Free Scrapbooking Sites' Favourite Downloads

This month I have listed a couple of my favourite free layouts which can be downloaded.
This layout is a unique design, using a part circle pattern in the center with photos radiating out.
The background suites the subject matter with modern designs found on teenage clothing and the main picture is large and framed in a similar design.



In creating a digital layout from scratch, there are the same basic steps: design background paper, add photos, create photo mats or accent papers, add effects such as drop shadowing, create embellishments (if desired), and finish with titles and journaling. It’s up to you how you use those steps to define your own unique style. Some like clean graphic lines giving the look of a magazine ad, while others like the look of traditional paper-pieced layouts, with “paper”, embellishments, and the illusion of three-dimensions. The beauty of digital is so many techniques are at your disposal to give such varied looks.


This layout is fairly simple but has some artistic 3D flower motifs that add interest. The seperate layers of different background material also blend well with the overall design.
Both these layouts have ideas that you can use with your own photos to get great results.

Lego Design

With the popularity of Lego, I have created a Lego kit that can be used for childrens' pages in bright colours similar to Lego bricks.



Lego Design download

I have also found this Lego site that may be of interest to those who like building with Lego.
I have the link here

Free Old World Style Layout download

This month I have created a new kit which has that old world charm about it. I like the intricate textures and dignified colors that make this suitable for parents and grand parents giving the feel of earlier days.This kit is available to download free.







I could not decide which frames I like better, so I have included both frames in the set.
Below is an example of the set using the other frames.

Old World Download

Free Pink Rose Download

Here are my free Pink Rose Backgrounds and add ons for you to experiment with.
This is just one example of how the elements can be used.
This set has some lovely aged pink and mauve colours which gives it a warmth.

Sorry I had the wrong download link. It should be ok now.

Free Scrapbook Download Here

Taking Digital Photos For Scrapbooking

The introduction of Digital Cameras has made taking,storing and printing photos so much easier than before when we had to wait ages to get our snaps back from the developer. Now it is possible to take a photo ,edit it and print it out in minutes with the latest digital technology.
Digital Camera can now be bought for under $200 and be 8 megapixel and have 4 times optical zoom which would have cost $1000 a few years back.
For most family photos used in scrapbooking, these cameras are fine and give a large enough photo so it can be cropped in Photoshop and still leave you with a high quality photo.






This photo below shows how part of the photo is lost when cropping to a set size like 4 x 6. When printing your digital snaps from an in store photo kiosk, it is advised to always check how the photo is cropped for the print so that no ones head is cut off or important details missed.







Once you progress with your photographic skills, you may want to buy a higher quality SLR camera and take you Digital Scrapbooking into new realms and make it more like a photo album of your best photos, enhanced with your own scrapbooking style. This is an area that I am interested in and have made various albums like this.
Another site I have which has some of my photos on is Framed Feelings
I have posted some Landscape, Bird and Stock photos on this site and information about taking good photos.

Digital Scrapbooking - Using Layers

Using layers is like stacking photos on top of each other in traditional scrapbooking but using editing software like Photoshop on your computer. It is the same concept that is used in traditional scrapbooking. You start out with you background paper, add your photos and frames, and then place your embellishments on top. Layers let you to do the same thing with your digital images. You can work on one part of a page without disturbing the other parts. Think of layers as individual elements stacked one on top of the other. Everything but the actual element is invisible so you can see through to the layers below. You can change the size, color, transparency, or position of any given layer without affecting any other part of the page.
Because of this feature, layers allow you a great deal of flexibility and creativity in your digital scrapbooking.




In this image above you can see each part has it's own layer listed separately on the right side. Each layer can be changed independently of the others.
As I said above layers allow you to work with your digital images just as you would in traditional scrapbooking, but digital layers also allow you to do so much more. Say you are laying out a page and your Main title font isn’t big enough. In traditional scrapbooking this would be hard to fix, but not with digital scrapbooking. With the click of your mouse you can change the size of any element to fit with your page perfectly. On the same note, say you are working with a blue tag, but you really need a red one. Again, no problem, as long and that tag is on it's own layer your can adjust the hue and color to change that tag from blue to red. Another great bonus with layers is being able the change the transparency of any given layer. This means that you can take any paper, embellishment or even a photograph and change the transparency of that item. This a great feature to ad depth and interest to any page.

