Digital Scrapbooking for Newbies: How You Can Get Started Today

No doubt you are familiar with traditional scrapbooking done with paper and printed photos. But there are a growing number of people who are using their computers to create unique scrapbooking pages. If you're looking for a way to artfully preserve your photos in a digital format, digital scrapbooking may be right for you.

In contrast to traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking doesn't require very many supplies. All you need to get started is digital imaging software that supports layers (such as Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro) as well as digital copies of your photos and digital scrapbooking templates. If you'd like to print out your own digitally created scrapbook pages, you will also need access to a high quality photo printer and photo paper.

While a traditional scrapbooker will collect piles of paper and dozens of types of embellishments, you can easily download free embellishments to your computer from different digital scrapbooking supply websites. Because there aren't any supply costs, digital scrapbooking can be a much cheaper alternative to traditional scrapbooking. Look for templates that will help you easily format your photos and coordinate your embellishments. Templates like these typically feature fonts, embellishments, and background layers. You can also find paid templates and sites that offer embellilshments. You can build a large library of embellishments for a very low price.

Select the photos you want to use in your layout and then edit them if you need to. You can use your digital imaging software to crop your photos, reduce red eye and adjust the color levels. Place the photos inside of the pre-made templates and then add your journaling and other decorations.

There are no limits to the creativity that you can use with digital scrapbooking. The pages are easy to edit, so you can tweak and adjust your pages based on what looks best. If you get the hang of creating your own embellishments you can even offer them as downloads for other people to use.

As far as storage goes, you have a few different options. You can keep all of your digital scrapbooking pages on your computer. You can share them online in their digital format and even burn them to a CD to share with your friends and family. If you'd prefer to have hard copies of your pages, you can print them off on your computer or send them out to be printed. Several online photo processing sites specialize in helping digital scrapbookers achieve the looks they want in printed form.

Many scrapbookers use a standard size of 12 X 12 inches, which is obviously larger than the standard printer. You can have your pages specially printed at that size, or simply create layouts on an 8 ½ X 11 inch template.

In addition to creating complete pages in a digital format, you can also combine your digitally created pages with traditional scrapbooking elements. This form of scrapbooking, called hybrid scrapbooking, allows you to use the pages you create on your computer and then add dimension with velum, flowers and other three dimensional elements.

No matter how you choose to use digital scrapbooking you can make use of this fun technique. It's easy to get started and relatively cheap. Whether you want to make entirely digital pages or use a hybrid scrapbooking technique, this is something that you owe it to yourself to try.

Handmade Bookbinding – How To Book Bind Yourself

Handmade Bookbinding is one good way of stirring and rousing the creative side in you. Instead of having the typical book bind in designing your own books, doing it yourself with the use of different handmade designs will not only let you choose your own draft but also create your preferred design.

You can easily utilize these designs by means of printing and binding your own paperback. You can also visit a lot of websites that teach you how to book bind yourself.

Handmade bookbinding specifically provides you with a step-by-step way of designing, crafting and binding your own books. If you want to engage yourself in different training and crash courses to develop your craft then you have to search for different sites that provide courses regarding bookbinding.

On the other hand, having an innate gift of creativity will hone you further through different instructional manuals and guides.

The emergence of a lot of e-books regarding bookbinding has proliferated online and so making a wise decision of choosing the best ones is imperative. There are other sites where designs are poorly demonstrated and pictured, the details are not clear and so you have to make a careful choice so as not to waste money.

Saving you with a good deal of money and time should be your primary concern in searching for the best bookbinding training program or course.

Thus, book binding need not be something that would require you to shell out a lot of money. With a little knowledge, resourcefulness and creativity you will surely create your own design effortlessly in coming up with a handmade masterpiece.

Who knows, maybe you can even make a living out of handmade bookbinding.

Learn how to do simple handmade bookbinding here. I will show you some of the best handmade bookbinding techniques you can use to do your own book bind.

Make Your Scrapbooking Pages Personal: Use Your Own Handwriting

Scrapbooking has joined the digital age.  We can now make complete scrapbooking pages on our computers. Even those of us who prefer traditional scrapbooking tend to use the computer for our journaling to print clean, neat captions and narratives on our layouts.

Handwriting on pages may not be as pretty as a computer font. Still, it is so much more personal and meaningful to our families.

Why do we hesitate to use our own handwriting in our albums?  There are a few reasons.  The most common one is concern that our handwriting is too messy or won't be able to be  read by others.  We should all try to get beyond this and realize how important it is to our family to preserve something as unique as our handwriting.  Think about those handwritten letters and recipes from a grandparent and how important they are to you now.

