How long have you been scrapping?

[newfiemountiewife]

Since I'm new, and I only know a couple of the girls here, I'd like to get to know everyone a bit better, so I have a couple of questions!

I have a lot of Photoshop/Dreamweaver knowledge, but when I scrap pages, I just can't get the "feel" of it somehow. I feel like my LOs are boring and plain, or else way overdone with too much stuff in them. I'm finding it hard to get in the groove, if that makes sense. I have a lot of kits, so that's no excuse, I have been hoarding for months now, and just started actually using them. Did you feel this way when you were new at this too? Did you have any PS or PSP knowledge before you started scrapping? How long have you been scrapping? How long until you considered yourself "good"? LOL!

Thanks for answering, I'm very hooked on scrapping right now!

[WDWGirl]

Hi Jamie!
I started "scrapping" over 6 1/2 yrs ago --- paper. However, i have only been digi scrappin' since december 2006. I really had no knowledge of my PSE program, but followed tutorials online and started.. then i just did lots of reading,and looking at how other people did their pages, and just put lots of my paper scrappin' thoughts down with the computer. It's almost the same, your just using a different tool. (And less clean up!! LOL)

As for considering myself "good" -- well, I just scrap for me, so if I am pleased with a page, then i feel like it is "good" -- However, i also love the challenges here and at other places, b/c i feel like it just stretches my creativeness and helps me learn new skills.

[kcmcd]

I thought I was good all along. LOL! Now I look back and wonder what the heck I was doing. But I wouldn't change it. It's like anything. Your style evolves and grows and so do trends and who's stuff you just can't scrap without.

[DragonFly Designs]

Hey Jamie...Welcome to SSD...Fellow CDN here {Dad is from Newfoundland}!!!

I worked with PSP for a few years making tags/signature blinkies...While still making these I started with paper scrappin in 2002 around my son's first bday. 2003 my sister introduced digi scrappin to me {she also showed me paper way too}. Haven't looked back....so addictive to the cleaniness of scrappin and the money wise is a big hit with me. Being able to reuse something you bought for $5 while in paper you use it once {paper or embellies} and thats it.

I have been scrappin in total 6 years but 4 digitally.

[Libby Pritchett]

Hi there!

I paper scrapped for 8 years, but I just went digi last year (a year ago this month, in fact! Happy anniversary to me! LOL!) Before I did my first page, I had NO experience with PSE. Since I already felt comfortable with my scrapping style (from paper), my biggest hurdle was learning how to use the program.

The biggest thing is just finding a style that appeals to you. Don't be afraid to try different things. My style is different from what is popular now. I like bright colors, straight lines, big titles, etc. But I've found that I have the most success when I do what makes me happy. I still branch out and try new things, but my favorite pages are always the ones where I've stayed true to my style.

I'm sure your pages are a lot better than you give yourself credit for. Can't wait to see them!

[Julie Billingsley]

Hi! Welcome to the Sweet Shoppe!

I've been digiscrapping since April 2006, I think. Although I had started buying kits before then, I just didn't have a scrapping program. I didn't have much experience in photo editing programs and no experience in paper scrapping. It wasn't until earlier this year that I started to be pleased with my scrapping... but it is still hit and miss. Some layouts I think I rock, and some I just shrug and can't figure out what the problem is. I certainly don't feel like I'm "all that". I spend time in the galleries of people that I really like their style and just look at how they do it. That helped me define the style that I want in my own layouts. Best of luck on your scrapping!

