CrackedCupCafe

Here’s your situation: You are done shopping for your scrapbook supplies. You have collected all photos you need for your scrapbook. Everything is prepared; the album, pair of scissors, adhesive, embellishments, papers, pens, and many more. But you are staring blankly on this pile of things thinking what should you do and how to make this work according the outcome you want to achieve.

The thing is, you don’t have to put too much burden on yourself trying to come up with a magnificent work of art. All you have to do is to get everything organized and let your imagination take over.

For some help, here are the steps on how to create a scrapbook page:

Draw up a page-by-page plan. Yeah right! Do can’t even start a page. Well, to be honest, the best way to have a good scrapbook page is not about making a plan. It is about creating freely. So, scrap the idea of making a page-by-page plan unless you have a good sense of imagining things. But if you don’t, well, you might start by organizing your photos according to the theme you want to achieve.

Let us say that again in another way: ORGANIZE.

As was mentioned, organize your photos according to the theme. You may not use every photo you have prepared. Just select the best and those you think would be great once combined with other scrapbook supplies you will use.

Group the photos that would fit to one page. You may use variations on each page. For example, you will place 5 photos in one page. Then on the next page, you will use just 4. Chronological arrangements will keep things easy for you.

Can you see where we are going here? Yes, after you have organized your photos, you found yourself with a page-by-page plan. We just make the term easy for you.

Now, let us work on one page…

With the photos you have grouped, take 2-3 colors of papers that would compliment them. Select a background that would enhance the image of your selected photos. If you don’t have a background, create one that would let the photos stand out. You can use the internet to get some ideas for a great background. There are also printable backgrounds you can download. If you prefer making one on your own, use the tip above.

Make decorations on the page together with the photos. Select one photo that would become the focal point of the page. Spread other photos on the page. Decorations come on the sides of the photos. Do not use adhesives yet so that you can change the arrangements and the decorations if you need to. Glue them if you have finally decided on the look of the page.

Also, use borders to highlight the photos. Double or triple matting would make a good border. Shape the photos according to your desired outcome. Shapes such as squares, circles, rectangles, and ovals are more pleasing and more common. Do not over flood the page. If you think you have overly decorated the page, do not hesitate to remove some decorations.

Create journaling. Expressing your thoughts, experiences, and feelings would bring out better expression on the page. Take time to write some information about the page’s content.

Pay close attention to the details and elements such as balance symmetry, and scare. Observe how your eyes move in Z direction as you stare at the page. If you think there are changes you need to make, do not hesitate to do it before you glue them permanently.

After you finish doing this, you have already made a page on your scrapbook. Do the same process on the succeeding pages. Try to use different variations. Make each page unique from another. Try other colors. Use different arrangements. Make different styles.

Add more embellishments as you go along. Use stickers, die cuts, and rubber stamps. If you find that there is a need to add or change embellishments on some of the pages you have already made, do them carefully so as you don’t destroy the existing decorations. Good luck!

Getting to the show and setting up is only half the battle. There’s so much more involved in making this show your best show.

We should first tell you that, unless absolutely unavoidable, you should never take on selling at a craft show by yourself. While shows can be exciting and profitable, they can also be physically and emotionally exhausting.
That’s why it’s important to bring along someone to help you work the booth and deal with customers. This will also give you a chance to get up and go to the bathroom and grab a hotdog or something to drink without losing sales.
Ask a friend or family member to go with you. Most will be willing – especially if they share the same love of handcrafted items that you do. Don’t make them pay for anything – if at all possible. That’s just one perk. Perhaps you can offer them a percentage of the profits for those who are reluctant to help you out.

If you decide to go it alone, realize that your booth will be unmanned for a certain amount of time. If you must walk away – even for a short time, try to get one of the neighboring booths to help you out. And, by all means, offer the same back to them.

Probably the first thing you should upon arrival and completion of set-up is to walk the show. See what other vendors are offering and what they are charging. Ask them about their work, introduce yourself as a fellow craftsperson, and take an interest in their booth.
This is a perfect time to take note of how their booths are set up, note what they are doing to attract customers, and mimic their demeanor, if it seems like it would help you sell yourself. Consider what they’ve done and how they’ve done it – especially if they’re selling something similar to what you have available yourself.