Digital vs Traditional Scrapbooking

There seems to be two varieties of scrapbooking, Traditional and Digital and some people feel there should be a divide between them.

I believe both forms of scrapbooking can exist together as they both have good qualities which you can take advantage of to create your works of art.

In my view, there is nothing to be gained by dividing the scrapbooking world into two camps. Both approaches have the same objectives and characteristics. The tools used to create the layouts should not matter. And if the layouts created by the two methods have a different look and feel to them then this is a good thing which adds to the richness and diversity of the craft.

As I am also a photographer, I blend my photos digitally into scrapbook designs and use the best Photoshop effects to get different style pages. On the other hand , I can also print out digital embellishments and backgrounds to use for traditional scrapbooking.

Journaling for Kids

How does keeping a journal benefit a child?

Children reap the same benefits in keeping a personal journal as do adults.

At all ages, there are just certain times when life seems confusing, and we know it’s time to get out our journal and write until things make more sense. Gaining clarity in this way can help us sort things out and determine when we need to talk to someone– and what precisely our needs are. In this way, journals are a great way to increase self esteem and to allow children to observe their lives from a new perspective. Journals offer a safe place for children to express themselves creatively. Journals also preserve memories for posterity. They offer the most authentic evidence of a child’s point of view at particular and various stages of their lives. How can I help my child start journaling?

Here are some ideas:

- Above all, journaling needs to be fun for kids. I find the best success when I don’t offer specific prompts of exercises (because I don’t want it to feel like homework.)

- Kids also need to know their journal is absolutely private and confidential. A child needs to be able to trust that parents, siblings, and friends will not peek in to the journal unless invited to do so.

Ask your child if there’s anything in the journal he or she would like to share with anyone, but make sure your child knows that you won't be reading it – and the focus is not on writing things correctly – but on expressing themselves and getting to the meat of her own thoughts.

- Allow your children to choose their own special journal – and maybe a unique pen. Encourage your children to personalize the journal. Give them a magazine and have them cut out words and images that describe them and create a collage on the cover that is unique to them.

A personal journal doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, I find that I’m less inhibited in my journaling if the book is a plain old notebook or composition book. If your child is more likely to draw photos than to write, consider a sketchpad instead.

- Emphasize the fact that there is no right or wrong way to keep a personal journal. This is about letting life flow and to capture it however you like.

- Write in your journal alongside your child. I am in the habit of writing in my journal each day. When you model that behavior, you’ll find that this is how your children use their journals as well.

How To Start a Scrapbook Page

• Sort Your Photos – Select a number of photos on one theme.
• Choose a Focal Point Photo – Select one photo to be the main picture on your layout. The best way to create a balanced, pleasing scrapbook page is to have a single focal point.
• Choose Paper and Embellishments – Select colors of solid and patterned papers that make your photos stand out and also compliment them.
• Create a Background - Combine plain and patterned papers or use a pre - made background design.
• Double Mat the Focal Point Photo – The focal point photo will be placed in the middle of the background and can be mounted on a double mat made from two different colour cards, one larger than the other, to make the photo stand out.
• Group Mat the Supporting Photos – A great time-saving technique in scrapbooking is to mat several photos all on one piece of cardstock.
• Place the Photos on the Background Page – Try out your layout, by placing the matted photos on the background page without adhesive to view the arrangement before gluing.
• Print a information Box – This will have information on the photos so that you will always remember where the photo was taken and other information.
• Add Simple Embellishments – This page may only need one or two added to complete the page.

Backgrounds

I have some background designs that are very flexible to use as they allow creativity in design.
Some give a dreamy effect with blurred scenes and soft colors. These can be saved and printed out to suit.

Crumpled Paper Backgrounds

Modern scrapbooking is done largely on 12 inch square or 8½×11 inch pages. More recently smaller albums have become very popular. The most common new formats are 6, 7, or 8-inch square. It is very important to many scrappers to protect their pages with clear page protectors.



I have a collection of various backgrounds which are free to be used for Digital Scrapbooking, or printed out for Standard scrapbook background pages. The printed pages will be whatever size paper you use in the printer.
The ones below are various types of paper, some with a crumpled grunge look.
Feel free to save any of these for your own.

























I have added another set of crumpled paper Backgrounds as they seem to be sought after at the moment. Anyone is free to download any papers from this page.