I have had three MacBook Airs, two 13″ and one 11″, and two 14″ MacBooks. I am used to small, but the new infinity-edge display on the XPS 13 makes the footprint of this machine downright tiny.

It’s adorable and a delightfully-light 2.7 pounds.

I didn’t plan on getting a Dell, let alone a PC, but am excited to have ended up here.

* I started writing this post on June 26, 2019 to document my experience switching from a Mac to a PC.

Why I Switched from Mac to PC

At the beginning of June my 2014 MacBook Air overheated and crashed in the middle of a Zoom event. Thankfully it was towards the end, but I lost the recording.

I knew I was putting a lot of strain on her poor little “heart” with all the live video I do, but this was a surprise. I had trouble getting it going again that night, which happened to be right before leaving town, but hoped it was a fluke.

It was not.

At first I didn’t even consider getting anything but a Mac. I have been using Apple computers for 15 years and was certainly part of a somewhat holier-than-thou club of evangelists. Apple will likely always win the aesthetic war.

But when it comes to what’s under the hood, I no longer believe that an Apple computer is worth the price. Now, there’s still a possibility I will eat my words, but based on the information at hand, switching to PC was a sensible choice.

I read a ton of reviews and the newest Dell XPS 13 kept leading the pack. Since I’m from Texas the only PCs I’ve ever had have been Dell, but as I mentioned, it’s been a very long time! I was nervous about this big of a decision.

Then, I started tallying up the costs of what I was looking for:

• quad-core 8th gen. Intel Core i7 processor
• 16 MB RAM
• 512 GB solid state hard drive

That’s where the sticker shock really set in. A MacBook Pro with those specs was $1000 more than the Dell. I just couldn’t justify that kind of difference, nor was I willing to sacrifice my specs so significantly to stay closer to my budget.

But in the end, it wasn’t just about the price. My research indicated that the Dell XPS 13 was simply a standout performer and the huge savings was just a cherry on top.

Questions about Switching from Mac to PC

I definitely invested time in researching this change, considering how the software and peripheral devices I use could be impacted. I also asked for input from my Facebook friends, several of which echoed being in a similar boat. After my new machine arrived, I also asked the Simple Scrapper Instagram community to share any questions they had.

Are you concerned about security? Won’t you be vulnerable to viruses?
I definitely had this concern but my friend Melissa Shanhun of Digital Scrapbooking HQ assured me that “PCs have built-in security and virus protection with Windows Defender. They are just as secure as Macs today.”

Did you have to repurchase any software licenses? Did you have any Mac-only software?
With the exception of the Mac-only video editing software I used (Screenflow), all of my existing licenses transferred to the PC.

How will this change your scrapbooking?
In short, it won’t. With the exception of video editing (more on that below), I’m using the same software to do the same things. If there was going to be big change in how I fundamentally operate, I likely would not have considered the switch.

Are the file organization systems different?
From the standpoint of storing files in folders, no. But, I didn’t think about the visual organization differences until receiving so many comments from PC fans on Instagram. The Windows File Explorer is visually hierarchical. In Apple’s operating system it’s harder to see how folders are nested with the Finder. Here’s a visual.

How are you getting the metadata from your photos from Mac to PC?
The answer to this question can be quite complicated, depending on how you manage your photos and add metadata to them. Not every solution automatically embeds keywords etc. For me the switch was easy because I was just telling a new Lightroom installation where to find my photo files.

Will you need to learn new keyboard shortcuts?
Well, the only shortcuts I knew were Cmd+C and Cmd+V. That said, I do keep trying to press Alt+C and Alt+V instead of Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V.

Steps for Switching from Mac to PC

There’s not going to be one universal switching process that works for everyone, but hopefully my experience will offer an outline and questions to consider.

Basic Setup
Getting started was easy. I love how electronics these days all come with the same instructions:

Step 1. Plug it in.
Step 2. Turn it on.

You look in the manual for more, but that’s really it. We’re in an age where everyone expects things to work right out of the box. And for the most part, they do.

The automated setup progress, narrated by Cortana, took less than 10 minutes. The only issue I encountered was verbally replying to Cortana; she didn’t respond when I said ‘Yes.’ But, it could have been user error.

