By: Rhonda Doran-Neil
You can find digital scrapbooking content in thousands of places on the Internet. The big question is how to gather all the stuff you might need for your scrapbook projects without breaking the bank. Plus, when there are so many great kits to choose from, how do you pick the ones that are right for you?
Here's the silver lining: there are many beautiful, low-cost digital packs and themes, and even gorgeous digital freebies that will work really well for you. Lots of professionally-designed kits sell for under five dollars on some of the top scrapbooking sites. Plenty of designers and talented amateurs will even share their stuff for free when you agree to only use their content in personal projects (i.e., not for resale or redistribution).
However, there may be a whole lot of kits out there, but you still have to figure out which ones are right for you. Simply stocking up on everything you find isn't necessarily the best plan. You're going to want top-notch designs and flexibility, plus you don't want to download a whole of pile of things you'll never look at again.
1. Step one in stocking your perfect digital scrapbooking stash is to get out pen and paper and itemize the kinds of scrapbook themes you are likely to make, such as School, Little Boy, Grandchildren, and Genealogy. It's a good idea to include a few "general-purpose" kits that you can use in a whole bunch of different scrapbook types. Once you search for the themes on your list, you can turn your attention to checking out what's included and the quality of what you find in those kits.
2. Next, think of the different elements that make up a great layout: background paper, embellishments, paper scraps or mats, and maybe even some shapes. Look for kits that include all or most of these things. A kit that has all of these coordinating elements is the best way to stretch your dollar.
3. Remember that the best digital scrapbooking supply sites show you "what's in the box" by listing exactly what's included in each kit they sell. Preferably, you will also be shown images of the elements that are included in your kit, allowing you to view what you get before your buy, and also to decide if the style of the kit suits your taste. Nobody wants to spend money or precious time on downloading content that isn't at all like you thought it would be.
4. Some kits come with coordinating theme pages, plopper/quick pages or editable templates. Editable templates are by far your best value here as you have the option to "tweak" the layout's pre-fab design. You can also use an editable template over and over again, tweaking it each time to keep your pages looking fresh and original.
5. Don't forget how important it is to have a really good quality scrapbooking program when building a smart collection of scrapbooking elements. There are wonderful programs out there that let you alter the color, shape, and even the "texture" of your paper scraps and elements. The pay off for you is that you can constantly transform your embellishments and papers, giving them a whole different look to suit every new project.
6. This may be the best value in the industry: the mega scrapbooking pack, including the work of multiple artists. Mega packs often include editable templates, and complete kits full of paper scraps, shapes, embellishments, and background papers. You "score" in the sense that you get all sorts of great stuff for your pages, plus you have a whole bunch of styles to choose from as each designer has his or her unique "look".
7. Remember that your scrapbooking software can also play a crucial part in putting together your content collection. Choose a program that offers a great-looking content pack that includes all the necessary elements for great layouts. Ideally, your program will come with templates that you can edit, and complete kits so that the task of making stylish pages is a snap.
The bottom line: take a moment to plan the scrapbook projects you want to make. Then, look for suitable kits that include all the components of a scrapbook page in a coordinating style. Stretch your dollar further by looking for editable templates, and digital scrapbooking software that lets you creatively alter your scrapbooking content.
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