For the past five years I have been taking an insane amount of pictures. You see, that’s when my first child was born. I’ve been a photographer longer than I’ve been a mother, but I’ve been capturing my own family memories in great detail for almost five years. I always took photos of my husband and I when we went on vacation or when we were visiting friends but didn’t just randomly snap off 100 photos because my hubby was looking so cute (I don’t think he would let me). I have always been the one taking the photos and placing each printed photo into an organized album with care. I have shelves of photo albums and LOVE looking through them. I entered the digital scene full time about a year and a half into my journey as a mother and the number of images of my family skyrocketed.  However, the number of photo albums to look through plummeted. The images are stuck on my computer. Many people say, “You’re a photographer you must have your photos all over your home and you must have tons of albums”. The sad thing is…I don’t. And I’m slowly trying to remedy that.

I tried traditional paper scrapbooking for a while and I love to do that, but once Naomi was born my time was cut in two. Add two more kids to the mix now and well, you get the picture. I discovered digital scrapbooking and jumped on board with full force. My computer was very slow after a while of doing this and I got very frustrated with trying to create even one page. I only have one “almost finished” album of random pages from Naomi’s first year. So sad. Eventually I just started uploading images online and putting them in a cookie cutter, boring old album just to get them off my computer. This works but it’s not me, it’s not pretty. One thing I make sure to have done is a birthday album for each of my kids after their birthdays. Their album includes pictures from the party, a letter from us, photos from their birthday photo session and a few pages with my favorite images from the past year. I love doing these and know that at least something is getting printed and my kids will have some way to remember their childhood. Digital media is constantly changing. If we do not print our images how are we guaranteed that our children will be able to access the images from their childhood?

Maybe you have Photoshop or some other digital editing program, I hope you are using it. But if you are like me, it still takes time to learn the program and to design pages that will make you happy. I was so excited to learn about My Memories digital scrapbooking software it is the perfect response to my dilemma. My dilemma being; finding the time to properly preserve the memories that I am capturing day in and day out of my children and finding a way to easily showcase our memories so that we can sit down as a family and reminisce and not have to crowd around my computer screen.

“My Memories Suite is the #1 rated scrapbook software (that comes as an instant download so there’s no waiting for your CD to get started (although you can order a CD to have as a back up)).  Not only is it affordable and fun, it’s also extremely easy. Whether you’re new to digital scrapbooking or a seasoned pro, My Memories Suite is the perfect digital scrapbooking software to use.” You can create albums in a snap, whole years worth of memories preserved and printed for all to see in a matter of a few hours (not including print/shipping time of course). The learning curve on My Memories Suite software is very short. In fact, let me make a little confession. I was given this product to review two weeks ago…but then my daughter got sick, then I got sick and I finally downloaded and started playing with the software on Tuesday. Wednesday my computer was not turned on and Thursday I crafted this post/giveaway (too much info? oh well, now you know the truth). So in a matter of a day and a half I was able to create three beautiful albums that I would be proud to print and show off. Yes, I will add more pages and maybe some more little embellishments but I’m a simple kinda girl and I don’t like a lot of fluff on my scrapbook pages, so these pages suit me just fine!

This video will show you all the awesome things that this software can do:

My husband was telling me the other day how he’d like for me to start printing more photos so that we could look through albums again. I was kind of surprised by this but then again not really. Like I said before, who wants to crowd around the computer screen. My Memories Suite has so many options that you are sure to find the type of album that you need. When you download the software you are given awesome templates, papers and embellishments. There are so many options that you won’t have to make the same page twice…unless you want to! You can also use any of the papers and embellishments that you have in your personal digital stash. The software is not very difficult to figure out and if you need help with something there are video tutorials online. It’s like they hold your hand and walk you through it so you have no excuse to not be able to make the software work for you. They also have a TON of digital products to help you in your quest for the perfect layout. I will admit that I am picky when it comes to digital scrapbook supplies and I have a specific style that I look for. The designs at My Memories are awesome. I found myself making a list of all the kits I wanted to buy…*shhhh* don’t tell my husband .

Here are some more details about this great scrapbook software straight from their website:

My Memories Suite 2.0 is a fun and creative way to keep and share memories, whether you have a Mac or PC. The scrapbooking software’s design tools will help you to build entire albums effortlessly using one of the many installed templates, or designing your very own pages from scratch. Version 2.0 includes 20+ new templates, over 1,500 new papers and over 1,300 new embellishments. There is even a new color swatch library with matching sets of papers and embellishments. And if you’re searching for even more templates, visit My Memories Suite’s online Design Shop, which offers a growing library of digital scrapbooking templates, papers, and kits to inspire your creativity!

