ACOT Message Board

So many of you look at my stuff and comment how pretty it is but you don't digi scrap. Of course, I'd love to have more customers, but you have no idea how great it is to finish a layout in an hour or to not have little snippets of paper all over the house (my dogs used to chew up the scraps and then barf up beautiful rainbow colored stuff all over the house, ugh!), or to sort scraps of paper to see if they're big enough to be of value if saved, or to NOT need a separate room in the house just to house your stash or........Well the advantages go on and on........ And, just because you know how to digi scrap doesn't mean you're forbidden to ever touch paper or glue again!

I started out paper scrapping in 2000. In 2005, conversations about digital scrapbooking took off at Two Peas. And I was curious. I decided to give it a try. My first layout was ridiculous! My second layout was better, but not that much, LOL. But, at that time there were a lot of tutorials out there on HOW to create a digital scrapbook layout. I don't think there are many BASIC tutorials floating around these days. At least, I haven't seen them.

My idea, if enough of you are interested, is to do a series of tutorials on the basics of digital scrapbooking. Questions like what do all those silly looking symbols mean and how do I use them. Or "I have no clue how to get my photo onto the paper". We might even throw in some photo editing for those under exposed photos that sometimes happen. Maybe we can get some guest bloggers to show their little special tips or to do a tutorial. There will be no questions too basic. There will be no deadlines. We will go step by step and NO SCRAPPER WILL BE LEFT BEHIND. My goal is to do one tutorial a week showing you the next step and then to give you a week to do that step. There are some weeks I won't meet my goal. Just sayin'

If you're interested, please sign up below. You will need Photoshop Elements of some variety. The current version is PSE10. Amazon has it on sale right now for $65.00 here: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-E ... lements+10 I recommend you use the latest version you can get your hands on--screen shots will be involved and you don't want to be searching for some squiggly thing that looks like what I'm highlighting!

You will need a digital kit. If you want one of mine, let me know and I'll give you a coupon for 50% off. (Please, let's be honest here. If you're already a digiscrapper, please don't sign up here just to get the darned coupon!!!) I'll post an announcement in the Designer's Forum and if anyone else wants to offer a coupon, they can chime in on this thread. You will also need a photo that you don't need to have scrapped by next Wednesday!

I've done some tutorials for my CT and they all suck up to me and tell me they are well written and that they learned something. Let's just see among ourselves if they're tellin' the truth!

Oh, where and when might be good to talk about.......... I expect I'll post the tutorials on my blog (www.p-u-s-h.typepad.com) with an announcement (and links) here when each new tutorial comes out. By early September, most of the kiddos should be back to school. Does that sound like a good start date to you?

If you have friends who paper scrap but might be interested to learn about digi, get them signed up here. The worst that can happen is they'll run across a great selection of products in the paper store. This is a come one, come all, come in your bathrobe and bunny slippers kind of deal!

I'm interested. I'll need to purchase photoshop first...will ck out amazon tommorrow when not at work.

debamas wrote:I'm interested. I'll need to purchase photoshop first...will ck out amazon tommorrow when not at work.

i just bought PSE 8 for thirty something dollars and loaded on dh's laptop (which is now MINE!)

May I post this on FB? I have friends here in Louisiana who really want to learn!!

MimaScraps wrote:

debamas wrote:I'm interested. I'll need to purchase photoshop first...will ck out amazon tommorrow when not at work.

i just bought PSE 8 for thirty something dollars and loaded on dh's laptop (which is now MINE!)

I didn't realize that it was that cheap! Wow! I should seriously think about this. I always look at the digi LOs and think how beautiful they are.

1grandma wrote:

MimaScraps wrote:

debamas wrote:I'm interested. I'll need to purchase photoshop first...will ck out amazon tommorrow when not at work.

i just bought PSE 8 for thirty something dollars and loaded on dh's laptop (which is now MINE!)

I didn't realize that it was that cheap! Wow! I should seriously think about this. I always look at the digi LOs and think how beautiful they are.

j bibi, they come out with newer versions. She teach from the pse 10. Newest versions do cost more. I' ll look fot a good price for us if you are interested. Not that you can't usr an older none nut ot will br easier for a digi dummy like me to follow along.

I think this is a great idea. I'm always looking for new tips and shortcuts...heaven knows I've done a lot of things the hard way and I'm sure there are easier ways to do things!

Yay! I've been dying to know how to digi! Please sign me up.

Ayla wrote:I think this is a great idea. I'm always looking for new tips and shortcuts...heaven knows I've done a lot of things the hard way and I'm sure there are easier ways to do things!

Me, too! I know that Ayla and I have exchanged notes on occasion. But I'm always willing to review a TUT just to see if there's an easier way!

Oh, and I'm off to get my hands on the newest version of PSE. I'm working on a 3 year old version right now.

