Over the Kitchen Counter: Angie's Place for Cooking and Crafts

hp Sprocket instant pocket printer review

I have been researching the hp Sprocket mini printer for a while and finally gave in and purchased it. This is a super fun pocket-size printer that instantly prints 2x3" photos using ZINK zero Ink printing technology. That ZINK feature is pretty much what sold me on this buy. NO INK! Because I am a Happy Planner and scrapbooker, I really wanted to be able to add small photos to my pages to help remember special, and perhaps even more importantly, everyday, moments. I tried using my regular printer to get those pics but a) I needed to wait until I had enough to fill an entire photo paper page, and b) my regular printer SUCKS ink and it was costing a fortune (and inconvenience) every time I printed. I didn't do this more that 3 times before I realized I needed a different approach. My source for printing regular photos only offers mini prints in a collage of 4 of the same so that wasn't cost effective, and certainly not convenient.

The HP sprocket is exactly what I was looking for. Instant prints, one at a time, right at home, no waiting, and with no ink. It cost about $160 for the printer and the packets of paper are about $25, making each photo about $0.50. To be honest, I am a gadget/electronic girl to begin with so the more I watched videos of this little guy in action, the more I convinced myself it was worth every penny. I am not disappointed!

My very first print was a little streaky but after that, they have been really good! The reviews are mostly favourable and I am having so much fun using the sprocket. It is so tiny and light, fits in the palm of your hand, and is really sleek (I got the white one with rose gold). It is so simple to set up and use and the app offers SO MANY fun features! It is really cool to be able to completely edit your pics right on your phone and add borders, text, fun filters, etc. I could play for hours! There is instant gratification to be able to print a photo immediately to include in your planner page right away. 

You can save your edited photos to your phone, share them on all the social media platforms, and even add them to a print queue to print later. You can print directly from those social media sites directly as well so that is super fast and convenient if you're willing to sign in and share data with HP. You can print on the go, enable mobile printing from other apps, and even create custom stickers from your own drawings. One feature I'm quite excited to try is the tile printing option. You can print out different configurations of a photo and then assemble them to create a large tiled mosaic print.

There is a photobooth mode and even a way to scan photos and link them to relive memories through more images and videos from the same day or location. Again, if you are willing to share your info and photos, there are available magic frames and hidden treasures, themes and seasonal additions that can allow for augmented reality experiences! That gets a little too weird for me but could be fun!

I am thrilled so far with this purchase and love printing my photos in just the right size for my planner. There are some instances when I can print a quick pic to represent an everyday activity that I probably wouldn't otherwise print (our weekend bike route, a picnic lunch, or picking veggies in the garden, etc.) and it's nice to be able to remember those moments along with the big birthdays or vacations.

I have even changed the way I'm going to scrapbook and memory keep because of the sprocket and can't wait to share what system I have put together!

Hexie Scrapbook Page & Dozens of Albums

I only have a few more posts about hexagons! Since I just had to document my fun new obsession with English Paper Piecing, a scrapbook page was in order. I dug out my old hexagon punch from Creative Memories and it was just right for my title. I added a few pics of my basted fabric, finished flowers, favourite needles and of course, a close-up of my fingers actually stitching.

I have been slowly adding p-touch date labels to the spines of my albums because I have completed so many that they are getting hard to distinguish. I know what many of them are by sight but even I am having a tough time locating a particular scrapbook when I want to see certain photos. I know it's impossible for my kids to find what they're looking for and since they have been requesting certain ones as of late, I needed to fix the problem before it got worse. It's too bad CM never really came up with a classy, at-home solution for labelling.

My friend was the one who told me she simply uses a label maker and while it doesn't look the best, it gets the job done and they seem to be adhering to the book cloth well enough. It is taking me forever because when I open the album to check the dates it covers, I MUST look through all the pictures! That leads to snap-chatting the kids the funny ones, posting on Facebook to share the great memories, and general reminiscing of all our wonderful times together. This exercise has made me re-appreciate that I've been blessed with a fantastic life, recall what amazing places we have travelled to, and admit we go to Disney World a LOT!

I also confirmed what I already knew...that the photos of my loved ones who are no longer on this earth are some of the most cherished of all. Obviously, they mean so much to me to keep their spirits alive and faces fresh in my mind. Without those pages and my journaled notations, eventually my relatives would not be remembered by future generations. I hope my many albums survive the passing of time and are kept by at least one interested descendant. I love the photos of my blind grandmother holding my hand, the close-up of my grandfather's pipe, sitting on my dad's lap as a baby, my brother carrying me in his arms when I was a child, and my mother's hands rolling out pastry and her fingers holding a delicate tea cup handle. That's why I took the photo of my own hands sewing...I hope one day it means as much to my children.

Holiday Scrapbooking

I've been scrapbooking our vacation pics on the holiday weekend...and I'm almost finished! I had a blast re-living a great trip (one of my favourite aspects about the hobby) and am thrilled to have got the whole album put together in a couple of days. The 8"x8" size album is so fun to work with because each page comes together quickly. I tend to take a lot of close-up shots so there isn't much cropping to do. That makes for beautiful photos but also presents a challenge in a small album. I find myself loading up the empty pages with my photos, making use of every inch. I didn't have room for a lot of embellishments but I think the layouts turned out great regardless - clean and simple with the snapshots taking centre stage. I also didn't leave much room for journaling but with this type of relaxed beach vacay, the photos are pretty much self-explanatory!

