I am pretty hardcore about my love of traditional scrapbooking. While I understand it works for some people, purely digital scrapbooking holds zero appeal to me. I want paint on my fingers, to actually create and cut and mess up and not have the ‘undo’ option. I want my hands doing more than clicking keys and a mouse. Of course, I also want my work to have all the benefits that digital has to offer. What’s a paper girl to do? I started hybrid scrapbooking.
I don’t use my computer for every layout, nor do I ever want to. For me, it’s more of an occasional thing as desired. I won’t lie – when I first started trying PSE and all that I was overwhelmed. I nearly quit a bunch of times. There wasn’t anyone teaching how to do ‘easiest ways’ to get the digital stuff in and print for your paper projects. But I kept on going & trying and eventually I got to know enough to do the things I wanted to do. I have people like Katie Pertiet and Tia Bennett to thank for my not quitting. Those digi goddesses answered questions and encouraged me.
Then one day, I figured out that I didn’t have to do everything the “right” way. That I could TOTALLY use Microsoft Word for more than 50% of what I was up to. That if I found faster ways to work in Photoshop that was ok. The digital police wouldn’t actually come bang on my door. Heck – I could just ‘auto correct’ my photos if I was in a hurry and it worked. I didn’t have to know all the tricks or understand every in and out of Photoshop… I could rebel. I could just do it my own way that worked for me and got me back off the computer and into my papers and ribbons fast as possible.
Over the last few years I’ve become really comfortable with what I do (digitally). I co-wrote the book on hybrid scrapbooking with Audrey Neal (Paper + Pixels: Scrapbook Layouts) and now I’ve got a class starting up at Big Picture on February 25th that will bring you into my hybrid world.
I’ve designed my Big Picture Hybrid Scrapbooking class to be really flexible to your needs – you just need a computer, printer, and Microsoft Word OR Photoshop Elements. Heck – if you have PSE you can just send your stuff to be printed at a local printer then you don’t even need a home printer. Sometimes we’ll customize stuff, sometimes we’ll layer. Other times we’ll just straight print and get back to the paper and real stuff.
What will you do in class? Well that’s really up to you. I refuse to have solid “CUT ___ then attach ___ to ___” assignments. I believe we’re each at our own place and I try my very best to encourage, inspire, and enable you to take my ideas and lessons and apply them to your own scrapbooking needs. I do give some prompts and focus in class, but it’s very open to interpretation. This class is a celebration of hybrid scrapbooking – and I hope you’ll join me if it appeals to you. All of the info + registration is here: http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/gohybrid.php
Heck – you can even come to class without digital supplies. I’ve got an exclusive class download each week that is yours to use & keep. I have to give HUGE thank yous to:
Cathy Zielske
Elle’s Studio LLC
Jodie McNally
Katie Pertiet
Lynn Grieveson
Sande Krieger
Their contributions are hugely appreciated – and I feel grateful that they lent their talent and support to class.
If you have questions I encourage you to e-mail me or leave it in a comment right here. I welcome all the questions you might have – and once you sign up there is a pre-class handout and presentation to help get you ready to start.
It’s going to be BIG fun.
