Storybook 3.0 has new text formatting features!

Hi Everyone,

I created a layout this morning and played with some of the new text features that Storybook Creator 3.0 offers.

First off I used the free template that I found on the Creative Memories Digital Freebie Website. This is a fantastic site to visit and boost your digital content for free. Once I had the template I altered it to meet my needs. I didn't have as many photos as were in the template so I deleted some photo frames and enlarged the photo frames that were left. Another option would have been to fill some of the empty photo frames with patterned paper or used them as text boxes.

Next I decided to change my text box in the middle so the text would fill in an eliptical shape. To do this click on the "Format Text" ribbon. Select your text box and click on text shape. Now you have a ton of shapes to choose from. I chose the elipse so it would mimic the shape of the middle circle.

The other thing I tried was using the "Text Path" feature. To use this feature you click on the "Insert" ribbon on your tool bar. Select "Text Path". A dialog box comes up where you can choose how you want your text to flow. I decided to stay with the default option. Then you click anywhere on your page to create a path. I wanted my text to follow the circular path on each of my photos. I simply placed a few points at the bottom of my photo until I had the effect I wanted. Once you have the path you want click create and the path is layed out for you on the screen. If you aren't happy then you can select "edit path" and move your points around.

Now all you do is type your text and it will follow the path your created. I found that in my case my text wasn't centering so I just placed a few spaces in front of my text until it was placed where I wanted it.

The other new feature that I played with is the rubber stamping feature. I used the rubber stamping feature on my Earthly Serenity overlay. This gives a really neat rubber stamped effect to your image. To use this feature I added my overlay to my page. While the overlay was selected I right clicked and selected "rubber stamp" from the drop down menu. A dialogue box comes up and you can play around with the various options until you get the desired effect. When you are done click create and a rubber stamped version of your element appears on your page. I played around with the placement of this image and tried layering it over my original overlay for a pretty neat look. In the end I deleted my original overlay and just used my rubber stamped overlay.

I also played with the opacity of my rubber stamped overlay so it wasn't quite as intense.



Here is the recipe for the layout above:
Storybook Creator Plus 3.0
Creative Memories Earthy Serenity overlay #8
Creative Memories Freebie Template
All colours for this layout were sampled from Stampin Up colours (Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip (altered a bit), and Close to Cocoa. I will explain how to do this in a future post.

Happy Crafting,
Catherine

My First layout with Storybook Creator Plus 3.0!

Well I promised you I would create a layout with my template I created earlier today and I finally got a chance to finish it. I decided to use the same colour scheme as my last layout so I could use them together as a double page spread.

The papers are all from the CM Disney Vacation digital kit. I love the bright cheerful colours and patterns in this kit. They work well with layouts involving kids and family.



Enjoy,
Catherine

Creative Memories just released Storybook Creator Plus 3.0 today!

Creative Memories has released the newest version of Storybook Creator Plus. I am so excited about the new updates and am downloading is as well as a few digital kits as I type this out. I will give it a test run and let you know what I think. For those of you who already have SBC+ then the update is only $9.95!

Changing a jpg template into a SBC+ template.

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know I absolutely love Storybook Creator Plus (SBC+). I also love templates. They make digital scrapbooking super fast and easy. The only issue I have had up until lately has been that the free digital templates on the web have not worked with SBC+. SBC+ uses .page files for their pages instead of jpg.

I received an email from Elise, a wonderful lady and fellow digital scrapbooker. She gave me a few tips on how to change a regular jpg template into a SBC+ template that could be altered and embellished with ease. I thought this was such a creative way to make digital templates usable in SBC+ that I wanted to share the process with all of you.

First I went to www.pagemaps.com and found a jpg digital template I liked. This is a fantastic site for templates. You can use them digitally or traditionally. I highly recommend a visit.

I saved the jpg image to my hard drive in a folder specifically designated for such things so I could find it easily.

