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Thursday, February 16, 2017

Reviewing Prime Reading

Free Access to Books, Magazines, and More With Your Amazon Prime Membership

Prime Reading is an Amazon Prime collage

Prime Reading is a Feature of Amazon Prime
that you won't want to miss.

If you're an Amazon Prime customer, you probably already take advantage of free two-day shipping and several of the other discounts and freebies available with Prime. But there's one advantage that you might not be aware of. It's called Prime Reading and if you love to read, it's a feature that you won’t want to miss. Here's how it works.

With Prime Reading, automatically included with your Prime membership, you get access to a library of over a thousand books, magazines, and Audible narration recordings, all at no additional cost. While 1000+ books and magazines doesn't sound like much in the big scheme of the Amazon bookstore, the selection is good and, personally, I've saved quite a bit of money borrowing books and magazines from Prime Reading as opposed to buying them. I think it's a great deal!

Do I Need a Kindle To Use Prime Reading?

You might be wondering if you need a Kindle reader to take advantage of this program and the answer is "no," you do not. As with all e-books in the huge Amazon library, each can be read from your phone, your iPad, or your other Android or iOS device using Amazon's free reading app which is simple to download to your device. If you don't own a Kindle reader or Fire tablet, simply look for the "Read with Our Free App" link below the Kindle format of any book to get started. (To learn more, check out my review of "The Three Best Ways to Read Kindle Books.")

What Types of Books Are Available for Prime Reading?

The Prime Reading library consists of books in many genres from nonfiction to romance to business and money and more. Titles include current bestsellers, classics, and likely books by quite a few authors that you haven't read yet. What a great opportunity to explore new titles when you're on a budget (I'm always on a budget!).

The magazines that are available are current issues of many of the bestsellers on the Kindle Newsstand. While e-magazine subscriptions are very reasonably priced, as far as I'm concerned you can't beat "free" for the cost of a magazine. I'll admit, I'd rather borrow HGTV Magazine or Birds & Blooms or Real Simple and read them for free than pay for a subscription. Borrow it, read it, save it for a while then exchange it for something else, all from the comfort of your own computer. It's even "greener" than recycling, don't you agree?

Where Do I Find Prime Reading?

When you're logged in to your Amazon account, visit the Prime Reading page to see the catalog of what's available and view your personal library. You can always access a link to Prime Reading Eligible items in the left margin of the Kindle store, as shown in the photo.

If you're not an Amazon Prime member yet, this is another great reason to join. Currently the price is just $99 a year, very worth it, especially when you take advantage of all the features of the program that you may not even know exist, including Prime Reading. To see the list of what's included or to join Amazon Prime, just follow the link.

So tell me, if you're a member of Amazon Prime, did you already know about Prime Reading or did you learn something new today? I love to save money on books and magazines and hopefully this information will help you save a few dollars here and there, too. Happy reading!

~Susan
Read more of my reviews.

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

Susan Deppner is a baby boomer, a cancer survivor, and a Southerner who believes in the Golden Rule. She enjoys writing about food, faith, and fitness; health, home, and holidays; people, places, pets, and patriotism, and more. Follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Site Review of Teabag Folding|Paper Facets

Review of Teabag Folding Site

Teabag Folding rosette from Teabag Folding website

Rosette from Teabag Folding Site

If you are a fan of hand made cards you will love the site: http://paperfacets.com.

It has many beautiful cards for you to purchase and they are very reasonable for such unique designs that are made entirely by hand. Even the shipping is much less than it is on other sites.

Teabag folding is sort of an obscure paper craft but the results are gorgeous and your card recipients are going to be stunned by the beauty of the cards you give them. I was blown away by all the beautiful cards available on this site.

Learn the Art of Teabag Folding

And if you would like to learn about the craft of paper folding you are in for a treat as the owner has many many tutorials with clear and precise directions to help you from start to finish. (Tea bag folding is also known as flat fold origami.) She also lists and reviews many sources of the supplies you will need to get started making your own beautiful cards and the craft of teabag folding.

