Take a look at all these resources for Digital Scrapbooking

What incredible creativity displayed in this section. I have never done any scrapbooking, the old way or digitally, but need to jump in and learn real quick.

We are having a big birthday bash for my husband turning 75 and oldest son turning 50 in December and I want to make a memory photo book for both of them as my gift. I am a bit overwhelmed where to start, especially as they need to have a masculine feel to them. I will start by browsing all the resources posted in the goodies section and see what inspires me.

My other problem will be keeping it a surprise from my hubby as our computer desks are in the same room and any time he turns around or walks past me he could see what I am working on.....
Wish me luck

It's going to be impossible to keep this a secret because of the amount of time you will be on the computer. My suggestion would be to tell him you need some private time on the computer to work on a project. He will know it's for him, but he cannot possibly guess what you have planned for him - so, in actuality, it will be a wonderful surprise.

My advice is to be easy on yourself when creating your layouts.  Don't be overly critical and keep reworking things - that will only bog you down and take the fun out of the project.  What you need to keep in mind is that putting a book like this together is a real gift of the heart and the receiver only sees the love you put into the project.  

A few suggestions to get you started - think of the topics you want to cover - take a few notes - then choose photos.  You don't need a lot of photos on a page to convey the story.  

You can design pages without any scrapbook kits in mind.  You can place the photos onto a layout, add some journaling and a title - and let the design flow from there.  

I don't know how much scrapbooking you've done, so I won't go into much - because Sepiana has provided a lot of resources for you to read if you need it.  

The only thing I would suggest is that you keep to one of the basic scrapbook page sizes.  

12x12 at 300 resolution (3600 x 3600 pixels) is the most popular size, with 8.5x11 next.  Your layouts should be 300 resolution for the best print and because it will mesh easily with scrapbook kits which are designed at 12x12 with 300 resolution.  If you design at 8x8, you will be forever resizing scrapbook kit elements.   If you start at 12x12, you can leave the print size decision until you are finished with your book.

Realize that even though you create in 12x12, you do not need to print at 12x12.  Printing companies can print in 8x8 and 6x6, also.  I wouldn't suggest 6x6, because it's kinda small, but 8x8 is a great size for a book.  My personal opinion is that 12x12 books are a little difficult to handle, while 8x8 is a great size -- easy to handle, yet your photos and text will still be large enough to make an impressive statement.

If you are unsure about which way to go, get one of your layouts printed in both 12x12 and 8x8 to see which size you prefer.

I wish you great luck on your project. Know that help is only a post away - so don't hesitate to ask for help, suggestions, or ideas. There are many talented people here who will be happy to jump in to help.

Sounds like you have a great plan. Realize you can make scrapbook pages without re-learning all that Elements has to offer. Dropping your photos onto the page, along with embellishments - then adding text - are all basic functions, so you will soon be off and running like you never took a break.

Looking forward to coming along for the ride.

Hi streetnurse…I have only printed out a few of my pages on my home printer which doesn’t really answer your question.

I have a friend who over the years has had quite a lot of stuff printed out professionally but she is in the States. I could contact her for her advice but if you live elsewhere that wouldn’t be any use. Can you say if that would be helpful or not. In the meantime perhaps someone else will come along and provide a better answer for you.