Digital Scrapbooking Business - 5 Minutes to Success! By Bob Veal

f you are considering your own digital scrapbooking business as a way to get out of the rat race and make a good living working from home then I'm about to give you the 5 minute secret to your success.

That's about how long it will take you to read this piece - possibly less - and in a nutshell it contains everything you need to know to take your scrapbook business to any level you like.

Oh, and it'll cost you less than fifty dollars to start.

Ready?

OK, first thing you're going to need is to get yourself on the internet. Go get a proper dot com domain name so you look like a pro. Under ten dollars for a whole year.

Next you need some hosting for a blog or website. Get professional hosting, not free. This is a digital scrapbooking business you're running - emphasis on the word business. You don't want to look like an amateur. Depending on the deal this can cost you between six and nine dollars a month.

I'd recommend a blog rather than a traditional website and I'd recommend WordPress. It gets in the search engines quicker, it's easier to run and more customer friendly. WordPress is free and has a huge number of themes so you can customize its appearance and plug-ins to extend it's abilities. It can do virtually anything your scrapbook business needs.

If you don't have Word or a page-layout program get a copy of OpenOffice (free) so you can create sample digital scrapbooks. Save them as PDF format so that you can offer them as free downloads from your blog.

Now subscribe to a mailing list/autoresponder management service so that you can collect names and email addresses of visitors to your blog. This is absolutely vital and can dramatically increase your income. Your free digital scrapbook download should be offered in exchange for their details. This will cost you just under twenty dollars a month and will repay that investment over and over again.

Depending on your precise scrapbooking business model, find a couple of affiliate programs that you can promote alongside your own business for additional income. Any reputable scrapbook affiliate program will be free to join.

Finally promote your digital scrapbooking business via your blog posts and article marketing. Both free and extremely effective.

Is our five minutes up?

OK, you might think this article is a bit tongue in cheek, and clearly there's a lot more flesh to put on these bones, but the above really is all you need to create the framework for your own digital scrapbooking business. Building it from part-time pennies to substantial full-time money is just a question of putting in a bit of effort.

Over the next few weeks I'll be expanding on each element to give you the bigger picture, and I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

You'll find lots more free professional information and a wealth of scrapbook resources at Digital Scrapbooking Business where you can also download a valuable free report from well known scrapbooking teacher Dawn Stegall. If you're thinking about making money from scrapbooking you don't want to ignore help like this!

Digital Scrapbooking Business - Going Beyond the Screen By Bob Veal

A digital scrapbooking business certainly has a number of advantages over traditional scrapbooking in terms of ease of start-up and range of potential customers. After all, once you've got a site set up to spread the word about your work, and a few digital scrapbook samples to show, you could be pulling in clients from anywhere in the world!

What's more, you can send the same scrapbook to any number of people for the same cost a sending it to one. So for example every guest at a wedding could have a copy of the digital wedding scrapbook. Something that would be extremely time consuming and hugely expensive to do traditionally.

But is the digital scrapbook, whether viewed on screen or printed out, a bit lacking in depth? Is there a certain lack of texture? Is it missing something when you pick it up?

If you, or clients of your digital scrapbooking business, feel that this is the case then the solution is what's become known as hybrid scrapbooking and, as you might guess, it's a combination of the two styles.

How far you want to take the mix is up to you but hybrid scrapbooking gives you the opportunity to use the best of both worlds.

Elements which are best handled by a computer - like things which are repetitive, or journalling (adding the text) are quicker and in many cases neater when produced on your computer. Likewise photos if you have to produce a number of scrapbooks.

Personal keepsakes like ribbons or other materials can be added once the digital element is printed out.

A cover for your scrapbook could be made using expensive textured paper or card, stamped or otherwise embellished to make it feel special but the inside pages could be created digitally and therefore much more cheaply.

So when you're thinking of ways to promote your digital scrapbooking business try thinking "outside the box" sometimes - or perhaps that should be "beyond the screen"!

You'll find lots more free professional information and a wealth of scrapbook resources at Digital Scrapbooking Business where you can also download a valuable free report from well known scrapbooking teacher Dawn Stegall. If you're thinking about making money from scrapbooking you don't want to ignore help like this!

How to Host a Scrapbook Crop - A Six Step Checklist For New Hostesses By Susan Luke

Many people would hold a scrapbook crop at home if they knew more about how to make them fun events. I know the first few I held were nerve-wracking affairs, with me biting my nails and hoping everything would work out. Now I am able to organise one pretty quickly and easily, without too many nerves! See if my check list helps you decide to hold some home crops too.

