A fairytale came true for my daughter at her 6-year-old, fairytale princess birthday party using the Princesses Digital Scrapbooking Kit and the Royal Digital Scrapbooking Alphabet in pink and purple. From the invitations, to photo frames, and regal party favor bags, the pieces in the Princesses Digital Scrapbooking Kit perfectly brought my majestic princess party concept to life.

Fairytale Princess Birthday Party Outline

My daughter’s fairytale princess birthday party began with an evil dragon, (my 10-year-old son) who came to tell the 6 princesses that he had stolen their crowns and wands and hid them in a secret place. Upon hearing the roaring dragon, the brave knight (my 4-year-old son) came and bravely fought the dragon with his nerf sword and half-eaten banana. The knight was safely protected by his construction hard hat and fireman jacket. The knight offered to spare the dragon’s life if the dragon would lead the princesses to the crowns and wands. The princesses followed the dragon’s seven clues and eventually found the missing crowns and wands and peace was once again restored in the land.

Then the princesses were led by the Queen (my 12-year-old daughter) to a land far, far, away (the park across the street) to be read a magical story under an enchanted tree. After the story, the princesses returned to the castle (our house) to discover that the prince (my 8-year-old son) had been turned into a frog (covered by a froggy blanket) by the evil dragon. So the princesses were blindfolded and given a paper kiss to try and tape on to the frog’s forehead. Princess Kate came closest and broke the spell returning my son to a handsome prince. Then lunch was served, presents were opened and birthday cupcakes were enjoyed throughout the land.

Invitations

I designed a 6″x6″ invitation using the Princesses Digital Scrapbooking Kit to invite the five princesses to come and join our fairtytale birthday party. I love using the princess silhouette brush that comes in the kit because I can ‘stamp’ her in any color I want. I illustrated her cute posture and outfit to be a classy representation of all the princesses our daughters love.

Hanging Pennant Banner

A hanging pennant banner is a quick and easy way to add a lot of color and interest to your party without having to put up a ton of other decorations. I designed the banners in alternating pink and purple paper with a white crown ‘stamp’ in the middle using the crown brush. The medieval banner shape turned out so cute and regal. I hung the banner with curling ribbon.

Princess Photo Frame

In front of my entertainment center I created a princess backdrop using a curtain and some long pieces of fabric and flanked it with two balloon bouquets. It became a focal point for the party and was very simple to set up. Once the princesses found the hidden crowns and wands, I had each of them pose in front of the backdrop so I could take their picture. Then, while the princesses were at the park with my oldest daughter, I downloaded the photos and printed them out. I placed the photos inside these photo frames that I made the night before using pieces from the Princesses Digital Scrapbooking Kit. The printed photo, glued inside the completed frame was placed inside each party favor bag for the princess to take home as a special keepsake.

Treat Bag Tag

I made these simple little tags for the bags of strawberry yogurt-covered pretzels that I included in the party favor bag. I used a 2″ scalloped edge circle punch to cut them out. Curling ribbon was used to tie them on to the bag.

Cupcake Flags

I repeated the medieval banner design that I used on the pennant banner for the cupcake flags. These custom cupcake flags made my homemade cupcakes look like they came right of a royal bakery :)

Party Favor Bag Topper

For the party favor bags I used 5.5″x11″ clear, cellophane bags purchased from my local craft store. Then I created a 5.5″x2.5″ bag topper to staple the top of the bag closed. Inside the bag I included some edible jewelry candy, a ring pop, some plastic princess jewelry, the bag of strawberry-covered pretzels, and the photo frame with the princess’ photo inside. The girls’ eyes lit up when they saw a picture of themselves, in their princess dress, sealed inside the party favor bag. These were a big hit and really fun to make!

Thank You Cards

For the thank you cards I repeated again the medieval banner design from the pennants and cupcake flags. But I added the phrase ‘Thank You for Coming’ to the front using the Royal Digital Alphabet in pink. I designed the card to be 4.25″x5.5″ and used scissors to miter the bottom of the card giving it a custom, princess effect. My daughter enjoyed writing a personal message of gratitude to each of her princess friends for their generous gifts.

Digital Scrapbook Layouts

The best part of throwing a fairytale princess birthday party is recording the memories for generations to come with digital scrapbook layouts. My digital scrapbook layouts perfectly coordinate with all the party decorations because I used the Princesses Digital Scrapbooking Kit for everything!

I used the Cowgirl Digital Scrapbooking Kit, Cowgirl Baby Digital Scrapbooking Kit, Cowgirl Party Embellishments Set and Stunt Alphabet in pink to decorate for my cowgirl-themed baby shower. I am expecting baby #6 (we’ll have 3 girls and 3 boys) and I happen to love all things cowgirl. I know it might be unusual to create decorations for your own baby shower, but I was dying to test drive these cowgirl digital kits that I recently designed. My fabulous sisters and Mother who were throwing my shower certainly didn’t mind.