I landed in a familiar environment and was off to the proverbial races.

1. Install Software

Software also doesn’t cause nearly the headaches as it did even a decade ago. I was able to install the basics within an afternoon with no trouble at all.

• Google Chrome (web browser)
• Zoom (video conference)
• Audacity (podcast editing)
• Backblaze (file backup)
• Dropbox (cloud file storage)
• Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Lightroom Classic (photo management and editing)
  • Photoshop (image editing and design)
  • InDesign (page layout design)
  • Acrobat (PDF arrangement and form design)

Microsoft Office came pre-installed and I have a license through my job at the University of Illinois, but I predominantly use Google Docs. In fact, this blog post is being written in Google Keep, which has become my favorite universal notepad.

The one thing I’m not sure of at the moment is screen capture and video editing. I’m trying to decide whether to buy PowerDirector or Camtasia to replace ScreenFlow.

2. Transfer and Back Up Files

When my MacBook Air overheated and crashed on me, I didn’t freak out. While I wasn’t excited about a big purchase, I knew that my files were safe. All of my files live on a 4 TB external hard drive (EHD). That drive is backed up by Backblaze as well as by Time Machine. The only hiccup is that my drives were all formatted for Mac.

Here’s the steps I needed to take:

On the MacBook Air…

• Confirm all files on 4 TB EHD backup up with Backblaze
• Reformat two 1 TB EHDs to exFAT
• Copy files from 4 TB EHD to the two 1 TB EHDs (roughly half and half)
• Reformat 4 TB EHD using the MacBook Air to exFAT
• Copy files from two 1 TB EHDs to 4 TB EHD

On the Dell XPS 13…

• Plug in 4 TB EHD and have access to files
• Start Backblaze backup*
• Wipe 1 TB external hard drives using Dell XPS 13
• Set up File History to back up to one of these drives

Because I was copying files from EHD to EHD, it took about 1 hour per 100 GB of data. And since I had to do it in batches and all of it twice, there was much patience involved in the process.

Tip: If you get a new EHD, format it as exFAT right away so that it is compatible with either Mac or PC.

* If you are moving between machines but not between platforms, you can use Backblaze’s “Inherit Backup State” feature to avoid having to generate a new backup. As of this writing I have 40% of my new initial backup remaining.

3. Peripheral Setup

I use my computer in my office about 80% of the time during the school year and 50% of the time in the summer. We also travel enough that portability is a factor. (I edit a lot of podcast episodes in the car!) Thankfully today’s “ultrabooks” pack a lot of power into a tiny package.

This also means I have contingent of peripheral devices to connect to my laptop. My previous dock didn’t offer any Windows drivers, so I purchased a CableMatters Thunderbolt 3 dock to hook up:

• Dell U2715H monitor (HDMI, current model: U2719DX)
• 2 Logitech webcams (USB-A)
• Scarlet Focusrite 2i2 (USB-A and audio)
• Ethernet cable
• the 1 TB EHD being used for File History (USB-A)
• my old phone that I use as a video camera (USB-A)

I chose this well-rated Thunderbolt 3 dock because I knew I would be utilizing every connection. It worked perfectly upon plugging everything in and also has an SD card reader for transferring my DSLR photos. I labeled every connection in the photo below.

(click to enlarge)

1. Dell XPS 13
2. Seagate 4TB external hard drive (attached to computer with USB-C cable)
3. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (my old phone, used for process videos)
4. Dell U2715H 27″ monitor
5. USB-A cable to Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 (audio interface)
6. USB-A cables to Logitech webcams (one faces me, one over the table)
7. Ethernet cable to Netgear Nighthawk R7000 router
8. USB-C Dell charging cable
9. USB-C docking cable
10. HDMI cable to monitor
11. power cable for dock
12. audio input cable (how podcast guest recording gets to computer)
13. USB-B to USB-A “upstream” cable to use hub on monitor
    • USB-A wireless dongle for keyboard and mouse (not pictured)
    • USB-A to USB-C charging cable for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (not pictured)
    • USB-A cable for Seagate 1TB external hard drive (not pictured)

I also purchased a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse as well as a replacement cable (USB micro-B to USB-C) for my 4 TB EHD so that it can be directly connected to the laptop and a new cushioned case for travel. Here’s the pretty view of what my office looks like now:

Issues Switching from Mac to PC

Overall the process has been straightforward, though a little time-consuming. If I had ordered the MacBook Pro, the switch would have just taken the day.

