by Linda | Apr 19, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Steph from the Daily Digi
Steph is the owner of TheDailyDigi.com, host of TheDigiShow.com and most recently started up CapturingMagic.me. She’s been in the industry of scrapbooking for a long time and she defines “digital scrapbooking” as anything using technology to document memories. I love all the information she shares, from tips to techniques to picks and reviews. It’s all about inspiration and motivation to document life. I had to ask her about the digital versus paper divide…
Steph says:
My definition of digital scrapbooking is different than most. I define digital scrapbooking as any kind of memory keeping that involves a digital or technology element. Blogging, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Twitter, typing, smart phone photos, etc. If you are grabbing journaling or photos off Facebook to include on a layout, then you are a digital scrapbooker! If you are using your smartphone photos, then you are a digital scrapbooker. The lines that used to pervasively divide the digital scrapbooker from the traditional scrapbooker really started blurring about 3 years ago. Those lines continue to blur as technology becomes more and more part of our everyday life; something that we rely on. As these methods of memory keeping are becoming a standard, using Photoshop to add text to a photo to print and put on a traditional paper page, becomes less intimidating. Figuring out how to use that super cute font with my electronic cutter seems like a doable task.
Some of the tools and techniques that digital scrapbookers often use, are looks that traditional scrappers want as well. Fun filters on photos; adding frames, borders, or words to a photo before printing. Adding personalized text to a journaling card. Using a journaling card that was created digitally because you can adjust the colors to coordinate with everything else, but not have to run out or wait for something to be shipped.
The brilliant thing about all of the choices and options is that there are SO MANY OPTIONS! None of them are right or wrong; only what works best for YOU! What makes your memory-keeping-heart, sing the most is what you need to do, because in the end, it’s only the memories that matter!
It’s All About Options
I love Steph’s point of view, especially her broad definition of what digital scrapbooking can be. With all the choices out there, I think that many of us might be scrapbooking without knowing it. These days with social media, we are all capturing and archiving our lives in one way or another. Why not take the next step to recognize this and share it? Because I know that one of the most rewarding parts of scrapbooking is sharing the memories with friends and family… you can relive the beautiful moments together.
For a mountain load of inspiration and scrapbooking goodness, do check out TheDailyDigi.com, TheDigiShow.com and CapturingMagic.me by Steph. I’m sure you’ll gather inspiration information and be on your way memory keeping with technology!
Try It For Yourself
I thought it would be fun to create some designs that are social media inspired, given the fact that we all document a part of our lives through social media streams. I hope you will find the imagery fun to use in your scrapbooking, online and offline!
Download BTP_SocialMediaSampler
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by Linda | Apr 10, 2013 | my creative journal
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Monica Bradford
Monica Bradford is a scrapbooker and teacher with a blog about finding and using inspiration. I had the pleasure of designing her blog theme and love all that she shares regarding scrapbooking inspiration. I decided to ask her about digital versus paper scrapbooking…
Monica says:
I’m definitely what I would call a hybrid scrapbooker. My end result is paper 90% of the time, although I do occasionally do digi pages. But I use my computer 100% of the time when I’m scrapping. I always edit my photos a bit in PSE and often also use digital collage templates to get more photos on one 4×6. I prefer to scrap on one 12×12 page so using digital collage templates allows me to put many more photos on a 12×12 page without interrupting the design.
I also consider Pinterest a digital tool for me. Once upon a time I used to get magazines and put post-its on my favorite pages. Now I search blogs and pin them to boards on Pinterest. It keeps my inspiration organized in a way that is easy for me to find, and use, later. I almost never start a layout without first scanning my Pinterest boards.
I also sometimes use digital template designs as sketches. I don’t print them out, but I look at them and then replicate the design onto my page.
And then of course, I use apps on my phone that assist my scrapping. Mainly photo apps like Camera + which I often use to take pictures, but I also occasionally use Evernote to keep track of scrapping ideas. And I use Momento to document funny things my kids say, which I can then turn into scrapbook pages later.
I would say that my computer, the internet, and my phone are essential tools in my scrapbooking life. Even though I am primarily a paper scrapper. 🙂
Technology and Inspiration
Monica is a great example of someone who uses technology to collect, organize and use scrapbooking inspiration. Pinterest is super popular and it’s simply a digital way to collect inspiration. As Monica stated, we used to do it manually, but now there’s a faster and easier way. Again, we see how technology can help us be more efficient and organized for our crafting and scrapbooking.
via ScrapInspired.com
via ScrapInspired.com
via ScrapInspired.com
Try It For Yourself
When it comes to inspiration, anything and everything can be a starting point for our scrapbooking and memory keeping. Sometimes we have to be on the lookout! This week, let’s share our pinterest accounts and inspire each other in our scrapbooking. Feel free to leave your pinterest links below. I’m also on pinterest and if you like printables, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter for new designs, links to freebies and the latest from yours truly.
by Linda | Apr 3, 2013 | my creative journal
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Christine Newman aka Listgirl
Christine is a scrapbooker and designer, usually going by her alias Listgirl on forums. She scraps both digitally and traditionally, sharing her creations on her blog and various creative teams. She is currently very much into Project Life and I love seeing her spreads and how she combines all the various tools she has at her disposal to create. I had to ask her about hybrid scrapbooking.
