A digital photo vacation scrapbook can be a fabulous way to remember your travels for many years to come.
Scrapbooking Vacation Memories
Digital photo scrapbooks are hardbound books featuring photos and journaling from vacations and other special events. Some of the many sites you can order photo books from include:
Prices for digital photo books will vary according to the size of the book you select, the binding method, the cover material, and the number of pages you want to include in each album. However, you can help keep costs down by signing up for free email newsletters to learn about sales and promotions. Sites such as Retail Me Not are also good places to check for coupon codes before placing your vacation photo book order.
Saving Time with Templates
If you're a novice digital scrapbooker, it may be best to create your digital photo vacation scrapbook using templates from the company you've selected. Shutterfly, for example, has partnered with Creating Keepsakes magazine to offer beautifully designed photo books covering many different themes. You can simply drag and drop your photos into the correct spots, then add journaling as needed. In most cases, the photo boxes can be resized if you find that you don't have the correct number of pictures for a particular page.
More experienced digital scrapbookers can create their scrapbook layouts from scratch. There are several sites offering digital scrapbook freebies with vacation themes, as well as retailers providing patterned papers and embellishments for purchase. If you're feeling extremely creative, you could even try making your own digital scrapbook supplies using these tutorials from LoveToKnow Scrapbooking:
Tips for Making a Digital Photo Vacation Scrapbook
Whether you decide to use a template or to create your layouts from scratch, it's a good idea to keep in mind the following tips for making a digital photo vacation scrapbook:
- Don't feel as if you need to include every picture you took in your scrapbook. Digital photography has made it easy to snap 100 pictures for every day of your vacation, but that doesn't mean you need to have them all preserved for everyone to see. Choose the pictures that best tell your story, then burn the rest onto a CD for safekeeping.
- Be careful with your photo cropping. Many scrapbookers get in the habit of cropping all of their photos to focus on the subject's face. While this isn't really a problem for everyday snapshots, the scenery is an important part of vacation photos.
- Don't forget to scan or take pictures of any souvenirs you've brought home from your trip. If you purchased gifts for loved ones while on your vacation, consider making a page at the end of your scrapbook with photos of you presenting the items to their intended recipients.
- If some of your photos didn't turn out quite as well as you had hoped, see if you can find photos online to include in your scrapbook. Most larger attractions have websites with extensive online photo galleries.
- Remember that you can share your scrapbook layouts with your travel companions by posting your finished pages on your own website or blog. Some photo book sites will also let you create online albums that people can view, ordering their own copy of your photo book if desired.
