Guest Post - Welcome Jackie from Jacabean Designs!!!

Hi guys - I'm SOOO excited today to welcome my very first guest post from my new friend Jackie of Jacabean Designs!!  She designs some really incredible digital scrapbooking kits - one thing I know VERY little about but totally admire!  I know a lot of you cross over between the worlds of paper and digital, so I thought it would be great to have her come over and tell us more about what she does and introduce you to her kits - while I'm over on her blog today talking about some of my crafts!  So with that, I'm going to let her take it away!! ~

Hi everyone! I'm Jackie of Jacabean Designs, and I'm so excited to be a guest here today.   :)  A little about me...I'm a full-time graphic designer.  I love to read, scrap, craft, bake, and have a serious addiction to sweets...especially chocolate!  I'm married to a wonderful guy who puts up with my crafting messes, and even gives me a craft challenge from time to time.  My favorite color is yellow.  I love digital scrapbooking, and also design digital scrapbook kits at Brownie Scraps.  Want to see what's new in my little corner of the world?  Stop by my blog and say hi at jacabean.blogspot.com.

I'm here today to share with you all a little bit about digital scrapbooking.  First, here are my top 5 reasons why I love digital scrapbooking:

1.  I Can Make Multiple Copies
This is why I initially made the switch.  A few years ago, I decided I wanted to make a heritage scrapbook. So many family members were interested, I figured if I made it digital, anyone who wanted a copy could have one.  I'm spending the time to do it, so I might as well get more use out of it, and be able to share my creations with others, right?

2.  The Undo Button!
So I've got this vision, and I'm trying that new paper cutter...and it all goes wrong.  Grrr...I just ruined that picture.  Or how about, I'm writing a paragraph about that special moment, get to the last sentence, and misspell a word.  Argh!  I hate that!  And I imagine I'm not the only one...at least I hope.  :)  Anyway, not only can you undo and try again on the computer, but many programs also have spell-check!  And you can center your text, change the size, spacing, color, etc.

3.  My Photos Are Digital
All of my pictures from the past 5 years at least are digital.  So if I want some to scrap, I've first got to print them.  Unless you're super organized and think ahead (I usually am not), you can't sit down and scrap if you find yourself with a little free time.  BUT if I'm scrapping digitally, I just pick out which photos I want to scrap, and I'm ready to go.

4.  An Endless Supply of My Favorite Things
I'm one of those wackos who doesn't want to use the last piece of my favorite paper, because then, it's all gone.  I know, it's a waste not to use it, but I'm weird that way.  With digital, there is an endless supply!  Want to put 20 of that one flower on your page?  Go for it!  Heck, you can put 100 if you really want, and it didn't cost you any extra.

5.  No Mess!
In my new house, I will have my very own craft room.  Yay!  However, up until now, I've had a bin full of stuff.  Okay, well truthfully, many bins.  And when I scrap?  The living room floor looks like the JoAnn's craft department threw up.  It would drive my husband nuts!  With digital scrapping, it's just my and my trusty computer...a Mac of course, but yours doesn't have to be.  :)

Well, there you have it!  Now, would you like to see some of my pages?  I'll try to show you a variety of styles.  With each one, I'll link you up to the scrapbook kit used, and the template too.  Yes, I am definitely a template scrapper!  I don't always use templates, but I have very little time to scrap, and when I do, it makes things much easier if I have a vision going in.  There's nothing wrong with a little help, right?

This is one of my favorites.  My favorite color is yellow, so I think that has something to do with it.  :)  This was made with Afternoon by Marni Designs and Tempting Templates 7 by Rainy Dayz Designs.

This one is definitely a little different from the everyday pictures.  The kit used is FlutterbyeFaery's Touch of Tan, and no template this time around. This one is all me.  :)

This one is for my heritage album (as is the one above).  It's created with Barren Beauty by PhotoCowgirl and Lazy Days Templates 2 by Hornbuckle Designs.

One last layout...created with Soul Sister by Modern June and Color Lovers 1 by Rainy Dayz Designs.

And what do I do after I've created my pages?  I get them made into books!  I LOVE the feeling of seeing my books for the first time. I actually got my 2010 album in the mail from Winkflash recently, and I'm loving it. Here are a few pics:

That page on the right is a favorite of mine because the handcuffs, badge and whistle are pictures of my hubbies actual police things.  How cool is it to have those in the book?  Oh, and I know it looks like the book won't lay flat, but it will.  This was literally my first time looking thru it, and I ran to grab the camera right away.  No page protectors, but you could choose to print your pages and put them into a traditional paper scrapping album with the page protectors if you like that better.

Ok, one last thing before I leave.  I think I mentioned that I also design digital scrapbook kits.  The front cover of my book shown above is one of my kits (Smiling).  I've got a wide variety of kits in my store.  Here are a couple:

Want to see more?  You can check out my store HERE, and my layout gallery HERE.  Have questions about getting started?  Stop by my BLOG and leave a comment, and I'll answer the best I can.  Well, that's all for now!  Thanks for reading.  :)

~ Thanks so much, Jackie!!  I know I just love your layouts - I especially ADORE the one using FlutterbyeFaery's Touch of Tan.  It is absolutely stunning - the stacked photos just catch your eye (pun totally intended!) and draw you in!  Thanks for your post and for taking the time to introduce us to digital scrapping!