Another reason people resist handwriting on page layouts is fear that they will make a mistake that can't be erased.  There are many ways to correct a handwriting error.  First, use a paper journaling block to write on first. You can always use a second one if you make a mistake.  You can also correct a mistake by placing a new piece of paper over the error on the page, and write again on that piece.  Finally, stickers work wonders when it comes to covering up most kinds of scrapbooking mistakes.


Handwriting success depends on using the right pen.  You should first consider the type of paper you are using.  Choose a pen designed to write on that type of surface.  Some pens will run or smear on certain types of scrapbooking paper.  Width is also important.  Using a wide tip pen on a small square of paper is not going to be successful.

For handwriting success you need to practice.  Make a draft of your journaling before you glue anything to the page.  Read it to yourself and out loud. This allows you to spot any errors in spelling or grammar.  Having someone else proofread your journaling is especially helpful when you have a long, narrative block of writing.  Be sure to test your pen on the page you intend to use for your final journaling. Making a draft also lets you be sure your paper is large enough to handle all your journaling.

Many of us need a straight edge to handwrite or we tend to write on a slant.  Pre-lined journaling blocks are a useful tool for those you often write uphill.  You can make these using a pen and ruler or you can use a lined-journaling stamp made for this purpose.  Your local scrapbooking store will also have pre-lined journaling blocks usually with decorative accents.  Patterned paper can work as a guide for your handwriting.  Try writing along the lines in striped paper.  Print along the outside of a frame.  You even can write along the edges of scrapbooking borders.


There are few things as personal as our handwriting.  Handwriting is unique.  Like our signature, it is a statement of who we are.  When you use your handwriting on your page layouts it adds character to your scrapbooks.  It will tell your family and anyone who looks at your albums about your mood and your personality.  Your family is sure to treasure your scrapbooks even more.  Let your handwriting add depth and emotion to your pages, not a computer font.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has more than 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking tips and information on Mother's Day cards for scrapbooking.

Scrapbooking Adhesives: Stick to the Basics

Scrapbookers have so many choices in scrapbooking adhesives. Manufacturers are offering more and more options to meet the needs of this hobby.  Scrapbooking techniques have continued to change over time, and now scrapbookers need adhesives that can handle the newest techniques and trends.

The key to scrapbook adhesives is that they must be photo-safe.  You need to be sure any product you are using on your scrapbooking pages, particularly on the back of your photos, will not cause damage to them over time. When it comes to adhesives, scrapbookers have a variety of options.

Photo Corners: These are the pioneer adhesives of scrapbooking, and they still remain a popular choice for many scrapbookers.  When scrapbooking first began, photo corners were used because they would allow you to attach photographs to a page and still remove them.  Because photo corners are not permanent adhesives, they are ideal for heritage photographs and anything you don't want to permanently mount to a page.  They now come in a variety of colors and materials.

Glue: Scrapbookers love glue for its versatility.  Glue comes in pens, tubes and bottles.  You can use just a small dot of glue from a glue pen to stick even the tiniest items to your scrapbooking page.  Choose from permanent or repositionable glues, or even specialized glue for metal or fabric.

Tape Runners: These are a basic supply for most scrapbookers.  Tape runners are double-sided adhesives and come in dispensers or on a roll.  Like glue, they are available in permanent and repositionable tape.  Tape runners are convenient and fast for quick page layouts. As you run the tape along a surface, it leaves behind a continuous line of adhesive. You use only as much as you need for each item.

Glue Dots:  A must-have for heavy embellishments, glue dots allow for a strong bond and are perfect for fabric and ribbons.  They come in a range of sizes, mounted on either a roll or sheet.

Glue Sticks:  Glue sticks provide a convenient, easy-to-use alternative to glue, without the sticky mess. You can cover a large area quickly, making them a great choice for creating fast layouts.  Before you buy a glue stick, make sure it states that it is photo-safe.  Some varieties, like those use for school projects, are not.

Adhesive Spray: The advantages of adhesive spray are even coverage and transparency.  They work well with vellum, unlike some adhesives that will show through the paper.  You do have to be very careful with over spray. Always put down paper to cover your work surface before using adhesive spray.

Tape:  Scrapbookers find many uses for both double-sided and standard tape.  One-sided tape can be used to cover the prongs on brads and eyelets, so your pages don't get caught on them.

