my digitalscrapbooking approach

I have had a lot of questions lately about digital scrapbooking and how I do it and why. So, in a very large nutshell here it goes!

I started digiscrapping in April 2005 because I couldn't stand having Hannah get into my paper scrapbooking stuff. I was terrified that she would hurt herself with a pair of scissors or choke on an eyelet. I was playing on the computer one day and realized that I had Photoshop right there on my PC. I googled digital scrapbooking, found a couple of websites and realized that other people had the same ideas as me. Digital scrapbooking was pretty new at the time and didn't look a lot like paper scrapbooking and the kits and designs were pretty simple. But it appealed to me. Over the last two years, digital scrapbooking has taken off! There is very little in paperscrapping that can't be achieved digitally. In fact, other than physically touching the papers and elements, I can't think of anything. I am a complete perfectionist and there are certain looks that I wanted to achieve with my paperscrapping, but because of my limited artistic abilities, I was never able to get them quite right. But I can do it with my computer. :)

I currently use Photoshop CS2. I create my layouts at 8.5x11 inches at 300ppi. I save my layouts as layered .psd files and also as flattened .jpg files at level 10 quality. These .jpg files are the ones that I have printed (I print pages as I can afford them.). I also use the Save for Web feature in Photoshop, and save my files at about 100kb @ 72 ppi. These are the files I upload to my blog and different online galleries. And then I also take my full-size layouts and shrink them down to fit on a 4x6 size and save them and eventually print out a copy for Ainsley's book and a copy for Hannah's book. So, when my girls leave home, they'll each have several 4x6 albums of scrapbook pages. I also back up all of my pages on CDs and DVDs. My goal is to print out every page I create, but I have about 600 pages waiting to be printed. I used to scrap every single photo I took. But lately I have a different approach. I am scrapbooking a 2 page spread of an event and then going to just print 4x6 prints of the photos I don't use on the layout and put them in my scrapbooks behind the pages. Does that make sense? So, for the family reunion, I will have a 2 page spread of breaking the pinata and then a couple of photo pages of pictures of the pinata. Then a 2 page spread of family photos and then a couple of photo pages of family photos. I think that this will help me feel more "caught up". In the past, I would do 15 scrapbook pages of a single trip to the beach. That's pretty expensive to print! And realistically, who is ever going to want to look at that many scrapbook pages of a single beach trip? Well, besides me? :) Of course there are special occasions or favorite photos that will require more attention, but to me, this just seems to make more sense. At least for right now. I was going to switch to 12x12 pages, but with my new approach to scrapbooking that doesn't seem to make sense. I would have to find photo sheets to fit 12x12 albums and the pages cost more to print anyway! I have been so focused on the artsy side to scrapbooking that I lost track of the real purpose. Well, the main purpose at least... to preserve memories! I love creating pages and the artistic release that I get. But the main purpose is to preserve my family's memories.

I am trying to start a Scrapbook 4 Hire business. I am working on gathering information and pricing to build my website. So I will have less time to work on my own books. I am hoping that it will force me to simplify my scrapbooking (not the layouts themselves) and really focus on the things that are important to me and my family.

Most of my blog readers are scrapbookers or at least memory-preservers in some form (or married to them...rlh, you know who you are!). What is your scrapbooking/ photo organization approach? How do you keep it from getting overwhelming? Or do you get overwhelmed? Am I the only scrapbook crazed person here? :)

And totally off the topic, but not really... I went to a crop here with some girls from church a few weeks ago and got a great idea for how to scrapbook all those random pictures you get from family members and wedding announcements, etc. You know those big photo albums from Target that have three horizontal photos and two vertical photos on each page? You make each photo slot a mini-scrapbook page. it's much easier than it sounds. The entire page is one theme, like all wedding announcement pictures. You make one slot the title area with a a decorative title and then you put all the photos on a coordinating paper and decorate each with coordinating embellishments. You can even use a slot for journaling. It was really cute. I have an album like that somewhere in Utah. I'll have to find it and work on it when I get into my own home and have all my random photos with me. It also works great as a grandparents album. Anyway... if anyone has cute ideas, let me know. I'm always on the lookout!