Digital scrapbooking is the latest and greatest form of scrapbooking — with a technological twist.
Michelle Shefveland of Cottage Arts, a digital scrapbooking Web site, says that while the digital age might scare some, digital scrapbooking isn't much different from what most people already are doing.
"A large majority of traditional scrapbookers are having fun creating word art and journaling for their traditional pages with computer software, which is really a form of digital scrapbooking," Shefveland says. "Some just take it a level further and create their entire pages on the computer."
Several sites across the Web are completely devoted to the latest craze, including Designbutcher. com, which contends that it's on the cutting edge of digital scrapbooking.
"We love taking a Victorian-era craft and transforming it into postmodern, family storytelling for the digital age," says Ann Gunkel, head designer and chief executive officer of Design Butcher. "It's fast, economical, beautiful and fun. Digital scrapbooking is a form of personal history that utilizes the arts of photography, memoir writing and design."
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Rozanne Paxman, chief executive of Scrap Girls, tells novices that digital scrapbooking is "essentially layering up the graphics to create layouts, in the same way you are layering paper and embellishments when you are creating a paper layout."
Paxman points out that digital scrapbooking has a lot of added benefits. Since you're using a computer, you don't have to worry about ruining your photos or supplies. And there isn't a huge mess to clean up when you're done.
Shefveland worked with About.com to write a step-by-step guide to digital scrapbooking. You can pull this guide from the Cottage Arts Web site at www. cottagearts.net/tutorial_digital_ scrapbooking_basics.html.
hobby goes high tech
» Digital scrapbooking basics
What you'll need:
• A photo-editing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Digital Image Pro. For Mac users, try the iRemember Scrapbooking software.
• At least 256 kilobytes of RAM on your computer.
Additional equipment:
• Besides using your computer, digital scrapbooking software and the Web, you can use your scanner, printer and digital camera to create beautiful custom-made digital scrapbook pages. Just remember to save your work often. Just like with traditional scrapbooking — mistakes happen. With a computer, however, it's easier to revert back and try again.