The project wizard is very easy to use, and offers more than just scrapbook pages. The program offers 2000-plus projects including mini-albums, brag books, scrapbook pockets, magazine covers, trading cards, photo cards, crafts, journals and diaries and more. I went straight to scrapbook pages and immediately browsed the different categories, which are broken down into groups for easier selection. I chose Thanksgiving because I found the disk with Thanksgiving 2001 on it.

It was very easy to insert the photos and change the wording in the text boxes, and also offered changing the background colors and designs with a simple click of the mouse. My page was complete in about 5 minutes and I was impressed at how easy the program was to use.

The photo-editing section was helpful, but I had to remind myself that this is not a photo-editing program. It did offer a good variety of options to choose from, including photo cropping, color enhancement, “red-eye” removal, and even an advanced features section utilizing different gradients and textures to name a few.

I then moved on to crafts and began browsing the dozens of projects offered in this section to include placemats, cards, photo cubes, photo mobiles, stickers and the list goes on. I chose the Father’s Day placemat project and inserted a picture of the kids when they were little (my husband loves anything with pictures of the kids in it). It took just a few minutes to complete this project, including printing, which is a big plus for me, a working mom with a limited amount of time to create quality gifts for my family. There is nothing more frustrating than navigating a program for hours trying to find the project you want to create, and then becoming discouraged and quitting before ever getting started! No need to worry about that with Scrapbook Factory Deluxe. Navigation of this program is very easy, the projects give all the information you need to complete them in a reasonable amount of time, which leaves you feeling gratified and wanting to create more.

The next cool project I found was sticker art. My kids love stickers, and our daughter is in love with horses, so what did I find? Horse and piggy stickers sheets with different horse and pig poses, even a pig with wings! All you have to do is print the page on regular printer paper or cardstock, attach a sheet of double-sided sticky tape (sold in craft or scrapbook stores), or run your sheet through a cold adhesive/laminating machine (Xyron makes many sizes from small sticker size up to 12x12 inches) cut out the stickers, peel off the backing and viola, you have your own stickers!

This program boasts 10,000-plus graphics, 2000-plus templates and customizable projects, 600-plus inspirational quotations, and 500-plus fonts. Images can be imported from disk, CD, scanner, digital camera or the Internet, making it easy to access and edit any photo or image and use them in any project of your choosing. Some projects don’t give you the option of using a photo, but in that instance a photo wouldn’t be appropriate in the project (i.e. invitations).

The system requirements for Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe are Windows 95 or better, Pentium 133 Mhz or faster, 32 MB RAM, a CD-ROM drive and an inkjet or laser printer.

This program is a product of Nova Development Corporation in Calabasas, CA., phone number (818) 591-9600. The Scrapbook Factory Deluxe Website offers online help as well as tips for creating Web albums, new projects and scrapbook pages. Nova is so confident that we will love this product that they offer a full 90-day money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. Help is always available by simply hitting the F1 key for the help guide. Tips and techniques are also offered for the advanced scrapbooker as well as photo-safe tips and reminder for all users.

I recommend this program to scrapbookers and crafters alike, because there are so many projects to satisfy both interests. I would also recommend Scrapbook Factory Deluxe to beginning/novice scrapbookers, as the pre-made page templates provide finished pages in a fraction of the time it takes to create handmade scrapbook pages. I personally prefer to make my own pages, adding embellishments and specialty papers of my choosing, but I will definitely use the rest of the projects included in this program. I also found that I could sit for long periods of time looking at all of the backgrounds, graphics, quotations (some are a little hokey), and all the pre-made projects and pages that can be created with this one program. I suggest that all who choose to use this program stock up on ink for your printer, as the projects are fun and easy, which causes the user to print many beautiful projects in a short period of time!

I found this program at Best Buy and Comp USA for $19.95, but online at different software outlets it is available for less than $15.