Siberian Gold Tigers - Day 47....plus Useful Software

Every page of this design has had a pretty large element of fine details. For fine detail read "confetti". It's never individual stitches; but it's frequently groups of 2 or 3. While that makes for a lovely, detailed, design it's also a pain in the bum! Especially when all that's left on the page is those tiny little bits that make it look like you've stitched for over 4 hours and have nothing to show for it!

So, what else do I have for you today?

Shortly, I'll be reviewing another musical CD.

Also, my first post about books.

But, for the rest of today's stitching entry I'm going to do a bit of a cross-over to my other interests as well.

Cataloguing. Home Inventory. Database Entry. Whatever you want to call it - it's my best friend.

I have one of the worst cases of collector-itis ever. Once I take an interest in something I can't help myself getting more and more and MORE.

There are times when I can curb that instinct (I only have about 10 Disney Traditions ornaments - instead of the 100+ I would like to have!).

But, most of the time, I can't reign myself in and I go a little mad. But, to quote Anthony Perkins in Psycho "We all go a little mad sometimes."

So...

I collect - in a big way:

CDs - All styles of music; but predominantly Soundtracks, Musicals and Pop. There is a smattering of Folk, Country and Rock in there too.

DVDs/Blu-rays - Back in the day it was VHS (remember those?!), then DVD and now Blu-ray.

Books - what can I say. I may own a Kindle; but there's just something about holding a solid paper object in my hand that just does it for me!

On top of that there are collections of various other things: Lego, Board Games, Ornaments, Toys.

And - don't forget Cross Stitch. While cross stitch strictly comes under the title of 'Hobby', there's no denying there is a certain amount of collecting involved. We collect charts, kits, floss, needles etc.

Now, when it comes to having large collections of anything, you get to a point where you just don't know what you've got and need some tools to help you organize. That's where computer software comes in handy.

First up: NUMENTO

Numento (from: Numento.com) is a piece of software that allows you to keep track of any collection you may have. It costs 25 euro but it's worth every penny.

There are some collections built in, like: Media Library, Comic Books, Stamps, Shells (who knew!), Coins, Toys and Games, Product Labels etc.

But, what makes Numento a must-have for any collector is it's customisation features. You can literally create a collection template for anything.

So, I did one for Cross stitch.

Here's what you get when load up the program:

You can see that I have lots of collections already set up. You simply choose the database you want to open from this start-up screen.

Once you have a collection started, this is what it looks like:

On the left: Groupings. You can set these up to your preferences. As you can see I like to know Theme, Characters, Kits, Charts for Cross Stitch. This allows me to instantly know how many charts or kits I have. Or how many designs with a certain character or theme. The program is only limited by your own preferences.

Also, the display are at the top looks brilliant, doesn't it?

When you want to edit, or add, and entry, this is the screen you get:

Once again, all the fields on this page can be changed. You can add or remove everything.

So, there you go.

But, there's more.

You can use Numento for everything if you want, but, as good as it is, I found I wanted more for certain other collections.

So, for DVDs/Blu-rays I use DVDProfiler (from here: DVD Profiler Website)

Quite simply, it's the best software on the market for keeping track of this sort of thing. Also, while it's not free (what in life really is?!) it's a ONE-TIME FEE and you get free updates for life. You will literally never need another program for this.

Here's a screenshot of my collection:

One of the things I love about Profiler is the display options. I have mine set to 'Shelf View' to give that simulated look of items sat on a shelf.

There is every field you could possibly want, in addition to some great extra features, like: Last Watched, Wishlist or Gift from.

Finally, there is Collectorz (from here: Collectorz.com)

This company do a range of 5 programs: Movie, Book, Comic, Game and Music Collector. Each with it's specific features.

Recently, they've added the ability to customise by adding any extra fields you want.

Here's my CD collection:

And, my Books:

If you're like me and want to keep a record of when you listened to a CD or read a book these programs are great. Also, the wishlist function on both is excellent - as is the warning system built in if you try to add something you already own! No more duplicates!

The ONLY drawback with Collectorz is the price. They're not the most expensive on the market, but they aren't really cheap either.

Either of these programs will set you back approx. £30. You also have to pay for future updates if you want them. Although, they've recently introduced a payment plan option, so you can pay £1.50 per month and get all future updates without worrying. So, I pay £3 per month for all updates on these two programs.

So, there you have it.

Welcome to the world of cataloguing.

AKA: Geeksville! LOL!

But, there's no denying how useful these programs can be.

Feel free to contact me if you want any information on these programs and I will try to help.