The Cool Serenity designer paper pack I picked from Creative Memories was absolutely ideal for my pictures. Not only were the prints and colour palette great for sunny ocean photos but the tones of the shades just seemed to work perfectly. I added some memorabilia using little plastic envelopes (shells, etc.) and popped up tickets and business cards with some dimensional adhesives (I still have a few kickin' around from my card making days).

My final steps for this album are to add a few notes under some photos and add page protectors before I share it with the family. Oh, I also have to clean up the absolute disaster of a table in my workshop. When I crop I go for hours full speed and don't stop to organize or clear the scraps until I'm done (I kind of quilt like that too). So. Much. Fun! Enjoy your day!

Home Videos to DVDs

I was very organized when the kids were little and I would film them often using an 8mm camera. Immediately, I would transfer them onto VHS tapes so they would be easy to pop into the machine and watch. Fast-forward 18 years or so and we are on our last working VCR/tv combo! With the move imminent and feelings of nostalgia, AND seeing a sign in my copy store that they provide a DVD transfer service, I knew it was time to get this long-neglected task done. Such precious memories are too valuable to leave to chance (VHS tape breaking, no player in existence left on Earth, fire, etc.) and deserve to be protected.

I did the first batch of 16 with #5 missing because when I went to re-wind the tape (oh boy, remember when you had to 'be kind and rewind', lol!!!???) and check it was working I suddenly had a very big Al Roker telling me what the weather was going to be for that day in 1993! That particular year was copied over with the Today Show. Bummer, but it was really interesting to watch the news in hindsight! It is not an inexpensive process so even though I had a few more to have transferred, I started with 16.

When I got them back I checked the first CD. It was so funny to see ourselves at the beginning of our marriage in our first home. Now, 24 years and 4 houses later, here we are and re-living those early days is so amazing. To witness life as new parents of a darling daughter, and later a set of boy/girl twins, you realize you did pretty well. What a flurry of energy!! Of course, I filmed the babies' arrivals, holidays and celebrations, sports and school events, and visits to special places. But, more importantly, I made sure to record the mundane. The kids frolicking in the sprinkler, the interactions with grand parents, eating meals and just playing with toys or splashing in the bath. Those are the most heartwarming to watch and my kids are able to actually see what they were like. There were so many sweet moments between us and the siblings...kisses and tickles, laughing and dancing. I captured some of the squabbles too, (one twin was a biter!), stolen balls, eye patch from a thrown one, and the like. I filmed each house too (originally to prove the condition we'd left it in for each new buyer) which may seem boring but is a wonderful keepsake when looking back. I will do it for this house too.

We were a little melancholy to realize just how long we've been in this particular home and how young our kids were. I filmed as we drove down the road for the first time to show them the house and back then it was a new neighbourhood with tiny trees and open fields. Oh, how things have changed!

As I wax nostalgic for the years gone by I look forward to the next phase in our lives. I tell this tale to encourage you to gather and preserve your home videos and photos and to cherish those representations of your past. My children have joined us each night they are home to work through the CDs and remember their childhood. There was one disc copied from a tape my siblings and I made for our parents long ago. It contained mostly old home film from the 50s and 60s when my brothers were young and it is absolutely fascinating for me to see. The outfits, cars, and homes are so cool (especially now that I'm into vintage machines and adore period shows like MadMen) but seeing my mother and father as young parents themselves, pretty much doing the exact things we did (swimming, hockey, Christmas morning, visiting family) it was just one of those 'Circle of Life' moments. There is only about 30 seconds of footage of me (projector slides and a busy life took over for the movie camera) but it is wonderful to see my sister and me skipping around and playing in the sand. I know how much I enjoyed seeing those 30 seconds and happy I could give my kids HOURS of footage for them to experience.

Craftsy BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

From Friday through Sunday MONDAY*, Craftsy is hosting their Black Friday Sale! All Classes $19.99 or less! Now is a great time to get the classes you've been eyeing all year! Craftsy classes also make a great gift, so do some holiday shopping for the crafter in your life. If you have a free-motion quilter on your list I can highly recommend The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting, the new class packed with modern, easy, free-motion quilting designs taught by Christina Cameli. By the way, you don't even have to pick the class for the gift certificate - the recipient gets to choose whichever one they want (but you can always suggest it!!)

*Craftsy extended their Black Friday Sale one more day! Through Monday, December 1st, All Classes $19.99 or less!

Maryland Scrapbooking

I was very productive this weekend!  I was able to get my DWR quilt ready for basting tonight by spreading it out in my mother's basement and trimming up the batting and backing fabric.  I thought I took photos of it but was disappointed to discover I got distracted showing it off!  It looks really terrific and I wasn't far off with my backing measurements.  I had to trim a bit off the bottom and I'm confident things will go smoothly tonight.  In a pinch I could probably use that basement area to pin baste in the future - it would just be a trickier process because of the carpeting.  I will have to show you pics tomorrow of it all pinned.