There are two things that vendors at craft shows do that could hinder sales. Because your booth space is your showroom, you need to project a professional image. That includes curbing certain behaviors.
Many craft shows these days ban smoking while in attendance – both by vendors and attendees. Even if smoking isn’t banned, it’s a really bad idea to smoke while in your booth space, especially if you are selling clothing or items where smoke smell might linger.

Since it’s not advisable to attend a craft show to sell your product alone, tell your partner you are taking a break, and walk away from your booth – far away. Smoking can run off potential buyers quicker than body odor!
Though much less likely to offend than smoking, eating while in your booth is also a chancy behavior. You really should avoid eating in front of customers. When you are engaging in behaviors like eating, it seems to customers that you are not really interested in selling your crafts and they will simply walk away.

Greet everyone who stops by to look, but don’t be pushy. Be friendly, but don’t feel you have to sell your crafts unless what you’ve made has a unique feature that isn’t readily visible. Being pushy can drive away a potential customer quite quickly.

At the very least, make sure your display table is clean and attractive and that your products are well displayed with prices clearly marked. Some people string lights in their booths and display color photos of their work to spice things up a bit. Still others will play some type of music which can relax a customer and make them more apt to buy.

You’re a crafter, so take this opportunity to build your inventory. There will possibly be a lot of downtime while you’re at the show, so bring along your supplies and continue making your crafts while you’re selling.
People like to see a craftsperson creating artwork in his booth, not just selling it. While this isn’t always possible, it’s a crowd-pleasing idea that works well for jewelry makers, woodworkers, quilters and other craftspeople. Show customers that you know what you are doing and that you love it enough to continue even when you could be relaxing.

Making crafts while in your booth serves a dual purpose: you show them you love your work, but you are also building your inventory. In fact, how much inventory to bring along to a show is probably the biggest question for new crafters.

 

Digital cameras come in many sizes, colors, brands, zooms, resolutions, playbacks, etc. There are so many features and qualities that are being placed in the devices that buyers especially first timers become overwhelmed and dizzy with these outstanding arrays of gadgets. This is even without including the various advertisements and different ratings that are used to promote these products.

So what are the things to look for if you want to buy digital camera? To be able to answer these, there are 2 sets of information you have to know before you can decide. The first type of information is defining what YOU need and want in a digital camera. To do this, you can ask yourself the following questions:

- What do you want to take with your digital camera? Before you buy digital camera, it is important to determine what kind of pictures you want to take with it. If you are a digital photography enthusiast, any digital camera will not just do. You have to look for features that can support the zooming you need, the resolution, etc.

- How much is your budget? This is a very important question any person who intends to buy digital camera should ask. Because no matter what your needs and wants are for the device, your financial resource will play a huge part in dictating the type of digital camera you will buy.

- What are you resources? When you buy digital camera, sometimes the spending does not end there. You also have to consider the capacity and the power of the computer and the printer you will be hooking your camera with for your editing and printing needs. Editing software are already included when you buy digital camera but other devices aren’t. Aside from a printer, ink and paper for printing, you might also need additional memory cards for your camera and a more powerful computer to support image editing and image storage and retrieval.

After answering these 3 questions, the second set of information you need to know before you buy digital camera are the features that you need in the device. These are:

- Resolution. Before you buy digital camera, check first its capacity to produce high quality photo images. The number of pixels indicated determines resolution. The more number of pixels, the higher the resolution which can make photos to be enlarged without losing image quality.

- Built-in memory. Digital cameras need memory cards for picture storage. When you buy digital camera, make sure that the gadget that you buy does not only have a “built-in” memory but should also have a card slot for external and additional memory. This allows you to change full memory cards conveniently while shooting your pictures.

- Look and feel. It is essential for you to feel comfortable holding your digital camera while shooting. So, before you buy digital camera, it good to test and check if you are comfortable holding it and using it. Consider where the buttons are located and how they are spaced out and see also if you feel comfortable using the viewfinder.