I’ve continued to find little things I needed to address, like making sure I have certain fonts installed, and experienced somewhat of a learning curve with Windows 10. Coincidentally, my university machine was upgraded to Windows 10 the same week.

I can’t say I have faced any big surprises, but I did work through a significant frustration. My audio setup for podcasting didn’t work properly on the first try. After several hours of troubleshooting I discovered I needed to install a driver, precipitating the only “What did I get myself into?” moment thus far. Fellow Mac users will understand that, by and large, we don’t need drivers.

Bottom line: I’m happy. 

This was the right purchase for me and it’s awesome that there is so much cross-platform compatibility today. If you’re a die-hard Mac fanatic, then please carry on. If you don’t have a ton of allegiance to the Apple ecosystem, I do think it’s worth considering a PC in 2019.

If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer in the comments!

The post How to Switch from Mac to PC appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

It’s been a while since I captured some of my more personal thoughts on life and creativity, so today’s the day. I’ve both missed writing more regularly and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the medium of video. Here’s everything that’s on my mind:

1. Quiet – Today our members kicked off a week-long “media deprivation” experiment. This is the brainchild of Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, and is designed to help you slow down and stop drowning out your thoughts in noise. The idea it to replace consumption with production, input with output.  It’s 4pm and I’ve already done more today, a Monday of all days, than I did all of last week. I’m keeping a vlog this week and will share it next Tuesday.

2. Lightness – I have loved every iteration of Stash Bash, but I think The Great Stash Bash format might be my favorite. It was a fun challenge to come up with 12 different video ideas and so amazing to witness your progress over the month. (Check out the entire playlist of scrapbook organization videos.) I’m continuing the process in my own space on a slow-but-steady pace, but am very proud of finally letting go of some clutter that had been taking up space for far too long.

3. Retreat – April is a month-long exploration of retreat for me, it seems. This media deprivation week is undoubtedly a much-needed retreat from online noise. Then, on April 12 our next session of Refresh begins. This is our seasonal, members-only online event that features curated activities and discussions to jumpstart your scrapbooking hobby. And then finally, I’m headed to an out-of-town conference with my husband at the end of the month.

4. Nature – We had four inches of snow yesterday and it was 16 degrees this morning! I am itching to get outside, to feel the grass between my toes and the sun on my face. This has been the longest winter ever and nature is calling my name. We’re dreaming of new landscaping in the side yard, strawberry plants on the front steps, and adventures to our favorite parks near and far. Spring has got to be just around the corner. Please, let it be so!

5. Play – A horrific tragedy in our local community kept me up at night a lot recently, but even moreso reminded me of the need to be truly present with my family. Work still needs to get done, but greater focus is in order to ensure there is enough time for tea parties and fairy gardens. With this kind of clarity, at least for me, always comes a renewed desire to take pictures. The more we do and play as a family, the more I want to record these once-in-a-lifetime moments.

6. Ease – This year my personal scrapbooking process has continued to focus on smaller and more simple projects. I’m creating a lot in 6×8 and even did a few Project Life app pages that size recently. I’m loving the Day One app for recording more of the details than I have in the past. I seem to be more focused on tying up loose ends than starting new things, which is probably not a bad thing at all.

7. Details – Maybe it’s the age I am at or maybe it’s just my personality, but I keep finding myself in search of things that work better, taste better, look better etc. I’m no longer willing to compromise. Right now I’m loving my classic black Vans, the Everyone Hand Soap in Apricot & Vanilla, Green Dragon Hot Sauce from Trader Joe’s, Aquage Uplifting Foam, and the L’Oreal Infallible Pro Glow foundation.

What’s on your mind this month? Share in the comments below!

Photo Credit: Lisa Hausmann

The post Around Here | April 2018 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

How do you plan the Simple Scrapper membership content? How far ahead do you work?

