Saturday 31 July 2010

Back in the Game...{and some advice about backing up your photos}



I need to get this layout blogged today to meet the deadline at How Much is Too Much for this challenge here. I've been out of challenges all year & now I need to get back into them! I liked this one 'cos it was pretty open-ended & non-restrictive!

This is what it said:- "Create a layout document someone's favorite things. Use 26 things (or more) (things include: pattern paper, brads, flowers, embellishments, alpha stickers)."

If you count each alpha sticker & like long titles like I do it's easy to use 26 things or more!

Paper - 2 Photos - 5 Letters - 32 Chipboard embellies - 11 Word stickers - 4 Ribbon - 1 Staples - 2 Bling - 8 Dymo - 1 TOTAL AMOUNT OF ITEMS USED = 66

I mixed Dear Lizzy Thickers {yellow} with Making Memories alphas {green} & Pink Paislee glitter chipboard {red}.

I also added some 7 Gypsies strip stickers to the sides of the photos, some polka-dot organza ribbon & some staples.

Then I also added a strip of red dymo tape along the bottom of the layout with Chelsea's favourite things {her friends!} names along the bottom.

I also used some Making Memories silver glitter chipboard pieces {the star & the swallow} & some bling dots between the words on the patterned paper {just to ensure I used enough stuff!}

Then of course you add in the paper you use {2 prints for me} & all the photos too so things quickly add up! I can't remember the brand of the printed paper along the bottom - sorry! Actually I bought it locally recently especially for a page I had in mind about Cami's shoe obsession, then ended up using it here instead! the backing paper is ancient, from my stash, Sandylion I think ;-D

Today I have spent 6 hours sorting out my photos! Backing everything up to my external hard drive & ensuring that My Pictures & my EHD are an exact mirror of each other. I really should back up onto DVD too but it really is too much hassle. I am going to start looking around at external hard-drives again, have been doing that already when I've been out & about but haven't had a serious look. They sure seem to have gone up a lot so I am on the look out for a good deal.

Yup, I have decided to get another one & back up all my photos AGAIN, so they will be on my pc & on TWO external hard-drives, so that one can be permanently connected to my pc here in my scraproom & the other can be hidden somewhere else so if we have a robbery I don't have all my eggs in one basket. Yes, this is how we have to think in South Africa! I could just back up onto DVD's & hide those but quite frankly life is too short to spend any more time sorting out my photos than I already do!



3 comments:

Pearl said...

kudos on getting this challenge layout done ! I realised I haven't done these sorta challenges since last year .

& that sounds like worth it getting your digital pics backed up ! WTG !!

Diana said...

Backing up photos-- mind numbing but necessary chore.

I know someone who backs hers up on little flash drives and keeps them with her passport, etc. in her emergency grab box. I think that's a great idea, actually.

Ella Swan said...

I would have agreed with you Diana but I checked out that option with a local photog guru & he reckoned flash drives were not a good option for long term photo storage. I liked the idea myself a while back but decided to go with the EHD rather after hearing that then reading how Karen Russell does it. Just went to the computer shop today actually to price the EHDs - 4 times the price I paid 2 years ago now for exactly the same thing but the rand has strengthened in that time - go figure - anyway they are transferring all my images over to that one & I will be backing up to TWO and taking one to the bedroom with me every night! Call me crazy but better safe than sorry ;-D