- Battery life. Digital cameras use up batteries fast and batteries are expensive. Before you buy digital camera, consider if the camera’s batteries are rechargeable. This way you can recharge them. Take also into consideration an AC adapter when you buy digital camera. You can attach this to the camera when you are viewing your pictures or uploading them

- LCD. The LCD is a special consideration you have to look into when you buy a digital camera. This is a small screen located at the back of a digital camera that allows you to preview the pictures you took. This has to be considered when you buy digital camera because it uses up a lot of battery power.

- Special features. Special features that will suit your needs should be thought about, too before you buy digital camera. If you want your camera to have good zooming, you can opt for those with optical zoom lenses. A diopter adjustment on the digital camera’s viewfinder will also be beneficial to those who regularly wear glasses and wish to buy digital camera. Other features such as remote control, tripods, etc. can also be considered when you buy a digital camera.

With these information, you can now figure out what you really need and want before you buy digital camera. If you want to see ratings and rankings of these devices based on price, resolution or other features, check out various websites that have these in the Internet.

Spring shows are a good place to start as they are slower than the fall shows, but this is where you can get discouraged since the sales are lower. Remember, at this point you are practicing.

Summer shows are mostly outdoors. And then you have one day shows to four day mall shows. Do only what you feel that you can do and do not extend yourself too far.

There are certain items of etiquette that need to be addressed for both you and your fellow crafters. When attending craft shows, there are some simple things to keep in mind that will make you a better neighbor.

Remember that there are others at the event who are there, like you, to make money.

To make the best of things you should try to acknowledge the needs and rights of your fellow crafters.
The number one rule is to stay within your allotted space. If your display needs that extra “couple of inches”, buy it from the promoters before the event. Often you will need to purchase a “double” booth or at least an additional half space.
Check with the show promoter to see what options you have regarding measurements. If you do not want to incur that added expense, you may need to redesign your display so that it will fit in the space you purchase.
Whatever you do, do not extend your display into your neighbor’s space! The quickest way to make an enemy at a show is to steal space from a fellow exhibitor. And it is stealing. When you put your display into another crafter’s booth, you are taking space that someone else has paid for, which is theft, not to mention, rude.
Design your booth in a way that makes it accessible without infringing on your neighbor. While this relates to the guideline above, it is actually a little different.
Sometimes, a display layout may need to be accessible on two sides. In most cases this would require a corner or end spot, and they cost more too. Check with the folks in charge of your event.
If you are side by side with two other exhibitors, your booth will only be accessible from the front. Don’t expect your neighbor to redesign their booth so customers can get to an extra side on yours.
By all means, talk to fellow exhibitors, but don’t be a pest. Talking to other crafters is a great way to network and make new friends. But don’t stand around talking if a customer walks in.
Remember, they are there for the same reason you are – to make money. Just like you, they have less of a chance to make a sale if someone is continually visiting or blocking customers from viewing their product.

Make time to set up before the show begins. Setting up your booth takes time – more for some than others. Whether it takes you a few minutes or several hours, make sure you allot enough time to finish before customers arrive.

Boxes blocking aisles keep customers from visiting other booths. Even if you are not in the aisles, setting up a display in your space while the show is open distracts customers – not only from you, but from the adjacent booths as well. This can hurt sales – for everyone!

Be acutely aware that there are others attending craft events beside yourself. Be courteous to fellow craftspeople and keep in mind that what may work best for you may infringe upon other exhibitors.
Too many negative happenings can make enemies of your fellow craftspeople, or even get you banned from a show. By getting along with others, you can sometimes make important contacts and better yet, friends for life!

So what do you do once you’re at the craft show? Believe it or not, so much more than just sit there and wait for buyers!

Use the KISS principle when creating your booth — KEEP IT SIMPLE SILLY! The amount of time and money you spend on your booth should be in direct proportion to the number of shows you plan to do in a year.