Foam Tape:  Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, like dots and squares, foam tape gives your scrapbooking layouts a dimensional effect.  They work very well with titles and letters.

Scrapbookers can never have enough adhesive. Always stock up on your favorites and bring plenty with you when you go to a crop or workshop.  It helps to have a variety of adhesives available as you work on a project.  Consider your choices and choose the ones that best fit your scrapbooking style.

Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more scrapbooking ideas and creative memories scrapbooking.

Digital Scrapbooking with Adobe: More Options for Scrapbookers

One of the reasons that Adobe is such a great company for modern-day computer users is that they offer a wide range of products.  These products help you to not only create documents, but to really enhance them when you're working with photos and other graphics.  So, using Adobe for digital scrapbooking can be a fun and enjoyable way to create stunning graphics and pages for your own albums.

There are some common questions that you might immediately have when it comes to getting started with digital scrapbooking with Adobe, so hopefully we can answer some of those basic questions here, and get you on your way. Once you learn how to use Adobe Photoshop you will be able to add more creativity to your scrapbooking pages.

Most people think of the Adobe software program, Photoshop, when they talk about digital scrapbooking with Adobe.  Many people use Photoshop to edit and enhance their photographs on their computer screen.  The internet is full of some of the funny photos that have been altered by Photoshop - the President's head on a buff muscular weight-lifter's body or a cat riding on top of space shuttle - those photos are created with Photoshop.

One of the tools that Adobe Photoshop has is the selection feature.  This allows you to take any area of one picture and remove it from its original setting, expand it, and so on.  For example, suppose you have a favorite photo of your two children, but wish you could have them in individual photos to work with your scrapbooking projects.

Photoshop allows you to select and manipulate the part of that original picture you want and make it into its own new picture.  This is one of the best ways to begin scrapbooking with Adobe, as you are not limited by the pictures you have and the way they've come out.

Some of the most creative scrapbooking pages are those that have more than one copy of the same picture, or several shots that were taken right after one another, and so on.  When digital scrapbooking with Adobe Photoshop, you can copy your pictures, reduce their size, expand their size, and add as many other pictures as you want, all with the click of a mouse.  This way there is no damage done to your original photos, and you don't need to keep copying, cutting, pasting, and so on, until you get it right.

Whether you are a beginner or advanced computer user, Adobe Photoshop has a version that is right for you.  Consider how long it takes you to learn a new computer program.  Professionals use the full versions of Adobe Photoshop.  However, these are much more expensive and offer more features than most digital scrapbookers will need.  The Adobe Photoshop Elements version is much more practical and easier to learn.

You can create beautiful and unique scrapbooking pages using Adobe Photoshop for your digital scrapbooking needs. With a full range of special effects, you can enhance your photos and design a variety of graphics for your pages.  Take the time to learn Photoshop.  You'll be glad you did.

Christine Perry invites you to her website, for more beginner scrapbooking and information on how to become a scrapbook consultant.

Create a Unique Scrapbook with Everyday Items You Already Have at Home

Scrapbooking has become a popular pastime through the past few years. If you've looked into it, you know that it can easily become an expensive one as well. But with some creativity, you can use the everyday items in your house to create a scrapbook that reflects your individual personality and style.

After you've selected your favorite photos and mementos for your scrapbook, take a look around you. You've probably looked at items around your house hundreds of times without considering their scrapbook potential.

If you've got photos from a favorite vacation, look around to see what you have around your home that reminds you of that trip. Postcards, souvenirs and even travel brochures that can be cut apart are great ways of building a great vacation page or section.

If you're building a school days page, report cards, awards, certificates, ribbons, graded assignments, and even notebook doodles are clever enhancements. Paper clips or crayon wrappers work nicely.

Pressed flowers, handwritten poetry, and clippings from magazines can also nicely enhance a wedding or engagement page. Be sure to jot down details of the day you want to be sure you remember. Use the fronts of some of your favorite cards and remnants from saved gift wrap as backgrounds for your photos.

Ribbons and gift wrap remnants also work well for baby's page. Be sure to include an announcement card and a copy of baby's footprints. You might also want to tuck in a corner of a baby blanket or a page from a favorite storybook.

Even remembrance pages can reflect your own personal memories of your lost loved one. Enhance your favorite photos with a label from a favorite perfume or cologne, food, beverage. Movie ticket stubs, buttons, newspaper articles, handwriting samples and favorite quotes or funny moments jotted down on paper can make your page special.

With a fresh look at some ordinary, every day items, your scrapbook can take on a personal and individual flair.