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Aurora Digital Imaging launches ScrapbookFlair

Aurora Digital Imaging Ltd., announced ScrapbookFlair will be the new name of its digital scrapbooking software, introduced 18 months ago as PhotoOne Print and sold for $29.95. The software is available to consumers free of charge at www.scrapbookflairsoftware.com.

  The software allows people to take photos from digital cameras and create scrapbook pages, and offers a variety of scrapbooking features, including custom colored backgrounds, balloon text, photo manipulation and designer art work.

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PMA launches Ultimate Imaging Product Directory

PMA launched the Ultimate Imaging Product Directory, providing more than 18,000 members with direct and immediate access to this business tool through a link on the association's home page at www.pmai.org . The directory features a broad array of imaging-related product and service listings that will aid PMA and PSRO members in their purchasing decisions.

  T wo different methods of searching for products and services are available: a keyword search in the style of a search engine, and a category search by type of business .

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Fuji Photo supports scrapbooking website

Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc., Valhalla, N.Y., offers support of a resource website, www.scrappingtips.com, for photo and craft hobbyists looking to advance their scrapbooking skills. "Scrapbooking has been around for a long time - and now the industry is benefiting from the technology available to make it easier and more fun," said Joellyn Gray, director of Marketing, Consumer Digital Solutions, Fujifilm USA.

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Using a newsletter template

Newsletters can be a great communication tool to your customers and share important information in a creative way. One easy way to create a newsletter is through Microsoft, one of several companies offering newsletter templates. Users select a newsletter template, download it into Microsoft Word or Publisher and customize it with logos.

1)  From any search engine, go to www.office.microsoft.com.  

2)  From the Search dropdown box, select "Templates" and type in "newsletter."

3)  A listing of newsletter templates will be displayed. Click on any of them to see an example.

4)  When you find a format you like, click on the "download" tab and it will download into Microsoft Word or Publisher for you. From this point, you can customize it with your chapter or store logo.    

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Garden scrapbooking is a centuries-old idea

Here's an idea for scrapbook retailers to team up with garden centers and garden clubs.

  Many gardeners like to keep a record about their gardens, write down which varieties of plants were successful and which were not and record information that can be used for future plantings. Some people keep a garden journal or diary, but a garden scrapbook might be more attractive, as well as useful, according to a column in The Messenger, Madisonville, Ky. G ardeners could record the results of new techniques they try as well as include photos. They could include leaf, seed, and flower samples, as well as notes from magazines.

  Garden scrapbooking is a not new trend. Centuries ago, when people depended on herbs for health, they carefully recorded their plant information in books called "herbals," the column says.

  A garden scrapbook can include many different items and can serve as an idea book, a planning book, or a book of advice from other gardeners, the column says. Seeds and pressed flowers can be inserted along with photographs and garden diagrams. A crafter could add instructions of favorite ways to use herbs and flowers like recipes for making tarragon vinegar, lavender sachets, or potpourri.

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Smilebox introduces photo expressions service for creating digital scrapbooks, and more

  Smilebox Inc., Redmond, Wash., announced its photo expression service, allowing digital camera users to create and share memories through customized digital scrapbooks and photobooks, e-greetings, slideshows, and postcards. The user chooses a photo expression type, then selects a multimedia design template, drags and drops photos, adds text, music, and background, and e-mails it to family and friends.

  The Smilebox service can be downloaded free at www.smilebox.com. Consumers can e-mail the basic version of a design for free with a short ad, purchase the premium version for a one-time fee of $1.99, or subscribe to Smilebox for $4.99/month. With the premium design version, consumers can play their Smilebox on a full screen without ads and print a keepsake. Smilebox has established exclusive content partnerships with industry leaders including Madison Park Greetings, Making Memories, Scrapgirls, and graphic designer and illustrator Debbie Tomassi.

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Canadian book encourages children to make scrapbooks

"No News is Bad News" is the title of a new book by Margaret Hennigar, managing editor of Lighthouse Publishing in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada. The story is about nine-year-old twins who find their mother's old scrapbook, filled with family photos and newspaper clippings. With their mother's encouragement, the children begin to read their community newspaper to find pictures and stories of people they know.

  Lighthouse Publishing has printed 3,000 copies of the book, with color illustrations by Marjorie Speed. The book has been translated into French. Nine hundred copies will be donated to schools in Nova Scotia.

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Writer's website, book offers help on creating digital family albums

Janine Warner, a Los-Angeles-based journalist and author, has created a book, "Digital Family Album Basics: Tools for Making Digital Memories,'' and a website, www.digitalfamily.com.

    Warner's book has sections on creating baby albums, customized storybooks, greeting cards, invitations, newsletters, calendars, digital scrapbooking, genealogy charts and creating a family website.

  Digitalfamily.com offers free tutorials, tips on Web design, photo editing and digital photography, games and contests, blogs, and links to sites where photos can be turned into novelties like mugs, stamps and T-shirts.