Part of your booth planning should include a credit card machine. Credit cards are the common currency of shows and fairs, and if you don’t accept them, you’re going to lose sales to vendors who do.
You also face the risks of dealing with bounced checks from strangers who may be hard to track down after the show. Especially if you’re selling work priced in the hundreds of dollars, credit cards are a must.
It is a huge advantage when you accept credit cards. If you are just getting started, you may not be able to do this at first, but getting a merchant credit card set-up for your business should be an item high on your list.
When accepting checks, be sure to get the person’s Driver’s License number and their phone number. Verify that the preprinted address on the check is the current address.
Don’t accept starter checks — those checks people get when they open a bank account, and which don’t have preprinted address/phone information on them.
Checks are numbered consecutively. For those with a number less than 300, you should be cautious in accepting these. You are a business, and you owe it to yourself to be cautious – even if a person gets upset with you.

Have a sign-up box for a free giveaway. Not only does this drive traffic to your booth, but it helps you build your mailing list. Shows are a great way to develop your customer database.
Try putting a fishbowl on your table and offering people a chance to win something in return for giving you their contact information or business cards. Giving away promotional items with your company’s name and logo works, too.
This way, you can send out postcards inviting prospects to your next show or providing them with a catalog or link to your website.
Don’t forget to collect e-mail addresses, too! It’s a lot cheaper to send out 100 e-mail messages than it is to pay for paper and postage.

Make your display cases, if you use these, portable. There are many easy-to-assemble systems you can purchase through a fixture/display store, catalog or on-line business.

If you will be outside and need a tent, you can get a great 10’ x 10’ or similar sized tent at a reasonable price at many discount stores, like Sam’s or Costco’s, or on-line. These tents are compact, and pack up into a very manageable bundle.
It’s useful to have panels on each side that can roll up or down, depending on the weather. Determine how well the tent will perform in wet weather and in high winds. Determine if you can hang things from the tent’s frame, or if you will need to set up separate display panels.
Be sure you practice assembling and dissembling the tent prior to the show. Determine if it will take one person or more than one person to do this.

By all means, include a sign with all of your pertinent information. This information should include your business name and location along with a phone number and website.
Signs should generate interest and help sell your products. Don’t use “superlatives” like best, most, cheapest, largest and the like. In as few words as possible, tell the customer how your product will solve his or her problem, or meet his or her needs. Be positive and diplomatic in your wording. Writing “unruly kids will be sold as slaves” makes the point much better than “No Kids”.

Explain that which is not obvious. What’s it made of? When using the product, what must be avoided – such as getting it wet? Are there any disclaimers or conditions? What are the advantages of your product over others?

Use colors, typefaces, and images on your sign which have the same feel as your merchandise. Don’t overdo your signage, so that the signs overwhelm your inventory.
Be sure you have a clear, prominent sign that includes the name of your business. If your booths are numbered, this number should appear on the sign.

Now that you have your area set up, did you remember that you will want to sit down and have room for a money box or something to keep your money in? To start with you can buy small cash boxes.
You will not want to be fumbling around in a shoe box or cigar box like you may have done at a garage sale. Later you may want to buy a small cash register. If you use a money box, you will want to keep it away from hands so you may want to get a box fixed to hide your money box in.

Do not forget that you will need to have bags on hand for your items. Your customers can not carry everything around and if they do not have bags you will not be able to tell if they bought the items or not. If your item is too large for a bag you may want to place a bright sticker on the sold items so that you know that it was purchased.

There are many times that a person will get discouraged, but keep in mind that you need to do more than one or two shows to really know if craft show selling is for you or not.

SETTING UP AND FLYING RIGHT
Your booth space is your storefront at the craft show. How you set up your space can have a huge impact on sales. You want to convey an inviting, professional, and attractive look.
If you have the space, it’s a good idea to set up your display cases or tables in an “L” shape, where people can have a sense of “walking into” your temporary store, or an “interior box” where people can walk all the way around your displays.

With any set-up, be very aware of “traffic flow” – how will your customers maneuver around your space, so they are comfortable, and can comfortable examine your wares. The trick is to make your booth, functional for your customers to be able to view everything and reach everything without fear of breaking something, or causing something to fall.

