Saturday 17 January 2009

We're all the same...

But, at the same time, all so different. That's what makes the world such an interesting place to live in (not that there are any other options, lol!) Needless to say, all commentators felt similar to me, yet with different degrees of concern regarding this blogging business...Of course, it's been a hot topic in the household too, with the two main debaters, Shane & Jack, both giving me totally conflicting advice. Shane reckons if it brings me pleasure to read & comment on a blog & I (almost) never get any type of communicative feedback I should do it - for myself.

Jack, on the other hand compares it to Mxit (only South Africans will know what I mean here I think...) where he has tons of people wanting to talk to him & ignores alot of them! He reckons they should "get the hint" & push off...BTW he's a very nice boy but has a seriously busy schedule & is quite "clicky" about his social circle (he's into a lot of sport & only interested in those who share his passion so I 'spose it's fair enough really). I tend to agree with him...while Blogging is great in that you get to be "a fly on the wall" in people's lives some relationships aren't meant to be & you can't flog a dead horse.

It goes without saying that any of you reading my blog are NOT those in question, just by virtue of the fact that you are HERE ;-) & I certainly do not expect you all to plough through my musings daily & comment on them. Personally, I try to make sure to get onto "my" blogs (I follow) at least once a fortnight during my busiest times or once a week ideally & leave a comment now & again, as I would in real life (we'd meet for coffee every so often, as our busy schedules allowed).

I don't bother commenting on manufacturer/celeb scrappers sites too often as there are usually 183 comments before mine & I certainly do not expect a reply. That would turn into a full time job! I don't even send "replies to comments" all the time either, even tho' I do try to at times, suffice it to say that I (like you) love getting some feedback. Positive reinforcement is a wonderful thing. At the same time, I certainly don't have overly high expectations, leading a very busy life myself, but I am the type to reassess my journey every so often, as my blog has reached the 3 month mark now & is sleeping through the night. I continue to meet new & interesting people along the way so am not going to "throw my pearls to the swine" as the expression goes & hang around where I'm not wanted. I think this is just a natural progression but was looking for some confirmation/affirmation as it was proving a bit of a mental dilemma.

I'm over it & onto other things...I've been printing out my Picasa collages here at home (I often go to Gateway to develop my photos if they're straightforward sizes as I reckon it's actually more costly to do at home). They look just beautiful. I'm very chuffed. Finally I can finish my JYC (Journal your Christmas) album. According to my schedule (spend more time planning it than implementing it, lol!) I should be finished but reality got in the way & I got up to the 23rd December, then got too busy with Christmas preparations, then went away on holiday. We got back 2 weeks ago so it's definitely time to get my A into G! The kids & I have had a great time together & made alot of memories. Now I need to scrap them...

FYI I printed 16 A4 pages worth & it looks (from my ink-gauge) that I used about 1/4 of my cartridge - about R120worth + R40 photo paper = R160 total = R10 per page. Now to me that is pretty economical...I've got collages with photos in all shapes & sizes on them & have "gridded" them (where they don't touch each other but rather have a line between them - mine have a white space of about .5cm) This way I can scrap them "as is" as they look rather nice...or cut them up so that they each have a little white border around them. I used to be against this look but with the price of cardstock forever on the rise I'm now digging it! Honestly, I think it's more fresh & modern anyway but not having to matt is a definite plus both time & money wise.

BTW the tried & tested photo paper I buy is from CNA & comes in red cardboard packaging written Premium Photo Paper. 260gsm, Wove, Waterproof, Resin Coated. 50 x A4 sheets cost R100 last time I bought them but I saw today that they are now R110 (nothing unusual in this part of the world...) I've tried the lighter weights that are slightly cheaper but don't like their flimsiness. Although the packaging doesn't state, the paper is matt, which is what I prefer.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok ... I'm having a bit of a laugh now ... no.1 I have read your last post and all the replies AND I an laughing cos I kinda 'missed' your last post - and now you hate me! I'll be 'deleted' anytime now for sure!LOL!!
I personally like a give/take blog relationship and don't really find it interesting to read peoples blogs if I don't 'know' them IYKWIM ... I do have a few blogs in my bloglines that I sort of keep track of without commenting, usually for info purposes and sketches etc tho ... if I comment on peoples blogs I want a reply otherwise I feel I am being snubbed ... once or twice that might be ok, but if they never reply ... well ... it's over, baby!LOL

Desire Fourie said...

Helen, I'm glad you've came to an implementation plan re blog commenting. What a great idea filling up an A4 photo sheet with mini photos ... very cost effective and these days we really need to start looking after every penny. Can't wait to see your creations with these. Have a great Sunday with the family. Hugs from Desire

Stefanie said...

I find it cheaper at my local Kodak (R 1.35 per print) but I only have an old HP inkjet. What kind of printer do you have?

CathQuillScrap said...

Good luck with your album... sounds like lots of fun... can't wait to see it. I found that printing at home actually cost me more than having my pics printed... so now I edit/collage and then print over 100 photos at a time at R1.49 per print.