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DVD provides advice and easy tips and tricks for family photography

BetterPhoto.com, Redmond, Wash., a provider of online photography education, offers President Jim Miotke's DVD, "Photographing Kids."   Miotke, author of the BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography, shows viewers how to master light, exposure, and composition; how to get wonderful expressions, every time; how to capture winning photos of kids at sport; and much more.

  The DVD includes special bonus features, including a look into the KidCapers Studio and an interview with owner Vik Orenstein, plus a fun and informative segment on scrapbooking. This $24.95 DVD is available now from betterphoto.com.

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How can retailers better attract and retain employees?

Retailers are faced with the challenge of hiring and retaining an effective workforce. According to findings from a "Maritz Poll," retail employers can appeal to the desires of job seekers and satisfy the needs of current employees by listening to them. Those seeking employment want a fun job, with employee discounts and a clearly defined role. According to the findings, of those looking for employment in the retail industry: 91 percent want to look forward to coming to work; 90 percent want the company to be a fun place to work; 89 percent want the company to offer employee discounts on its products/services; 88 percent want to know exactly what is expected of them in their role.

  Prospective retail employees are significantly more likely than those in other industries to value the company's perks and image.

• 89 percent want the company to offer employee discounts on products/services compared to 68 percent of those seeking employment in other industries.
• 83 percent want flexible work hours versus 74 percent of those looking for other jobs.
• 66 percent want to work for a company with a great brand image in contrast to 53 percent of those seeking employment in other industries.

  Approximately one-third or more of the retail employees surveyed feel that they:

• Are not satisfied with the way their organization communicates with them (38 percent).
• Are not consistently recognized for their work performance in ways that are important to them (35 percent).
• Do not regularly receive feedback on how their work contributes to the success of their organization (32 percent).

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Scrapbook MAX launches Digital Scrapbooking Software for Windows

Indigo Rose Software, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, announces Scrapbook MAX, a digital scrapbooking software application for Windows 98 and higher, integrating digital photography with the look and feel of traditional paper scrapbooking. Scrapbook MAX offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop workspace. Users start with a ready-to-use scrapbook layout, and then add photos, titles and journal text, embellishments such as paper scraps, tags, speech bubbles, corners, and more. Scrapbook MAX also features cropping, rotation, resizing, red eye reduction, scratch removal and special effects.

  Users can create videos for a DVD player, archive them on CD-ROM, or turn them into screensavers and slideshows. Scrapbooks can be printed in high resolution color at home or at a photo lab. They can be saved as JPEG image files, e-mailed to friends, posted to blogs or uploaded to the Scrapbook MAX web gallery for online viewing.

  A free 30-day trial version is available for download from www.scrapbookmax.com. The free Scrapbook MAX online community features discussion forums with scrapbooking contests, newsletters, product updates, tips and tricks, technical support, a sharing gallery and more.

   Priced at $39.95 Scrapbook MAX may be purchased at select retailers, from www.scrapbookmax.com, or by calling (800) 665-9668.

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DVD teaches scrapbookers how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements software

KW Media Group introduces an instructional DVD showing users how to create scrapbook layouts in digital format. The Photoshop Elements for Digital Scrapbookers DVD shows beginner and intermediate Photoshop Elements users how to create photo effects, textures, type effects and frames. The DVD, retailing for $39.99 at www.photoshopelementsuser.com, has over two hours of educational content.

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Canon introduces PIXMA MP150 Photo-All-In-One printer

Canon U.S.A. i ntroduces its PIXMA MP150 Photo All-In-One, retailing for $89.99. It can print a borderless 4-by-6 inch photo in approximately 55 seconds, at up to 4800-by-1200 dpi in color, and can print documents at a maximum of 22 pages-per-minute (ppm) for monochrome and 17 ppm for color. It also includes a PictBridge port to print photos directly without a computer from any PictBridge compatible digital camera or DV camcorder.

  A "Fit to Page" setting enlarges or reduces a scan to fit loaded media. The "Borderless Copy" function lets users make edge-to-edge copies of borderless photos.  The Advanced Z-Lid expansion top makes scanning thicker items easier by lifting vertically to lie flat on the item for scans from edge to edge. The printer utilizes a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface enabling faster image transfers and scanning speeds and uses Canon's ChromaLife 100 ink system for long lasting photo prints.

  Canon also introduces Photo Paper Glossy, priced at $7.99 for the 4-by-6 inch 50 pack, $11.99 for the 4-by-6 inch 100 pack. The 8.5-by-11 inch size will be available in 50 and 100 sheet packs for $17.99 and $29.99, respectively.

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FxFoto Creative digital scrapbooking software lets scrapbook retailers tap into emerging market

Triscape introduces a new edition of its FxFoto photography software for the digital scrapbooking market.  FxFoto Creative Edition comes with 10 digital kits and hundreds of backgrounds, and supports virtually all digital scrapbooking kits from third parties. It allows scrapbooking retailers to tap this emerging market and increase sales to customers who need photo editing or want to experiment with digital techniques.