1. Before the Event:

• I like to give plenty of notice about when my crops are going to be held. This gives people a chance to think about what they are going to work on, and what to pack up to bring along. Allow a couple of week's notice if you can and be in touch with people about the day throughout that time. Talk it up. Say what you are going to be doing and ask your friends what they are thinking of working on so they will think about bringing only enough supplies to work on their particular projects.

When you first think of having friends over to work on their scrap books with you, it is important to think carefully about where and how people could work together:

• Do you have a large dining room table or a picnic table? Think about the size of a trestle table. Most scrappers are comfortable with half a trestle table. How many half trestle table surfaces could you provide in your home? Try to set things up so everyone can face each other and feel part of a circle of friends. I have three trestle tables and a dining room table so I set the trestles up in a 'U' shape and make my dining room table a shared space for tools.
• Once you know how many people you could accommodate, aim for asking that number of people to a day or evening of scrapping with you. My crops usually go from 10am to 4pm with people coming and going as able.
• Provide a few rubbish bins for people to use while scrapping. Small ones are enough - a clean ice cream container or plastic bowl can work well between two people. Or if space is at a premium, tape small plastic bags to the edges of tables for people to keep their scraps in. Keep an eye on the bins while people are working and quietly empty them when necessary.

2. The Tools

• Offer to make heavier tools like paper punches, guillotines, heat guns, Sizzix or Cuttlebug machines, sewing machines etc available, so your friends do not all carry these items to your house. Or ask if people will bring one particular tool on the understanding that it will be shared by everyone on the day. How lovely to be able to share dies and allow people to take home some freshly embossed or die-cut images! Ask them to label their equipment before they arrive so everyone knows what belongs to who when it is time to pack up.

3. The Food

• Are you going to have food on the day? Make sure your food choices will be scrapbooker friendly and not cause sticky problems for someone's projects. It helps to put out serviettes, baby wipes or paper towels for people to use. Also consider asking people to bring along a food item to share, to cut down on the expense of feeding everyone yourself, if that is an issue. I often serve crackers and cheese, olives, sliced vegetables and dip, non sticky candy like wrapped hard candies or jelly babies or mints, sliced fruit, etc. For a lunch, chicken or cold meats and salad with bread rolls is quick, easy and not very messy or hard to prepare. (Many do not want to give up too much scrapping time by sitting down to a three course meal, but it depends on the group).

4. When Friends Arrive

• When your friends arrive, be ready to help with bulky items from their car. Provide them with glasses of water, tea and coffee. Scrapping can be thirsty work! I always put empty glasses and coasters out before my friends come over. If you can provide a small area for people to prepare their own drinks, this will free you up to scrap longer too. Oh and make sure everyone knows where the 'facilities' are at the beginning of the crop.

5. During the crop

• Depending on the group, you could organise a small joint project such as the making of a place card, name tag or ATC when people arrive. Have a vote about which one is the cutest and give out a small prize such as a pack of crystal embellishments or a hand made embellishment of your own. Or ask people to make a set of small embellishments to swap with others on the day.
• Let people know that they may bring things to trade with them on the day. We all have an item or two we know we just won't use - it could be someone else's treasure! Share books or magazines as well.
• Play some music in the background. People could bring their own music to share.
• Encourage people to show their albums, cards, and off-the-page projects so everyone has a chance to share their ideas. Be encouraging! Scrapping is a personal affair and I believe there is no wrong way to do it, as long as the scrapper is happy with their result. I am always amazed that so many people feel intimidated by each others skills. Encouraging your friends with their scrapping may help them to enjoy their craft more freely.
• If someone in the group is skilled in a technique, consider asking them to demonstrate it for your other friends.

6. At the end of the day:

• When it is time to leave, help people to return their bulky items to their cars.
• Thank everyone for coming and maybe set a tentative date for your next crop!

A well-organised scrapbook crop can be relaxing, fun and a source of great new ideas for everyone. Enjoy your crops!

Are you new to paper crafting? Would you like to find out about papercraft tools, tips and techniques? At http://PaperCraftCentral.com you will find step-by-step guides for making many beautiful paper craft projects. You can even ask questions about paper crafting, submit your own work and subscribe to Paper Twists, a newsletter all about papercrafts, for free!

Digital Scrapbooking Business - Talk About Awesome Profitability! By Bob Veal

OK, before we get carried away, setting up your digital scrapbooking business will require some work and is not some kind of rubbish "get-rich-quick" scheme. Having said that, if you examine the profitability you might well be astonished.

I don't just mean making and selling digital scrapbooks either. There are lots of other ways to make money from the digital scrapbooking boom. Online tuition, designing and selling digital scrapbook supplies and writing ebooks all come into the same equation.

Awesome profitability is quite a claim though, so let's examine it in some detail.