Hand Made Card from Paper Facets

From the beginning of learning the craft, to learning some of the techniques and patterns, to sourcing some of the materials, and her reviews of some of the suppliers and supplies, you will find everything you need to get started and to become an expert on this very unique paper craft. You will also find hints on how to run an arts and crafts business if you want to take it that far.

As an aside, I met the owner, Sherry, at an event in 2010 and she was very lovely and funny. I am not surprised that her art is so wonderful. And that's what it is, art. Each and every card is a little work of art. She told a hilarious story of making her designs while on break when she worked at the phone company for many years so she could rush to craft fairs with her beautiful cards and sell them.

Buy Hand Made Cards at the Teabag Folding Website

Cut Out Rosette from Teabag Folding Site

I am so glad she now has them online so you don't have to find her at a crafts fair. You can just go to her site: Tea Bag Folding or http://paperfacets.com and look at some of her beautiful cards or you can order custom work too by contacting her on the site. There is lots of information for everyone. from the customer to the beginner to the expert paper craft artisan.

I totally recommend Teabag Folding, both the craft, and the site. Prepare to be enthralled.

Photos on this page are courtesy of paperfacets.com.

Two books about the paper craft of Origami to get you started:

Easy Origami (Dover Origami Papercraft)over 30 simple projects

Origami Fun Kit for Beginners (Dover Fun Kits)

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Monday, October 3, 2016

FotoJet Free Photo Editor Review

FotoJet is a free online photo editor. It is extremely easy to use and offers photo editing, collage making, and graphic designs. I was skeptical when I signed up. I was certain it would have nothing new to offer that I don't already have access to with other photograph editing programs. But I was wrong. I love the FotoJet designs for social media posts. In this review, I will show you some of the samples I created using minimal time or energy.

Easy Sign up

So far, I've found no gimmicks with the FotoJet photo editor site. My pet peeve is trying to sign up to use a free program only to find that there is some catch. Perhaps you must enter your credit card number in order to register for the "free" site. Or it is free, but you have to download all sorts of things onto your computer and then their tool bar takes over. Sometimes it is easy to sign in, and really is free, but then you learn that you only get to do one sample of something and your free use has ended. An upgrade (that costs) is required to continue. I found NONE of those gimmicks with FotoJet. Registering was just this easy:

I entered my email address.
I entered the password I wanted to use.
I went to my email account and clicked the link for email confirmation
I returned to the site and began creating

Easy to Use

I clicked the link to confirm and entered the site. Because I'm not tech savvy, I expected to have to spend a day or two trying to figure things out. I looked for FAQs and directions and found none. There are a few hints (such as using the arrow keys...and I wish I had paid attention to that hint!) while the page is loading. Otherwise, I found no instructions.

But within two hours, I have four photo samples edited. And I am very excited about them.

FotoJet Editor for Social Media Posts

Personally, have a really hard time remembering the image size requirements for my social media sites. Sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have different and ever-changing requirements. My photos files have multiple photos saved in a variety of sizes and labeled with the site they were created for. FotoJet won 't decrease the amount of photo files I have, but it will take away the need to look at my image size cheat sheet each time I am re-sizing.

FotoJet Photo Designs for Instagram

My first attempt was designing an Instagram photo with a personal photo for my personal blog. I chose the design, chose my photo, dragged my photo onto the design and voila, was nearly finished. I clicked on the text boxes to add my wording, dragged it to where it looked best, and resized it easily. I also changed text colors and fonts easily. When finished, I saved it to my computer.

To show the variety of designs, I used a second design with the same photo. I think it gives my photo an entirely different look.

FotoJet Photo Designs for Pinterest

I then did the same for the designs sized for Pinterest. With permission from our photography contributor Mary Beth, I used her amazing beach photos for these designs.

Aren't her photos gorgeous?! Anyway, with the first design, I dragged and dropped two photos, clicked on their existing text boxes, and changed the wording to my own. With the second image, I dragged and dropped the photo, changed the opacity of the existing text box, and left their text as is.

What a happy coincidence to find a design with my name.

FotoJet Social Media Designs in Summary

I had a bit of difficulty finding the trash bin initially. But I am content with clicking around and trying things out. Clearly, the "click and hope" technique worked well for me. Everything else was very easy to navigate. Especially after I started using the directional arrows to move the photos.