Most spaces at craft shows vary from 8′x5′ to 10′x10′ for single spaces. What you now need to do is find an area where you can mark off 8′x5′. This will help you plan how to set up the space you’ve been given. You can use something as simple as cans for the corners of your space, but don’t trip on them or move them around. You can also use masking tape on your floor or carpet.

Decide whether or not you want everything on a table or if you want to give your display some height. We cannot stress enough that you should not make your display boring by just throwing some items on a table and sitting back to collect the money. Remember that your customer’s eyes will wander and you want to be able to keep them engaged while browsing your product.

There are many ways for you to get some height to your display.
You can buy plastic take-apart shelves that will look good and be easy to carry. This will give you some heights and if your items will work on a shelf that will be great.

If you need a back on the shelf you can get a piece of plywood cut to fit and then connect it to the shelf so that it will not fall. If the items that you might want to lean on the backing are light weight you can use a piece of fabric cut to fit and place under the bottom to make it tight.
Another way to acquire height is to have a small peg board made to fit on the ends of the table, screens in frames, mesh wire in frames or metal grids. What ever you use you will want to make it safe so that it will not fall over onto your customer.

There are so many ways to make heights and it really depends on your crafts as to what you want and how you want to display these items. You can even go to the boxes that you carry your items in and place them on the table to make a riser and then you will want to cover this with fabric.
There is one very important thing to remember here. Most craft shows will want you to look professional and cover your table to the floor all the way around. You can buy professional covers made for your table or you can get very reasonable fabric to cover your table with.

You will have to make sure that you do not have anything on the floor to trip your customer. If you choose a plain color of fabric you will not have problems with your items showing up. Some people even use plain white sheets with the ends folded is so that the sides also look professional.
Now that you have a table set up, see if this is how you want your items to show. You will play around with this at several shows before you are really happy with your set up and even then you will keep changing as your craft changes.

Always keep in mind that you can always change the way that you display your items. You may find ways that others use to show off their items that might work for you also and choose to do something similar.

If you try a set up at home first you will have an idea of how much space you will need and how to set it up when you arrive at the show location. Practice at home with your set up and then after you have your space set up the way that you think you want it, leave the room and rest awhile from it.
Now come back into the area with a fresh view and think of yourself as the customer. How does your space look to you now? Are you happy with your idea or is it lacking something? You usually do not have the time to do al of the playing around when you arrive to set up.

There are several large items that you need to set on the floor. Now what do you do? Move your table around (on the side or back of the area) and place the items where you want them on the floor.
This is the fun part, while you are at home and under no pressure to hurry and set up. With practice at home you will be more relaxed when you arrive at the location of the craft show.

There are so many different ways to set up your booth that working it out at home first is really a must. Remember, that you can always change things around and your set up is not set is stone.
Don’t over-fill your booth. Too many items are distracting to potential customers. Keep some product back to re-stock – especially if you are at a multiple day show.

If you find a crafter close that you become friends with you can also ask for suggestions. Most of the crafters will be more that happy to help each other, all you have to do is ask.

If you have a slow period during the craft show you can recheck your set up. You need to remember that everything will need to fit into your vehicle and that is another place that you may want to practice.

At most craft shows, a minimum of equipment is provided for your use – a table and 2 chairs. Sometimes, you will be given nothing at all.

Most standard tables are lower to the ground than optimum. You can get PCV pipe at a local hardware store, in a width that will slip over the legs of the table.
You can cut pieces in 1 foot or 1 ½” foot lengths, and raise your tables before you set up. In this way, your customers won’t get sore backs and have to stand in uncomfortable positions while viewing your merchandise.

Don’t forget to bring a couple of chairs, if these are not provided. Lawn chairs are perfectly acceptable and they fold up making them easy to transport and store.

When planning your original display or improving on an existing display always keep in mind your product as well as the image you wish to project to your potential customers.
Everything must be consistent with your business image or your customers will get confused. Are you country, Victorian, or High Tech? Be sure your image is cohesive; this includes the color and texture of your display, the lettering and material of your signs and even down to the type of promotional material, your business cards and flyer.

