Digiscrap Tutorial
I digiscrapped the kids' school pictures:
This is a very plain page for me, but I just couldn't find any embellishments that didn't take away from the pics. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, I consider professional pics more important than my snapshots, and I always give them cleaner space. I still need to digiscrap a few random November pics & the Healing Field flags, too.
Every time I post one of these pages on FB, a different someone asks me how I do it; so here's my spiel:
Seriously - it really *IS* so easy!!! All you need is the internet & a photo editing program. I just sit on the couch & do it all on the laptop while I watch the TV I would be watching, anyway!
I design all the pages myself using Photoshop Elements and free digital background papers & embellishments off the internet; I upload them to Shutterfly, and Shutterfly will print them in a big bound 12x12 book, whenever I'm ready.
To design the pages, I open up a 12x12 digital background paper file in Photoshop Elements and just drag my photo & embellishment files on there where I want them. I type my text boxes, save the whole thing as a single .jpg, and upload it to Shutterfly. When I get to 101 pages (the max book size at Shutterfly, since this is a comprehensive family scrapbook - not just one year or one event) I'll have it printed and sent here!
This is soooo much cheaper than traditional paper scrapbooking. All my pics are digital, anyway, so I don't waste time & money printing them out for me to cut down. AND all the backgrounds, embellishments, etc. are all *FREE* on free digital scrapping sites! I have over 900 12x12 digital background papers I got all as free downloads - how much would 900 sheets of 12x12 designs be at a store, even on sale??? I am the biggest digital scrapping convert EVER! :-)
Just google "free digital scrapbooking" for tons of materials. Here are the sites I've used most, so far. A lot want you to "join their sites", but it's still free, and I haven't gotten ANY spam from any of them - just newsletters when there's new stuff. They all also have bigger kits that they sell, but I only download the free stuff:
http://shabbyprincess.com/index.php/category/downloads/
http://www.freedigitalscrapbooking.com/
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/ideas/showgallery.php?cat=531
For printing, I use Shutterfly over Snapfish - Snapfish has big deals more often, but I've found Shutterfly has a much better print quality, and I like big 12x12 books, so it actually matters. Here's the site for their print-your-digital-scrapbooks (not photo template books); click on the size books you're interested in for pricing: http://www.shutterfly.com/digitalscrapbook/scrapbook-overview.jsp
The other nice thing about digital scrapping over traditional paper scrapbooks is that you can show your pages easily to everyone! The only people who will ever see Will & Annelise's baby scrapbooks and our first family book on paper are the people who come over and sit in our house long enough to look through them. But these digital page files, I can share with everyone, so more people can see what we've been up to and enjoy the designs. After I finish a page, I upload it to Shutterfly, post a link here & on FB for people to see, and people can see them through our regular castleblake link, too. They just get a lot more viewing than any of my paper books ever will, and that makes it feel even more worth while, you know?
Great Lo Sues. I didnt know that shutterfly printed 12x12. Good to know!
ReplyDeleteHey I was just wondering what was it you said Will had that made him cough/gag/throw up when he coughs?? And you had to get that really expensive vitamn? I think Colin may have the same thing. Hes always thrown up when he coughs hard. So not fun! We always have a bucket handy even if hes just sick with a cold.
JenZ
still haven't started yet! first, i put it off b/c of our move and now i'm just waiting to have the $$ to do it! i still want to do our wedding album with regular paper b/c i have a TON of memorabilia that i want to keep, but once that is done, i'm switching to digital. you won me over!
ReplyDeleteJeni - this was the first time he'd ever coughed so hard he barfed, but he has some type of asthma that only flares up when he's sick; when mucus gets in his lungs, they spasm, so he can't breathe & it makes him cough horribly in vain. He has no breathing problems at all, unless he's sick. The dr put him on Singulair - a RIDICULOUSLY expensive steroid - but I think it's working, b/c the one time he's gotten sick since, it didn't get into his lungs & he was over it FAST!
ReplyDeleteAmy - I can't wait until you do start! I want to see your pages!!!
I'm glad that Singulair is working for Will. Dylan has been on that off and on for a while due to his hives and allergies. I dont remember it being outragiously expensive though...what kind of insurance do you have? Do you by chance know hte name of the asthma. See everytime Colin gets sick with a cold he'll cough till he pukes. It is not fun so the next time we are at the dr. I think I am going to bring this up. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe switched to a healthcare savings account, so we're all out-of-pocket until we hit our deductible for everything. It sucks. (We're saving money overall, but it just feels like it hurts more to pay full price at the pharmacy than to pay insurance premiums, you know?)
ReplyDeleteThe dr never gave it a specific name, but ask next time, and let me know!