Invitations

I introduced the cowgirl theme on the baby shower invitations since they’re the first piece to set the mood for your guests. I designed them as 5×7″ to easily fit inside an A-7 envelope. But I ended up creating a high-quality jpeg of the invitation and my sister emailed the invitation to the guests. Not only is it good for the environment, but it was easy for the guests to RSVP by responding to her email.

Hanging Pennant

On the hanging pennant I spelled out the word GIRL using the Pixelbooking Stunt Alphabet in pink. As a backdrop to the letters I used the subtle, tan, cowprint paper. It’s funny how something so rustic as cowhide can look so adorable in soft tans paired with pink and rhinestones :)

In between the letter penants, I hung a pennant with a cute, sterling-silver rocking horse. The pennants were printed on 11×17″ paper and hung with pink curling ribbon.

Diaper Cake

I have to admit that this was actually my first time ever making a diaper cake. But it was really fun and a lot easier than I was expecting. My inspiration for the diaper cake was a western-style concho belt. So I made three different paper & ribbon concho belts for the three layers of the cake. I used a 2″ scalloped-edge circle punch to cut out the conchos and simply hot-glued them to ribbon ‘belts’. I added pink rhinestones to the top layer’s belt.

For the cake topper, I cut 2, 4″ round circles of the paisley paper from the Cowgirl Baby Digital Kit and the brown circle journal block from the Cowgirl Party Embellishments Set and used a glue stick to adhere them back to back. Before gluing them together, I inserted a wood kabob stick with the pointy side down. I purchased an uppercase ‘N’ (which stands for baby Natalie) made out of small rhinestones and adhered it to the center of the circle. I inserted the bottom end of the kabob stick through the centers of the cake layers and tied a large bow made out of raffia to the base of the circle. I was thrilled with the final product and excited that I was able to use cut paper as my main decorating element.

Cupcake Flags

Cupcake flags are such a fun way to turn ordinary cupcakes into a fun, decorative element to a party. Cupcakes are easy to make and manage and the cupcake flags make them look extraordinary. For these flags, I used the conchos from the Cowgirl Digital Kit and the Cowgirl Baby Digital Kit. I backed the all-silver concho with the paisley paper. Since I knew I was using a 2″ scalloped-edge circle punch, I printed out the conchos at the 2″ size.

Menu Cards

Menu cards are very helpful to let your guests know what is being served on the buffet table. Especially if the host is busy visiting with other guests and not available to answer questions about the menu items. I designed these menu cards as 5×2.5″ once they were folded in half.

Treat Bag Toppers

It’s always a nice gesture to send your guests home with a parting gift. This treat bag topper was sized to fit a snack-sized, zipper plastic bag. The treat bag topper was simply folded in half and stapled to the top of the bag. I thought it was the perfect piece to use the adorable, blingy belt buckles from the Cowgirl Digital Kit. They emphasize the function of the treat bag topper.

Thank You Postcard

I had such a wonderful time at the baby shower and was overcome with the generosity of my friends and family that came to support me. I wrote them each a personalized message of gratitude on these Thank You postcards. I left the backside blank so I could write my message and have room for the address and stamp.

Digital Scrapbooking Layouts

My fabulous sister, Stefanie, and her husband, Micah, of SweetMugz Photography, were kind enough to take photos at my shower. My digital scrapbooking layouts perfectly coordinate with all the party decorations because I used the Cowgirl Digital Kit, Cowgirl Baby Digital Kit, Cowgirl Party Embellishments Set and Stunt Alphabet in pink for everything!

See the entire Cowgirl & Cowboy digital scrapbooking collection.

I used the Junior Dinosaur Digital Kit to throw an Explorer-themed birthday party for my son’s 8th birthday. My son loves dinosaurs, reptiles, and anything that is creepy and crawley. So the Junior Dinosaur Digital Scrapbooking Kit and Junior Dinosaur Party Mini Kit was the perfect Pixelbooking product to execute my prehistoric birthday vision.

We chose to hold the party at a natural preserve park near our house complete with winding trails, cool rock areas, a sand pit, a fishing lake, roaming ducks, a waterfall, and a cool pavilion. We planned out an adventure trek around the park with six stops at interesting locations where we could teach the kids cool stuff about the local critters and terrain.

Invitations

I introduced the Explorer design theme on the birthday party invitations since they’re the first piece to set the mood for guests. I had several moms tell me that their child was so excited to come to the birthday party because of how cool the invitation was. The birthday party invitation dimensions were 8.5”x3.625” so it could neatly fit into a standard #10 envelope. I used the Junior Alphabet in Red Spots for the main titles on the invitation to give it a fun, bright, juvenile feel.