I also completed my entire Ocean City, Maryland album.  It came together so well and I'm really happy with it.  I feel I must be living right because I was able to find just the right colours and sizes of scraps to do each page and even though the paper is from all different collections the album still looks cohesive.  I thought I'd share a few of my favourite layouts (the footprints one is my favourite!). You can see that I also love using maps and menus as backgrounds!

 

FLASH SALE at CRAFTSY!

Ooooooh!!  Great FLASH SALE at Craftsy this weekend!  Today and tomorrow you can get up to 50% off classes.  There are so many good ones to choose from and at half price they are totally worth adding to your 'homeroom' list.  You can use the sale link to the right to go straight to Craftsy and see all the sale classes.  Don't forget you own the class for life so if you can't watch it straight away, get it cheap and save it for when you can.  (I do that all the time and it's great to be able to come back to the lessons any time I need to get a refresher or I get interested in starting a new project.)  Have fun (and scroll down for today's other post!)

CRAFTSY SALE! Up to 50% OFF CLASSES!

There are SO many amazing classes at Craftsy and they are having their BIG SUMMER SALE now until Monday.  This is the best time to get the classes you want and save (there is no need to ever pay full price!!!).  Craftsy has added a bunch of great new selections, including the one I picked: Cut to It: Strategies for Smarter Quilting (w/ Debbie Caffrey).  Learning to cut your fabric accurately is one of the most important parts of quilting.  While it may not be the most exciting aspect of the craft, it's critical to achieving good results and if you're going to the trouble and expense, you might as well do it right!

The class covers rotary cutting skills, how to cut strips, shapes, deal with fat quarters, squares, bias edges, and so much more.  It can be a little hypnotizing watching Debbie cut away and I sure wish I had this class available to me when I started quilting almost three years ago - probably would have saved a lot of fabric by preventing the mistakes I've made!!!  She has so many tricks and time-saving techniques - it's quite impressive how she's taken this skill to a whole new level!

I already wrote about the other class I just got, Machine Quilting: Small Changes, Big Variety (w/ Angela Walters) and I love it!  I always learn so much from Angela and she certainly gives me the confidence (and inspiration) to quilt new designs.  Her small changes to simple motifs help expand your quilting design repertoire with little effort.  (I've already pre-ordered her new book coming out in September!).

Have fun checking out the new classes and the awesome ones already available.  Of course, I gravitate to all the quilting and embroidery classes first but there are new cooking, photography, painting, and sewing classes too!

Black Friday Sale at Craftsy!

I wanted to let you know about the Black Friday SALE at Craftsy.  All their online classes are on sale for $19.99 or less!

If you've been thinking about a class (maybe one I've raved about!!!!), this is a great time to get the ones you've been considering!

I think Craftsy classes also make a great gift so you could do some holiday shopping for the crafter in your life or give them the link so they can do some for YOU!!!  (That's what I do! lol!)  Craftsy Gift Cards are the perfect gift!

Craftsy Yarn and Fabric is on sale too! Up to 80% off from 11/27-12/2!  I have purchased fabric and kits from Craftsy several times and the quality is lovely.  (Check out my video this coming Monday to see what I just had delivered - a little gift and surprise I gave myself!!!!)

Anyway, you all know how much I love Craftsy so I wanted to make sure you didn't miss the excellent sale!  I have quite a few new classes I've already signed up for (including the 2 FREE ones, A New Look at Longarm Quilting with Mandy Leins and Machine Embroidered Classics.  It's like they know what I want to learn!

Just use the safe links above to get to the sale and don't forget it ends December 2nd!  Have fun!  (I think I'm going to get myself a little birthday present!! ;)

2 New FREE Craftsy Classes!!!

Craftsy just launched two new FREE CLASSES!  I'm super excited to watch Learn How To Piece, Patch, Quilt with Craftsy for FREE!.  The first class I ever took with Craftsy was the FREE 2012 Block of the Month class and I loved it!  Even though I'm a more confident quilter now I always learn something new from every class and teacher.  I know this will be an awesome class for a new beginner quilter and how great is it that Craftsy is providing it free!?!?!

The other free class is Learn How To Take Professional Family Portraits with Craftsy for FREE!  With the holidays coming up I'm sure many of us will be trying to capture the moment and there's nothing harder than trying to get a group of people looking good in one shot!  I checked out the lessons already and there are going to be some great tips and tricks from photographer Kirk Tuck.  As a scrapbooker, I appreciate learning how to take better photos!!

I adore Craftsy and I love all their classes...but the FREE ones are especially great because you can learn so much with absolutely no investment.  I sign up for ALL the free classes because...why wouldn't I?  You have nothing to lose and you never know what might capture your interest and inspire your creativity!  I'm a firm believer in life-long learning and Craftsy has given me a great way to get back in class.  Use the safe links above to check out the new free classes and join in the fun with Craftsy.  You can then have access to all the other free classes too.  So awesome!