I think I made it to March of this year before I started thinking about 2015. The future is always in my peripheral vision as I assess how things are going and where I might like to take them in the future. That’s just part of my personality.

That said, I don’t start truly working on the following year until early fall. In the September/October time frame I will finalize the structure of the membership for the following year since I like to do at least one new thing each year. Then I will begin to identify the 12 storytelling themes so those are set and out of the way.

In the fall I will also outline a general marketing calendar for the year that includes when I’ll host special events, offer sale prices, teach classes etc. Perhaps most importantly, that calendar also includes the time I will take off. Setting personal boundaries in advance has been huge for helping me feel more balanced with my work.

I work several-to-many months out for launches of new products and services. I started outlining my approach for this September’s Stash Bash event last month and a lot of the work for it will take place in July. The more collaborators involved, the more lead-time is needed. Books like the Everyday Storyteller series take six months to complete.

On the small scale, each month follows a set pattern. I get the new set of Story Starters storytelling prompts to the team around the 1st and the new sketches and templates by the 10th. These are both for the following month, so the team has a few weeks to create samples for our members-only magazine, Spark.

The video development and writing I do for the membership tends to be on a shorter time-frame, but still generally done in advance. I like to feel like things are under control, especially if something comes up (and it always does) that requires my immediate attention. I also found that I can be more present and responsive to my members if I’ve taken my post-creation pause before they receive the new materials.

All of these details are recording in writing. I use a notebook for brainstorming and mind mapping, but action plans and checklists are input into Asana so I always know what to do next.

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The post How I Plan Everything at Simple Scrapper (Q&A) appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

How did you decide to start your own business?

I launched Simple Scrapper in 2008 with the idea that I would create a blog to document my own journey in scrapbooking. However, I set out with the idea that it could be a business and that to do so I would share my story with a teaching perspective.

My premise when I began was that digital scrapbooking was the path to simplicity. However, I quickly learned that there is no one single path, that The Simple Way was unique to the individual. When I embraced more of a theory + application approach, my own spin on scrapbooking education and coaching began to develop.

The thing is, I didn’t go to business school and at the time there was very little out there about bootstrapping your own business online. I have figured things out step-by-step, building something real and profitable along the way. I have made a lot of mistakes and am constantly learning more.

I really believe in sharing the message that scrapbooking doesn’t need to be complicated, but more importantly I have had to believe in my own ability to succeed. Patience and persistence, along with thoughtful innovation, have been so important for the growth of Simple Scrapper into what it is today.

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Are you planning on another baby?

No. There are various reasons for the decision to have just one child together, but a large one was our struggle with infertility. I shared my story on episode #157 of the Paperclipping Roundtable.

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How did you meet your husband?

I met my husband Steve while I was living in Washington, DC and working for the Environmental Protection Agency. We were both interested in the same topic (arsenic in drinking water) and met at a conference in Cincinnati. We struck up a friendship that later turned romantic over long-distance. Steve and I were married in 2008, two weeks after I moved to Illinois and started a new job.

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Where did you go to school?

I went to Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, where I majored in Geosciences with a minor in Environmental Studies. I also spent a semester studying at the Biosphere 2 Center in Arizona, when it was operated through Columbia University. I then got my Masters in Soil & Water Science at the University of California, Riverside.

While my education has been focused on science (and I still work in the water field part-time), I have always been interested in teaching and writing online. I launched my first eZine on AOL in 1996 and coded my first website in a text editor the following year.

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And I confess, it’s not very often… but I’m trying.

In this post I want to share three different ways I’ve been experimenting more with my layouts and going out of my left-brained comfort zone.

Trying the Cameo

For a long time I was just sure I didn’t need a die-cut machine of any kind. I also wondered whether I really had the space for one.

Then my mom got me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and boy is it a fun tool. (The first thing I cut out was a doily, of course!)

I believe in playing a bit before learning more advanced techniques, so I’ve trying super simple cuts and seeing how they work in my scrapbooking.

For this layout I cut six strips from kraft cardstock with the intent of placing patterned papers behind them. Beyond that, I had no design concept when I started.

I’m excited to play more with the Cameo and see what it’s capable of. I’m trying to just follow inspirations and enjoy using new techniques on my pages.