Hanging Pennant Banner

A hanging pennant banner was the perfect solution to reinforce the Explorer design theme, add some color to the park pavilion, and light up my son’s face seeing his name really big on the banner :) Each pennant was 10″x14” and printed out on 11″x17” paper. I cut a diagonal notch out of the bottom to make them look more flag-like and punched .25” holes in the top corners. I strung them together using curling ribbon. I consider a hanging pennant banner ‘big bang for the buck’—visually speaking.

Explorer ID Badge & Backpack

The Explorer backpacks were the element of the party I was most excited about creating. I ordered some simple drawstring backpacks from a local supplier. Then I bought a large, animal foot print foam stamp and stamped two large footprints on the back of each backpack. To make it look really official I designed an Explorer ID badge. Not only did it make each guest feel special and like an official explorer, but it helped me keep track of which backpack belonged to whom.

To create the badge, I purchased a set of clear, ID badge holders from my local office supply store. Then I designed an insert using the Junior Dinosaur Digital Scrapbooking Kit that measured 2.5″x3.5”. I attached the holders to the backpack using key-chain rings. As each guest arrived, I wrote their name on the insert and slipped it inside the badge holder.

Inside the backpack I included: a water bottle, a granola bar, fruit snacks, a field journal, a snack filled with animal crackers with a ‘thank you’ bag topper, a clothespin dragonfly attached to a snack bag full of skittles, a pencil, a cool fishing bumper sticker, a ‘make your own candy fishing lure’ kit, and a rock color identification chart.

Explorer Field Journal

The Explorer Field Journal contained eight activity sheets that related to the stops we made along our trek. It included fun facts, a maze, a word search, areas to doodle and identification charts. The kids had a really fun time filling out their journals along the trek and ended up with a fun keepsake.

The size of the Field Journal was 5.5″x8.5” (or half of a letter-sized sheet of paper). I printed them out on card stock to give more rigidity to the book. The inside pages were printed in black and white on letter-sized paper and then trimmed in half. I also trimmed a blank back cover sheet to 5.5″x8.5” from the card stock to make the interior pages easier to write on. I secured all the pages together with two staples about .25” from the top of the cover on the front.

Treat Bag Topper

I included a snack-size bag full of animal crackers in their backpack. I designed a treat bag topper with the words ‘thank you’ and stapled it to the top of the bag. Not only did it provide a back-up snack along their trek, but it also provided a written token of appreciation thanking each guest for coming to the party.

Cupcake Flags

Rather than purchase pre-made cupcakes, I was brave and decided to make them myself. I was very relieved to discover baking them was easier than I expected (how often does that happen?). I designed three different kinds of cupcake flags to proudly display on top of each cupcake. I think it was way easier than trying to do some kind of fancy frosted dinosaur decoration on the top of each cupcake. And the flags look just as cute!

The cupcake flags were 3″x1” flat and 1.5″x1” after they were folded. After I trimmed them out, I quickly swiped the backside with a glue stick and folded the flag outside edges together. Before folding down the crease, I inserted the top of the toothpick. Then I firmly flattened the crease around the toothpick. Super easy!

Thank You Postcards

Knowing that the party was an Explorer theme, most of the guests brought birthday gifts based on the theme. Gavin was so excited and appreciative to all his friends for their generous gifts.

For the thank you cards, I designed them as a 6″x4” postcard using the Junior Dinosaur Digital Scrapbooking Kit. I figured why not save a few dollars on postcard postage vs. standard postage by avoiding the use of an envelope. I wrote the addresses of all the guests on the backside of the postcards, and Gavin wrote a short message to each guest thanking them for their specific gift.

Dinosaur Digital Scrapbooking Layouts

The best part of throwing such a fun birthday party is recording the memories for generations to come with digital scrapbooking layouts. My digital scrapbooking layouts perfectly coordinate with all the party decorations because I used the Junior Dinosaur Digital Scrapbooking Kit for everything! I also used the Junior Dinosaur Party Mini Kit for additional birthday-related papers and pieces.

First up, we have our Happy Holidays Digital Kits (available in Frosty and Sugarplum).

The clean lines and hand-drawn “retro-meets-modern-day” illustrations in these charming kits offer a gentle nod toward Christmases past, while providing the perfect backdrop to your family’s newest holiday traditions. Perfect for those who wish to avoid religious undertones during their holiday celebrations.

Happy Holidays Digital Scrapbooking Kit – FROSTYThe Frosty digital kit features a traditional red and green color palette with a burst of icy blue for added flare

Happy Holidays Digital Scrapbooking Kit – SUGARPLUMSugarplum offers loads of feminine appeal (perfect for your little girl’s Nutcracker performance photos!), with shades of pink and fuchsia positioned against hues of evergreen and pale blue.

