How to Make a Digital Scrapbook

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It is easy to start creating your own scrapbook kit using what you have in your stash

Why Create Your Own Scrapbook Kits

At one time or another, many of us have subscribed to companies that sell scrapbook kits. Most of these kits average $25 and above plus shipping and handling. That is a lot of money!

If you have been scrapbooking for a while, you will probably have much of what is included in these kits in your craft stash.

Why not save a little money and use some of what you already have? With rising inflation, it may be time to reevaluate what you already have and how these products can be used to the best of your ability.

Even you have to make a couple of purchases to complete your kits you are still ahead of the game using what you have.

What Are The Elements In A Scrapbook KIt?

There are elements that are included in all kits that will help you create your own kit. Recipes can vary depending on the things that you have available in your stash.

Put them all in a zip lock bag. You can include a printed sheet with a scrapbook layout page.

• 6 sheets of 12" by 12" colored Cardstock. Chose three coordinating colors for each kit. Use colors that will make you happy and excited to create and use your kits.
• Add 6-10 sheets of patterned paper for each kit. They can come from one paper collection or pack, which of course makes it easier.
• One package of capital letters and one package of lower case letters. These can be chipboard letters, stickers, or rub-on letters
• Journaling cards printed quotes or journal box stamped images.
• Three pieces of coordinating ribbons or trims
• One package of coordinating elements. Can be a mixture of things you already have.
• A handful of some small things that make sense like die cuts and buttons.

Tips For Creating Your Scrapbook Kits

1. Do not go over 10-12 sheets of paper. Beyond that, you will make using the kit too confusing
2. Make sure that you have a balance in your patterned paper. If you use busy paper, include some restful ones. If you use small patterns, include some larger patterns. If you use multicolor, use solids with them. Use tight patterns with loose patterns.
3. When mixing different collections, use similar tones and styles.
4. Try to include different textures and dimensions in your kits. Include some flat items as well as some larger dimensional items. Think about things like ribbons, buttons, and chipboard pieces.

Having a variety of things at your disposal makes coordinating your kits easy and fun.

More Things To Add To Your Kit

• Sheets of 6" by 6" papers

Using Color To Create Your Scrapbook Kit

When creating your scrapbook kit, you should take into consideration color combinations. Of course, you should choose the colors that make you happy. These are your kits and your scrapbook pages. But when you can think about color, so that your kits will have a professional look to them.

This kind of kit is not designed for any special photo. It is put together for a future use either as a specific theme or a color theme.

Themes

Themes are easy to deal with because they often have colors associated with them.

Christmas: red and greens (also some white)

Valentines Day: Red and pink

Spring & Easter: Pastel shades in yellow, pinks, and lavender

Patriotic Holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) Reds, white,s and blues

Summer: Yellows, Oranges, and Blues

Thanksgiving & Fall: Browns, Oranges, yellows, and russet

Color Choices

Beyond themes, color choices can be anything you want them to be. There are no steadfast rules. But give some serious thoughts to either complementary colors or contrasting colors.

Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. They would include:

1. Red & green
2. Red-orange & blue-green
3. Orange & blue
4. Yellow-orange & blue purple
5. Yellow & purple
6. Red-purple & yellow-green

Beyond those choices, you can use color families or schemes. They help create a mood just by color choice.

• Warm Colors show energy They evoke a feeling of sunlight and fire. They imply passion and positive feelings in most people. Warm colors tend to be colors of creativity, celebration, passion, hope, and success. Warm colors are created using just two colors: red and yellow. These primary colors combine to make orange.
• Cool colors include shades of green, blue, and purple and variations on those colors. They are called cool colors because they evoke a feeling of water, trees, and night. They bring out a feeling of relaxation, calm, and reserve
• Neutral colors consist of brown, which is a combination of all three primary colors, and the two remaining colors: black and white. The more muddied or gray a color is, the more neutral it becomes Black and white designs are considered elegant and sophisticate

Start By Sorting Some Photos

You can start the process of creating your own scrapbook kit with some page protectors. Sort through your photos and select three or four of them that have like subject matter. Place them together into a page protector.

If you have any thoughts for colors, page titles or embellishments, jot them down on a post-it note. You can hang them on hangers in a closet or put them upright in a box.

If you are setting up a 12" by 12"album, you may need to use some zip lock bags.

Select Some Paper

You need to select some paper to go with the pictures in each of your page protectors. Look at the picture and chose the dominant color in the photos.

You need one paper that is your base page. This needs to be a good-weight paper as it will hold all the other elements of your pages. This paper would be in the size of your album. The most standard size is 12" by 12".

You may also want to mat your photos. Remember to choose a solid color to go behind the photo itself.

