Going Digital

Since so many people had such good questions about the digital page I thought I would share what I've learned so far.

I am not using a packaged scrapbooking program. I thought it would be to limiting for me, but I think there are a great ideas for someone not really interesting in completely learning how to re-invent the wheel. Hallmark, Creating Keepsakes, HP and hundreds of other companies have scrapbooking software. If you want to just take it for a test run, without a lot of time investment package deals are probably the way to go, and pretty cheap. Here's a link to a review of Top Ten scrapbooking software: http://scrapbooking-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

Our old computer had Corel Paint Shop Pro on it which I updated to Paint Shop Pro X. Our computer died and we got a new one, so I just finally re-loaded the software. In the download there was a download available for Lynda Tutorials. Thought "I really need to learn how to use this thing." So I downloaded them too. Very helped with the basics, this is where they hook ya, but I really wanted more, so headed to the tutorial, website at http://www.lynda.com/. Great website you can sign up for a year or just a month. I get the month package, it was $25.00. What I've learned so far is worth way more than $25.00, and I'm only a week into my subscription.

I'm using Paint Shop as my editor, art studio. It comes when a few scrapbookish thing, but I've been getting things from several different websites. Here's a few I like: http://www.littledreamerdesigns.com/ and http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/digital.asp. There's tons more, but right now I haven't needed to wander. They've had anything I needed. You purchase via download: papers, fonts, and elements (ribbon, brads, staples). There's packages for things that all work together. Imagine walking into your favorite scrapbook store and there's a bag full of everything you need to complete a page and everything matchs. Same thing, just digital. Now the fun part for me in Paint Shop is I can make the elements, fonts and papers. For instance the glittery dead fish at the top of the blog is actually a cardboard thing I bought from JoAnn's. I took a picture of it -- I could have scanned it too -- digital cut it out and altered it, changed the smile to a frown and drew "Xed" out his eyes and flipped him. Here's the original picture.

Of course I'm weird do I had a total blast doing all of this. My point is you can make anything an element for you scrapbook pages.

After completing hat last scrapbook page, "Beach Bum" I uploaded it to Costco and had it printing out in 12 x 12 ($2.99) and 8 x 8 ($1.49ish). I wasn't sure what this thing was going to look like. It looked better than I expected.

I created the new title and background paper the blog with Corel Paint Shop also. I needed to use an outside source to figure out how to do the background paper, www.cutestblogontheblock.com.

That's what I know so far. I'll update as I learn and grow. :)

Playing with HTML

I'm having a blast learning all the cool things I can do on my blog . . . so you're probably going to see some crazy things over the next few weeks. Hopefully, they'll be fun. Hang in there . . .who knows what I'll come up with next.

Like the new backgroud . . . I made it tonight . . . pretty girlie for me!

Addendum to "Tina's Created a Monster"

Here's the completed set from last night. (I would like to point out the crookedness is photo related.)

I actually think about stuff like this . . .

When we went to get Griffin's haircut, in the faux hawk, we took a picture of David Beckham in for an example. While cleaning out my purse this morning I found the photo. So I thought I should cut out the picture and keep that in my wallet for the next time Griffin gets his haircut. Then I thought, "What if I drop dead and there's a picture of David Beckham in my wallet? People will think I'm a freak" So, I cut out the picture, but I labeled it, " Griffin's haircut." Now I can sleep at night.

Tina's Created a Monster

I just have to scrap chronologically. It's the way my mind works and it's my favorite way to tell a story. That said, I'm feverishly working through Chicago pictures. I have good set of pictures to use on Challenge 3a from our visit to The Field Museum. But I have to complete the pages that come before it. I'm weird but I must, work in order. I've been busting a move and here's a couple more pages.

Meanwhile, I can't decide which I like more: scrapbooking or taking pictures of scrapbook pages. I told Patty I'd be photographing all pages from here on out. God forbid something happens to the scrapbooks . . . I would still have a record.

How Inspiration Works

I saw the page above in Creating Keepsakes and somehow, that design ended up the design below. Skipping down the path of inspiration.

Don't be alarmed!

Don't freak out, but this is a digital scrapbook page. I've dabbled before, but I wanted to really learn now to do it. I can't imagine digital scrapbooking replacing my LOVE . . .MY OBSESSION with the real thing. I like how this turned out, but I didn't get to touch anything or play with my toys.

I used Corel Paint Shop software. Simple page for starters.