Archive for the ‘Digital Scrapbooking’ Category

Photoshop Elements is the software program I use to edit my photos before printing, organize my digital photos, and create digital scrapbooking layouts.  Elements is a lot easier to use than the full Photoshop program (and much less expensive), but it can still take some time to learn how to get the most from it.  For a few years, I’ve been taking classes at JessicaSprague.com and ReneePearson.com to learn photo editing and digital scrapbooking.  I highly recommend both sites.  I only recently learned about Kim Klassen’s online classes.

Kim Klassen teaches a free Photoshop Elements course called, the Photoshop Skinny-Mini ECourse.  This online class begins on January 9th, so if you’re interested, sign up today.  It’s a 10-part, self-paced mini course that will teach you some of the basics of Photoshop Elements.  Remember, if you don’t have PSE yet, you can download a 30-day trial from the Adobe site (Kim provides the link.)

Even if you aren’t interested in this ecourse, please do take a few minutes to visit Kim’s blog.  You won’t want to miss her photography.  Her photos are amazing and so inspiring!  I signed up for her Beyond Layers class just because I fell in love with her blog and think reading inspiring emails from her will be a wonderful way to start my mornings in 2012.

All of the designers at Designer Digitals contributed to this kit, “For Humanity” to benefit the Red Cross Aid in Japan.

100% of the proceeds from this $10 digital kit will be donated to the American Red Cross to aid in the help of Japan.

Image by scrapbit via Flickr

I’m fairly new to hybrid scrapbooking, but I’m quickly catching on to all the fun projects you can make with your computer and your scrapbooking supplies.  This week I’ve seen some awesome hybrid inspiration from around the web.  If the snow storm gave you cabin fever this week, here are some easy projects you can do while you’re keeping warm at home:

Happy Hybrid from The Daily Digi

The Daily Digi never fails to deliver scrapbooking goodness from around the web.  This post shows some of the best hybrid scrapbooking projects around the web this week.  You’ll find some cute abc blocks, greeting cards, and home decor.

DIY Custom Tiles from Persnickety Prints

A little mod podge, a ceramic tile and a print from your computer and you’ve got a home decoration in time for Valentine’s Day.  You can easily adapt this project for any holiday or home decor color scheme.  This is one I’m going to try this week.  I just need a quick run to the store to pick up a tile or two.

Mouse Paper Lovely

This is a sister site of JessicaSprague.com devoted to hybrid scrapbooking.  Spend a few minutes browsing, and not only will you find a fun project or two, but you’ll quickly realize how easy it is to combine digital and traditional scrapbooking supplies into gorgeous hybrid scrapbooking projects.

I’ve been using Photoshop Elements 8 for my digital scrapbooking and debating on whether or not to upgrade to PSE 9.  Usually I wait for 2 version changes before I upgrade on any software.  However, one major new feature for Photoshop Elements 9 is the ability to now use layer masks.  That feature alone has seriously tempted me to buy PSE 9.  So, I’ve been watching for great deals on this software, and I’ve found them!

Right now you can get PSE 9 at Costco for $49.99.  That’s the final price after a $30 manufacturer’s discount.  You can also get Photoshop Elements 9 at Amazon for $44.99, which is the final price after a $20 mail-in rebate.  Combined with my 3% cash back using my Amazon Visa, this is a deal I can’t pass up!

Photoshop Elements 9 at Amazon $44.99 after Mail-In Rebate

I’m planning to highlight a few Christmas gift ideas that you can make using your scrapbooking skills.  The internet is full of fantastic ideas to make handmade holiday gifts with supplies you already have. Most of them can be made either using traditional, digital or hybrid scrapbooking methods.  Today’s idea is a simple recipe book you can give either filled with your favorite recipes or blank for some who loves to cook.

Molly at Biograffiti posted this simple DIY recipe book using some digital templates and an album she found at Target.  It turned out beautifully.  She used a digital scrapbooking kit called “At Home” designed by Paislee Press.  As for the album, I’ve spotted them at the Target in my area in the photo album section.

To make this as simple as possible, you can use digital templates found at Oscraps or purchase the entire digital kit which includes the recipe card templates in JPG and PSD files complete with paper layers from the Paislee Press kit. It also includes complete instructions.  Of course, the album is not included.  It’s a digital download product.