Remember the purpose of a great display is — TO SELL PRODUCT! If a prop does nothing to enhance the product and encourage sales then don’t spend the time, energy and money on it. 

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE BATTLE
You heard about a great craft show in your town that you want to attend. What do you do next? The following steps apply for local shows as well as out of town shows.
First, contact the host/promoter and request an application for a booth. Be sure you ask how much the booth will cost and what is provided with that fee.

For some small, local shows, you won’t have to fill out an application, but for some of the bigger ones, you’ll not only have the application, but you’ll also have to provide a sample of your product for the hosts to assess in terms of sellability.
Believe it or not, for some shows, HOW you fill out your application means just as much as what you are selling. Take note of the following suggestions for your craft show application:

Read all of the fine print before starting.

Complete the application form in its entirety. For very popular shows, promoters use a simple rule to make the first cuts from possible vendors: any omitted information automatically disqualifies the application.

Be sure to meet all deadlines.

Some shows require applications more than a year in advance; other shows ask for applications only a few months in advance. Know what requirements the shows of your choice ask for.

If at all possible, type up your applications. If this is not possible, be sure that the application is very clear and readable.

If you need special arrangements, be sure to negotiate these up front. Do you need electricity or special lighting or special access? Do you prefer to have a particular location or table arrangement? Will your displays conform to the show’s expectations, requirements and limitations?

If you will be doing demonstrations, will all your equipment and tools meet show requirements or not? Do you need to be on a corner?

Consider whether or not this is a juried show? A juried show is one that will have items judged in terms of their uniqueness and quality. Sometimes, juried shows will charge a fee of $5 to $50 for this service or requirement.

Are there additional costs besides the booth rental, such as required advertising expenses, parking fees, electricity fees, tables and chairs, insurance requirements, and the like? This can be important in terms of budgeting.

Find out if there are there any restrictions as to the type of merchandise allowed, such as a requirement that all merchandise be hand-crafted by the artist.

Some craft shows provide promotional items to their exhibitors including brochures and/or postcards. This can be a HUGE benefit to you.

A timetable is very important to know prior to showing up at the event site. Know what time you can begin setting up your booth, when you have to be ready and fully set up in your booth, and what time you can take down your booth

If you must provide slides or pictures to the event promoter, be sure each one is clearly labeled and numbered. It should be obvious to anyone not familiar with you, your slides and your work, which way is up, so to speak

After you fill out your application, fair promoters may ask for a deposit on your booth. If you are approved, the deposit will be applied to your booth rental. If you are not approved, the deposit will be refunded. Generally, the remainder of the fee will be due upon your acceptance into the show.
Include this deposit with your application. Deposits are usually accepted in the form of check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH! Too many things can happen with cold, hard, green stuff. Have record of what you’ve paid and when you’ve paid it.

You will need to think about where you will stay while at the show. Many craft shows are multiple day events. Even if they aren’t, they usually start early, so it’s a good idea to get to the location a day ahead of time to allow yourself the freedom to take your time getting set up.
Call for hotels and secure the best rate you can. Many professional crafters have their own recreational vehicles that provide lodging as well as storage for your product and supplies.
You will need to make sure you have enough inventory on hand for the show. We’ll cover this subject specifically in a separate chapter, but it’s important to have enough products to sell.

Plan for your booth display and have all items ready for transport. It might help for you to draw out how you want your booth to look and then plan way ahead of time to make sure you have what it takes to make that vision become reality. Do a dress rehearsal if you have to.
It might help to devise a checklist for you to refer to often when planning to attend a craft show. On your checklist, detail what needs to be accomplished and when it will need to be completed. Keep it at hand at all times. Pre-planning is a must to insure less stressful and more productive ventures!
Once you get to the show, you’ll need to check in with the promoter and begin setting up your space. This is where we feel the need to tell you not only how to design your booth space, but how to be a good neighbor at the show as well.