My Memories Suite Version 2.0 software is bursting at the seams with new features! With Version 2.0 you can…

• Drag & drop page elements such as embellishments, backgrounds, and layouts from a convenient sidebar with the Resource Gallery.
• Have precise control of your page design with Zoom.
• Position journaling around circular and angled shapes.
• Create your own word art with effects like bevel & emboss, gradients, warping, and more!
• Space elements on your page evenly with advanced align function.
• Search through thousands of embellishments quickly to find the one perfect graphic.
• Layer multiple background papers—perfect for mats, paper strips, frames, and more.
• Combine pages from albums with different shapes.
• Edit your text directly on your page with precision.
• See your effects on your page as you add and adjust them with intuitive preview.
• Duplicate and mirror your pages easily.
• View your page layouts one at a time, or together as double-page spreads.
• Easily share your album with enhanced photobook, calendar, and card wizards.
• Add multiple pictures to your layout quickly with FastFill.
• Burn your creations onto a CD or DVD with better optical device support.

You have to go to the website and check out all the great things you can do with your pages once they are created. Gone are the days of scrapbook pages lying dormant on your hard drive. Share your album with your family and friends by getting it printed, burning it to a CD, and posting albums online. Bring  your memories to life. The great thing is that after you create a great scrapbook page you can take it a step further and add video and audio to the page. I have some great video of Hannah laughing at Naomi and Micah so I added it to the scrapbook pages of her. I can burn that all to a DVD and watch it on my TV. Not only do I get to see beautiful images of my daughter but I get to hear her laugh as well. Amazing! That’s what capturing memories is all about.

Let me tell you about a few other things that My Memories has to offer. They have a Design Club: you pay a discounted price upfront and get 5 digital packs each month and a discount on all other downloads.  They have weekly challenges to get you using your photos, creating beautiful layouts and preserving your memories. There are great software tutorials to help you when you’re stuck. They also have a YouTube site so you can get even more information The MyMemories site is very well organized and you can search for kits by the designer, themes, bestsellers, top products and they even have a DOLLAR STORE!! yay!! If you know me you know how much I love the dollar spot at Target and the Dollar Tree so this is right up my alley. Not to mention the freebies that you can download and use right away with your awesome digital scrapbook software. Okay, enough talking already…let’s take a quick peek at something I whipped up in a matter of minutes.

If you’re like me you are a digital scrapbook paper/element hoarder. My Memories Suite allows you to use papers that are on your hard drive. It’s super easy to do and you will have an album done in no time flat. It’s high time we get these amazing memories off our computers and into our lives!!!

The possibilities are endless! Think of all the hybrid cards you can make with these great templates and supplies. Everything is printable so you can make tons of different items for your home. I will share more projects that I’ve done with this great software later in the week…

My Memories Suite v2 sells for $39.97 which is a fraction of the price of many other digital photo editing programs. That is a steal of a deal when you realize all that My Memories Suite can do. But you my readers are in luck…I’ve got a COUPON CODE!!!

Go to MyMemories.com and enter this code: STMMMS59866 to get $10 off the price of the software…but it gets even BETTER. Once you download the software the nice people at My Memories will give you a $10 code to shop in their store!! Yippee!! That’s like a $20 coupon! Trust me you won’t have a problem finding something to spend your $10 on once you have this amazing software!

The coupon code can be used anytime!!! But the giveaway is being hosted at The Trendy Treehouse, so head over there to enter to win the software.

Good luck, I really hope you win because this software is amazing!

I had a lot of fun doing the pictures with Jamie. I especially loved how she worked with me on posing. Instead of making me stand or sit in only set poses like most photographers would probably do, Jamie preferred to capture images of me as I am as a person rather than just a portrait. Jamie was also very accommodating with my ideas of locations for the shoot. The pictures all turned out wonderfully, and I would definitely recommend Jamie to others.
-Elizabeth Pulliam, San Antonio, TX

The photographs Jamie took of Rebecca were creative and very well done. There were so many to choose from that it was actually difficult to decide which ones to order. The packages allowed flexibility, which was nice. I have already recommended JT Photography to all who say they need a photographer (and even if they don’t)
-Mary Eifert, Austin, Texas

Jamie, you’re awesome. Thank you so much for doing my senior pictures. I can’t even count how many compliments I’ve received on them. If anyone ever needs any form of photography done you will be the first person I recommend. God bless.
-Aaron Paseur, San Antonio, TX