Regardless of the type of digital scrapbooking business you choose you'll need some kind of internet presence. That's a given. It'll cost you under ten dollars a year for a domain name and six or seven dollars a month for pro hosting. If you include mailing list and autoresponder management (which I thoroughly recommend) that will cost you another $19.95.

So your total costs on an ongoing basis are around twenty-five dollars a month. That's ridiculously low for any business.

Let's say you don't have Adobe Photoshop Elements. You're going to need a copy if you want to design digital scrapbook supplies so that's another eighty bucks. Later on when the money's coming in you might want to invest in a scanner if you don't already have one. A good digital camera is a worthwhile investment if you're going the designing route too.

We're still talking a very, very small investment all up. Normally it costs thousands to set yourself up in business!

So that's "expenses". What about "income" and that "awesome profitability"?

Here's where your digital scrapbooking business beats traditional scrapbooking hands down.

If you decide to design all your own stuff you have no costs at all. Many digital scrapbookers do buy packs of digital supplies and why not? They're just a few dollars a time to take advantage of thousands of different styles and, unlike buying a pack of expensive paper or card, they never "run out".

If you decide to go the route of selling digital scrapbooks you have virtually no material costs, just your time. You shouldn't under-estimate the value of your time but it is pretty much 100% profit.

What about designing digital scrapbook supplies? Well again, once you've got the software you have no other expenses. What's more, it takes no more effort and costs no more to sell 1000 copies of a template or background than to sell one. Once you've put up your supplies for sale people can buy them day or night, month after month after month and what does it cost you? Precisely nothing.

Publishing a scrapbooking ebook is exactly the same principle. Authors have always been attracted by the prospect of 'royalty" payments that roll on well after the book is finished and you'll benefit from the same. Except as a self-published ebook you have no print to pay for, no agent, no nobody!

Scrapbooking tuition online? Same thing again. Effort to set it up, sure, but like any digitally delivered product, ongoing costs are pretty much covered by you hosting - and you were paying that anyway.

So there you have it. Proof. With a digital scrapbooking business your profitability really is quite awesome.

You'll find lots more free professional information and a wealth of scrapbook resources at Digital Scrapbooking Business where you can also download a valuable free report from well known scrapbooking teacher Dawn Stegall. If you're thinking about making money from scrapbooking you don't want to ignore help like this!

Digital Scrapbooking Business - The Power of Freebies! By Bob Veal

When you are setting up your digital scrapbooking business, using freebies can greatly increase your chances of drawing in the visitors.

Digital scrapbook freebies often take the form of templates, backgrounds, embellishments or brushes - things which are used for creating digital scrapbooks - but that's only part of the story.

What about a sample digital scrapbook as a freebie? Something people can download. use it to show off your abilities as a scrapbook designer. Very reassuring for your potential client if they're new to the whole digital and downloading thing.

Set it up so you ask for their email (so you can send them a copy) and you've got an excuse to get back to them and add them to your mailing list.

Other digital scrapbook freebies? Well what about the aforementioned templates, backgrounds and such. Who said your digital scrapbooking business had to be selling finished scrapbooks? What about designing and selling digital scrapbook supplies?

If you're going to do that, what better way to show off your skills and your products than with a freebie? Again, put in place a means of gathering visitor details and you've got another potentially very profitable business.

Do you like to share your scrapbook knowledge? What about teaching via an online course? A bit more complicated to set up maybe, but very do-able. Your freebie here could be the first lesson. This removes any fear of what people will get for their money.

The clever way to set up your scrapbook tuition is via automated payments (it's called "continuity" in marketing parlance). This way your "student" has to actively cancel and so is actually more likely to continue. Emphasize the "first lesson free, cancel any time" and watch the money roll in!

Don't want the work involved in managing a scrapbooking course? OK, write it as an ebook. Once the initial writing is done you can self publish your scrapbooking masterpiece and then it's virtually a hands-free business. You really will earn money while you sleep!

I only have one proviso when you're creating your digital scrapbook freebie. Make sure it's high quality. Don't be tempted to take short cuts because it's being given away. Remember it's a reflection on your business and do the very best you can with it.

Your digital scrapbooking business can take on any one, or perhaps a combination of the above disciplines. Write a scrapbooking ebook, follow it up with the advanced tuition. Write an ebook on how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements to create digital scrapbook supplies. The possibilities are almost endless and everyone is hooked by a good freebie!

You'll find lots more free professional information and a wealth of scrapbook resources at Digital Scrapbooking Business where you can also download a valuable free report from well known scrapbooking teacher Dawn Stegall. If you're thinking about making money from scrapbooking you don't want to ignore help like this!