To extend your digital holiday merriment even further, consider our Happy Holidays Santa Mini Digital Kit and Happy Holidays Nativity Digital Mini Kit – both available in “Frosty” and “Sugarplum” color styles.

Happy Holidays Santa Mini Digital KitFROSTY (red & evergreen) – The Santa Mini Kit contains 22 pieces including an elf, a charming pair of Gingerbread children, Rudolph and jolly ol’ St. Nick himself. Perfect for those who wish to avoid religious undertones during their holiday celebrations. Happy Holidays Santa Mini Digital Kit SUGARPLUM (fuchsia & lime)

Happy Holidays Nativity Mini Digital Kit FROSTY (red & evergreen) – The Nativity Mini Kit contains 24 pieces and includes baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, a wooly lamb and singing angel. Happy Holidays Nativity Mini Digital Kit SUGARPLUM (fuchsia & lime)

But wait!

Are you looking for something a bit less whimsical for your holiday celebrations? Check out our Vintage Christmas and Elegant Christmas Digital Scrapbooking Kits!

Vintage Christmas Digital Scrapbooking KitThe Vintage Christmas Digital Kit features muted shades of red and green, and contains 64 pieces of timeless holiday cheer like plain paper gift tags, old-fashioned buttons and classic illustrations.

Elegant Christmas Digital Scrapbooking KitElegant Christmas digital kit contains 38 pieces and features gorgeous shades of holly red, “Silent Night” black and crisp winter white. Dangling filigree ornaments and twinkling stars provide a peaceful respite from all the holiday hustle and bustle.

Take this “winter wonderland” one step further with our Classic Elegance Collection available in Sage, Scarlet and Sterling. Each kit contains 64 pieces of perfectly coordinated elements like damask, flourishes and pearls to add an exciting layer of sophistication to your festive ensemble.

Hanukkah Digital Scrapbooking KitIf you celebrate eight nights of Hanukkah as opposed to the “12 Days of Christmas”, don’t miss our Happy Hanukkah Digital Kit. It contains 37 joyous pieces, including a silver hanukkiyah, a set of 4 dreidels and the Star of David all set against a dazzling blue, white and silver color palette.

These kits not only help you create an extraordinary holiday memory album but can also be used to create unique holiday greeting cards right from home!

Happy holidays to all, and to all a good night…

It takes a tremendous amount of strength, discipline, commitment and bravery to serve our country. Our beloved service men and women risk their lives on a daily basis so that we may continue to reside in the “land of the free and home of the brave”.

Memorial Day is a day set aside to honor those who have lost their lives while defending the cause of freedom. Veteran’s Day on the other hand, is a national holiday set aside to honor all those who have served – or who are currently serving – our country. While this is certainly noble and good on our part, the truth of the matter is our thankfulness should extend well beyond a single day. Through times of both war and peace, their commitment and dedication to our country is unwavering. That’s why we put so much effort into designing our military digital scrapbooking kits.

Each military digital scrapbooking kit is specially created to showcase your loved one’s acts of bravery with all the admiration and pride they deserve. Packed with everything from realistic brushes, official branch emblems to coordinating fonts, your military digital scrapbook will not only serve as a beautiful memento but will preserve your family’s heroic legacy for generations to come.

Get ready to say, “Thank you, Soldier!” like never before with this new Military Digital Scrapbooking Kit line-up:

Air Force Digital Scrapbooking Kit Air Force Digital Scrapbooking Kit contains 40 pieces featuring a missile, fighter jet, the Air Force insignia and rivets against metal designed to honor your beloved “warrior of the sky” with champion style!

Army Digital Scrapbooking Kit Army Digital Scrapbooking Kit contains 34 pieces and features realistic elements like a scorpion tank, M-16 guns, combat boots and infantry helicopter that no Army wife, mother, “brat” or loved one will want to be without. Hoo-rah!

Coast Guard Digital Scrapbooking Kit Coast Guard Digital Scrapbooking Kit contains 37 pieces designed to give your beloved Mariner or reservist the “honorable mention” they deserve. This kit plays host to an impressive collection of elements including a Nautical-inspired color scheme, an orange life preserver, a Captain’s hat and two different-sized ships.

Marines Digital Scrapbooking Kit Marines Digital Scrapbooking Kit contains 38 pieces including a silhouette of the historic raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, the eagle, globe and anchor emblem, an assault rifle and papers featuring the famous “dress blues” with dashing red stripe running along the side. Semper fi!

Navy Digital Scrapbooking Kit Navy Digital Scrapbooking Kit contains 38 pieces and features such “bold and brave” elements like an F15 fighter jet, a nuclear submarine, silver and gold military stars, a silver anchor and a gleaming metal dog tag journal block, perfect for recording deployment dates and ports.

