A Digital Layout

OK I promised a crafty project in my next post so here you go. This is a digital scrapbook page I finished a few days ago. I am absolutely terrible at keeping track of the digital elements that I used so I apologize. I guess I'll have to get better if I'm going to post my work. If you believe I've used one of your elements, please let me know and I will be happy to give you credit for it.

This picture is actually an old one, from 2006, when my grandmother was still alive. It was taken at my niece's 6th birthday party but that's not the story I wanted to tell. I will do another spread about the party, but here I wanted to focus on the relationship between my mom and her mom. I am trying to move toward including this type of scrapbooking, with layouts focusing on relationships and memories, versus the primarily event-based pages that I usually do. I am starting to see this hobby through the eyes of my future children and thinking about what would be meaningful for them.

Anyway, as you can see I scrap 8 1/2 by 11. I generally scrap chronologically. I use Photoshop CS3 for my digital pages. I mix together traditional, digital and hybrid in the same album. Although I suppose the majority of my pages would be considered hybrid since I just about always print my photos digitally at home even when doing a traditional paper page. And when I create a digital page I usually print it out in pieces and glue it together since my printer can't print borderless 8 1/2 by 11. This one I will print out the area on the white mat and mount it on brown cardstock and then print the flower separately, cut it out and attach with foam tape (which I am loving lately!) Many would say it defeat the purpose of digital but it works for me. Plus I really love the cutting and pasting aspect of scrapbooking.

There's nothing terribly unique about this page so it's odd that I started with it. More of just a timing issue I suppose. Although for me the one photo page is unusual. I am usually a multi-photo kind of girl. I do like the freedom the one photo gives you to embellish. I am loving the swirl brushes!

Also the digitally inked edges -- can't get enough of layer styles! I made the inked edge on the diamond paper by adding an inner glow- layer effect using Hard Light blending mode. Opacity 100, Noise 51 (nice round number?). Softer technique, edge, 5% choke, 10 pixel size. The default contour with 42% range and 65% jitter. Saved it as a style so I can reapply it in the future. Just changing the color really changes the effect.

In other news, we are preparing for my husband's sister's wedding this weekend. Tomorrow (or soon...) a peak at her wedding card!