DIGITAL CAMERA: THE FUTURE OF CAMERAS

Basically a digital camera is a device use to capture pictures without the use of films. Unlike the conventional camera, the digital camera does not rely on mechanical and chemical processes. It has a built in computer and records the images it captures in an electronic form. Having and operating one does not even require the use of electricity.

Since the images that a digital camera captures is in electronic form, it is a language recognized by computers. This language is called pixels, tiny colored dots represented by ones and zeros that make up the picture that you just took. Just like any conventional cameras, a digital camera is furnished with a series of lenses that focus the light and creates the image that you want to capture. The difference here is then; a conventional camera focuses its light on a film while a digital camera focuses the light into a semiconductor device that electronically records the light. Remember the built in computer, it comes in here and breaks this information to digital data resulting to all the features of the digital camera.

Another feature of the digital camera is that it has a sensor that converts light into electrical charges. A charge coupled device or CCD is an image sensor that is found in a digital camera. While other low-end digital camera use complementary metal oxide semiconductor or CMOS as an image device, it can still become better and more famous in the future but most engineers are do not believe that it can replace the CCD for higher-end digital cameras.

A collection of tiny diodes, the CCD gathers electrons when they are struck by photons or the light particles. Each diode or photosite is sensitive to light, meaning that the brighter the light, the number of the electrons gathering will be larger

The price of a digital camera nowadays have been depreciating, one of the main reasons of this is because of the introduction of CMOS image sensors, this is because CMOS sensors are less expensive and are easier to manufacture than CCD sensors. A CCD and CMOS sensor works the same way at first, by converting the light electrical charges into photosites. Simply putting it, is to think that a digital camera works in such a way as thinking that the millions of tiny solar cells, each of which forms a part of the whole image. Both CCD and CMOS do this task using different methods.

When shopping for the best digital camera, take note of these key features.

Image quality. Check the resolution of the camera. The higher the resolution, the more thou will be able to enlarge your picture without the grainy or the out-of-focus effect that we all want to avoid.

Lens. Choose a digital camera with better digital zoom. The digital zoom of the camera will enable you take the pixels from the image sensor and incorporate them to make an image.

Power. Always opt for rechargeable batteries, they can always come in handy, plus you don’t waste as much money on the disposable ones.

Options. So you can brag to your friends how good a photographer or artist you are. Or choose the one that gives options that best cater to your lifestyle, so you won’t ever whine how you never get the right pictures.

Memory. If you’re a photo freak, be sure that you have enough memory in your camera to take all the wacky, freaky, funny and just about any photo you can. Think 512MB if you’re a photo junkie and takes pictures of just about anything.

Computer Interface. Always make sure that it is compatible with your PC, laptop, palmtop or whatever your local picture printer software is, you don’t want to go running around the whole state or the country looking for a computer that’s compatible with your digital camera, wont you?!

Physical. If you are going to be bringing it everywhere, choose a handy and portable digital camera. This way, it won’t always feel as heavy and bulky as those cameras that you see professional photographers are always dragging on their neck. Don’t they ever get tired of that?!

These are just the basic things you have to look for in a digital camera when you buy one. A digital camera is so great that it is quickly replacing all conventional cameras in the market, with all its technology and portability, truly the digital camera is the future of cameras.

Maybe you have heard the term, “simple scrap booking” and have some ideas about what it is. But with exactly is simple scrap booking and what are its components that gave its name?

Simple scrapbook is not your usual album that relies on the chronological events. It does not focus on the usual things such as family traditions, daily routines, hopes, and dream. It sits itself outside the traditional album. It is small, short and more manageable. It is simple and focuses on the sidelights of your life or the small details that is overcast by the usual things that matter to you. In other words, the traditional scrapbook is like moments taken on pictures while simple scrapbook are the things that happen before and after the pictures were taken.

There are 5 terms that describe what simple scrapbook is: Freedom, Format, Framework, Finished, and Fast. These five are further discussed below.

Freedom as referred to making a simple scrapbook means that the one creating it has the liberty to simplify all the events that would be included on the scrapbook. The freedom to explore other aspects of life, use of non-traditional elements, and capture things that may not be seen on regular scrapbook. And most of all; the freedom to make the scrapbook as the exact interpretation of the creator’s idea.