Military Digital Scrapbooking Alphabets Don’t miss our Crate Alphabet in black and our Block Stitched Alphabet available in coordinating colors! The Crate Alphabet features an impressive “stamped on the side of a wooden crate” look, while the Block Stitched Alphabet warms your pages with a splash of heartfelt, “I can almost touch you” pride. Crate Alphabet – Black Block Stitched Alphabet – 6 Colors: (Left to Right) Silver, Gold, Black, Brown, Forest Green, Navy

French Toile Girl Baby Mini Kit - Honey (3 Color Options)

Your baby’s first year is a wondrous time filled with many “firsts” and adventures. From snuggles to coos, to bathtub splashes to softly sung lullabies, there’s so much you’ll want to remember about your baby’s first year of life.

To help you get started, we’re sharing our very best tips and suggestions for creating the ultimate baby digital scrapbook! Our exhaustive list includes everything from journaling prompts to “must have” photo op suggestions and more.

There’s a lot to do, so let’s get started (before baby wakes up)…

Before the Arrival:

Journal Prompts:

• Parent’s dreams, wishes and prayers for baby
• Meaning of baby’s name and why you chose it
• Pregnancy story – any difficulties or surprises (include adoption story if applicable)

Junior Jungle Baby Mini Kit

Baby shower

Journal Prompts:

• Guest list
• Guests’ wishes for baby
• List of gifts received

Photo Opportunities:

• Games and prizes
• Opening the gifts
• Food, decor
• Group shot of attendees
• Discover baby’s gender or wait?

Ultrasound photos

• Discover baby’s gender or wait?

Junior Dinosaur Baby Mini Kit

Mom’s pregnancy stats

Journal Prompts:

• Weight gain (*optional*), food cravings, dreams, nesting urges, birth plan

Photo Opportunities:

• Progressive baby bump photos month by month
• Comparison photos to previous pregnancy bumps

Nursery

Photo Opportunities:

• Mom and dad setting up the crib, painting the walls, arranging furniture and  artwork
• Special books, blankets, toys chosen and why (mom’s or dad’s favorites from childhood, family heirlooms, etc.)

The Big Day

French Toile Boy Baby Mini Kit - Bleu (3 Color Options)

Photo Opportunities:

• Mom in the hospital or birth center bed
• Friendly nurses and attentive doctors
• Daddy cutting the umbilical cord, baby’s birth
• Proud parents holding their newest addition
• Grandparents, siblings and other visitors
• Bouquets, balloons and cards
• Baby’s first feeding and snuggle
• Going home outfit, Mom and baby leaving the hospital or birth center

Journaling Prompts:

• Baby’s birth stats – length, weight, head circumference, time of birth
• Who does baby look like? (Does he/she have Daddy’s eyes or Mommy’s lips?)
• Baby’s first night outside the womb – Fussy? Calm? Snuggly? Hungry?

First Days at Home

Junior Jungle Baby Mini Kit

Journaling Prompts:

• Baby’s first night at home
• Feeding and sleep (or lack thereof) schedules
• Daily routine

Photo Opportunities:

• Visitors and outings
• Christening, baptism or dedication ceremony

Growing, Growing Every Day!

We recommend creating at least one, 2 page spread per month to cover special milestones and moments.

Journaling Prompts & Photo Opportunities:

Milestones

• Firsts:
  • Smile, coo, giggles
  • Holding their head up and their own bottle,
  • “Discovering” their feet and hands,
  • Blowing raspberries
  • First words and phrases
  • First teeth
  • Hair cut

• Scooting, rolling, crawling and walking
• Growth Stats and Check-ups – Height, weight, vaccinations.
• Developing Personality: happy-go-lucky? Demanding? Quiet? Reserved?

Happy Holidays Digital Kit - Frosty (2 Color Options)

Holidays

• Christmas or Hanukkah gifts received; sitting on Santa’s lap
• Thanksgiving – special foods, first taste of pumpkin pie
• First Halloween costume / Trick or Treating
• Easter baskets and egg hunts, meeting the Easter bunny

Favorites

• Friends
• Babysitters
• Toys
• Songs, Games & Nursery Rhymes – peek-a-boo, patty cake, Old McDonald Had a Farm, Itsy Bitsy Spider, etc.

Outings

• Trips to the zoo
• Family reunions, weddings and get-togethers
• Sporting events
• Camping trips
• Trips to the park – playing on the swings, slide
• Going to the beach – wading in the water, playing in the sand
• Family vacations
• Professional photo sessions

Happy Birthday, Baby!