I imported the image into SBC+ just like any other digital paper. To do this, open SBC+, click on "My stuff" in the top left hand corner of your screen, (at this point I created a "templates" folder in SBC. I thought this would be the easiest way to find them). To create a template collection in "My Stuff" go to "File", then "Add Collection". I named my collection "templates". Once you have created a "templates folder" highlight it and click on "content", "add paper". A window will pop up and you can navigate through your folders until you find the jpg templates you saved earlier. Add you jpg templates into SBC+.

Now that your templates are saved you can either open up an existing storybook or create a new one for templates. Once your project is open, select the jpg image from your paper menu and make the template your background.

Then you will highlight the whole thing. Right click and "unlock" the background. In order to manipulate this jpg image you will need to "flatten" it. To do this you can right click and select "flatten".

Then use your "tools"(straight, rectangle, ellipse, shapes, custom, and wand) to "cut around" the elements in the image. Select the tool that will let you copy the exact image you want to cut and zoom in to insure accuracy. For example if you have a photo box in your jpg then select the rectangle tool and zoom in. Make your rectangle as close to the size and shape as the one in the jpg. Once your rectangle is as close as possible make sure your shape is highlighted, not shaded and select "cut around the shaded area".

Now you will have two pieces to your jpg (the small rectangle and the rest of the background). Make sure the "shape" is highlighted (usually the entire background and the shape are selected.) Once you have the shape by itself then flatten it. Do this for all the shapes on your template using the various tools.

Once you are done, you will have a template that you can drop pictures or paper into. In order to make the template even more user friendly I added empty photo frames (select the photo tool bar, "add new photo frame") and made them the exact same size and placed them directly over top of the photo boxes in the jpg.

To make the empty photo frames the same size as the existing photo boxes in the jpg select the empty photo frame then the jpg photo box. Now right click, select "sizing" and "make the same size". While both elements are selected right click again and select "align", "middle", and "center". Now the elements will be stacked on top of one another. You can now select the jpg element only and delete it. Repeat this step with all of your photo boxes. When you are done you will have empty photo frames to drop pictures into. This extra step is worth it because you can manipulate your photos within the frame. If you skip this step cropping your photos to fit in the boxes can be tricky. Trust me, it is worth doing this extra step.

I did the same thing to add my journaling boxes. Cut around the journaling box in the jpg template and flattened just like all of the other elements. Then add a text box using SBC+ (select the "text" toolbar and "insert text" "place text on the page"). Select the SBC+ text box and the flattened journaling box on the jpg image. Make them the same size. Align them so they were on top of one another. Delete the flattened journaling box so all you are left with is the SBC+ one. This is the exact same process you just used to get your empty photo frames the right size, shape, and place on your layout.

After you do all that you will notice that what was once your background is now a shape with a bunch of holes in it. This causes problems when you go to manipulate your SBC+ template. To solve this problem select your background and delete it. Now you are left with an empty background for your elements and can fill this background with any colour or digital paper that you would like. To fill it with a digital paper simply select the paper you want and click "make background". Here are two examples of jpg images that I downloaded from pagemaps and my SBC+ manipulated templates.

These instructions may seem daunting and some of you may be wondering if it is all worth it. In my opinion it is! There are quite a few steps but they are all very quick. I cleaned up these templates in about 10 minutes from start to finish and now I have two layouts that I can use over and over again. Well worth it!

Here are the two pages I downloaded from pagemaps.





Here is what I ended up with after playing in SBC+ for 10 minutes.



Finally here is one of the templates that has been used as the base for a scrapbook page. This page took me approximately 15 minutes to create.



If anyone has any questions please don't hesitate to email me. I would love to help people out any way I can.

Thanks for looking and happy crafting,
Cat

Here is a link to a great template tutorial.

