Create Digital Patterns For Your Scrapbook Layouts
by Gina M. Woods

How do you feel about digital scrapbooking? Most crafters either love it,
or they outright hate it! Being a graphic designer, artist, and "traditional"
scrapaholic for years, I have a unique perspective and respect for both
methods. But I recently discovered that a little digital scrapping could
make a huge improvement to your traditional scrapbook layouts!

I must admit that the artist in me craves the hands-on "traditional"
method of scrapbooking. Nothing feels better than sitting down to a
table overflowing with the newest patterned papers, ribbons, fibers,
brads, stickers, and all those other "goodies" we like to call
embellishments. How fun! Creativity in the making!

But then what happens next? If you're like me, you immediately know
which papers to choose and quickly organize all the design elements
you plan to use in your brilliant layout...complete with the entire
arrangement already completed in your mind's eye. Right? LOL! In
my dreams!

Instead, I sit and stare...and then I stare some more. My eyes move
back and forth across the table, jumping from one perfect paper to
another, deciding which will coordinate best, which photos to use, etc.
Which layout sketch inspires me? What color scheme look best with my
photos? I'm afraid to start trimming anything for fear of wasting my
precious supplies if my layout doesn't turn out the way I'd hoped.

Does any of this sound familiar? If it does, then perhaps you too can
benefit from the little digital discovery I've made.

As a graphic designer, I'm used to seeing things in print. Everyday I'm
working with different elements of design...text, titles, graphics, color,
etc. My mouse is very forgiving when I move these elements around on
the computer screen in countless different arrangements until the
advertisement, business card layout, etc. is "just right." One day I got
to thinking about that and thought, "I wish I could do that same thing
with my scrapbook layouts. If I could just play around with the
arrangement of the photos, papers, etc. on the screen, then I would
know exactly what I want my layout to look like before I ever grab
the paper trimmer."

Voila...My BIG IDEA was born! Perhaps I'm not the first to think of this,
but it was a real "uh ha" moment for me, so I figured it was worth sharing.

Now this is not actually digital scrapbooking that I'm talking about here.
I simply use my computer to figure out the general layout for my pages;
including size and placement of my photos, paper colors to use, fonts
for my titles and journaling, etc. I design a general "pattern" to follow
when creating the actual "traditional" scrapbook page. I even make
little notes of things I want to remember such as use of a particular
texture or embellishment. With the click of my mouse and the "undo"
button, I can try different ideas and arrangements without having to
trash one single supply!

You can use any graphics program to do this, as long as it has the
capabilities to import photos, create and layer blocks of color, & create
text blocks and titles using different font styles. I set my digital page
size to the actual size my finished layout will be, such as 12" x 12".
That way, I will know exactly what size my photos, mats, etc. will need
to be on my finished layout.

If you print your own digital photos, this will make it even easier for you.
No more cropping, cutting, or reprinting to get the proper size! Just cut
and paste them from your pattern into a new document and print them
out at the exact size you need them to be.

Once your pattern is ready, just print it out and use it to pick out the
paper colors and patterns you want to use. You can either use rub-ons,
alphabet stickers, etc. that closely match the fonts you used in your
titles and journaling, or you may choose to print them out on your
papers, vellum or overlays and attach them to your layout with brads
or eyelets.

The main idea is that you now have a "plan" for your scrapbooking. No
more sitting and staring. The guesswork is over and you can begin to
create without worry or fear of not liking the results. And, of course,
your final layout will look even better than the digital pattern you
created because you'll be able to add more details and embellishments.
At this point you can truly let your creativity overflow!

Happy Scrapping!

Gina Woods is a graphic designer, artist, scrapaholic, wife, and mother of three children. She also operates an online scrapbook store, www.Scraps-n-More.net, which offers unique, high quality scrapbook supplies from popular companies like BasicGrey, All My Memories, and Carolee's Creations. As time permits, she also offers handcrafted, pre-made scrapbook albums and layouts for auction. Gina loves to host and teach local scrapbook classes/retreat