Using the Computer

Many of you know that I was an exclusively-digital scrapbooker for many years, so in a way I’ve always been hybrid. In reality I actually shied away from using the computer for my paper layouts because the whole point was to get me off the computer more.

For this layout I wanted to have borders around my photos and paper pieces, but I didn’t want to draw them by hand. The original idea was to print directly on the background, but I forgot to do that before matting the cream cardstock on the patterned paper.

I printed the borders on a transparency that I attached with staples. I adhered the photos and embellishments on top of the transparency. The title wording was made with my old-school DYMO labeler.

I enjoyed playing with a different material (the transparency) and creating a design-focused page. Not every layout has to be deep and full of journaling. Pretty isn’t necessarily less meaningful.

Playing with Pretties

My daughter brings home so much artwork that I can fully admit it’s hard to keep up with.

Sometimes there are pieces that I can’t bear to part with or even cut down for a sample. This “bunny hat” came home just this week.

I immediately grabbed an 8×8 page protector and set out to see what transparencies I had in my stash. I thought about using clear until I came across this adorable heart print from Hambly.

I used my stapler to attach the hat on a diagonal, trimming off the overhang with scissors. Then I simply used letter stickers to identify what it was, also adding a decorative paperclip.

I love how this came out and can’t wait to see it tucked into my 12×12 album. (Hint: The American Crafts 8×8 page protectors fit on 12×12 rings, but the We R Memory Keepers protectors do not.)

Have you tried anything new recently? I’d love to hear about a recent adventure or experiment of yours in the comments.

The post Recent Layouts | Experiments appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Each of these pages serves as inspiration for July’s exclusive membership collection. Both digital and paper scrapbookers enjoy our sketch templates, among many other benefits, as premium members.

Am I Flying Yet? – While this layout used a lot of different techniques that made me uncomfortable, it was the gold Sharpie pen that inspired the whole thing. I had practiced with it on some scratch paper and knew I wanted to create a page that involved writing with it. The patterned papers used on this page (and the next) are from the Maggie Holmes collection.

The Visit – This page began as a sheet of 8.5×11 colored cardstock and an off-center, white-painted mask impression. Everything I did sought to balance that left leaning semi-organic shape. The journal strips cover up a failed attempt at hand journaling and were created in Microsoft Word.

Yep, I Saw it on Pinterest – This page began as an attempt to use up many 2″x6″ strips of patterned paper from the Studio Calico Here + There pad. I had trimmed each sheet down to 4×6 for use in my Stories of the Summer album – and didn’t want to waste the leftovers! The badge is from a Studio Calico kit.

Your Spirited Personality is Showing – I love the page design of this layout (a total stretch for me), but the color and pattern combinations are even further out of my comfort zone. It seemed appropriate given the subject matter, so I just went with it. The featured patterned paper here includes both A and B sides of a paper from the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm line. As of this writing the BasicGrey silver stars are sold out, but are still available in brass.

In case you missed that video, here it is again:

What new technique or approach have you tried recently?

The post In My Office: Recent Layouts appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

This was my first time participating and I’ve had a lot of fun. I flip for super-easy projects, especially if they involve mini books! I created a simple foundation using 3 sheets of patterned paper from BasicGrey (cut to 4×6) and letter stickers.

My additional supplies were very minimal: Project Life 3×4 grid cards, washi tape and fabric stickers. With such a detailed collection of patterned papers, I found that I didn’t need a lot of extras to make it look fab.

I’m sharing Days 1-21 below mostly for design purposes; i.e. where to put your cards and embellishments. The photos don’t enlarge because my journaling is fairly personal in some places, though nothing juicy.

I loved the challenge of journaling based on specific prompts and will definitely participate in 30 Days of Lists again. List-making tends to be an easy way to get started journaling, if you’re feeling stuck. Several of these topics could end up as layouts in the future.

Supplies

Out of Print from BasicGrey is become more difficult to find, though I did see a 6×6 pad at Hobby Lobby. The yellow and navy arrow tapes are from Michaels Recollections.

The post In My Office: 30 Days of Lists Mini appeared first on Simple Scrapper.