Most of the genealogists I know also have other hobbies or interests. For some it’s quilting, for others gardening or sewing. Still others use their scrapbook skills to create family books they can share.
Before I began this amazing genealogical journey, I was an avid (my husband might say obsessed) paper scrapbooker. I attended group scrapbooking sessions and conferences all the time. I still have all my supplies, but haven’t touched them in over 15 years.
Always in the back of my mind I’ve wanted to create ancestor scrapbook pages. At first I was going to do this on paper. But, as time has gone by, I realize the most obvious choice for me is to do digital scrapbooking.
PROBLEM: Where do I start?
I decided to look for groups on Facebook that were dedicated to scrapbooking, specifically heritage scrapbooking. In joining a couple of groups I learned that there are programs out there that you can use to create your digital pages. I also learned that many people just use Photo Shop or Photoshop Elements for this purpose. That seemed the logical choice to me since I already have PS Elements 15 and have used it many times.
Trouble is, I know I’m not very good at manipulating the images and using layers. I struggle with this every time I want to create a new header for my blog or create a collage.
SOLUTION: Go go Google and find tutorial videos on this subject.
This is just what I did and was rewarded for my efforts. Shoutout to my friend Devon Noel Lee at Family History Fanatics for her excellent videos on YouTube. Very easy to follow and lots of good information. I watched one of her videos 3 times.
Then I moved on and found other tutorials and have been watching them for the past couple of days. I have MUCH more to learn. But, I’m thrilled to be using this particular talent again. I very much enjoy the artistic side of scrapbooking.
I thought I would share my first three pages with you today. These are just my beginner pages and I’m still learning how to better arrange the images in PS Elements. My goal is to create pages that I can print and give to family members.
Yes, I have a blog and write family stories, but I think having photo albums or scrapbooks is also important.
So here they are. From my very first digital page about my parents bringing me home from the hospital. No journaling and I’ll probably go back and tweak that one a bit. Then on to my maternal grandparent’s wedding day and then my paternal grandparent’s wedding day.
Do you have other hobbies that you enjoy? I'd love to hear about them.
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright © 2010-2021 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION
Great job Diane!
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