Christine says:
Just like in life, I don’t like to limit myself or pigeonhole myself into categories that can be counter-productive to creativity. I love to use whatever tools are available to me to be creative, whether that means digital or physical items. I began scrapbooking in 2003, but really hit my stride when I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2006. For a while, I was solely digital. Until mid-2011, when I discovered my love of paper again. I am a scrapbooker and life-documenter. It doesn’t matter to me whether I’m documenting my life on my blog, on a digital layout, a paper layout, a hybrid Project Life album, or any combination of the above and more. I use digital tools like Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Silhouette digital cutter, and even my iPad to help me create both digital and physical products to put on my pages. It’s exciting to me that we live in a time where we have all these tools at our disposal to create anything our heart desires. The line between digital and paper scrapbooking is very blurry for me. Almost all photos are digital now. So if you process your photos digitally, and add some journaling on it and print it out, are you paper or digital? Both!
Don’t limit yourself!
Christine really hits the nail on the head, driving home the point that we should not limit ourselves to only certain tools or materials. With so many items at our disposal today, there’s room for so much creativity and innovation in scrapbooking. Yes, I said innovation! Who knows what you might come up with next – perhaps a new use for an old technique? I love how Christine mentions her blog as part of her life documentation. It’s so true that many of us scrapbook in new and technological ways, but we often don’t consider it memory keeping. From facebook to instagram – they all help us tell the story of our lives.
Incorporating social media into our scrapbooking – via Listgirl blog
Digital and Paper layout versions – via Listgirl blog
Check out this video of using the Silhouette – via Listgirl blog
Using digital supplies for other crafts – via Listgirl blog
If you follow Christine’s blog you’ll know that she shares a lot of her tips and tricks in using many programs and tools out there in her scrapbooking. I love how she seems to invent her own way, forging ahead and blurring the lines between digital and paper scrapbooking. It’s all just scrapbooking after all.
Try it for yourself
How can you use these digital materials in your scrapbooking and memory keeping? How about just some creative fun and crafting? Feel free to share your creations in the comments below and let me know what you think.
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by Linda | Mar 25, 2013 | DIY printables, my creative journal
Sometimes I want to scrap a photo and don’t have much to journal… it’s just a feeling, you know? That’s why this design – the smallest things take up the most space in my heart – sort of says it all. It’s probably easy to gush about my kids, but it’s not always something I want to write out. Our beautiful little boy… it was enough with the word art, clean and simple design. I created the word art as a free printable the smallest things take up the most space in my heart and made a scrapbook page with it.
It might seem like such a plain layout to so many scrappers out there, but I like it just the way it is. I was tempted to write something in the blank white space, just because… but realized that there’s no need to add more. We scrapbook for ourselves, so why force it to look a certain way or be more complete or specifically designed? In the end, it’s not what matters the most, right?
I thought it would be nice to share this word art I created as a free printable as well. It’s a free image download, you can click on the color version or black and white version to use for your personal uses – I hope that it helps you to scrap and create something fun.
Click on images to get the full-sized versions
Enjoy! If you like my design printables be sure to sign up for my email newsletter for more freebies and the latest updates!
by Linda | Mar 20, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Ali Edwards
If you are a scrapbooker, you probably know Ali Edwards as one of the gurus in the industry. Seriously, there are so many people that follow her blog and have journeyed along with her scrapbooking story. There’s no doubt that her philosophy, techniques, designs and thoughts have impacted the industry and community of scrapbookers. From projects like December Daily and One Little Word to a multitude of products and published books (Amazon link)…
Ali is definitely what you could call celebrity.
I was immediately attracted to Ali’s design and style, but also her philosophy and thoughtful process of scrapbooking. It’s always interesting to follow along her process and join in with the various memory keeping projects she embarks upon. She offers a lot of information on her website and even an intro to digital scrapbooking. I always find myself inspired and wanting to scrapbook and I suppose that is why so many follow her blog. So I had to ask Ali about how she personally uses paper and digital tools…
Ali says:
Just about every layout/project I do incorporates both my computer and paper scrapbooking products. I love that they work together so very well in helping me to get my stories told.
My process ususally begins by opening my photos in Photoshop before printing. It’s there that I add my digital word art, frames, or journaling directly onto my photos. From there I print my photos here at home (either on an Epson PictureMate Show printer or an Epson R2000 over-sized printer) and then add them either to Project Life or to a cardstock paper layout.
I also print out digital Project Life journaling cards and add those to Project Life.
Digital and paper go hand in hand
I think that Ali is a great example of a scrapbooker who uses everything around her to create in her own unique style. From digital to paper, techniques, inks, sprays, various products, graphic design… it all goes together and gets interpreted through her lens.
via Ali’s blog
If you take a look at her layouts, you’ll notice how much variety there is and often you can tell what is digitally printed by her at home or what is manufactured product.
via Ali’s blog
The idea is that digital and paper go hand in hand. There’s no reason not to use the digital designs and tools at your disposal!
via Ali’s blog
Try it for yourself
I recently created a piece of graphic word art for a layout about my newborn son, so decided to share it with all of you. It’s definitely a bit in the style of Ali Edwards, in terms of being a graphic clean style. You can use the color version directly or alter and color using the black and white PNG file. In fact, it would be cool to clip different pattern papers to various parts or use a digital cutter perhaps to cut the design out? Have fun and happy memory keeping!
Download BTP_TheSmallestThings
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