I love how easy this looks and how the Paislee Press papers coordinate with the color of the album.  This is a perfect idea for a digital scrapbooker, but even a traditional scrapbooker can take this idea and use supplies they have on hand to create their own version of this recipe holder.

Watch for more quick and easy scrapbooking Christmas gift ideas over the next week.

Ali Edwards is one of my all time favorite scrapbook artists.  Her blog is on my daily “Must-read” list.  Today she is offering a free word art download for Halloween.  It includes the words “Happy Halloween” and “Boo.”

Don’t miss this 2010 Halloween Freebie.  The download includes both .png files and printable pdf files.  You can find this free digital download at:

Ali Edwards 2010 Halloween Freebie

If you’re looking for some tips on hybrid scrapbooking, Write Click Scrapbook posted a great tutorial on how to use digital layered templates for hybrid scrapbooking.

By using clipping masks, this tutorial will walk you through step by step how to use digital templates with your photos and page layout.  She includes both screenshots and a video so it’s very easy to follow her process.

Be sure to read down to the end of the post where she links to a free template from Cathy Zielske.  If you like this tutorial be sure to subscribe to Write Click Scrapbook.  In tomorrow’s post, she plans to talk more about templates and overlays, as well as how to complete a hybrid scrapbook page.

It’s no secret that I love online scrapbooking classes.  I’ve reviewed a few of them on this site.  Over on the Daily Digi, Katie has listed and reviewed several of the best places to find online scrapbooking classes.  It’s a comprehensive list that includes her reviews of classes she’s taken, the basic information like the URL and instructors, an overview of the site, current or upcoming classes, and classes she has taken or would recommend.  Also check the comments section of this post for more reviews from readers.

Here’s a brief review of some of my favorite online scrapbooking classes.

Jessica Sprague – I’ve already reviewed her learn digital photo editing course and the beginning digital scrapbooking class, but I’ve taken many classes at Jessica’s site.  I have to say that her classes are the best to learn digital scrapbooking.  Her classes have become more expensive, but she also offers free ones as well.  These free classes are shorter than the others, but no less informative.  I recently took her Pen Tablet Basic for Scrapbookers course. I highly recommend that if you own a pen tablet.  If you’d like to broaden your journaling skills, Type + Writer 1&2 are excellent classes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Cathy Zielske recently posted a hybrid scrapbooking tuturial on her blog.  What is hybrid scrapbooking?  Basically, it’s using both digital and traditional elements on a scrapbooking page.  Some people start with a traditional layout and add digital elements.  Others begin with a digital page layout and after printing they add traditional elements to it.

Cathy’s approach to hybrid scrapbooking begins with her computer.  In the video she uses Photoshop Elements to show you how she approaches a hybrid scrapbooking layout. She uses a digital layout as the base for her page. She adds in traditional patterned paper to her layout, but one of the great tips in the video is using the digital layout to create a template to cut the paper to size.

Check out Hybrid Digital Scrapbooking.

I’m always looking for opinions and advice on the best place to print digital scrapbooking pages.  For anything 8 1/2″ x 11″ or less, I print at home on my Epson Artisan 810.  I actually try to avoid printing digital layouts at 12×12 because it’s just so hard to find a good source for printing.  I hate spending the money to have pages printed and then getting back results that are less than satisfactory.  My most common compliant is colors that are too dark.  I thought for a while that maybe my monitor was to blame, but even compared to my in-camera monitor (on a Canon Xsi), my 4×6 prints come back too dark at many color printing companies.

At the Daily Digi, there is an excellent review of digital layout printing.  Steph sent the same layout to several difference printers and compared the intimidation factor (site navigation), ease of upload, photo colors, and paper and embellishment colors. I was really surprised to hear her results from Scrapbook Pictures, because I’ve heard so many digital scrapbookers rave about that service.  It seems she liked Persnickety the best overall.  That’s a company I haven’t heard of until now.  This is definitely a post you should check out if you plan on printing digital scrapbooking pages.  This review actually confirmed the decision I made to invest in a good printer.  I’d rather pay the cost of ink at home and have good results than waste time and money trying to find a good outside printing source.

The Daily Digi: Layout Printing Reviews