Hi All,

I have had a number of requests from people wanting to know more about digital templates and SBC+. I have touched on the subject of creating templates but haven't actually given detailed information in the form of a tutorial. However, I have found an excellent blog filled with tons of information on SBC+ as well as a wonderful tutorial on creating your own digital templates. Here is the link to "Dabling" in Digital. If you are the least bit interested in learning about SBC+ then this is the place to visit.

Using Templates to Create Quick Scrapbook Layouts!

As I mentioned earlier digital templates are a fast and easy way to make fantastic looking scrapbook pages without all of the fuss. I have created a template that anyone can use with their storybook software. All you have to do is save this template on your computer and import it into your storybook creator (SBC)software.

The easiest way I have found to do this is to create a storybook called templates. In this storybook I store all of the templates I find online as well as the ones I have created for my personal use.

When I decide I want to use one of my templates then all I do is open the project I am working on. Select "import page" from my "home" ribbon in Storybook Creator (SBC). This brings up a navigation window. I navigate to my "templates" storybook and select the template I want to use. SBC then brings my chosen template into my current project. Once the template is in my current project I can change and modify it however I want.

The easiest way to modify your template is to select the various shapes on the page and "fill" them with desired colours and papers. To do this select the shape you want to change. Then go to your "papers" ribbon on the side of your screen. Find the paper you want. Right click on the paper. A drop down menu pops up. Select "fill selected shape". The paper you selected will be added to whatever shape you have selected. In a matter of a few clicks you can have an entire page completed!

Here is a picture of the template I started with as well as a completed scrapbook page. This layout was given to everyone on the "Chirper Challenge" Blog and I decided to create my own version using my storybook software.




If you are interested I have put it up on 4shared.com. Please follow this link all I ask is you leave a comment. I love to find out who has benefited from my blog. I would also love to see your finished product.

Recipe:
All of the papers were from the CM Best Buds Digital Quick Kit
The stitching was from CM Pets Digital Quick Kit
Font: Scrap Brother

New Digital Add Ons!

Hi All,

I just added to my digital scrapbooking collection and tried out the new papers and embellies. I purchased the Cottage Garden collection through Creative Memories as well as the predesigned pages. I like using the predesigned pages as a starting point for my creations. I also like using them as templates and changing the papers and the colour schemes to meet my needs. Here are a few pages I did of my daughter. They were both predesigned pages that I added my pictures and journaling to. Very easy and very fast. If you are short on time or in a creative rut then templates are a fantastic place to start.

Scrapbooking Digitally and Loving it!

I have been scrapbooking for about 7 years now and am completely and hopelessly addicted! I can't help it. I love playing with paper. I started out as a Creative Memories scrapbooker but have sinced branched out a bit. My albums, pages, and paper are still mostly Creative Memories brand but now I add ribbon, eyelets, lots of cricut cuts, and the odd stamp here and there.

When I first heard that Creative Memories was starting an entire digital line I thought there was no way I could go there. I like the chunkiness of traditional scrapbooking. I love cutting, glueing, and playing with paper. I couldn't see myself sitting infront of my computer to create entire layouts. Well, guess what. . . I have gone there. I don't think I will ever completely give up my scissors, ink, and glue but I definitely love some of the digital aspects too.

I received Creative Memories Storybook software as a Christmas gift. I had used the free version for a few projects but wanted to take the full version out for a spin. This software is awesome. You can do so much and it is very user friendly. With the drag and drop capabilities you can do layouts really fast if you find yourself behind on your scrapbooking. However, you can do so much more and create unique and beautiful layouts from scratch. When I am creating a layout from scratch I think it takes just as much time to do it digitally as the traditional way but there are some definite advantages to going digital.

I love that I can vary my layouts a lot easier. When I scrapbook with scissors and glue my pictures are 4x6 90% of the time. I print my pictures out and then plan and do my pages. When I scrapbook digitally I can make my pictures any size I want with the click of a button.

Here are a few of my pages I have done so far. I had a ton of fun creating. Hopefully they will get your creative juices flowing.

Happy Crafting,
Cat