Digital Scrapbooking with Paper Pieces

Audience: Everyone
Category: Digital Scrapbooking Supplies
Operating System: Windows 7
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

I was asked to work with Elisha Barnett’s Paper Cutting products. They are based on Scherenschnitte, the German/Swiss art of paper-cutting practiced predominantly in the United States by the Pennsylvania Dutch on commemorative documents, wall hangings, and Christmas decorations. The paper cutting contents appear as hand-cut paper designs, far advanced versions of the folded-and-cut paper snowflakes we all made as kids.

When looking for examples of Scherenschnitte to further understand the style, I found many art pieces where the paper design was overlaid over a plain black background. I figured that as dramatic as this looked, it was easy enough to replicate at home and you don’t need a tutorial to do that! I wanted to think of other ways to use the pieces of cut paper to show that this is a versatile kit for digital scrapbookers and open to many interpretations.

I decided to do a photo-less page to include as many pieces of her paper cutting products as I could and to work in a loose art journal style.

Starting with the embellishments, I chose a frame and some word art to support the quote I wanted to use. To recolor the frame, I opted to use a style from Elisha’s Value Pack: Sugar Plum Styles. I clipped a paper to the large word art and recolored the smaller ones using a colored layer via the Paint Bucket tool.

I also selected some leaf pieces, using both the embellishment proper and the separate shadow layers. I clipped the same paper to both and adjusted the Blending modes to allow some texture to show through. Then I went back and adjusted the Blending mode on the frame to more closely match my leaves.

Lastly, I accessorized with further word art and a tag I used as washi tape from Elisha’s Dandelion Days Collection Biggiekit.

As digital scrapbookers, we don’t tend to think in terms of “paper” products, but these pieces are incredibly easy to use in a variety of ways. Please post your “papery” layouts in the Scrap Girls Gallery, showing us all the ways you used “paper” in your digital scrapbooking.