So Totally Random, It’s Actually Thursday!

It’s Char here, a whole day early, with our weekly “Friday Fun Links” post.  I hope that won’t throw your whole week into a tailspin, but I have to say I’m enjoying the idea of being SO random, I’m actually a day early.

Yes, I am easily entertained.

This week, I’m here to talk (mostly) about digital scrapbooking.  Teresa asked me to share a bit about what I do (and love), and it just SO HAPPENS that Saturday is “interNational Scrapbooking Day” or iNSD.  (Some people call it National Scrapbooking Day, but I like the concept of  “inter” added to include all people – seeing as how there are lots of fine folks in Canada and Europe who like to scrapbook).

And yes, I do tend to ramble a lot and get off on to weird tangents, why do you ask?

So, anyway, I am a DIGITAL scrapbooker.  I do enjoy playing with paper and glue occasionally, but as a busy mom with three little ones, digital works a thousand times better for me. There is never any mess to clean up, and I love having an “Undo” button when scrapbooking.

And by the way, the cute “stitch” bar (above) and the “bead” bar (below) that I’ve used in this post to separate paragraphs… these are digital scrapbooking supplies from one of my favorite designers, Miki of Microferk Designs,  who sells at Scrapbook-Elements.  (The entire shop at SBE is on sale for up to 40% off this week).

So, how about some links?  Here are a few FUN LINKS related to digital scrapbooking that you may enjoy clicking on:

• Digi Scrapbooking FAQ – this is a page I wrote awhile back with tons of digital scrapbooking resources and links
• One of the questions I’m asked the most about digital scrapbooking is, “HOW do you print your layouts… “.  Well, I do a variety of different things from printing at home to printing at Walmart to printing through a professional photo lab.  There are more and more choices all the time for where/how to print.  A few suggested links are found HERE
• One of the original digital scrapbooking websites is ScrapGirls.com. Lots of info can be found here, including tutorials, a shop to purchase digi stuff, and more.
• DigiShopTalk.com is a great site for connecting with other digital scrapbookers (and for getting help and info).  The forums are always busy, and the folks there are usually extremely helpful to “newbies”.
• Another one of the original digi sites is called Scrapbook Bytes. Again, this site has a ton of information, tutorials and goodies to purchase.
• There are several programs that work well for digital scrapbooking. Many use Adobe’s PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements, but I prefer a less expensive program called PhotoImpact.  I have used PhotoImpact since 1998, and love, love, love it.
• Another option for digital scrapbooking is to use a company like Heritage Makers.  Heritage Makers offers a web-based program and TONS of free supplies, templates, and options for scrapbooking.  You can use their software to create your designs and then print books, individual pages, cards, and more.

Well, I could ramble all day long about this passion of mine, but I really want to start hitting the early sales for iNSD.  Some of my favorite designers are having up to 50% off sales this weekend, and I need to pace myself so I don’t burn out before getting all the goodies I “need”.

If you have any questions about digi scrappin’, feel free to post comments… or send me an email (char@delight-designs.com).  I LOVE to answer questions and help others get started with digital scrapbooking, so don’t be shy!  I also have two etsy shops dedicated to my digital designing and crafting:  http://delightdesign.etsy.com and http://delightdesignbiz.etsy.com