Digital scrapbooking our geocache find #2

Here's two digital scrapbook pages I made of our Geocache walk to the bridge near the Lanhydrock Estate. (See our family blog at http://adventuresingeoland.blogspot.com/2011/04/geocaching-1-2.html for the original photos of our geocache find #2)

I used Scrapgirls (http://www.scrapgirls.com) digital scrapbook collections Expedition and Extinct to make the backgrounds.

Until next time

Gillian

Easy Digital Scrapbooking at last

I  was lucky enough to buy a new laptop a couple of weeks ago, my other just didn't have enough memory for any more photos or downloads (the hard drive was actually more than 99% full). My new one is fabulous. It's got a big memory and it runs much faster. It also can cope with running my Paint Shop Pro software, so I get a whole lot less frustrated when I'm digital scrapbooking. I used to find PSP would crash so often on my old laptop that I didn't do it half so often as I wanted to. But now it's a joy again...


Here's a simple page of the beautiful scenery in Victoria Park from our picnic last Sunday.

I used the Potpouri Collection from Scrapgirls (  http://www.scrapgirls.com ) to give a understated backdrop for the photos. It makes me think of peeled weatherworn paint and out of season brightness. 


I thought I would also try the photos in a warmer style to show what a different feel can be obtained according to how you set your photos.

This page uses a background paper from the Avalon collection, also from Scrapgirls. I think the background suits the photos well, but maybe I should change the embellishments  or perhaps change the frames... oh well, maybe I'll try that later...but that will have to wait for another day...


Until next time
Gillian

Identity matters

I've just finished filling in the 2011 UK Census and two questions have been really interesting. I asked my children how they wanted to describe their national identity and their religion. Whilst my husband and I gave the same answers to both, none of the children wanted to give the same answers as us, and actually all were different from each other. It just shows how important it was to ask them and not complete the form on their behalf. I am really proud of them for giving considered answers that represent how they feel about identity and religion.


Yesterday I told you how we went along the Camel Trail geocaching on Friday. This morning I made a digital scrapbooking page of the walk. I used digital papers and embellishments from the Time Traveller collection by Scrapgirl (at http://www.scrapgirls.com/). I've created quite a simple layout which allows the photos and journalling to take centre stage. With me being the only girl in a family of four men (or nearly men!), my layouts often have a neutral or slightly masculine feel and this one is no exception. I really like the Time Traveller collection as it has a vintage feel but also a steam punk feel, and they are two of my favourite styles.

I've also started a new crochet amigurumi today using  Saplanet's  The Didis pattern (at http://simpleartsplanet.com/). I'm aiming to finish this for next Sunday's show and tell.


Until next time
Gillian

How I started digital scrapbooking

I have been paper scrapbooking since 1997, admittedly I have recycled those photos and redone those first pages, but it got me hooked on a more meaningful way of remembering past memories rather than looking at a box of old photos. My family have accumulated several old family photos where it has been difficult to even work out who the photos are of, and so I especially wanted to label the photos and give some basic information at the same time.

I  discovered digital scrapbooking in 2006. Looking online I found a few websites with freebie digital backgrounds and embellishments and  downloaded a few to try, initially planning on just printing them out to use as paper resources.  I soon progressed to buying Paint Shop Pro to put my pages together digitally, as I had a growing pile of heavy scrap albums that were just not convenient to have lying around (they have ended up on the top shelf of my wardrobe where they still sit barely viewed). My digital pages take up no room and can be easily shared with family, and, since I now use a digital camera, I can now make a page without going near a print shop and for no incremental cost.

My personal favourite digital kits are from Scrapgirls (http://www.scrapgirls.com); they are really easy to use and I recommend them to anyone starting out with digital scrapbooking.

These are three of my early digital pages, all featuring me!  The photos are  from 1985 to 1988 and are not great quality but I'd rather have a photo than not. Even a poor quality photo brings back a memory!

From my student days

In my parents garden - 1988

My parents house - 1988

Bye for now

Gillian