[jenninbel]

Hello everyone,

I have been looking around at this website and have been just amazed at what has been done. I have done a very few things with photos but nothing that would actually be characterized as "scrapbooking". I love working on computers and really want to take on a project but need some advice on the best way to get started. I have Photoshop Elements.

My sister had a baby a year and a half ago. I want to give her a digital scrapbook made into a hard bound book of her baby's first year for Christmas. I figure that I have a few months to get the hang of things and I already have a few ideas in my head.

I don't want to spend a whole lot of money. I tend to try and make all my Christmas gifts and I am a month or two behind But, for this one, since it is for my sister (my first nephew) and I want to make this special, I am willing to spend some. What are the basics to have? If you could recommend the resource that is a must have, what would it be? Should I download templates? Papers? Fonts? Kits?

So, any advice would truly be helpful. I really have no idea where to go from here (I know enough to know that I am clueless!).

Thanks!

[Betsy]

Welcome!

What a sweet present!

I recommend finding one kit, or one color scheme, and sticking with it through the whole book. You can do one 2-page spread for each month (or one page a month, depends on what look you like better, how many photos you have, etc.). I'd also stick to one or two fonts, for continuity.

Feel free to ask questions!

Glad you found us!

[talina]

I just saw the cutest book in the gallery...I think I am going to do one of each of my boys for christmas gifts... Here is the link

ABC First Year Album

It is by Jennifer and uses one of Mandy's collections...

[Diane]

Hello and Welcome to ScrapGirls! I'm sure you will pick things up really quickly and be amazed at what can be done digitally and printed out with wonderful results. I love your gift idea. I've just started doing Christmas presents for my mum, brother and sister that are very similar. It's a great undertaking but so creative and something I'm passionate about so it's fun to do!!

Please do ask if you need any advice or help with your projects, diigtal scrapbooking etc... Lots of great people here who are always so helpful and nice!

[jenninbel]

Thanks so much for the replies!

Well, thanks to the wonderful world of digital pictures, I have every picture my sister or I took of Michael's first year. I was gainfully unemployed when he was born so I got to spend his first month with him (we was born right before Christmas) and not very much family was around since my sister had to move when she was 8 months pregnant! So I have a bunch of pictures. I was going to try and go with month by month (December birth, January just some awesome pics) with a few months being centered around holidays (October - Halloween, he was Spiderman). His eyes are this beautiful deep shade of blue and they are huge so I was thinking of going with a lot of blue (it is the first thing you notice about him).

I absolutely love black and white photos and have played around with a few of the ones I have and have made some really great ones. I love the simplicity.

But what do I do to take that to the next level? Just start playing around in Photoshop? Will downloading a kit and a font or two allow me to do some pages? I understand the concept of layers from all my AutoCad days. I have a mac by the way. When you see something on the gallery, do you just print it out and try to recreate it that way or can you download it and use aspects of it to create what you want (kind of like copying the html code for a website)?

How can I find out about prices for hardbound books so at least I can keep that in mind as well? I don't want to create something that will cost a huge amount of money! I was going to try and keep the book printing cost under $100. That is my completely uneducated guess of what it may cost.

Seriously guys, talk to me like I don't know what a scrapbook is!

[varanda]

Try an Easy Page, here's the link to them in the store: Easy Pages

It's an easy way to begin. The page is already designed. Just lay a photo or two on top. Some easy pages are Easy Page Pros, which means you lay the photo below the easy page in layers, using Photoshop, or any other program, actually. Even if it doesn't have layers, just "send back."

You can add a title, journaling...it's up to you.

There are also sets of easy pages so you can do several pages together in a spread. Once you see how easy the easy pages are, then you'll want to start getting a kit and constructing your own pages. You'll see how we each layout a page and it'll inspire you.

It doesn't matter if you use a Mac or PC, either. Hope that helps a bit.

[wings]

A couple of thoughts....

- If you see something you like in the gallery, you can always e-mail/message the creator and ask them how they did something.

- Mandy Steward's "Brand New Baby" book would be a great starting place. The coordinating papers ("Fresh" and "Fresher") are wonderful. Of course, there are tons of wonderful kits in the boutique, but Mandy's kit seems like a natural starting point. I think it would look great with B&W photos.

- You can download tons of fonts for free. My two favorite font sites are:
Fonts for Kids: http://www.momscorne...fonts/index.htm
dafont.com: http://www.dafont.com/en/

- I don't know pricing on hardbound scrapbooks, but you can find some very nice postbound (etc.) albums at scrapbook & craft stores for $30 and under.

Have fun. I hope we get to see your layouts soon!

[jenninbel]

Thanks so much! I think I am going to get an easy page and a few papers and play with that for a bit. I want to work on it right now but, alas, I have to do some work that actually brings the paycheck

I'll put something up when I have a start to see what you guys think.

I appreciate all the advice and help. Darn work!

Jenninbel

[evariz]

I think the postbound book will look great. I just finished a heritage book and gave one copy to a representative of each sibling of my mother. I put it in the postbound book and it looked great...well, at least they liked it.