I always enjoyed the art of the digital scrapbook but preferred to put my time and energy into the details of regular scrapbooking. But now that the economy is hitting so hard, I just don’t have the money I used to have to invest in scrapbook pages and scrapbooking crafts. I mean, they really start to add up after awhile and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so!

More and more 99 cent or Dollar stores have started stocking creative scrapbooking supplies to meet the demand of everyone who’s out there making it happen between the book covers, but the quality and cute factor of the pages, stickers and tokens are just not the same as some of the cool things you can find in other stores. Walmart, for example, carries specific packages that are perfect for theme scrapbooking but even Walmart, known for its low prices has gotten a little too expensive, since all my money has to go towards paying off debt and other fun things like bills and gas and ugghh. I’ve realized this blog has taken somewhat of a negative turn so PICTURE A YELLOW FELT SCRAPBOOK PIECE AND PLACE IT ON A LIGHT BLUE PAGE! See, bright and sunny once again. Haha.

I’ve discovered that digital scrapbooking layouts are a lot less expensive to use for my books than purchasing pre-made supplies at the store and there are all sorts of free scrapbooking sites out there that don’t require you to hold the digital software to run their programs. This is certainly appreciated because free digital scrapbooking is a much more cost effective option these days. (I’m also thinking about people who are just learning how to scrapbook, because investing in a lot of expensive scrapbooking tools just isn’t a good idea until you know that it’s something that holds your passion.)

Anyway. I like digital scrapbooking enough that it’s an easy transition for the time being but I also know that when I can afford it again, I’ll never stop with the regular scrapbooking.

Planning to create your own digital scrapbook? If so, it’s important that you not online know how to scrapbook digitally, but that you know some of the important terms that are used for digital scrapbooking. When you are just getting started, you may not recognize some of the terms that you find surrounding this type of scrapbooking. So, here is a look at some of the top terms to know when you start to create your own digital scrapbook.

Term #1 - Quick Album - This is an album that only has pages in it that are simple to use. You only have to add in a photo or two and a bit of journaling and it’s all done. If you want a fast digital scrapbook, this may be the way to go.

Term #2 - Alphabets - Many people think that alphabets for a digital scrapbook actually refer to the type of typing. Actually these are letters that stand alone, just like a letter sticker does in traditional scrapbooking.

Term #3 - Fonts - Fonts are different than alphabets. The font is actually a type of text that you can choose. Usually they are on your computer already and they can be used with software programs when you have to type in the text.

Term #4 - File Formats - File formats for a digital scrapbook have to do with the format that a picture is saved in or a document is saved in. A JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which is a special time of format that includes image compression. PDF files are files that are for Adobe Acrobat. Then you have PNG files, which stands for Portable Network Graphic. They replace and make better the .gif files, and they can be used in various programs.

Term #5 - Freebie - This refers to items available for free for your digital scrapbook. It could be an entire digital scrapbooking kit or it may just be one element to use in the scrapbook. Sometimes you’ll have to have an account to get the freebie, while other places allow you to download for free by just giving them your email.

Term #6 - Hybrids - This is simply a digital scrapbook that is printed out and then put together in a physical scrapbook.

Term #7 - Piracy - Piracy refers to copying and using kits, products, and elements without permission.

Term #8 - Resolution - Resolution deals with the resolution of a graphic, such as pixels per inch or dots per inch, which can be important when creating a digital scrapbook. When you want to print your scrapbook, going with 300 dpi resolution is going to be the best.

Term #9 - Templates - Templates merely refer to the layout patterns for the digital scrapbook. Many sites provide great templates to help you create backgrounds of your own.

These are just a few of the important terms to keep in mind when you want to know how to scrapbook digitally. Armed with these terms, creating your own digital scrapbook will be much easier. So, before you start your own digital scrapbook, learn these terms. You’ll find the process gets much easier when you know the important terms.

I hope that the tips help.

Hve fun Scrapbooking.

I’m sure that I’m not the only one out there with a dirty little secret, so I’ll just say it – I’m torn between two loves! Regular scrapbooking and digital scrapbooking both have my heart and they are two pleasures that are both equally beautiful, divinely complicated and oh, consume so much time.

It’s the time factor that always gets me busted. It’s not like I can lie to my paper scrapbooks about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing for so long. They can see it in my eyes that I’ve spent days creating some form of artistic magic with a digital scrapbook… and I can just see them get insecure. Sigh.

Well, maybe monogamy is more than it’s been cracked up to or maybe I just need to accept that it is possible to have and nurture two loves. Maybe polygamy really hasn’t gone out of style just yet because all of these internet programs (like the Prima Hybrid collection) keep popping up, making it possible to marry digital scrapbooks and my original love. Thanks to this, I can create really cool scrapbook pages or digital scrapbooking layouts, print them out and go to town with old-school scrapbooking crafts.

But marrying these two isn’t a perfect system and I don’t know if it every will be.

I certainly haven’t mastered the art of smashing Web 2.0 and all of its video downloading magic into that collection of creative scrapbooking that sits up on my shelf. And for that collection of books that sits up on my shelf, I still haven’t been able to figure out how to scan everything (beaded “It’s a girl!” Bracelet, case in point) into my jump drive in case mold sets in or my house catches on fire or any of those other little free scrapbooking horror films that play in my mind. But until digital and real scrapbooking truly become one, I’m pretty happy with the option to have both.

Does that make me morally reprehensible? Well, that’s a title I’m just going to have to accept. Maybe I’ll scrapbook about it…

Today we have digital scrapbooking, and more and more people are starting to use that method of scrapbooking. However, scrapbooking wasn’t always that way. While you may think of a digital scrapbook when talk of scrapbooking comes up, it didn’t start there. Scrapbooking has been around for hundreds of years in different forms, and it’s definitely interesting to take a look at the history. Here’s a look at the history of this art, from early scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking today.

Used to Record Information

In the beginning during the 15th century, long before digital scrapbooking ever came along, scrapbooks had the name common place books. They were basically used as a way to record various kinds of information. Things that they often contained were prayers, poems, medical information, and even weights. Often students used them as well for recording important information that they would learn. Recipes, illustrations, and articles were eventually added.

Victorian Memory Books and Friendship Albums

Later on during the Victorian times, these books existed as memory books and they were often called friendship albums as well. Often these books were used to keep hair, scraps, writing, cards, poetry, photos, and more. They were a way of sharing their memories and keeping them for years, just as digital scrapbooking is used today.

Famous Scrapbookers

Through the years, there have been many different famous scrapbookers. Long before we even thought about digital scrapbooking, Mark Twain was scrapbooking. In fact, each Sunday he would scrapbook all day. He actually would sell them as well, through the store known as Montgomery Ward. Another famous person to keep a book much like a scrapbook was Thomas Jefferson. He had leather books that he kept news clippings, leaves, drawings, and other important memories in.

The 80’s and 90’s Scrapbooking Movement

It really wasn’t until the 80s and the 90s that scrapbooking really began to get popular. This was the time when it really picked up, especially in the United States. More and more supplies and tools became available, and sales rocketed. However, digital scrapbooking didn’t really become popular until late 90s or even later.

Digital Scrapbooking Today

Today there are many people who are involved in digital scrapbooking instead of traditional scrapbooking. People find it easier and cheaper to get involved in digital scrapbooking, especially with all the free digital scrapbooking sites that are now available. It is definitely very interested to learn where scrapbooking has come from and how it has all evolved through the years to what we have today.

I don’t know about you but I still love the traditional Scrapbooking.