[iJenny]

Welcome! I'm a relatively "new" member to this group, but its quickly become my favorite place to be.
I started paper scrapping in 2002 and eventually opened my own "scrapbooking for others" business. But about a year ago I started hearing this buzz about something called digital scrapbooking. The more I heard about it, the more I was sure it was something I would enjoy. So I gave it a shot in February of this year and was INSTANTLY hooked. I quickly sold/got rid of all my paper scrapbooking stuff (I had closed my business a few months earlier) and went compleltely digital. Not only is it faster and easier, but its cheaper and so much fun!
So, I've been doing digital scrapbooking for five months now, and love every minute of it. I started with ZERO program experience, but learned quickly. I did *some* tutorials, but mostly just learned by either playing around with the software or asking a lot of questions to the seasoned pros here (I use PSE5). I am getting to the point where I am more and more pleased with my layouts, but I still have those layouts where I just can't figure out whats "not right" about it. I'm certainly not up to par with some of the ladies here, but luckily everyone is super helpful and SO creative, that I don't think anyone can help but get better just by being here.
Again, welcome! You'll love it here...

Jenny
________
Wiki Vaporizer

[newfiemountiewife]

Thank you all for your comments, I do appreciate them!

I remember starting out making signatures, and it was so overwhelming to look at some of those who had been making for so long, and trying not to compare myself. I did also dabble in paper scrapping long enough to accumulate a ton of stuff that's taking up space in my basement LOL.

I'm going to keep trying, it's so much fun, and since I know my way around PS (I have PS CS3) it's just a matter of finding my style. I really love bright colours, and notice that a lot of the kits I have lean more that way.

I do want to compliment you all, the galleries just blow my mind, and I am always shy to post anything I've made, because it looks so amateurish LOL!

[SaraAmarie]

Welcome to SSD!! Glad you came to join us here!

I started scrapping 2years last February then playing with designing stuffs shortly after. I actually end up not scrapping a whole lot now so I still feel like I'm not really that great of a scrapper. heheh

Just keep at it! What you have up are great!!

[puck]

I'm too newbie start digital scrap in november-december 2006, I'm continous learning all days from all scrappers

[Hom74]

I first found out about digi-scrapping in Aug 05 and still call myself a newbie

Yeah, I still have moments where I feel like it's missing something or there's too much...but amazingly I've been able to be done w/LOs after about 60-90 minutes lol. I figure I'm pretty much scrapping everyday...I'll have thousands of LOs when things are all said and done and not to stress over the one I'm doing. I feel the same way about my journaling...I just let it flow out of me. Sometimes I go back and read it and am embarrassed by all the grammar mistakes lol. If I haven't moved it onto my EHD yet I'll fix it...if it's been moved already i"ll just leave it lol.

When i found digi-scrapping (have never paper scrapped), although I had PS6 on my desktop (I think it was either 5 or 6) and at work...I've never used it. I followed a tutorial step by step working in PSCS2 for my 1st LO.

Um...Yeah...I have lots of stuff lol. I pretty much filled up a 200GB EHD w/LOs, pixs and scrapstuff...after burning the PSD/TIF onto another DVD...I've just deleted the PSD/TIF off the EHD. I recently got a 500GB and will get another when I find it for under $100 again.

[puck]

MYGodness Karen , I'm make miracles with 80GB my life it's burn and burn and burn dvd's LOL, I going to buy a 200 GB this summer

[Hom74]

lol...it was pure torture for me when I 1st started scrapping. I got an old, used laptop from my brother and I don't remember anymore...but think I usually only had like 3 GB lol...that thing was slooooow. I would scrap 1..or stretch and scrap 2 LOs and then have to transfer everything over before scrapping another LO.

I got a new laptop in Feb 06, but only 60GBs on it. But w/the amount of pixs I take and the size of them...I'm usually around 10 - 13GB lol.

[newfiemountiewife]

I bought my DH a 500 GB EHD for Father's Day, his hobby is photography, and his computer fried a couple of weeks ago. So even though my computer guru was able to save it, I wasn't taking any more chances!

I got a new desktop for Christmas, my old laptop just couldn't handle PS without crashing. It has a 250 GB hard drive in it, and I am so thankful for it! DH says it's the last computer I'm having, ever! So I made sure I souped it up LOL. I still think I'll get my kits on DH's EHD though, I can't imagine having to redownload all of that again if my computer decided to kick the bucket, so it'd be nice to have a backup.