Happy Birthday Digital Kit - Blueberry (4 Color Options)

Journaling Prompts & Photo Opportunities:

• Invitations, guest list, gifts & cards received
• Games played
• Baby’s mood throughout the day – overwhelmed? Happy? Curious?
• Décor, balloons – special theme?
• The cake
  • Mom decorated or store bought?
  • Baby’s own small cake for smashing

• Blowing out the candles
• Opening presents
• Kisses and hugs to say “Thank you”
• Parents, grandparents, siblings and friends’ wishes for baby
• The nap afterwards!

Can you think of anything we may have missed? What else does your baby’s digital scrapbook include?

See all of our Baby Digital Scrapbooking Kits!

Now before we walk you through the photo scanning process, let’s begin by weighing the costs associated with a home scanning project.

First, choose your scanner based on the type of media you’ll be working with:

• Flatbed Scanner – Ideal for printed photos, either color or B&W, up to 8×10. If you’re looking to scan negatives or slides, consider a film scanner as opposed to an all-in-one flatbed attachment. The results will be far superior and the process less frustrating. Price range: $100 and up.
• Film Scanner – Perfect for scanning negatives or grandpa’s slides. They’re a bit pricier on their own as opposed to an all-in-one, but the quality can’t be beat. Price range: $150-$700 and up.

Photo Editing Software

Many scanners come with their own built-in photo editing software, which – while easy to use – often yield less than satisfactory results. To get professional quality results every single time, consider investing in a specialized program such as Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Photo Pro:

• Photoshop Elements - Great for hobbyists and easy for beginners to use. Retail price – $99.
• Photoshop CS5 – Geared toward the professional user. Retail price – $199.
• Corel Paint Shop Photo Pro – Another great option for the beginner or home user. Priced around $80 for latest version.

How to Scan a Photo (Step by Step)

1. Clean the Glass and/or Images – If you’re using a flatbed scanner, you should clean the glass around every 50 scans or so. If you’re scanning negatives or slides, these should be cleaned individually just before you scan them. (But if a stray piece of dust doesn’t bother you, kindly disregard.)
2. Position & Resolution – Position your photo carefully (perfectly straight, not slanted). Choose a resolution setting according to your media: Paper photos should be scanned at a minimum of 600 dpi (dots per inch) if you’re looking to print them out. If you’re going to use them on the computer, 300 dpi should be fine. Select 3000 dpi for negatives and slides. (Note: Slides take the longest to scan, so have patience.)
3. Scan – Begin the scanning process according to your scanner’s directions. If scanning slides, be sure to crop out the white border before creating the final scan. This will ensure that the scanner doesn’t mistakenly read the border as part of the photo, which will throw off the brightness and contrast.
4. Edit & Repair – This is where the real fun begins! Edit your photos using your choice of editing software. Assuming you’re already familiar with the program, this step should take you between 5-15 minutes, depending upon the level of deterioration and/or damage.
5. Save as a .jpg – This format is great for everyday use and photo sharing sites like Photobucket, Flickr and Facebook. However, if you’re a professional and/or have the hard drive space, you’re welcome to save the files as TIFF’s instead.
6. Organize – Organizing your scans whether by month, year, or event will save you a lot of time and frustration down the road. If you don’t have the time for detailed organization now, at least label them with a distinct name such as, “Grannys_birthday_09.jpg” as opposed to “grandma1.jpg”.

Again, this will take you some time depending upon the amount of photos you have. But building and preserving your family’s legacy is worth the effort.  Incorporate other family members – even the kids – in the task, and you’ll all have something to smile about when you’re done.

If the task still seems too daunting, consider the pros and cons of outsourcing your photo scanning to a scanning service.

Our digital Halloween Party kits come in two styles:

Haunted Halloween Party Printables

The chilling Gothic vibe is ideal for older teens and adults.

Trick-or-Treat Halloween Party Printables

The printable Halloween party invitation and decorations feature cartoon styling and traditional black and orange color scheme – perfect for kids.

Coordinating Halloween Digital Scrapbooking Kits

And because the Halloween Printable Party Kits coordinate with their respective Halloween Digital Scrapbooking Kits (Haunted Halloween and Trick-or-Treat), they make it super-easy to record and share the best memories of the evening!

“…’cause this is Thriller! Thrill-er night!” Invite your zombie friends over for a howling good time with our wicked-awesome Halloween Party Invitations. Don’t forget any necessary details such as time and prize info for Best Costume.

Worried your guests won’t recognize each other? Not to worry! Our functional and stylish Place Cards are the key to avoiding those awkward, “Hey, it’s me!” moments. These also can be used as Menu Cards to label different food items on your smorgasbord.

“Do the Mash…the Monster Mash!” Print one Pennant Flag per 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper to create a party banner so large it’ll make Cousin Joe – err, Sasquatch, jealous!

Fiendish looking Treat Bag Toppers are perfect for keeping track of all that yummy loot.