Once you have whittled the papers down to the ones that you want to use, add them to your page protector.

Scrapbook Kit Resources

• Scrapbook Page Planner
  A free single page printable planner that you can use with your scrapbook kit.

What Embellishments Should You Add To Your Kit?

Next, you can add some embellishments to your page kits. You will want to select embellishments that match by theme or predominant color. The idea here is to go through your stash and select anything that might be used with that page and set it aside. You can use a little dish. I recycle meat trays. They are shallow enough and give me plenty of room. Another idea would be to use a recycled egg carton.

You could use plastic bags to hold the items that you have chosen. Or even envelopes will work. Place these items in your zip lock bag or page protector.

A lot of your choices have to do with what you have in your stash. Try in some way to stick to the color or theme of your kit and include several from this list:

• Buttons
• Enamel dots
• Brads
• Pearls
• Stamped Images
• Washi tape
• Ribbon
• Sequins
• Tags
• Doilies
• Paper flowers
• Die cuts
• Chipboard pieces

If you do not have everything you need, check out the dollar store in your neighborhood, You will be amazed at what you find there. Now you have a scrap book kit ready for whenever you want to work on it.

More Scrapbook Kit Ideas And Tips

While you are creating your kits either digital or in hand kits, to create kits that will inspire you and give you joy. Here are some suggestions to make your experience enjoyable as you create your own kits,

• Do not include too many papers. It will confuse your creative mind.
• Pick the papers that you love, rather than settling for papers that you do not like.
• Make sure that you have a good balance of papers. Use busy vs restful. Try small patterns vs large patterns. tight patterns vs loose patterns. You get the idea. Opposites can attract.
• Stick to similar tones and styles.
• Mix textures and styles when it comes to embellishments. Include things that are flat like die cuts and stickers. Then include some things that have dimensions like twine, ribbon, washi tape, and more.
• Remember there are no rules. Include what you love. Do whatever works for you. That is the joy of doing this process. You get to do whatever you want.

Perfect Storage Bags To Store Your Kits

Creating Micro Kits

Creating these kits is a little different, In these kits, you actually select the photos that you want to include. So in this case, you are selecting items for a specific photo. So, you chose one to three colors in the photo to create your kit,

In essence you plan the entire page or layout.

What Is In A MicroKit?

• Cardstock
• Some patterned paper-4-5 pieces
• Larger Embellishments-like doilies or larger pieces to frame the picture or journal cards
• Mid-sized embellishments like chipboard embellishments
• Small embellishments like stickers or gems
• Any stamps that you would like to use

Adding More Elements To Your Kit

Use your electronic cutting machine to create elements for your scrapbook kit

Use Your Electronic Cutting Machines To Add Elements To Your Kits

There are amazing resources in the computer programs of your electronic cutting machine. No matter if you have a Cricut, Silhouette, or Scan N Cut. there is a wealth of embellishments you can add to your kits.

Think about tags, envelopes, images, and more. There are shapes and designs that you can use to add more themed ideas.

In the case of the Cricut Design Space. there are actually whole scrapbook pages that you can cut and place in a zip bag.

Creating A Digital Scrapbook Kit

For folks who use digital resources, you can create digital scrapbook kits for future use. You can use almost any graphics program, but Adobe Photoshop remains the most popular.

Digital scrapbooking has become a popular alternative as people look for new innovative ways to keep family memories without having to store paper, supplies, and albums. Paper can only be used once, but digital scrapbook elements can be combined in hundreds of ways and used repeatedly. Using Abode Photoshop makes the procedure easy even for beginners.

A digital scrapbook kit contains the same elements as paper but in graphic files. So you would have cardstock, patterned paper and embellishments.

Digital designers use a number of different techniques for their kits

• Layers- allows you to add multiple patterned papers on one digital scrapbook page.
• Shadows-drop shadows allow you to add dimension to any element
• Textures-Using texture filters on a layout is an easy way to replicate the appearance of textured cardstock.
• Bevels And Embossing-Bevels and embossing filters lend a sophisticated and elegant look to digital layouts.
• Photographic Effects;-Using black and white, sepia tone, or spot colored embellishments adds pizazz to any layout.