[lisarose]

Hi Jamie Welcome!

I have been scrapping for 2 years now and like Karen I still feel "new"!! LOL
At the beginning, layouts would seriously take me days... I wanted them to look like the pages from my favourite scrappers, and I was getting frustrated that they didn't! So i would work and work on them... I was constantly changing styles trying to find something that fit ME.

Anyway about 6 months back I finally got to that point.. it was like a lightbulb moment!! LOL I think I have my own personal style now, and if I dont love the layout as I work on it, I delete it. I used to force layouts and force them to work. Now I just go by feel, it's done when im happy with it and I dont care if it doesnt contain all the latest trends or the newesst products.

I had never scrapped at all prior to digiscrapping, I had a basic understanding of PSP but I used (and still do use) Gimp for scrapping. The first few weeks I spent playing with the program and not actually scrapping!

Yeah, I suggest that you get everything backed up!! I have 2 EHD's just in case one dies! LOL and a bunch of older stuff still backed up on DVD's from the pre-EHD days

[Stacey42]

I found out about digi scrapping from an online friend back in early 2005, but it was around Aug 05 before I found some PSP specific tutorials. I've been using PSP since version 6 for photo adjustment and making sigs, blinkies & avatars for parenting groups I was active in. I never paper scrapped, too much money, too much space needed and too much mess with babies around. I love that all my stuff is on my laptop & I can just walk away from it whenever I want without worrying about small children mucking it up

I go through phases where I am very pleased with stuff, where I am not so pleased and where I just have no motivation. i find taking classes helps a lot when I get like that. I'm taking a journaling & typography class this month to help me with titles & finding the right fonts.

I have about 25GBs of scrapping stuff on my HD , plus another 5GBs of photos. I have a couple DVDs of old scrap supplies but I never look at them. I went through a heavy pruning at the start of the year when I got ACDSee and removed or deleted over half my stash. I've gotten really selective about my purchases since then.

[nesser1981]

Jamie, you know how I got started. LOL!

I've always loved my pages, but I still don't think they are the quality of a lot of other scrappers out there. And to be honest, that's fine, I just don't have 2 or 3 hours to devote to every page, I'd never be caught up. I'm finally getting on my dream teams, so that makes me think that I'm doing something right. LOL!

Really, you have to make pages you and the family love. That's the most important thing to me.

I've been doing digital for almost a year now, started the end of July 2006.

[kcmcd]

Hey, you're here too! lol.

Um... just over two years I guess? And I've thought I was the stuff all along. lol. Now I look back and think "Oh, my word..." And when I say look back, sometimes I only mean back on last week's layouts. lol. But it's fun. It's all fun. The learning, the evolving... It's fun!

[mochamama]

Hi Jamie!

I have been digi-scrapping for almost 2 years now. I have extensive PSP knowledge, not being much of a paper scrapper, it took time to have the feel for how to do things digitally. Like how do I make this paper clip look real, and before that was coming to the place that I need to make this paperclip look real LOL, not just splat it on the layout. I always felt that my layouts were pretty decent, but looking back LOL, I'm not so sure.

[pne123]

I'm going on 2 years of digi scrapping. I truly love it! I tried paper scrapping initially, but glue and I just don't get along.

[newfiemountiewife]

Thank you all for the replies and welcomes! I am more hooked each time I make something. I really do love it, and wish I had more time to do it!

[ScrapblogRebecca]

I have been paper-scrapping since 1996. So much has happened in the scrapbooking industry. I still create many things on paper. I consider myself a hybrid scrapper. I love finding new ways to use photoshop in my paper layouts. I work for a little start-up called Scrapblog. I find I love adding video takes the whole "memory making" to another level. Check us out if you haven't seen the website before.

http://www.scrapblog.com/