I hope that FotoJet adds even more designs for Instagram and Pinterest. And perhaps some for Twitter. Overall, I really like this free photo editor. It seems to be a program free of gimmicks and tricks to purchase upgrades. It is easy. And if your goal is to create attractive images for your social media sites with as little muss and fuss as possible, I think you will be thrilled with FotoJet.

Monday, August 22, 2016

Review of Picmonkey Photo Editing Site

Why I Love PicMonkey.com, Plus Tips For Using It

Until I discovered PicMonkey, I was stuck with using the free photo editing program that came on my HP laptop, and using Paint, the standard accessory in the Windows platform for computers. But now I am hooked on PicMonkey! It is my favorite free photo editing software!

I never got around to buying Photoshop, and though I tried to use Gimp, it just was too hard for me to decipher. (Gimp is touted as a free version of Photoshop and many of my friends swear by it, but maybe I am software challenged.) So I thought I would show you some of the ways I use PicMonkey to edit and embellish my photos for articles on the internet and how you can too.

First of all, if you don't have an account, just go to PicMonkey.com and sign up for an account. Once there you will see a page that varies as far as the image, but at the very top you will always see this:

You can see that I am signed in, but if you are not, just click on "Log In" on the right, and then you can begin editing.

You can also see the 4 buttons in the center that show where to start your photo editing project. For basic and advanced editing of your own photos, click "Edit." I will cover "Design," and "Touch Up" and "Collage" further down this page.

Once you do, it will show a screen asking you where to get the photo you want to edit. You can choose your computer, Facebook, One Drive, or their own new platform, Hub. Most people are probably going to choose a photo from their own computer so I will explain using that option.

Once you click on "Computer" it will open a window to your own files. Just scroll to your photo folders and click on the photo you wish to edit. That will place it on the screen in PicMonkey. You will notice that on the left is a row of buttons. At the very top is a symbol of lines and dots and if you hover over that, it says "Basic Edits." If you click it you see a list of edits you can do. Here is an example of a photo I uploaded to the editor with the sidebar showing the menu:

The first thing I like to do is open the "Rotate" button. (3rd button down on the left) You can rotate your photo in all directions, to change the orientation from horizontal to vertical and also to change the top to the bottom, just by clicking the arrows. But what I like to do is play with the "Straighten" slider. I guess I don't hold my camera steady as I often have photos that are crooked. But that is an easy fix in PicMonkey. Just slide the arrow till you have a straight photo and click "Apply." It even has guidelines to make it easy for you.

Then I like to open the "Crop" button. The reason I straighten before I crop is that straightening sometimes takes part of the photo off, so I want the whole thing straightened before cropping. Here you can see the crop lines I am going to use. You can drag the lines around till you are happy with your photo.

Here it is after I clicked on "Crop." You can move the crop lines wherever you want them. When you are satisfied, just click "Apply" and then your photo will be magically cropped like this one.

Then I like to do some basic editing so I click on "Exposure." The first thing I do is click on "Auto Adjust." This is often all that I do, as it seems to make my photos pop and look great. But you can also play with all the sliders and if you like the way a photo looks you can click "Apply" and those changes will be done. When you are satisfied, just close that little window by clicking "Cancel" or "Apply," whichever is the case. Here are how the other sections look when they are open. On this rose photo I have not done any other edits. I just cropped it and auto adjusted the exposure.

If you make a mistake, there is an "Undo" button. At the very bottom of the screen is a backwards arrow. Just click that anytime you are not happy with your design and undo the last step! You can actually keep hitting "Undo" until you get back to a place where you are happy and then continue your design from there.
.

More Tricks for Using PicMonkey

Now besides the "Basic Edits" you can do a lot of different effects. One I use a lot is the "Text" function to add text to photos. This is great for making photos for Pinterest and other media like Twitter. So just click on "Text" and you will see this: (photo on the right)

Notice the slider on the right. Use it to scroll through all the choices of Font you can use.

I am going to use Marcelle Script so I just click on it and change the color of the script in the little box that pops up. I will use a very pale shade of blue but you can pick whatever you want. Move the box wherever you want and drag the edges to make it bigger or smaller. Then start adding text in the box. Example is below.

