| A digital scrapbook is an exciting project. With minimal | | | | background. Look at what a digital scrapbook flourish |
| mess, you can gather photos and memories into an | | | | can do. A flourish can sweep between the photos, |
| electronic scrapbook. From there, you can share | | | | crossing one corner of each, and tying them together. |
| individual pages or the entire digital scrapbook via | | | | A flourish can be echoed from one photo to the next. |
| e-mail. You can save the digital scrapbook on CD. You | | | | Place identical flourishes across matching corners to |
| can print your digital scrapbook - as many copies as | | | | show the photos' relationship. A few small flourishes |
| you desire. | | | | can flow between the photos, overlapping each photo |
| Digital scrapbook flourishes make your work look | | | | slightly at one or two spots. All of these, and more, are |
| professional. Well-placed and limited in number, digital | | | | ways to pull page elements together with digital |
| scrapbook flourishes can soften sharp corners and | | | | scrapbook flourishes. |
| add feeling to any page. | | | | 2. Digital scrapbook flourishes can also be used to |
| Define Digital Scrapbook Flourishes | | | | convey emotion. A photo of a young girl, just home |
| Digital scrapbook flourishes are decorative touches | | | | from her first dance, can become wistful and nostalgic |
| added to photos on the page of a digital scrapbook | | | | if a spray of flowers floats across one corner. A |
| project. | | | | photo of a boy's first baseball game recalls his |
| As in writing, a flourish is an ornamental embellishment, | | | | excitement when a flourish of a trophy is added. |
| added to make the page showier. Such | | | | 3. Finally, a digital scrapbook flourish can simply make a |
| embellishments appeared frequently in Victorian writing, | | | | dull page showy. Think of an official royal decree. It |
| but are now reserved for things such as certificates | | | | would carry as much power on a plain piece of paper, |
| where calligraphy appears. | | | | provided it had the proper seal. But a flourish or two |
| A digital scrapbook flourish might be a sweeping stem | | | | makes it showy - gives it importance. Digital scrapbook |
| of flowers placed across the corner of a photo. It | | | | flourishes can do the same for your electronic page. |
| could be a circular "doodle" of intricately interwoven | | | | Sources for Digital Scrapbook Flourishes |
| lines. Sometimes, digital scrapbook flourishes take a | | | | The best source for digital scrapbook flourishes may |
| free art form, flowing loops of color or black sweeping | | | | be your own skill and a good computer graphics |
| onto the photo from opposite corners. | | | | program. If you are comfortable with using such a |
| Brushes or Rubber Stamps | | | | program, and know your way around it, you can find |
| The forerunners of digital scrapbook flourishes are | | | | many built-in flourishes, as well as tools to create your |
| done with "brushes" in conventional scrapbooking. The | | | | own flourishes. |
| term "brushes" can be misleading, however, as no | | | | If you do it yourself, you can create digital scrapbook |
| artist's or painter's brush is involved. These decorative | | | | flourishes from a bit of your digital scrapbook paper |
| touches are added with rubber stamps in conventional | | | | design. Simple capture the flower or design element |
| scrapbooking. | | | | you want for a flourish and "clean" it, removing |
| Since digital scrapbooking is done solely on the | | | | unwanted background colors. Place the finished flourish |
| computer, the "brushes" or "rubber stamps" may be | | | | on your page and see how well it ties in with the |
| previously created designs placed on the electronic | | | | background. Change its color, if desired, for more |
| page atop the photo. Another way of producing digital | | | | contrast. |
| scrapbook flourishes is to use a digital brush to doodle | | | | Most digital scrapbook software includes flourishes and |
| or swirl a design onto the finished page. | | | | embellishments. If you are using such a program, look |
| Advantages of Digital Scrapbook Flourishes | | | | for "brushes" or "stamps" to use. |
| Many advantages can be gained through the use of | | | | Websites that retail digital scrapbook supplies will also |
| digital scrapbook flourishes. A page that is other wise | | | | have digital scrapbook flourishes. Look at their samples |
| little more than a simple photo album page gains | | | | to get ideas. Purchase packages of digital scrapbook |
| interest, and tells a more complete story through the | | | | flourishes from them. |
| addition of flourishes. How do flourishes accomplish | | | | Helpful tip: When you come across a term such as |
| that? | | | | "flourishes" in your digital scrapbook work, pursue it until |
| 1. Digital scrapbook flourishes give cohesiveness to a | | | | you understand it. Understanding the "technical talk" is a |
| page. For example, a page that features two similar | | | | big part of making a great digital scrapbook. |
| photos can look bare if the two photos sit alone on the | | | | |