Cardboard Scrapbooking Style: Ideas

Cardboard Scrapbooking

How to get an Cardboard Scrapbooking Style on your layouts

 
OMG…it was such a long time without any Posts from me. But I just moved to California for some Job Training with SAP and there is very much going on. And I want to make sure that my Posts make sense and bring value to you. So I rather spend some more time on them than to provide a lot of small ones. I hope that is okay with you?! 🙂

So this time the post is about cardboard styles in Digital Scrapbooking. Have you seen those awesome layouts which seem to be totally real? They have a cardboard background and those layouts often come along with real-looking frames, shadows or stamps. I really like this kind of design as it allows you to keep things simple but rather interesting. The boarder between normal scrapbooking or the digital one is kind of disappearing. There are some great examples around the web as well as some freebies. So continue reading/watching and get inspired for your very own “cardboard scrapbooking style!


Tip #1: Use FRAMES for the photos to focus on them

The most layouts have in common that there frames used for the photos. This is a nice approach as the purpose of scrapbooking still should be to concentrate on a nice picture presentation. In the most examples I found the frames were white or black. I guess there are also some other possibilities to use here.

First Week Of 2014 Home Sweet Home
Credit: “First Week Of 2014” by inthemakingdesign Credit: “aedno1” by Adryane

Further links:

Great Cardboard Style from “in the making design” – Process & Approach

Freebies:

At Dusk Frames Free scalloped frame
Download: “At Dusk” Frames from Pom’s Breathing Room Download: Free scalloped frame by Delicious Scraps

 


Tip #2: Use SHADOWS wisely to make it look real

Additionally to the nice frames it is common to include shadows to make the elements look more real. The method here should be to use them wisely to create those nice realistic “look-and-feel”. There are some great tutorials around the web which you find just after those awesome examples and freebies here:

10 days old tlpguest08
Credit: “10 days old” by Ellie Credit: “tlpguest08” by margelz

Freebies:

Shadow Styles Drop Shadows
Download: Free Photoshop Shadow Layer Styles Download: Drop Shadows

Tutorials:

  • Designs By Megan Turnidge: “Is that really digital?!” | Realistic shadows in Photoshop CS4
  • Sahlin Studio: Tutorial | How-To Create Realistic Shadows
  • Suzy Q Scraps: Shadow Suggestions & Common Mistakes

     


    Tip #3: STAMPS make the layout look even more real

    And what about stamps…I realized that there are many layouts with simple black graphics somewhere. I really like it as it seems to look like stamps on the cardboard paper. So it makes the whole layout even more real. Especially a lot of custom shapes or photoshop brushes are free within the web to use them for awesome designs. So you can use simple png-images for any program, custom shapes or brushes if you use photoshop.

    Explore Amsterdam hello autumn
    Credit: “Explore Amsterdam” by Deekaa Credit: “week of november 11” by in the making design

    Freebies:

    Eiffel Tower Collage Namaste
    Download: Eiffel Tower Collage from Free Vintage Digistamps Download: Namaste Freebie by Studio Unica

     


    Tip #4: Write directly on the cardboard paper

    The nice thing with using Cardboard Style is that you can insert your journaling directly on the cardboard background as it seems to be just perfect there. Especially if you use a handwriting font it enhances this “real” feeling of the layouts.

    click21 hello autumn
    Credit: “click21” by Sarah Bennett Credit: “hello autumn” by Dana

    Further Links:

  • Great Fonts from Font Scuirrel
  • Also some awesome Fonts from Kevin and Amanda
  •  


    Tip #5: Use mainly real looking elements

    Of course you can also add some nice elements to your layouts. If you look at the most layouts you might realize that they use not so many elements and keep it quite simple. But especially stitches or glitter are somehow “real” and great to use within cardboarding style.

    You & Me layout by Sucali
    Credit: “You & Me” by beszteri Credit: layout by Sucali

    Freebies:

    Stitches glitter
    Download: Stitches from Auntie M Designs Download: Glitter Freebie from Delicious Scraps

     

    If you want to check out some more layouts for Cardboard Scrapbooking have a look at my PINTEREST board here:
     

     

    I hope you like cardboard scrapbooking style as much as I do and maybe you found some Inspiration for your very own Projects :).
     

    Kisses
    Isa

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