And below is a picture of it after adding the text. Just click on the photo somewhere else besides the text box when you are finished and the text box disappears and your text is there.

Now let's say I want a background under the text. You can add any number of special effects by clicking the buttons on the left and scrolling till you find a design you like and clicking on the photo to place it. You can also move it around on the photo. Just click on it once and drag it wherever you want it. Here I have added a ribbon. Once I clicked on it and placed it I changed the color to White. Then I added text over that.

There are plenty of other effects you can use on the left too. The "Touch Up" ones are great for faces! And if you want a set of photos in a theme, there are lots of themed effects. They have a Zombie theme, Victorian theme, and lots more! Just click on any of them to see all the things you can do. It would take me hours and hours to go over all the wonderful effects you can create, but the easier and more fun way to learn it is to add a photo and play with all the buttons to see what you can do! PicMonkey also has tutorials explaining how to use all the functions. Just scroll down on the Home page and you will see them.

Here are a few things I did to the image after I got the text and the ribbon trim on it. First are different edges. One is a simple box edge and next is a craft scissors edge.

State Flowers of the USA Coloring Blog

Then I added an effect called "Frost" which adds the color of the frame as a brushed effect all around the edges, and on the lower one I added a "Bokeh" overlay to make it sparkly. These are just a few of the effects you can get!

State Flowers of the USA Coloring Blog

Using PicMonkey for Graphic Design

You can also use PicMonkey to design graphics and my favorite, Facebook covers. Up above where it says "Edit, Touch Up, Design, Collage," click on "Design." Then you will see a square, a Facebook cover, different sizes, and a custom option. To do a Facebook cover, just click that option and it opens up a screen with the exact size you need. Next click on "Overlay" on the left. You have your choice of many there, so you can scroll through and have fun designing your own cover by adding a combination of effects on the screen. Or you can add your own, just click on "Your Own" at the top. Here I have used the same photo of roses by clicking on the file in my computer and then dragging the edges out till the whole template is covered. Then I have added some text on top of that. It's now ready to upload to a Facebook page.

One more thing that I think is pretty cool is that when you are designing, you can choose your background or even make a transparent background for designs you might be doing for Zazzle or other design platforms. For that you go to "Basic Edits," and click on "Canvas Color." If I wanted to make a round logo for example, I would choose a transparent background and then overlay a circle from the "Geometric Shapes" overlay section. Then I would put whatever design I wanted inside the circle, like text, colors, and/or textures. Once I have saved the design I have a round logo. Here is the one I designed for my Aurora Art Supplies products and website.

Aurora-ArtSupplies

And here are some Photos I edited in PicMonkey and added banners and text to use on my Amazon ads for my Aurora Art Supplies Colored Pencils and Water Color Pencils.

Water Color Pencils

Aurora Art Supplies Colored Pencils

Water Color Pencils

Using PicMonkey for Website Design

Okay let's say I want to design a background for a website. And maybe I want a Blue sparkly one. First I would add Blue as my background color. Next I would go to the textures in the "Overlay" section and start adding them till I have an effect I want and then save it. Then I would go to the editor in my Wordpress theme and where it says to add a background, I would upload that file. Voila, a custom background. Here is one I made so you can see. I used a Blue solid color, then "Space" overlay, then a "Bokeh" overlay. I played with the saturation till I liked it and saved it.

There are so many effects you could really play for hours and design any number of cool things. And I didn't go into the "Collage" function, but all you do for that one is click on the "Collage" button above, pick a style from the left side menu and add photos to the cells by dragging them to the one you like. You can even design text boxes and add them as one of the photos of the collage. My friend Kim is a master of PicMonkey collages. Here is one she made for her educational site for kids to learn State facts.

USA-Facts-For-Kids.com

A very useful function that I use all the time is the "Resize" function at the bottom of the "Basic Edits." Just click on it and you can make your photo whatever size you need! Very useful for websites!

