Scrapbooking - My Introduction to Digital Scrapbooking
I have a friend who is very into scrapbooking; she spends probably more money that she will admit to on scrapbooking supplies, she attends probably weekly “scraps”, she writes for scrapbooking magazines and sites, and she has many, many completed scrapbooks. She is a very talented scrapbooker. After years of hearing her talk about it and seeing her completed scrapbooks, I thought I’d give it a try. But instead of going out and buying supplies I decided to try it on the computer.
Digital scrapbooking is a very popular pastime these days. There are literally hundreds of scrapbooking sites online, and many of them offer free templates and backgrounds. A few have instructions on digital scrapbooking and forums where you can get all the help and ideas you need.
I found I had a talent for digital scrapbooking and my first attempts turned out quite well. I used Corel Paint Shop to start but have since invested in Photoshop Elements.
I started out by taking part in a couple of challenges on an online forum. For my first page I used a very basic pattern and i think it turned out well. I used my favorite picture of me as a child with my mother:
One of my favorite scrapbook pages, which was my second, was inspired by a trip I took to Paris. I sat on this bridge and used this train station. Working on it brought back great memories of my trip. I created the background paper myself. I liked the way this one turned out as well:
I followed that scrapbook page with a couple dedicated to my
cat Boo. I experimented with several new techniques on this one such as creating pictures of the cat that looked like I had used rubber stamps and making it look like a picture was held on by paperclip.
This one is another favorite childhood picture of me. I’m with my older sister and the boy next door. I was all dressed up to be a flower girl. The pictures on the side were taken at a photo booth in Glasgow, Scotland. There is slightly more to this scrapbook page than the first one.
Another scrapbook page that turned out well was one
dedicated to my first teenaged crush, David Cassidy. It is very simple but, I think, effective.
I have done other digital scrapbooking projects like greeting cards, notecards, etc.
Digital scrapbooking is a fun and rewarding pastime only limited by your imagination. I would definitely recommend you try it. It is a great outlet for your creativity and also uses your writing skills. People are pleasantly surprised when you create a page and make it into a one-of-a-kind card or frameable picture.