I would be ALL Over this. I have PSE9 and to be honest, I have opened it...and then closed it because it intimidates me. So finding tutorials that began with 1. open your program 2. now..... would be fantastic because they are extremely hard to find. I like to paper scrap, but there are times I want to digi scrap too. I haev ALOT of freebies and I use bits and pieces to hybrid scrap but to be able learn how I can make an element look layered, change the color, eliminate something, etc would be fantastic!

And I love the photo editing tutorials too. I want to learn how to get rid of objects in the background that I don't want, change a photo to b&w leaving one element colored, etc.

I hope you decide to do this

Lori, if you found PSE8 currently on the market for $30, maybe you should link us up as that's a lot cheaper than PSE10 which might make it a lot easier for some folks to afford. I am not familiar with PSE8, and it may present some things differently or in different positions than they are in PSE10. But, I'm sure you'll be able to find what you are looking for if you're willing to work at it a little bit. And, YES, anyone on Facebook feel free to post something about this, maybe with a link to this thread. This is open to anyone with a desire to learn.

For this purpose, the only advantage that I know of in owning PSE10 over 8 or 9 is that you are sure to have a screen that looks exactly like mine. I've been designing (shhhhhh, don't tell anyone) in PSE6 for a long time and just recently got PSE10 because somehow I wiped out PSE6.

Here's the way I see this going. I will post a tutorial that will take you from opening the program to just getting "stuff" on the page. We will talk about the really common things like shadows. We will talk a bit about photo editing. Once you show me that you've all actually managed to get "stuff" on the page and created at least two layouts, I'll start trying to answer some of your more sophisticated questions. For example, Laurie just asked a question on how to use Styles. That's a lot more sophisticated than getting "stuff" on the page, but when you're ready, we can go there. There are a LOT of very exciting and sophisticated things you can do with PSE, but you need to know the basics first. We're doing digital scrapbooking 101 first!

I will NEVER tell you that what I teach you is the "right way" or the "only way". I will tell you it works for me and should work for you too. You will need the ability to work step by step and follow written instructions augmented by screen shots.

Oh, and by the way, I am just thrilled we've got some folks that are interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is gonna be fun! (Frustrating at first, maybe, but LOTS of fun!)

Sounds wonderful! I do apologize for my last post as I was doing it from my cell phone which I have not seem to conquer those tiny buttons and how your words just don't come out like you think they are doing! I really can spell, LOL!

debamas wrote:Sounds wonderful! I do apologize for my last post as I was doing it from my cell phone which I have not seem to conquer those tiny buttons and how your words just don't come out like you think they are doing! I really can spell, LOL!

LOL Debbie... and here I thought it was the wine

I'll copy/paste your email to the girls in Lancaster County who are asking about learning how to digi.

I do know the "basics" - so I may look at your lessons, but sorry, I have to touch and feel the little do dads on my page. The digi stuff looks beautiful, but to me it's like looking at a photo print of an original, and never having the layering. Will I do some things digital? Yes. But for the most part - just not my cup of tea.

Marci, I think this is a great idea! I look forward to seeing more paper scrappers join the ranks of the digi scrappers and to viewing the results of their "homework" assignments. Although I have advanced a bit in my PS skills (had one introductory 3 hour class to get me started in Jan '09) I will be interested to see your beginner tutorials. Who knows what tips might help me do some basic thing I already know how to do, but with fewer steps--or something entirely new that I didn't even know was there all along.

What a wonderful idea. I would love to brush up and learn something new. I won PE10, so that is what I'll be using.

EyesForBeauty wrote:Marci, I think this is a great idea! I look forward to seeing more paper scrappers join the ranks of the digi scrappers and to viewing the results of their "homework" assignments. Although I have advanced a bit in my PS skills (had one introductory 3 hour class to get me started in Jan '09) I will be interested to see your beginner tutorials. Who knows what tips might help me do some basic thing I already know how to do, but with fewer steps--or something entirely new that I didn't even know was there all along.

Karen, I can only hope to learn what you know in the same amount of time! Marci, great idea. I need to learn digi so I can scrap my heritage pages for all my cousins & sibling. I could never do it with paper. So, I'm in!! I'm struggling on my own with PSE8.

I'm seeing about 6 people who don't digi scrap and 4 of my CT who think I still have something to teach them. I think we can still take about 4 more beginners. Then we'll have to cut it off. I'd gladly take on 50, but I know you're gonna have questions and I need to make sure I can be available to help everyone. If we were in an actual classroom, I'd give you a task and then walk up and down the aisles helping folks as we went. But we don't have that advantage here. So, 4 more and we'll cut it off for now.

Fantastic project Marci and I wish you all luck! Can't wait to see all the beautiful digi creations coming out of this class.

For the newbies, I just wanna say stick with it and DON'T give up!! It is a learning curve and once you get the hang of it you'll never stop! LOL