Getting Started With Your Digital Scrapbook Kit

1. Open a new document that is a 2x2 inch square. Use the drawing tools in your program to create a simple design. Stripes, circles, squares, hearts, and flowers are popular choices for scrapbooking paper, but feel free to experiment.
2. Save your file. If you're using Adobe Photoshop Elements, it should be a. PSD image.
3. Go to "Edit," then click on "Define Pattern." This will add your custom design to the program options.
4. Open a 12x12 inch document. Go to "Edit," then click on "Fill." Select your custom pattern from the list to create your own unique patterned paper to use as the basis of your digital scrapbooking kit.
5. Make coordinating papers for your kit by repeating Steps 1 through 4, but change the color of each design. Using various shades of the same color, a monochromatic scheme gives your project a subtle and sophisticated appearance. You can try using color schemes found in your favorite fabrics or interior design books if you want a more adventurous look for your project.
6. Experiment with filters to add extra interest to your digital patterned papers. For example, you can create textured paper or paper with a smudged watercolor effect.
7. Create photo mats for your digital scrapbook kit by using the Layer Styles palette options to make squares with beveled edges and drop shadows. The eyedropper tool can be used to help you pick a coordinating color for these accents.

Learn More About Digital Scrapbook Kits

• Welcome to Digidesignresort - Digidesignresort - Scrapbooking
  Digital scrapbook ideas and information
• CottageArts.net | Tutorials
  Digital scrapbooking software featuring layout templates, digital papers and backgrounds, photoshop actions, photoshop brushes, and embellishments for scrapbooks, altered books, hybrid scrapbooking, and paper artists. Simply Digital product line. Dig
• Digital Scrapbook Place | MyMemories
  New Home of Digital Scrapbook Place at MyMemories.com.

Free Digital Scrapbook Kits

Free digital scrapbook kits are available online and are a quick alternative to create kits.

Free Digital Scrapbook Kits

If you love digital scrapbook kits, but do not have the time to create a kit yourself, there is another option. And that option is free digital scrapbook kits. These free kits are available online.

Of course, all of these will be zip files that you will need to open when you use them. Some of these files may be large. So you may want to consider how much space you have on your computer.

Free Digital Scrapbook Kits

• GRANNY ENCHANTED'S BLOG: "Country Kitchen" Free Digital Scrapbook Kit
  Country look digital scrapbook freebie
• Free Digital Scrapbook Kits From Far Far Hill | Ipietoon - Blog Design and Online Business
  LOvely kit with lots of elements
• cheyOkota digital scraps: Digital Scrapbook Freebie Cluster & Freebie kits
  Limited-time free kit
• Freebie | Digital Scrapbooking Kit from Pixels & Co and Quality DigiScrap Freebies – Scrap Booki
  Pixels & Co and Quality DigiScrap Freebies have teamed up to bring you this free collaborative kit. To access the kit you will need to Like the ADGF Facebook Page.

How To Create A Scrapbook Kit

Create Your Own Project Life Scrapbook Kit

If you are into the Project Life type of scrapbook. you can create your own Project Life scrapbook kit. These kits can be created from things that you probably have in your craft stash.

Supplies

• 2 – 4×6 paper pads
• 40 – 3×4 journaling cards
• 2 sheets alphabet stickers, in white* and grey
• days of the week stickers – 2 flat, 2 puffy
• star embellishments – 1 acetate, 1 chipboard, 1 enamel
• 1 chipboard sticker sheet
• 1 booklet of white phrase stickers*
• 1 roller stamp
• 1 stamp set
• 1 watercolor die cut piece*

More Ideas For Project Life Kits

More ideas to create Project Life scrapbook kits

Canva Online Design Program

Canva has one of the easiest online programs to create digital scrapbook pages, You simply pick out a template, add your pictures, add personalization and features, Then you can share your pages, download them, print them or have copies printed for you. There may be some fees but this is the easiest program, especially for those not experienced with digital graphics.

How To Organize Your Scrapbook Kits

Keeping your scrapbook kits neat and clean is important. After all, you have taken the time to create the kits you have. So let's discuss how to store your scrapbook kits. How you store your kits depends on the space you have and the amount of money you are willing to expend.

1. Paper Folios-These is somewhat expandable plastic folios that would store several thin kits or one micro kit.
2. Horizontal Paper Trays-This is expandable storage that could hold multiple kits in one location.
3. Art Bin Super Satchel- I use this one to hold the pages I am working on in, but you could put several kits into this unit.
4. Clean Pizza Boxes-You can buy these on the internet. These would hold one kit each horizontally

Expanding Folio For Your Scrapbook Kits

Final Thoughts On DIY Scrapbook Kits

So, if you have a large stash of cardstock and embellishments and found yourself spending a lot of time trying to coordinate things for scrapbook pages, this project is for you.

Get ahead of yourself and organize your products into kits so that you have them all together in one place. When you are ready to do some scrapbook pages, you can go through your kits and scrap your heart out.

© 2021 Linda F Correa

How to Make a Digital Scrapbook

Source: https://hubpages.com/art/create-your-own-scrapbook-kits

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