How do you feel about digital scrapbooking? Most crafters either love it, or they outright hate it!
Being a graphic designer, artist, and “traditional” scrapaholic for years, I have a unique
perspective and respect for both methods. But I recently discovered that a little digital scrapping
could make a huge improvement to your traditional scrapbook layouts!

I must admit that the artist in me craves the hands-on “traditional” method of scrapbooking. Nothing
feels better than sitting down to a table overflowing with the newest patterned papers, ribbons,
fibers, brads, stickers, and all those other “goodies” we like to call embellishments. How fun!
Creativity in the making! 

But then what happens next? If you’re like me, you immediately know which papers to choose and
quickly organize all the design elements you plan to use in your brilliant layout…complete with the
entire arrangement already completed in your mind’s eye. Right? LOL! In my dreams! 

Instead, I sit and stare…and then I stare some more. My eyes move back and forth across the table,
jumping from one perfect paper to another, deciding which will coordinate best, which photos to use,
etc. Which layout sketch inspires me? What color scheme look best with my photos? I’m afraid to
start trimming anything for fear of wasting my precious supplies if my layout doesn’t turn out the
way I’d hoped. 

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, then perhaps you too can benefit from the little
digital discovery I’ve made. 

As a graphic designer, I’m used to seeing things in print. Everyday I’m working with different
elements of design…text, titles, graphics, color, etc. My mouse is very forgiving when I move these
elements around on the computer screen in countless different arrangements until the advertisement,
business card layout, etc. is “just right.” One day I got to thinking about that and thought, “I
wish I could do that same thing with my scrapbook layouts. If I could just play around with the
arrangement of the photos, papers, etc. on the screen, then I would know exactly what I want my
layout to look like before I ever grab the paper trimmer.”

Voila…My BIG IDEA was born! Perhaps I’m not the first to think of this, but it was a real “uh ha”
moment for me, so I figured it was worth sharing. 

Now this is not actually digital scrapbooking that I’m talking about here. I simply use my computer
to figure out the general layout for my pages; including size and placement of my photos, paper
colors to use, fonts for my titles and journaling, etc. I design a general “pattern” to follow when
creating the actual “traditional” scrapbook page. I even make little notes of things I want to
remember such as use of a particular texture or embellishment. With the click of my mouse and the
“undo” button, I can try different ideas and arrangements without having to trash one single
supply!

You can use any graphics program to do this, as long as it has the capabilities to import photos,
create and layer blocks of color, & create text blocks and titles using different font styles. I set
my digital page size to the actual size my finished layout will be, such as 12” x 12”. That way, I
will know exactly what size my photos, mats, etc. will need to be on my finished layout. 

If you print your own digital photos, this will make it even easier for you. No more cropping,
cutting, or reprinting to get the proper size! Just cut and paste them from your pattern into a new
document and print them out at the exact size you need them to be. You may even wish to alter the
photo colors for different layouts like I did in my “digital pattern” shown here. Because this was a
fall layout, I decided to arrange the smaller photos in a loose, falling pattern as if they were
falling leaves. To add to the theme, I changed the photo colors by first de-saturating them (taking
out all the color so that they appear black and white) and then adding hues to make them different
fall leaf colors. This takes a little experimenting but can create some dramatic results.

Once your pattern is ready, just print it out and use it to pick out the paper colors and patterns
you want to use. You can either use rub-ons, alphabet stickers, etc. that closely match the fonts
you used in your titles and journaling, or you may choose to print them out on your papers, vellum
or overlays and attach them to your layout with brads or eyelets. 

The main idea is that you now have a “plan” for your scrapbooking. No more sitting and staring. The
guesswork is over and you can begin to create without worry or fear of not liking the results. And,
of course, your final layout will look even better than the digital pattern you created because
you’ll be able to add more details and embellishments. At this point you can truly let your
creativity overflow! 

Here is a photo of the “traditional” layout (right) I made using my digital pattern (left). I was amazed at 
how quickly I finished this layout! Having a plan definitely speeds up the process.

Please visit my store Scraps-n-More for inspirational premade layouts (when I have time to make
them!), ideas from our Monthly Cyber-Class Kits, and sign up to receive our FREE Newsletters with
lots of new ideas, techniques, and more! Other helpful articles are also available there!

Happy Scrapping!

© Copyright 2006, Gina M. Woods, All Rights Reserved.

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