The Cupcake Pennant Flags literally add the icing on the cake.

So whether it’s a party for the neighbor kids or strictly adults-only, we’ve got your party décor in the bag (click here to buy)! All you need now are some bags of candy, some fun games, and perhaps a cauldron of bubbling witch’s brew and your home will be the most rockin’ Haunted House on the block!

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To Use Your Coupon Code: Add your products to your cart, then click on “Cart” and you’ll be able to put the code in the center column towards the bottom. Then go ahead and checkout.

Before the madness of the holidays forces your digital scrapbooking days into early hibernation, check out our list of the Top 14 Must-Have Fall Digital Scrapbooking kits!

# 14 – Mother Earth Digital Scrapbooking Kit (Autumn)

With its natural color palette featuring shades of brown, deep red, sunny yellow and sage green, the Mother Earth Digital Scrapbooking Kit in Autumn takes your pages from mild to fabulous in seconds!

#13 – Gone Hunting Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Whether your photos feature fowl or beast, or simply your son’s first trip to Cabela’s, this digital scrapbooking kit offers plenty of options for showcasing your “trophy moments” with pride!

#12 – Carnival Digital Scrapbooking Kit

“Step right up, folks and don’t be shy!” Featuring shades of raspberry pink and frosty blue, memories of Ferris wheel rides and cotton candy treats find their place within the borders of this lively, colorful digital scrapbooking kit!

#11 – School Digital Scrapbooking Kit

From best friends to gym class, to school plays and report cards, this digital scrapbooking kit takes you through a lifetime of scholastic achievement, from Kindergarten to senior year. For extra credit, don’t miss our coordinating Embellishment Kits!

#10 – Team Cheer Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Cheer your team on to victory! With its bright colors and varsity style lettering, every back flip, round-off and pyramid will be highlighted to perfection with this bold and splashy ensemble.

#9 – Team Football Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Fans and players of all ages will happily relive every game winning touch-down and bone jarring tackle with this exclusive digital scrapbooking kit which features pop art styling and muted earth-tone color palette.

#8 – Team Swim Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Make a splash and go for the gold! This digital scrapbooking kit pairs calming shades of azure blue with heart-pumping elements of competition and victory, making it a must for the future Olympian!

#7 – Team Volleyball Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Bump, set and spike your way to victory with this lively ensemble! Shades of blue and sand make it easy to “dig in” whether at the beach or on the court.

#6 – Family Tree Digital Scrapbooking Kit (Autumn)

From Great-Grandpa Joe to little cousin Sue, heritage “arbor barbers” of all ages will love recording their family’s history with this beautifully decorative digital scrapbooking kit! With charming objects and lush hues of red, gold and sky blue, it’s great for family reunions, keepsake albums and more.

#5 – Haunted Halloween Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Eerie Gothic elements surround your photos with spellbinding charm with this creepy and mysterious ensemble. Perfect for those adults-only Halloween parties or even a “married under the full moon” Halloween wedding!

#4 – Trick-or-Treat Halloween Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky! For a less sinister approach to your Halloween festivities, consider this charming digital scrapbooking kit filled with fun and silly touches like a hunched-backed Frankenstein and a wacky witch on a broomstick.

#3 – Thanksgiving Harvest Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Turkey, stuffing, cranberries and sweet potatoes – and don’t forget Mom’s famous pumpkin bread! From gobbling turkeys to hot out of the oven pie, your digital scrapbooking layouts – just like your table – will be overflowing with delicious seasonal delights.

#2 – Carraway Vintage Digital Scrapbooking Kit

Elegant colors of cream, chocolate and gray are paired with vintage 1920’s elements to give your layouts a variety of creative options! This digital scrapbooking kit is perfect for everything from exotic vacations to Grand-dad’s photos from his years stationed abroad.

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the #1 Must Have Fall Digital Kit is….

#1 – Classic Elegance Digital Scrapbooking Kit (Latte)

Rich damask, bold flourishes and sumptuous elegance provide your layouts with an indelible mark of sophistication and beauty! Set this gorgeous ensemble against your fall wedding, homecoming or prom photos and get ready to hear plenty, “Oooh’s” and “Ahh’s”.

And there you have it! The Top 14 Must-Have Fall Digital Scrapbooking Kits! Thanks for joining us, everyone. Remember – with so many options to choose from, our fall digital scrapbooking kits make it easy to take your inner digital diva-ness to the next level. Choose the themes and styles that work best for you and before you know it you’ll create jaw-dropping, envy inspiring digital scrapbooking layouts in no time flat!

Flickr: Roadsidepictures

Most of us have a box (or two or three) filled with old photos. Photographs of new babies (“Is that Grandpa?!”), graduations (“Hey, Mom! Those were some rockin’ feathered bangs!”), birthday parties, school plays circa 1986. They’re all tucked away, gathering dust and deteriorating a little more each day.

