If you are a beginner in digital scrapbooking, you probably have a lot of questions. You like the idea of a digital scrapbook, but you don’t want to invest a lot of money in it until you know if it will be rewarding.
Digital Scrapbook Definition
Digital scrapbooking is the act of creating additional images, photos, journals, and “touches” to preserve your memories in a digital rather than a physical format. Scrapbooking software is available for free on the Internet, or you can use a standard Microsoft Word program.
Digital Scrapbook Themes
Scrapbooking looks more professional when the entire post has a theme. A digital scrapbook theme helps you focus on one style, instead of having each page different. Once you have a central theme, you can set themes for individual pages. These should follow the main theme, but in smaller pieces. For example, a main vacation theme might have transportation, hotel, beach, restaurants, and activities page themes. You can get free digital scrapbook themes for general and individual pages.
Free Themed Kits for Digital Scrapbooking
Free digital scrapbook themes are available in kits on various internet websites. You can combine similar themes or use the elements for your own theme. For example, downloading two or three free digital scrapbook themed kits that focus on sports would give you items to fill out several coordinated, yet different pages in a sports-themed work.
DIY Digital Scrapbooking Themes
Being a digital scrapbooking beginner doesn’t mean you can’t tackle digital scrapbooking topics as DIY projects. If you’re willing to invest a little creativity, you’ll find a plethora of free digital scrapbooking themes all over the internet. One website gives the digital scrapbooking novice plenty of suggestions in its descriptions of items for sale. Consider three of them.
1. Memories of school days will be placed in funds specifically designed for the school. Stop and think. What type of fund fits the description? Imagine back to school advertising. Pencils, books, backpacks, apples, desks, and alphabets come to mind. With very little work, you can create your own backgrounds for free school days digital scrapbook themes.
Imagine a page against the background of a faded school building. A large school bus stands in front of the building. A child’s kindergarten photo fills a window. Photos of friends fill two more windows. A note about the first day of school is “taped” to the page with a small, shiny backpack graphic. Another page theme might start with a background of letters of the alphabet or “spelling words” written in script and arranged at angles. Great for displaying a perfect spelling test or spelling bee photos. The same shiny letters or trophies can be added as decorations. In a matter of moments, you have two free digital scrapbook themes for school memories. Each one is do it yourself. Each one fits the mood you are trying to create.
2. A 50th wedding anniversary scrapbook can have a vintage and nostalgic theme. Close your eyes and imagine old things. Imagine an antique store or a chest of old clothes and faded lettering. Lavender, satin ribbons, old lace and aged paper come to mind. With imagination, you can create your own free digital scrapbook theme backgrounds on old memories.
A large faded and aged county fair photograph would make a great background page for photos of the couple and a ticket stub or two. Cotton candy or carousel horse embellishments could bring the page to life. If it’s a 2 page spread, one part of an old love letter can be the diary. Colorful candy striped photo mats will enhance the happy feelings of the couple. A second page theme could be vintage cars, a faded background of vehicle graphics that set the stage for photos of the couple’s first car, or all the cars they’ve ever owned. On a third page, clip art or photos of ornate mirrors can be repeated against a faded background. A single magnified mirror frame could frame the main wedding photo. Smaller mirrors, lace elements and ribbons could complete the theme. With a few minutes of thought, you have three free digital scrapbook themes for your 50th wedding anniversary scrapbook.
3. If you want a cowboy hat theme for a digital scrapbook, start by thinking about the symbols that connect to that idea. Your background can be rodeo scenes, a desert, or the colors of the great outdoors. You can make a page that looks like the inside of a barn. Hang a rope on a board in the barn and place a pair of cowboy boots on the ground. Spread straw on the bottom. Then add your photos, place them in place with little cowboy hat graphics. Make sure a photo shows your subject wearing a cowboy hat. Add string letters to spell out a legend like “Ride on, cowboy!” A torn “piece” of paper with the date, name and a comment would make a fitting journal so that future generations can fully appreciate the occasion. You just gave yourself another free digital scrapbooking theme.
Compilation of digital scrapbook themes
Another source of free digital scrapbooking themes are website posts by those who are eager to share their own work. These are easily found by doing an online search. If you have a basic theme in mind, you can often get themes for individual pages from the provided examples.
Scrapbooking shops and magazines offer many items, some digital. If you are creative, you can adapt non-digital themes with little practice.
Final Tips on Digital Scrapbooking Themes
Wherever you get your digital scrapbook themes, keep in mind that the backgrounds should always complement the colors of the photos that will go on each page. Keeping a journal adds great interest. If you don’t know what to write, think: who, what, where, when, why and how. “Elements” are additional decorative objects that are added to the page. Scrapbook Bytes offers many free downloadable items.