Make the Most of Digital Scrapbook Kits
Being able to use a digital scrapbook kit again and again is definitely one of the many benefits of digital scrapbooking. But in reality how often do we actually do that? Today I want to talk about three questions you should consider when deciding what digital kits to add to your crafting supply stash. I’ll also share examples of how you really can get more out of each kit.
1. Does the digital scrapbook kit suit your style?
Even if a kit is free or very inexpensive, don’t download it unless the style really appeals to you—whether it's a style that's already within your comfort zone or one that you'd like to experiment with. (There’s no point cluttering up your hard drive with kits you’ll never use.)
Digital is a great medium to test out new scrapbooking styles and techniques outside of your normal repertoire. I absolutely adore this digital kit by Valorie Wibbens.
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Digital Scrapbook Kit |
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I love the mix of graphic patterns, perfectly textured solids, and hand-drawn elements (totally within my comfort zone), and for some reason I can't explain, I am completely wild for the bold and bright colors (completely outside of my comfort zone).
How to get the most out of this kit? First, use it to make a layout in your signature style. I’d probably find myself making a layout similar to this one by Lauren Reid—solid background, lots of white space, and minimal use of embellishments.
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Supplies digital kit (Love Muffin by Valorie Wibbens) • font (arsenal white) • layout by Lauren Reid |
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Second, venture outside of your comfort zone and experiment with something new, like a technique or an embellishment. I would love to experiment more with colors and mixing patterns, like Valorie does so beautifully on all her layouts.
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Supplies digital kit (Love Muffin by Valorie Wibbens) • layout by Valorie Wibbens |
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And third, to get even more use out of a digital scrapbook kit, don't forget to include your digital elements in the "stash" you rummage through when you're working on a hybrid scrapbook project. Check out this gorgeous (and totally sweet) mini album Valorie made using her Love Muffin Kit.
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Supplies digital kit (Love Muffin by Valorie Wibbens), matte cardstock, ribbon, button, double sided tape, paper trimmer, xacto knife, printer |
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2. Is the theme one you’ll use again and again?
If you find yourself documenting a certain type of event often (birthdays, holidays, vacations) it will be worth your while to invest in a themed kit, like this lovely travel kit by One Little Bird—especially if the style appeals to you. Make sure to look for themed kits that have plenty of universal elements, as they’ll be far more versatile.
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Digital Scrapbook Kit "Vagabond"by One Little Bird |
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How do you get the most out of a travel-themed digital kit? After you use it to scrap your weekend getaway/family vacation/Disney trip, what then? Consider using the kit to scrapbook pages completely unrelated to the theme of the kit, like Peppermint and Sara did. Both of them used the "wish you were here" tag as a journaling prompt to very different results.
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Supplies digital kit (Vagabond by One Little Bird) • fonts (Sentinel by Hoefler & Frere-Jones and Pea Devon by kevinandamanda.com) • layout by Peppermint Granberg |
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Supplies digital kit (Vagabond by One Little Bird) • fonts (century gothic and The Sara) |
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3. Do the colors speak to you?
We all have colors that we're drawn to. You really can't go wrong if you purchase a kit simply because you love its color combinations. For me, those colors happen to be the yellows and greys found in this collaboration kit by Fei Fei's Stuff and my company, paislee press.
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Digital Scrapbook Kit "Montage" by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff |
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The yellows, greys and soft neutrals are great for showcasing photos with greenery and natural settings, as Elisa and Steffi did.
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Supplies digital kit (Montage by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff) • template (In This Moment by EH Studios) • layout by Elisa Hubbard |
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Supplies digital kit (Montage by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff) • digital elements (Random and Got Dirty by Fei Fei's Stuff) • font (nixie one) • layout by Steffi Wuensche |
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Have photos that don't go perfectly with the kit's color scheme? Turn your photos to black and whites like Shaui did to get more out of the kit.
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Supplies digital kit (Montage by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff) • layout by Shaui Lee |
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Lastly, to get even more out of your kit, consider printing the patterned papers and embellishments to make unique gifts: custom stationery featuring your favorite patterned paper (I can never get enough of stripes), personalized note cards, or printing out the embellishments to decorate a gift.
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Supplies digital kit (Montage by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff), • envelopes (curry 4bar and A6 from paper source) • kraft gift box from papermart • printables by Liz Tamanaha |
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Supplies digital kit (Montage by paislee press + Fei Fei's Stuff), • envelopes (curry 4bar and A6 from paper source) • kraft gift box from papermart • printables by Liz Tamanaha |
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Now that you’ve seen 11 wildly different projects created from just 3 digital scrapbook kits, I hope you’ll be inspired to A) choose wisely when it comes to the kits you download into your digital scrapbooking library, and B) try a few of the tips in this article to really make the most of your digital scrapbooking kits—and open yourself up to new creative frontiers. Have fun!
August is Digital Scrapbooking Month at Ella Publishing. Read more great articles about digital scrapbooking and check out the related eBooks on sale through the end of the month!
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