Naturally, our first thought is to preserve and restore these family treasures by scanning them in to our computer, but this can be a rather overwhelming task depending on the number of photos involved. While some folks choose to tackle this project head-on, others choose to hire a team of professionals, so to speak.

Here is a list of pros and cons to consider when making the choice between outsourcing and scanning your own photos.

Do It Yourself Photo Scanning

See also our article “How to Scan a Photo“

Pros:

• Control and Privacy – By choosing to do things yourself, you’re the only one handling and viewing your photographs. This may not seem like a big deal, but some folks have a hard time entrusting their most precious memories to strangers. Besides, we’ve all had – or have at least heard of – a “lost in the mail” or “damaged in shipping” fiasco. Doing things yourself eliminates this worst-case scenario altogether.
• TLC – Older photographs are extremely delicate and require appropriate measures such as hand-scanning (as opposed to being fed into a mass-scanning machine) to ensure they’re not damaged further during the restoration process. (Think: Who would treat your Great-Great Grandfather’s old war photos better than you?)

Cons:

• Time & Patience – No matter how you look at it, scanning stacks of photos, slides and negatives requires a tremendous amount of time and a never ending supply of patience. (Two things most of us do not possess in spades.) If you’re new to scanning or photo enhancement work in general, this too requires patience and diligence as you develop your skills. According to research firm GfK North America, the average American adult has 3,000 old photographs. Scanning and repairing the photos, (once you’ve learned how and bought the scanner), should take about 7.5 minutes per photo. For 3,000 photos, that’s 22,500 minutes, or 375 hours. That’s nearly 47 Saturdays at 8 hours a day.
• Cost – Assuming you already own a computer, scanning your photos will require the additional expense of a good flat-bed scanner and/or film scanner (for those negatives and slides), along with photo-correcting software such as Adobe Photoshop. Now, if you’re not exactly a Photoshop “whiz”, you may find yourself frustrated with the program and in need of a few tutorials or books to help you along, which may further add to the expense. (See above.) You will also need a stack of DVD’s or CD’s to burn your photos to, or extra hard drive space.

Using a Photo Scanning Service

Pros:

• Saves Time & Sanity – If you don’t have buckets of time and patience to spare, outsourcing this task will save you both.
• Cost Effective – Unless you already own a quality scanner and necessary photo editing software, the approximate $0.22-$0.39 per photo charged by scanning services often trumps the alternative investment. In addition, some scanning services will provide you with an online preview of your photos and allow you to delete a portion of them, reducing your overall processing costs.
• Professional Results – Scanning services employ highly skilled individuals who will remove scratches, dust and other blemishes from your photos and restore their original color at no additional charge.

Cons:

• Turn Around Time – This can vary widely between companies, anywhere from 2-4 weeks or more. The reason for this is that some companies perform all their services in the US, whereas others have the work performed overseas. If keeping your photos on American soil is a priority for you, be sure to ask each company what their procedures are prior to shipment.
• Organization – Some companies prefer you to organize, group and sort your photos prior to shipping versus sending them off in one big package. This can prove to be quite laborious and downright tedious to some who are in a hurry to just “get the project completed.”
• Minimum Order – While many scanning service providers accept orders of any size, there are a few which require a minimum order, anywhere from $50-$100. So, if you’ve got a small project on your hands (say, one photo album or a small stack of prints), this may not be the best option for you.

Photo Scanning Services Price Comparison

	35mm Color Negativesat 5-7MP	35mm Color Slidesat 5-7MP	Prints (to 5×7) at 600 dpi	DVD / CD	Min. purchase	Pay only for scans you want	$1,000 safe handling guarantee
Value Kit	$0.22	$0.22	$0.22	Free	$129.99	No	Yes
	$0.29	$0.29	$0.29	Free	None	Yes	Yes
	$0.78	$0.78	$0.59	$5 / $5	$5	No	No
	$0.60	$0.70	$0.50	Free	None	No	No
	$0.59	$0.59	$0.99	Free	$100	No	No
	$0.58	$0.68	$0.68	Free	None	No	No
	$0.401	$0.361	$0.221	Free	$44.95	No	No
	$0.39	$0.39	$0.49	$6 / $12	No	Yes	No
	$0.39	$0.39	$0.49	$7 / $12	None	No	No

Price comparisons as of 4/10/2011.

Whether you choose to scan photos yourself or “leave it to the professionals”, remember: Scanning your photos is vital to the preservation of your memories for future generations. Don’t allow time and the elements (including musty, dusty air!) deteriorate your photographs a moment longer. Scan them, preserve them – and of course – share them.

See also our article “How to Scan a Photo“