So I guess you could say I am a PicMonkey addict now! Try it and I bet you will be too! But a few of the fonts and effects are premium so you have to pay extra for those. Well I wanted them for a project so I signed up for one month only ($5) so I could make some cool designs. Then I reverted back. A few days later PicMonkey sent me an email asking me why I cancelled the premium version and one of the answers you could pick was "It costs too much." That's what I picked and then they offered it to me for $33 a year, or less than $3 a month. So if you want the premium version, that's how you can get it for less. Try it for a month at $5 and then cancel. I love bargains, don't you? Thank you PicMonkey!

*Of course, this may have been a one time offer, I can't promise that the offer will always be there. But it doesn't hurt to try, does it?

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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Printable Greeting Cards

Look what I found. It's a fabulous source for printable greeting cards. These are cards on high-resolution downloadable files that you can print at home. Simply choose a design, place your order, grab the downloadable file, print, and the card is ready to be delivered or mailed. It's easy! Here's my review of this sanity-saving method of buying greeting cards at the last minute.

The procrastinator in me loves these cards. Why? Because I can choose, buy, print, and mail or hand deliver any of them quickly, within a matter of minutes. If you tend to put off shopping for special occasions until it's almost too late to be on time, bet you'll love the convenience, too!

Even if you're organized and always on time, there's much more to love about these cards. Since they're designed by artists from all over the world, it's easy to find something absolutely unique and the selection is huge. You're sure to find a style that you like for any occasion you can think of.

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article.

Downloadable, Printable Inspirational Card ©JWGiftsandDecor on Etsy

Printable Father's Day Cards

Print it instantly! Father's Day printable greeting card from DecorartDesign

Father's Day is always the third Sunday in June, but it has a way of sneaking up on me at the last minute. You, too? If you wait until the last minute to choose a card for dear ol' dad, it won't be too late. Take a look at this Father's Day card collection, find one you like, order, then print. Use the search box to narrow down the subject matter to something that perfectly suits your dad.

Cards for All Occasions & Every Holiday

It's always good to have a greeting card or two on hand for emergencies, but if you're like me your card box never seems to contain exactly what you're looking for when you need it. That's another reason I like the idea of being able to choose the perfect card and print it from the comfort of my computer.

For instance, look at this selection of printable get well cards. You'll also find some really unique printable birthday cards. I found a beautiful selection of scripture cards for all occasions, too. Recently I've been exploring printable Halloween cards. You may be surprised at the selection. I was!

Choose a couple of designs that you especially like, order the downloads, and you'll have them on the computer when you need them. Pay once then print as many copies (for personal use) as you like!

Cute printable all-occasion greeting card from MerryMailman on Etsy, includes envelope template

Here's an idea for an all occasion card to keep on hand. This "What's up, buttercup" printable card download includes two designs, an envelope template, and you can color the card yourself if you choose. Or let the recipient color it. In fact, make a gift of it by including a set of colored pencils. How perfect for either an adult or a child! (I got this one for my mom, who really enjoys her adult coloring books.)

Next time you're at Walmart, Target, or your favorite office supply store, pick up an inexpensive package of card stock paper along with some pretty envelopes (or make your own envelope from a grocery bag!). Choose a few favorite printable card designs to have handy on your computer, and you'll be ready whenever the next card-giving occasion arises. You'll save both time and money and the recipient is sure to be pleased.

So, who will your first printable card recipient be?

~ Susan
See more of my reviews.

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

BlogJob in Transition: A Review

A Review of the BlogJob Blogging Community in a Period of Transition

When I first joined BlogJob in October of 2015, I was very excited about the community. I believed BlogJob was the writing community that had it all. It not only provided free WordPress hosting and a ready-made audience, but also issued points just for posting blogs. The points could be redeemed for gift cards or deposits of cash into PayPal. What was not to love?

I immediately set up six new blogs. I started to earn points. One could earn the most points for a blog post, because it was important to keep people writing on the site. One could also earn points for interaction with others in forums and groups, for making a new friend, and for commenting and answering on blog posts. Hosting was free, the community was active, and the sky was the limit.

Well, not quite. New members who hadn't completed any projects yet could only earn 150 points per day. If one posted three blogs, that used the point limit. No more points for interaction that might normally be earned would be issued. If you had earned your daily limit, your point pot for the day was full. If you had 125 points already and posted a blog post, 25 of your fifty points would just be overflow that would not help you in any way. It would be like pouring water into a full bottle. The rest would run over the sides and be lost. Nevertheless, members just tried to be careful not to earn above their daily limits and most people were quite content.

Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

We were disappointed when BlogJob stopped accepting new members shortly after I joined. Referring new members was an important step in completing the first project. Finally the administration removed that requirement and we were OK with that. They said the reason was that referrals weren't being credited properly and they needed time to fix it. I saw that as a tiny red flag. By May, 2016, the door opened to new members again. More of my friends joined.

Then, on April 26, BlogJob members logged in to discover their daily point limit had decreased. Suddenly, I could only earn 100 points a day, not 150. This didn't trouble me too much, since I had enough to do on my own sites that I never reached my limit anyway. Those who depended on BlogJob most for earnings were hurt much more than I. But I began to worry a bit. I had formerly been a happy member of Bubblews, a site that showed similar signs that it might be in financial trouble and later closed, denying payments that members had earned. But they tried to keep members in the dark.

The adminstration of BlogJob has been upfront about what's happening, and membership has closed once more. The site had just been migrated to a new server and had been down more than up for several days. Once it was back up and new members started arriving, the loss in traffic white the site was migrating had affected the advertising rates. It takes time for traffic to build again.

On May 4, 2016, just as everyone was in gear again, the administration said they would have to stop issuing points until enough traffic returned to generate enough income to start the earning process again. The administrator said those who had enough points to redeem would be paid. Many people were paid if they were eligible. But no one is earning points again yet.

Image photo courtesy of Pixabay, text added on PicMonkey

What's Next for BlogJob Members?

Current members find themselves in a dilemma. Do they stay, and wait? Or do they stay and participate as usual, even without earning points? Or do they take their work and move it elsewhere? Almost everyone at BlogJob had once been on Bubblews and was wondering if BlogJob would also go under. Do you cash out and leave? Or stay and hope the site will come back and do all you can to help make that happen? Different members have chosen different paths.

I have six blogs on BlogJob that I worked hard on. I was planning to move more there from other sites. Now I'm not sure that's wise. Although those with BlogJob blogs are allowed to monetize them, it's not as easy as it is on a self-hosted site. An affiliate marketer will do better with a self-hosted site for reasons I explain here. It's also true that one depending on third-party hosting never knows when she will wake up one morning and discover the site is gone. I don't think BlogJob will close its doors without warning, since it has been upfront with us so far.

It seems some of the traffic loss was due to an attack from Romania, and that it has now been dealt with. The site is faster now. Hope is building that points will start being issued again soon. I believe it's too early to tell. Who knows? Maybe the very act of my posting this will get the ball rolling, as per Murphy's Law.

Most BlogJob members who are still posting in forums are taking an optimistic view, believing problems will be resolved and the giving of points will return. No one has had their point balance erased. Payout requests from those with enough points are being honored and paid. I don't think this is Bubblews II. People who monetize their blogs will still be able to earn independently of BlogJob points. They can still enjoy socializing with each other as they do on other sites for free. Many members are putting in more time on myLot, which most of them also belong to and which does pay for participation.

Hope Springs Eternal Mug
Browse more Boomspress Mugs

Like other BlogJob members, I sincerely hope the site will soon be issuing points again. I think maybe those points should not be given as freely for actions like creating groups and making friends, since that rewards actions that are often abused on the site. I'm looking forward to the next act in this drama. I hope it all ends happily for the BlogJob members who depend on this site for income. I do believe the site owner will do all in his power to keep members informed and start letting them earn again. I believe his intentions are good. I hope he has the skills and the knowledge it takes to carry out those good intentions.

Update, March 1, 2019

I closed my BlogJob account several months ago. More and more bugs appeared that made posting hard. My ads were not formatting properly, and I was tired of fighting with the editor with no real hope left the site would ever pay again. I have backups of all my work and will gradually be moving it to other sites. I do not expect BlogJob to last much longer. I talked to a still active member today and she shares that opinion. She is also beginning to move work to other sites.

When something seems too good to be true, it often can't last. That's why I advise bloggers, especially affiliate marketers, to self-host. There's no such thing as a free lunch.