Jamie is an incredibly talented photographer and we loved having her do our family portraits. She is also very easy to work with. Our photo session was so much fun! Not only did Jamie capture memories for us, but she also created some new ones as well. Even my husband, who hates having his picture taken, said that he had fun doing the photo shoot. That’s something I never thought I’d hear him say! We absolutely love our finished portraits and the little spiral proof book. Everyone who has seen our pictures has complimented them. These portraits will be treasured keepsakes of a year in the life of our family that has been filled with milestones and memories.
-Wanda Laxson, San Antonio, TX

I absolutely love the pictures that Jamie took of my girls. She did a wonderful job of capturing my girls how I see them on a daily basis! Her ability to keep my two year old engaged amazed me! Many of the pictures bring tears to my eyes and I am so pleased that she was able to capture my girls so perfectly at this age!
-Sarah Doerr, Brown Deer, WI

The moment Jamie’s mother first shared her work with us almost a year ago we knew we wanted Jamie to photograph our family as well. Our opportunity came when we purchased a photography session that she donated to our school’s auction. Jamie’s kind and caring nature helped us feel at ease during our photo session. We appreciate how she captured our family as we really are – casual, laid back and close knit. Our boys seem to be growing by leaps and bounds so it is very special to have this time preserved with Jamie’s beautiful photographs. She has truly given us a gift – praise God for her awesome talent!
-Tracy Parker, Menomonee Falls, WI

Prior to the photo session with Jamie, I was worried that it may be a little awkward since I’m not always a very outging person. But once Jamie and I began walking around and talking as we looked for good photo shots, I began to feel really comfortable. I’m really glad that she took my photos as she is great at setting up natural poses while working with any scenery. I love how my photos turned out and love showing them to my friends (especially the jumping picture)!
-Mikaela Barz, San Antonio, Texas

Jamie was wonderful to have as my wedding photographer. I was in a bind to find a photographer replacement and she was recommended to my sister by one of her friends. I had no time to check her out so I told my sister to just call her and ask if she was available. Jamie had no problem working on such short notice, and did a fabulous job, even being pregnant. Her ideas were so fresh and she let me be myself and just snapped pictures of me in my natural state. It made it fun and enjoyable. Her design of the albums was wonderful. I would trust her to do photos for me any time.
-Candace Kelley, San Antonio, TX

I asked Jamie to take pictures of my 3 year old son. I knew I wanted something different than the normal “cookie cutter” pictures…same type of backdrop and a lot of “cheese”. Jamie came to my house and visited with my son…which was great. Really helped him to warm up to her. Then she asked me what my goal was for the shoot. I asked her to capture the spirit of a three year old. And boy did she!!! Jamie is very professional and has an eye for capturing the essence of her subject.
-Debbie Mainz, San Antonio, TX

Jamie is the best! I was initially apprehensive about our photo shoot because my husband and I have three children ages two and under – not your easiest subjects to photograph! But as soon as Jamie arrived at our home and began interacting with the children, I immediately relaxed. She did an amazing job of capturing a variety of natural and playful shots of each child and of all five of us together. We now have many beautiful photographs of our family that we will treasure for years to come. We look forward to working with Jamie again!
-Anna Morrison, San Antonio, Texas

Our pictures are beautiful! Jamie had many creative ideas and worked with what we wanted as well. I wish we lived closer so we could have her take our future children’s pictures too
-Sarah Kumpfer, Cleveland Heights, OH

Jamie Truwe has been taking our family photos for almost a year now. She is a professional photographer who has been able to capture many special moments of my children and our family. I get so many compliments on the photographs that she has taken that are now framed around our house. She has a true talent for getting incredible shots without putting any pressure on the people she is photographing. My children are completely at ease with her snapping away. After each photo shoot I can’t wait to see what she has taken. I’m so thankful to have her to help record how my children and my family are growing up.
- Amy Wille, San Antonio, Texas

I’m so glad we had Jamie take our engagement photos. We had such a fun time and she made it easy to just be ourselves during the shoot. The photos turned out great and very professional and our families love them as well.

-Julie Barthel, Thiensville, Wisconsin

A couple of months ago, I had the amazing opportunity for Jamie to capture a very special time in my son, Peyton’s life. Jamie is a wonderful photographer. She has a wonderful eye for unique and special shots. It takes a very talented person to be able to photograph small children. Every person that has seen Peyton’s pictures wants to know who took them. I can’t wait for next summer, when we can do this all over again.

-Erica Eastman, Cedarburg, WI