  FxFoto Creative supports a wide variety of image and text effects in a single easy-to-use application. Partial transparency allows translucent photos and embellishments that can be rotated to any angle. In addition to rectangular and oval cropping, it provides a Cutters Library of special crop patterns such as butterfly and tag shapes. Crops can be feathered to blend into the background. Adjustable drop shadows can be applied to non-transparent portions of any photo or element.  Curved, wavy, rounded corner, circular and even dialog balloon text can be added for journaling effects. Over 50 advanced filter effects such as oil painting, distress and spot glow add artistic flair to photos or layout elements.

  Other tools include auto-improve, spot improve, blemish removal, plus clone and color brushes. Users can also choose from a number of drag-and-drop theme templates to quickly generate scrapbook pages. Users can scroll through all photos and scrapbooking kits in a single animated pane and then click or drag selected images into layouts. FxFoto Creative Edition runs with Windows 98/ME/2000/XP and retails for $49.95.

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Sony launches SnapLab photo printer

Sony Electronics Inc., San Diego, Calif., announces the the SnapLab digital photofinishing system, providing quick, premium quality digital prints in tabletop unit. Equipped with an 8-inch, 640-by-480 dot resolution LCD touch screen the new system is suited for both commercial and at-home use, the company says.

  Users insert digital media and use touch screen keys to operate. A 3.5-by-5-inch digital photo prints in about 13 seconds, while a 4-by-6-inch digital photo prints in about16 seconds, and a 5-by-7-inch digital photo in about 17 seconds. D ye sublimation technology outputs crisp colors on UV-protected archival quality paper. The SnapLab  features editing tools, such as zoom and crop, rotate, color adjustment, red-eye reduction and sepia or black-and-white transformation. Custom designed borders can be loaded onto the system and text can be added.

  Screen savers, displaying various images, such as a company logo or a special promotion, can be personalized when the printer is not in operation.  The SnapLab carries a suggested list price of $1,995.

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Volunteers create scrapbooks for nursing home residents

An "Embracing Elderhood" pilot program at the Cedars Nursing Home in Charlottesville, Va., has teamed community members with residents at the home to help them relive cherished memories, reports the Daily Progress. Community volunteers and students from the Miller School of Albemarle spend time with seniors at the Cedars, collecting stories and creating scrapbooks, posters and DVDs, the article says. Margaret Thacker, recreation director at the Cedars and one of the program trainers, believes the project has reminded residents of their value and worth.

   Embracing Elderhood will be promoted nationwide, the article says. As an Eden at Home program, it falls under the umbrella of the Eden Alternative, a nonprofit organization that promotes the welfare of seniors and their caregivers. While the end goal rhood is to create a scrapbook, photo album or other legacy, the keystones of the program are the new relationships.

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Hospital's scrapbooking program provides comfort for parents and families

A program at the Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, Canada, offers scrapbooking as a way to help families whose infants are in intensive care and in follow-up clinics express their feelings through pictures, written words and embellishments; celebrate their infants' lives and milestones; and network with others, according to an article in the Toronto Star.It also offers staff insight into the emotions and feelings of the parents.

  The program offers 2-hour sessions offered bi-weekly, and open to all family members, the article says. About 40 families have used the program, held in a classroom-like setting near the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit waiting room. According to a social worker in the hospital's NICU, scrapbooking offers men a chance to express themselves emotionally in a safe environment. Scrapbooking also offers siblings a chance to make something for the baby.  

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Military wives scrapbook to capture family life during deployment

For some military wives, scrapbooking is a way to cope when their spouse is deployed, reports The Leaf-Chronicle in Clarkson, Tenn.

  Amy Casner makes scrapbooks to chronicle the lives of her two children, and carries her digital camera with her everywhere she goes, so her husband, deployed in Iraq, won't miss out on family life, the article says. Mandy Tabaka says the hours spent making scrapbooks of her children fulfill her in several ways. Her efforts are recording her family's lives that her husband can enjoy when he is away and her children will cherish when they are grown, the article says.

  Heather Conroy,  a consultant for Creative Memories, has been making scrapbooks for the past 10 years. Many of her customers are military spouses who send scrapbooks to their spouses in Iraq, or give to their spouses when they return, the article says. For military spouses, scrapbooking has another appealing element -- socializing with others in the same situation, the article says.

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Scrapbook retailers eye Generation Y -- and men -- as the next target market

In an age when many young women document their social lives with digital cameras, some members of Generation Y are taking their collections back to the analog world of the photo album, acccording to an article in the Los Angeles Times. Fans of scrapbooking favor a tactile approach to preserving memories that runs contrary to the immediate gratification of digital recorders, computer slide shows and cameraphones, the article says.

  Scrapbooking is burgeoning across several demographics thanks in part to increased exposure on cable networks, advances in digital photography and printing, and increased marketing. Scrapbooking is as much about sharing and socializing as it is a solo pastime, the article says. In the eyes of the "tween" demographic so desirable to advertisers, signs point to the craft catching on with young women nationwide. And many see an opportunity to attract more men into making scrapbooks, the article says.

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