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StoryTellers Club Digital Scrappin' Pack: A Review
Ramie Ahlstrom - Scrapping Deck Cruise DirectorStoryTellers Club started a few years ago as a paper scrapbooking monthly club. They sell seasonal product packs that are filled with everything you need to complete fantastic layouts in no time. Each kit comes with papers, stickers, and coordinating die cuts. The Ultimate Kit comes with extra papers, matching cardstocks, fibers, buttons, ribbons, and other fun coordinating embellishments.
StoryTellers Club quickly evolved to include a website, message boards, a gallery and more. I first learned about StoryTellers Club from some friends on a military base. They are avid StoryTellers users, and one of them is a member of the elite design team! (Waving to Charlotte and Brenda!)
Soon after hearing about StoryTellers, I decided to start doing digital scrapping, so I never invested in their paper scrapbooking kits. I loved the look and feel of them (after looking at and touching my friends' kits), but I didn't have a need for them. I was very happy to hear in January 2005 that they too had "gone digital," and I was anxious to try out their digital kit! I signed up for the freebie kit first on their website and went from there!
Each Digital Scrappin' Pack comes with a few background "papers" and coordinating elements on "sheets" that resemble paper scrapbooking sticker sheets. Each of their papers and elements comes in three sizes-72dpi (dots per inch) for web and computer-only purposes, 150dpi for printing on ink jet printers, and 300dpi for professional printing.
I tend to work with the 300dpi stuff, because I can always resize downward---but you cannot resize up without losing quality. Working with this size makes the layout file sizes larger, but it does retain the high quality so that I could have my layouts printed professionally if I wanted. (I have not yet done this but will soon!)
Each background paper comes with a small strip at the bottom with the StoryTellers copyright notice on it. To use the papers without having this on your final layout, you should copy and paste the square portion of the paper only. You can do this by using the Square Marquee tool to select only the paper portion of the image, or by using the Crop function to crop the text out, and then copy and paste the paper into your layout. I find it easiest just to select the portion I want to use, and then copy and paste that to my layout---it saves one step.
When I first saw the element "sheets," I was unsure how to separate the individual elements from each "sheet." I was still unfamiliar with Photoshop Elements, but, once I mastered using the Square Marquee tool, it was simple. Just copy and paste the elements you desire onto your layout.
The kits each come with several coordinating elements-title blocks, borders, photo corners, buttons, brads, and bookplates. Most of the elements have a drop shadow "built in" (meaning that it's in the design of the element on the original file). This saves time for the end user since you do not have to take the time to add a drop shadow to make your layouts look more real. (This can be a disadvantage as well-you have to be sure to not copy and paste the shadow from a nearby element when getting the one you want! An easy fix if you do get some unwanted shadow is to use the Eraser tool on that layer to erase the extra!)
All of the background papers and elements in the StoryTellers Digital Scrappin' Pack match their paper kit for that month, and look so much like the "real thing" that it is hard to tell them apart. Although some digital scrapping is done because it IS different from paper scrapping, there are new digital scrappers who love the look of paper layouts, so the StoryTellers' kits are perfect for them (this includes me!).
Having several papers and elements that coordinate can make digital scrapbooking easy as pie (you know, the Sara Lee kind!!). Because you can make an infinite number of pages using the StoryTellers Digital Scrappin' Packs (by copying and pasting the files over and over), you can easily create a theme album with perfectly coordinated papers and embellishments. Be sure to check out Tricia's article about using coordinating page kits.
As you can see by the myriad of layouts I have created, the StoryTellers Digital Scrappin' Pack is well-loved at my house!!! I enjoyed using the kits and will be using them year-round!
I hope you've enjoyed this brief look at the StoryTellers Digital Scrappin' Pack, and all that it has in store! Be sure to come aboard SS Reflections in coming months to see more layouts by the Digital Deck Design Team using the StoryTellers Digital Scrappin' Packs!
Happy Digital Scrappin' (the easy way!)
Ramie Ahlstrom
ramieahlstrom@ssreflections.com
Scrapping Deck Cruise Director
Reflections Publishing Group
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