Format shows the uniqueness of one scrapbook from the rest; and somehow, each scrapbook follows certain format. This means, a simple scrapbook has a size, content, and characteristics that is relatively the same with the rest of the scrapbooks but entirely uses different in approach. This makes one simple scrapbook stand out from any other scrapbooks.

Format also sets a particular theme or color scheme of one scrapbook. The colors used and the designs made are some of the usual components that bring out a simple scrapbook into a work of art. The placement of various elements also brings a lot of impact on the overall image of the scrapbook.

Framework is one characteristic of the simple scrapbook that is entirely unique from the rest of the scrapbooks. The framework is often defined as the group of pages including the table of contents and the title, dedication or the introduction page, section pages, filler pages, closing page, and materials file that show that overall structure of the scrapbook. Oftentimes, it is the first thing made since it defines what is the flow of the album. In simple terms, the framework is like the blueprint and the foundation of the album.

Another distinct characteristic of the simple scrapbook is the idea that once it is started, it can be finished. It is unlike the chronological album that is continuously filled up and may not be finished as started. Factor such as unavailability to add pages on the chronological album hampers the excitement once have. In simple scrapbook, you can assure yourself that once you start it, you can finish it. This is because you are working on a specific framework that is specifically made to finish. And since you are working on this framework, you will exactly know how far can you go and how many pages you will use. Once you have met this, your album is done.

A chronological scrapbook takes a lot of time to create. And as was mentioned, you may not still finish it. Simple scrapbook is different. You can finish it as soon as you start it. Again, this is the result of the framework that you follow. In fact, after you have finished the framework, you are that close to finishing it.

If you have decided to create your simple scrapbook, you have to know 3 things.

First, you should identify your purpose. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” “What kind of emotion or celebration would I want to put in the album?”

Second, you have to create the format. Identify the size of the album and the theme to use. Know how to organize the ideas and put them to paper. Create the framework.

And third, you have to prepare the materials used.

Once you have all these, you will easily create your own simple scrapbook.

FIND THE BEST SHOWS
There are times of the year when it seems like you hear about craft show after craft show. If you wanted to, you could attend every single one of them and end up like a stress doll that has been squeezed one too many times. Of course, that’s just a bad business decision. What you need to do is pick and choose where you will go, and that involves some very specific criteria.
Of course, nothing can guarantee a great show, there are some things to take into account that will increase the likelihood of your finding and having a good craft show.
First and foremost, identify your own personal market. Apply for shows that fit with your product. Different products sell better at different types of events. As we’ve mentioned before, if you have high-end artwork, don’t try to sell at a local show. You’ll sell more products at a quality event, so don’t waste your money. If you sell handmade Christmas ornaments, don’t try to sell them at a craft fair in July.
Figure out where your product niche is and go for the shows that best fit your needs. Crafting magazines list hundreds of opportunities for crafters to attend events. Also, search the Internet and ask people who attend craft fairs which ones they like the best.
Ask other crafters what shows they go to. Some of the greatest shows are the ones that aren’t advertised big but those which your colleagues attend too. Once you attend your first craft fair, the opportunities for making contacts with people just like you have just begun. Talk to them and keep in touch. Help them and they will help you.
As we’ve said before, the Internet has a wealth of information about craft shows, events, fairs, and festivals. Take advantage of these resources to find different marketing for your products.
There are many magazines and publications that are helpful in rating and reviewing craft-related events. It’s a good idea for a crafter with a business to have a subscription to one or two of these magazines so you can use them as a tool when searching for shows to attend.
Call local and area Chambers of Commerce to see if there are any craft fairs in your area that are held annually. Ask if they will be sponsoring any events where crafts are sold. This can include Fourth of July celebrations, Memorial Day events or local festivals. Also, check with area craft stores like Hobby Lobby. They will most likely know about an event happening close by that you can attend.
Once you’ve identified a few shows you want to go to, there are some steps you will need to go through before you can actually show up and begin collecting your money.