Digital Scrapbooking

Just like everything else, scrapping is going digital. Digital scrapbooking, or digiscrapping, can be more efficient and cost effective than regular scrapbooking.

Digiscrapping allows you to edit your pages over and over again until you reach perfection without having to restart every time. It also lets you easily fix mistakes, no matter what the size. The software also lets you edit the size of your page. So, if you designed a 12 x 12 page, you can choose to shrink it down to an 8×8 or any other size and it will automatically adjust everything for you. You can also email your completed book to friends or  print numerous copies.

Another awesome aspect of digiscrapping is it takes care of that pesky storage problem. You won’t have stacks upon stacks of paper, drawers of embellishments, scraps, or anything else that goes with traditional scrapping. This method is also mess free so you won’t have that frantic rush to clear everything up at the end of the day, just save and close the program.

If you already have a computer this can definitely help out your wallet as you will only need to download the necessary software. You may, however, need to invest in a printer so you can print your creations. If you don’t want to buy a printer, some photo centres will print 12x12s or you can look at online for specials to cut down on cost.

There are lots of  free tutorials that are available to all you aspiring digiscrappers as well as layouts, templates, and ideas.

Scrapbooking Isn’t Just for Girls

Traditionally, scrapbooking has been thought of as more of a feminine things but that is no longer the case. Nowadays, lots of people are making scrapbooks for dads, brothers, and other male figures in their lives.

There are many father and son scrapbook layouts to make the pages feel a little bit more masculine as well as pictures of completed pages to give you more ideas about paper and decorations.

Digiscrapping soft ware is also being developed with men in mind. Kits are starting to include colour schemes with blues and greens and textures like denim and plaid. If you are going to digiscrap this will definitely make that page for Father’s Day, a birthday, or any other event much easier to create.

Tips for Making More Masculine Pages

• use bolder colours instead of pastels (don’t have to be mutually exclusive, use your discretion)
• big bold fonts
• use stickers and embellishments to make pages interesting; there are lots of sports related and other “masculine” stickers out there, metals also make good embellishments
• you want the pages to looked finished but not too overdone (this goes for all pages, not just these pages)
• everyday things from around the house can act as decorations (ie. Buttons, twine, string)
• when picking out paper, look for things like denim, argyle and plaid; stay away from florals
• distress the paper; just rub sand paper on the edges or on letters that are going to make your title and you are good to go
• tearing the paper edges a little also works

Resources

Masculine sarapapers™ by Hot Off the Press – coordinated paper that comes with matching tags

Thinking of Buying a Light Box

With the shortening days, and with scrapbooking not likely to be just a daylight hour activity, I’m seriously considering getting a light box.  Tracing on a window hasn’t exactly been easy.  Not only is it awkward, more than once I’ve had to re-do the cut.  Takes some of the fun out of scrapbooking.

If I had a glass coffee table, I might be able to make do by putting a light under the table, as some of my friends do.   Others have made their own light box by creating a frame putting a white fluorescent bulb inside.  Since they’re home made, they tend to be a bit bulky.

Thinking of a 12 x 12 or 10 x 12 inch light box.

Having to justfiy adding a light box to my scrapbooking toolkit, here are all the things I can do with a light box:

• Crop photos – with a light box, you can turn the photo over and still see through the photo.  I prefer to cut from the back than the front.
• Trace designs
• Make cutouts
• Trace letters or letter cutouts
• Emboss designs

Embossing will be much easier.  The light will make stylus movements more exact.  The light box will be particularly useful when embossing by pressing onto a form.  You can see through the paper to position the form, and then press down in exactly the right place.  This has been a pretty awkward effort on a window.