Not into the tactile tasks associated with traditional scrapbooking? Today, Evadne reviews How Fast They Grow's digital scrapbooking service. Read on for Evadne’s review, as well as to learn how to be one of two winners to receive a $25 gift card to How Fast They Grow!

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“Although I love taking photos and do indulge in some crafty paper arts, I am not a scrapbooker by nature. I rarely get around to ordering prints of my digital photos and I have little patience for cutting and gluing. So while traditional scrapbooking is not my thing, I did jump at the chance to check out How Fast They Grow's digital scrapbooking service. Both of my children are indeed growing up fast and I wanted to do more to capture the memories of their childhood. The idea of being able to create a scrapbook online by dragging & dropping digital photos onto pre-designed pages seemed appealing - and very do-able.

After overcoming some initial inertia, I jumped onto How Fast They Grow's website and learned how to digi-scrapbook through their helpful virtual demo. I was then inspired to create my own project after taking a peek through the sample pages showcased in the Gallery. The variety of page templates available to choose from was mouth-watering and I was impressed by how stylish the designs were.

Actually uploading my photos to my scrapbook page, adjusting them, and entering text took me a while, but I do have perfectionist tendencies that likely stretched out the process (according to the website, it is possible to put together a page in seven minutes or less!). So it was helpful to be able to save my project and return to it, and it was also reassuring to know that the folks at How Fast You Grow are both knowledgeable and responsive (at one point, I needed help entering some title text).

The final steps of sharing my online pages with friends & family, and receiving my printed scrapbook pages were the most fun. I couldn't wait to receive my pages in the mail and, when they arrived, they didn't disappoint! The quality was impressive - rich colors printed on sturdy cardstock - a highly finished product! It would be wonderful to see the pages bound into an album but, in the meantime, I'm going to pick up some more scrapbook sleeves...I can't wait to start my next digi-scrapbook project!”

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winners JoAnne C. and Heather!
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Now, want to be one of two winners to receive a $25 gift card to How Fast They Grow? Here’s how:

Visit the How Fast They Grow gallery, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘How Fast They Grow’ in the subject), and name your favorite sample page in the gallery.

One entry permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Wednesday, June 25, 2008.

Given Laurel and my needs to post (her artwork, my notes-to-self), it’s not uncommon to find sticky tape shards on walls and doors throughout our home. Thankfully though, now there’s a stylish, tape-free way to exponentially increase your household display surfaces. Mayfair Lane offers clippers, photo frames, and notepads in a chic variety of graphic designs, all backed with an amazing material that grips non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel refrigerators, glass, and even wood, in addition to magnetic surfaces. I’m feeling far more affectionate towards our (drafty in winter) windows, now seeing them in a new, display-friendly light.

Want to win $50 worth of Happeez products*? Here’s how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Leslie D.!
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Visit the Mayfair Lane collection, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Mayfair Lane’ in the subject), and name a Mayfair Lane product you’d love to try.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants only.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Thursday, May 15, 2008.

*The winner will receive a $50 gift card to use on their choice of Happeez products.

Back in graduate school I had a research assistant who tried to help back up my data while I was away at a conference and ended up deleting one of my dissertation experiments entirely (also known as “data lost due to technical difficulties” in the academic literature).

I’ve been a multiple copy backup hound ever since, and whether you share those habits, or need inspiration to take care of this tedious but critical task, check out the chic, patterned Mixit CD Stickers from See Jane Work ($7.50 for 8). These lovely labels no doubt will inspire your own data protection system, or make for a cool finish for music, photo, or video CD gifts for family and friends.

While I love trundling around little boutiques on foot, sometimes one stop shopping is the way to go. Boston area mama Jeniphir Taylor-McIntire, a sales consultant for Natural Family Boutique, recently pointed me to her online store.

Natural Family Boutique offers eco-friendly products to support families from conception to weaning. The site offers Haba toys (my favorite toy line, period!) and apparel for babes, indulgent jewelry, spa, and home items for mamas, and lots of products for new parents (breastfeeding, baby care, and cloth diapering supplies, pregnancy, birth and postpartum products, books & CDs, slings). The site also offers resource material on breastfeeding, pregnancy and birth, nutrition, parenting, natural living, and activism.

Host a mama’s night out NFB party with Jenipher and get discounts and freebies along the way. Send Jenipher an email to find out more.

UPDATE 8/15/07: Sadly, Natural Family Boutique has closed its virtual doors. Please visit our category links to the left for more fabulous toy, gear, and pregnancy resources.